2013 PRIMI Naish Downwind Series – Paddling For Madiba

The 10th and final race of the 2013 PRIMI Naish Downwind Series was recently held at Woodbridge Island in Milnerton, South Africa on December 11th.

As South Africa mourns the loss of one of the world’s greatest leaders, it was decided by the paddling community that this particular event would be dedicated to the life of Nelson Mandela. An emotional yet beautiful moment of silence was held prior to the start in his memory as Robben Island silently lay in the backdrop.

Conditions were very contestable with 17-23 knots of wind and no swell as paddlers lined up for the 10.1 km downwind to Big Bay. With Ethan Koopmans only 2 points behind Dylan Frick, this was Ethan’s chance to show just how much his performance has improved in lighter, more milder winds (anything under 25knots is considered weak by Cape Town standards).

The start began similar to previous starts this season, with Ethan and Dylan leading the pack. After much nail biting and back and forth between the two, Ethan was edged out very closely and ended up taking second.

An awesome result for Naish in the overall standings of the 10th PRIMI Naish Downwind Series with Ethan Koopmans in second, Joshua Robertson in third and Peter Peterson in fourth place.

That concludes the 10-race 2013 PRIMI Naish Downwind Series, but the break until the 2014 10-race series is not long with a start of January 8th of January!

Full Race results: http://www.sup-culture.com/results.html

Pictures courtesy of: Jane Bouwer Amory