About the SUP-11City Tour : SUP paddlers will experience the ultimate challenge as they paddle 220 kilometers (136 miles) in five days with weather conditions varying from windless, beautiful and sunny to cold, rainy and stormy.Besides the ultimate challenge the SUP 11-City Tour is also a unique experience. 200 national and international paddlers are expected to get to know Friesland, the northern province of Holland, from the water. Open fields with windmills, cows, and sheep will present itself along the water ways exchanged by eleven historical cities built from 1700 onwards.
6 brave South Africans ventured out to Friesland, Holland this year to take part in this Epic SUP 11-City Tour Challenge of paddling 220km over 5 days. This is their story…
The South African team having a great time at the SUP 11 City Tour
*Rory Smyth (CPT)
*Elleni Smyth (CPT)
*Craig Girdlestone (CPT)
* Shayne Chipps (Durban)
* Jolene Harris (CPT)
* Guy Bubb (CPT)
Arriving in Amsterdam we took in a few sights and ventured of to the Naish 1 Inflatable event were Shayne Chipps was taking part. This was a fun day out with a well organised event and meeting all the super stars from Naish like Robby Naish, Chuck Paterson and Casper Steinfeld. Shayne did well and represented South Africa proudly. Rory Smyth also took part in the Team Relay event which was full of action. This style of a event is great for spectators and participants, and SupA hopes to bring events like this to South Africa soon.
The team then headed of to Leeuwarden up north which would be the start of the tour. We went by train and was a great way to see the country side of Holland. On arrival we ventured off to meet the organiser and Mistral who supplied all the Capetonians with their boards. It was great to have Mistral and there profesional team helping us with suport and the great boards. Bad weather had arrived already and we were all nerves about the winds and rains but all the competitors had to SUP in the same conditions. We boarded our boats that woulD be our accomodation for the next 6 days. These boats are over 100 years old and were very comfortable and great having the whole team together and meeting other competitors from other countries. Lucky for us we were on the winning boat as both Steve and Seychell were on our boat – Mistral team riders who won the event.
Registration day and nerves all round surrounded by some of the best in the world and meeting and greeting. We all looked around to see what others were doing what fins they were using, what boards and timing devices. It was great to meet our fellow SUP’ers from around the world.
This is from another competitors blog, Furio Vitali, and aptly describes how we felt:
“As I am walking around the SUP village holding my goodies bag tight with my right hand I am stoked to spot few notorious faces of the SUP world, faces that I have only seen on magazines and a bit shy and intimidated I limit myself to take a look around, seeing what the pros are doing, what board they have, what fin they use, I would want to ask them few question but I hold back when I cannot help notice a guy which has just registered for the event too and is now sitting while looking inside his goodies bag humbled by the surrounding as he quietly reaches inside his bag, all I can see his a reflection of myself: Scared, inexperienced and alone.”
This is how I think we all felt walking around and taking in the atmosphere and preparing for the next day. First up was the prolugue paddle through Leeuwarden which was lots of fun! Give a South African the chance to represent and we go wild. Dressed up in our flags colorful wigs and headgear we, the South Africans, had arrived…
Day one and it had arrived after all that training and hard work we were getting ready for this Epic Challenge. Unfortunatly Elleni had come down with some flu but this was a blessing in desguise as she was the best support for the 5 of us – she was at every rest stop come rain, wind and thunder feeding keeping us warm and making sure our day packs were ready. So from the 5 of us we say thanks Elleni for all you did.
Without going through each day here is a brief run down of the event ~ it was windy, wet and challenging but this is why we were there to experience this epic SUP tour and to challenge ourselves. With so many like minded people at this event is what made each day so fun. 46km a day is no small feet especially with head and cross winds and rain coming down side ways but we all made it and we all finished each day. The great thing about this race is the people you SUP with are all in the same conditions and everyone is pushing each other and motivating the ones they pass or the ones that are passing by you. The camaradery is great and this is the reason I will be back. The atmosphere of this tour is one of team spirit and unlike any race I have ever done.
Team South Africa did great and we all managed to reach our personel goals and more. With Rory Smyth finishing 15th overall this was a great placing if you only see the names in the top 20 these are all super races. Guy Bubb in 31 and Shayne Chipps 36 and Craig Girdlestone 47… all in the our team, once again, all doing superbly well! Jolene Harris who has only been SUP’ing since January 2015 completed the tour placing 3rd in the woman overall – what a fantastic achievement. So all winners and showing the true South African sportmanship, we all made lots of new friends and we will be back and hope you will join us in 2016.
Yes its tough, and yes its a long distance, but its fun and the personel challenges it gives you at the end is worth every blister, cramp and curse word. So join us next year and remember you can paddle the team event or the weekend event as you don’t need to do all 220km – just come along and be part of this the experience of a life time.
For more information feel free to contact any of us for personnel experience or follow the Tour on the bellow links.
Words: Guy Bubb | Pictures: Supplied