Ocean Series Race 2: Lion Island Challenge

Finally some downwind … but not without a slog!

By Jamie Stewart
Saturday, 03 October 2009

Photos courtesy of Allan Coker Photography www1.clikpik.com/allanc

Tim Jacobs has taken out the Lion Island Challenge for the third year in a row. The lanky carpenter from Freshwater Beach cemented his dominance over Sydney's paddling scene in challenging conditions this Saturday, winning both the Epic Dash for Cash and the overall title ahead of a field of more than 150 paddlers.

Stunning pic of the venue by Alan Coker

Howling southerly

With a howling southerly wind, and rising southeast swell, Race 2 in the Bing Lee LG Ocean Series race was a true test of skill and grit in the ocean. So it was appropriate that standing next to Tim on the podium were two super-experienced watermen: Olympic kayaker turned downwind ski paddler Tony Schumacher and former iron man champ Michael Clues. Both of these guys have been pushing the pack at every race this year, and their results today were as hard-fought as they were well deserved.

...and they're away - a chaos of boats at the start (Pic Alan Coker)

Dash for Cash

Today's Dash for Cash was up for grabs and it looked like Mark Anderson, Nick Holt or Sascha Vujanic, with an early break, were going to be first to cover the lightning-quick 1000m downwind sprint but, like Usain Bolt after the first five strides, the long stroke of TJ proved too much.

Tim Jacobs took the Dash for Cash and never looked back (Pic: Alan Coker)

Despite the persistent effort of Tony Schumacher for the first half of the race, once he was in front Tim stayed there for pretty much the rest of the race, finishing well clear of Tony in second.

Upwind Battle...

The first long section of the race after the hotspot was an upwind battle to south Palm Beach, around Barrenjoey Headland. This headland has claimed many a ski in prior years and is not to be messed with, but despite the thumping swell there was no major carnage this year.

...despite the thumping swell there was no carnage this year (Pic: Alan Coker)
...downwind... brought a grin

The organisers made the most of the conditions, putting a buoy well out to sea off Palm Beach, right in the thick of the swell. This meant that the run from Palm Beach back to Lion Island brought a grin to the faces of fit, experienced downwind paddlers. Coming back around the headland, some of the swells resembled mine shafts, and with the outgoing tide it made for some really exciting surfing ¬- if you could pull on to them that is. A lot of paddlers struggled to get on the swells and link up the runs as the wind, which was buffeting from the West all the way to Lion Island, made it difficult to pick the right line.

Misty conditions (Pic: Alan Coker)

Michael Clues was one paddler who definitely picked the right line this weekend. Cluesy, a builder and fire fighter from Manly, has been training with Tim Jacobs since mid-winter. With a solid career in surf ironman behind him, the former Nutri-grain star picked his way through the top ten all the way back from Barrenjoey Headland. Unfortunately for Cluesy, he just didn't have enough in the last 3km of headwind back from Lion Island to overtake Schumacher, but he certainly raised a few eyebrows and is one to watch in tricky conditions. Hot on Cluesy's heels was the ever-present Michael Locke, who has been consistent the last few years and is due for a podium finish this year.

Tony Schumaker fought hard (Pic: Alan Coker)

Ladies' Race

Former Olympic kayak paddler Yanda Nossitter won the ladies' race. After a few years hiatus from competitive paddling Yanda is back in 2009. The conditions were tough, but Yanda managed to stay ahead of junior Lauren Smith to take out the ladies.

Ski paddling is definitely alive and well in Wollongong, with Ali Day winning the junior men and Lauren Smith the first junior girl home. In second and third were brothers Ben and Tim Kirkby, of Freshwater. Ben and Tim have been coached through the ranks by Tim Jacobs, and it'll be very interesting to see if they can match the strength of the Wollongong squad in the rest of the Ocean Series.

Challenge...

Simply finishing the Lion Island Challenge in 2009 was an achievement in itself. Three paddlers were forced to pull out or were rescued mid-race by the safety craft, due to the challenging conditions. Full credit to the race organisers and safety crews who made sure that all paddlers were accounted for at the end of the day.

Before the race, organiser Brett Greenwood was considering altering the course to more sheltered waters, but I for one am glad he didn't. The Lion Island Challenge for 2009 was tough, but fun, and a real challenge for everyone who took part.

Next up is race 3 - Bondi to Watson's Bay on 24 October.

Race Results

Click here for the race results