tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-80526590264061821962024-03-18T09:04:19.485-07:00Chloe BunnettChloe Bunnetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16262503470698472582noreply@blogger.comBlogger27125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8052659026406182196.post-56875290276184697772019-12-22T02:19:00.000-08:002019-12-22T02:19:10.483-08:00Cape Point Challenge 2019 - GOLD<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Ending my season on a high by winning the Cape Point Challenge, this is a huge race and a massive achievement just to finish it. For anyone that does not know about the race, it is a 52km race around the iconic Cape Point in Cape Town, South Africa.<br />
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Coming into the race I had trained well and felt confident I could be competitive. Following the online coaching program of Linton Hope and my gym coaching set out by Hayley Nixon both coaches from the Wildog Squad, I knew I had the best chance of being right up there. My nutrition and hydration the week leading up to the race also played a vital role in going into this race ready for a long morning out on the water. I use Precision Hydration and make sure I am topping up my "system" on a daily basis leading in an ultra race like this.<br />
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We arrived in Fish Hoek on Wednesday 11th of December, a few days before the race, so I could just settle a little bit and get used to the area again. With the ever frantic refreshing of all the different wind/weather apps, it was looking like it was going to one of the tough races. On Friday it was announcement that we would not round the point but go from Fish Hoek Beach and race to the Point and back. It was a good call, as we would all realise when we reached the point. But now it was time to relax and just start to focus on the race ahead. The SW wind was predicted, which meant that we would have a lot of swirling gusts and lots of side wind. Saturday the batches were emailed out and later that day we all gathered at the Fish Hoek Surf Lifesaving Club for registration and the briefing. I was set to go off at 7am on Sunday morning, a batch of about 25 of us including Bianca Beavitt, Melanie van Niekerk, Bridgitte Hartley and my coach Linton - so that settled my nerves a little bit, just having Linton on the start line with me.<br />
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Race day - the nerves are at a high first thing in the morning. You can here the wind gusting while you are trying to eat breakfast at 5am, this is not settling any last minute nerves. So I just blocked out the race for a few minutes while I got stuck into breakfast. Then it was time to head to the start line and get ready. It was cool morning, with some rain predicted for later. I chose to wear my Vaikobi VCold shorts (the most comfortable paddling shorts on the market) and my VCold base layer top. I knew there would be times I might get warm and times I might get cold so this was the best in-between combo and it worked a treat.<br />
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Checking our boats through the safety gate there was a bit of chatter, but the start line was relatively quiet. And before I knew it, it was "Paddler's ready - GO" and we were off. I got a great start and sat in a nice bunch, we were actually going at quite a pace to start with. I was happy as I felt good and even though occasionally the pace increased, I knew it would settle again so I just stayed with it. We pretty much all stayed together or at least with in sight of each other. When we hit around 17km we really felt the South Wester, and had a side wind until we turned at the Point. The turn buoy was quite a way out from the point so we really got the feel of the size of the swell that was hitting the Point, at this point I think everyone realised what a good call it was to stay in the bay.<br />
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Leading up to and after the turn we were all starting to split up so I knew I would pretty much be on my own until the end and I was happy with that, I had done many solo training sessions leading up to the race so it actually felt better just to find my own groove and power back to Fish Hoek. The only time I saw any of my competitors after we turned at the Point was just before Miller's Point, Bridgitte came past me and I followed her through the rocks as we were very close in trying to hide from the wind. But I seemed to get a second wind right there and decided that this was the time I needed to go, still with around 12km to go it might have been a brave move but I backed my training and just went with it. I wasn't sure the lines the other girls would be on so I was not sure where exactly I was placed. Good or bad I just went as hard as I could and made little goals the whole way back. I only realised I had won when I was catching a wave into the finish and I heard Oscar on the commentary saying "Chloe Bunnett - First lady home!"<br />
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What a feeling, I had done it. Hard work pays off.<br />
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I felt so comfortable in my Carbonology Pulse, it handled the side wind and the headwind perfectly. Ok not that we want to be out in side winds and headwinds but it does happen and we have to race in what the ocean serves up for us on the day.<br />
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Again I would like to thank my sponsors for providing with the best equipment, hydration, clothing and coaching any paddler could wish for.<br />
<a href="http://livingsea.es/en/home/" target="_blank">LivingSea</a><br />
<a href="http://www.carbonologysport.com/" target="_blank">Carbonology</a><br />
<a href="https://www.vaikobi.com/" target="_blank">Vaikobi</a><br />
<a href="https://www.precisionhydration.com/" target="_blank">Precision Hydration</a><br />
<a href="https://www.facebook.com/wilddogsquad/" target="_blank">Wilddog Squad</a><br />
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It has been a good season, highlights of my season were making the Spanish National Surfski Team and representing Spain at the World Championships - placing in the top 10. Followed by winning the Spanish National Title for 2019 and now capping my year off with my name on the Cape Point Trophy for the 2nd time.<br />
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It is definitely time for a little rest before we kick off next season with the World Cup in Lanzarote, Canary Islands, Spain in February.<br />
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All the best to everyone for 2020 - set your goals, achieve your dreams and have a fantastic year.<br />
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Thank you to everyone for your continued support. 🎉🎊</div>
Chloe Bunnetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16262503470698472582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8052659026406182196.post-39016453405252524082018-12-23T00:26:00.000-08:002018-12-23T00:26:03.004-08:00Cape Point Challenge 2018<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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It is not called Cape Point Challenge for nothing and this year was no exception.</div>
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Leading up to this year's Cape Point Challenge we were all refreshing our different wind apps to get an idea of what the wind was doing. At first it was looking like a light SE wind with a small swell of less than 2m. But this was changed as the days went by and on Friday the forecast was for the holding Black South Easter to rear it head for race morning. Pete Cole made a call to stay inside the bay for the race, that would take us from Simon's Town to the Point and turn and then head back to Fish Hoek with a compulsory check point just off the beach at Buffel's. </div>
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So race morning arrived and its an early start from Simon's Town, I was starting at 6:00am. I felt good and knew it was going to be a long tough paddle up to the point. As we turned into the wind after the shelter of the harbour wall I knew I had to pace myself and do my own race, as it was gusting well over 30kts. It wasn't easy against the wind and with all the chop I decided to followed a few paddlers very close in shore. We were skirting the edges of rocks and took a risk after Miller's Point by cutting inside a set of rocks. It worked for me but there were lots of swimmers. I thought that after Miller's Point it would get easier with less rocky areas to "cut" through, but wow was I wrong. The wind had a bit to much easterly in it and going past Smitswinkel Bay up to Buffel's the wind was more side/headwind and with the rebounds from the cliffs hitting you from the other side it was time to concentrate. Paddlers were getting taken out by rouge waves and one hit me but luckily I stayed on my ski. I saw two guys on a double get washed right out of their boat. It was now survival mode time. As I was approaching the turn at Buffel's I noticed there wasn't a buoy but the big NSRI boat, when I reached the boat they said to turn and go back to Fish Hoek. They had made the call to shorten the race, another good call as I think they had been really busy helping and assisting paddlers and this call was to make sure we were all safe. </div>
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After the turn was not easy as we were now too close to the shoreline and the wind was more side on than downwind. So I followed a double for around 1km to go virtually straight out to sea to attempt to get a better line and downwind to the finish. Once I could see the point after Smitswinkel I decided to turn and go downwind while working out to keep a good line. Very difficult and testing conditions so I was very happy to see the famous Miller's Rock, I though - "Now I am just a Miller's Run from the Finish!". Still the first few km's of the Miller's Run section was coming over my right shoulder and I had to keep working out. The best part was from just before Roman Rock Lighthouse until the finish. The runs lined up and I was finally linking runs. I was stoked just to finish a race like this with such gruelling conditions and to finish in the top 5 was an awesome way to end the year.</div>
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Definitely not the kind of conditions I am use to and definitely conditions I do not want to get use to. Big shout out to the NSRI for keeping us safe and for Pete Cole on making a good call to keep us in the Bay and to his safety team that worked closely with the NSRI to keep us all safe out on the water.</div>
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Now its time for a little break over Christmas.</div>
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Thank you to everyone who supported me this year and here's to a great 2019. </div>
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Thank you Hein and Jason from Carbonology Sport, Esteban and Sara from Living Sea for your ongoing support. Providing me with the most fantastic surfski to race in and making sure that my Surfski gets around to all the races.</div>
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Pat and Adrienne from Vaikobi for continually supporting me with the best paddling kit out there, and also for always pushing the limits with amazing new designs and keeping us comfortable while we are out there racing and training.</div>
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Hayley and Linton for keeping me fit on and off the water and for all the advice, help and support. </div>
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Micky McDonald (Surfski Gypsy) for taking my Surfski around on your trailer to my European races.</div>
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All the best everyone for 2019. Have a great time over the festive season and see you in Lanzarote!</div>
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Chloe Bunnetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16262503470698472582noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8052659026406182196.post-25637576300742531562018-06-27T10:49:00.000-07:002018-06-27T10:49:04.169-07:00Swedish Downwind Camp<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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There is only one spot left for the Swedish Downwind Camp, see below for details.</div>
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Chloe Bunnett from South Africa is our coach 2018. Welcome to Aterra Surfski Experience in Helsingborg/Skalderviken Sweden. Chloe is one of the worlds best surfskipaddlers and she will help you to take your paddling to the next level. We will work in small groups during the day so that you can get personal coaching.</div>
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Aterra arrange camps for surfski and kayaking in Sweden, Gran Canaria, Portugal, Slovenia and Spain. For the first time we arrange a longer camp in Sweden and invite you here so you can explore our exciting environment. We have fantastic conditions for surfski downwinds. Most of the summer is normally windy and that gives us nice wavy experiences.</div>
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Click here to find out more and book <a href="http://www.wavechallenge.se/surfskiexp.html" target="_blank">DOWNWIND in Sweden</a></div>
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Chloe Bunnetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16262503470698472582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8052659026406182196.post-30125606677334384122018-05-08T11:56:00.000-07:002018-05-08T11:56:47.470-07:00First at the Eurochallenge 2018 - Viilajoyosa<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
The Eurochallenge 2018 kick started the season with classic conditions;<br />
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We were only in Tenerife for one week after leaving South Africa before heading to Villajoyosa for the Eurochallenge. I really love this race. The town of Villajoyosa is not far from Alicante airport and with a beautiful stretch of beach, great harbour and the home of the famous Valor Chocolate makes an awesome venue for the race. We arrived on the 25th April, a few days before the race window, once we had dropped our bags at the hotel we walked to the race venue so I could set my boat up and go out for a light session. The next day Kenny arrived along with the wind so after a bit of lunch, Juan from Club Nautica Villajoyosa dropped us off in Benidorm for a 12km downwind. A short side wind section to get out to sea and then we had a fantastic downwind back to the club. I was feeling really good and my Carbonology Pulse was handling the conditions perfectly. </div>
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That evening it was Pizza time, at a great restaurant (PIZZA GUSTA) near our hotel. By Friday the vibe had set in and everyone was arriving and talking about the potential conditions, the organisers had made the decision to run the race on Sunday as the forecast showed that from 12pm the wind was coming in. In our race packs we had a note that had a trailer number on it, which was then your designated trailer and the spot for your surfski for the race. When we arrived at the venue on Sunday morning to pick up our trackers the wind had already started to pick up, a really good sign. After a quick coffee we all boarded the coaches and headed to the start. By the time we were at the start the wind had increased and was now hitting 18-20 kts. The direction was the best it had been all week and it would be an almost direct line up the coast to the finish. It is an 18km course from El Compello to Villajoyosa.<br />
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A quick warm up and we all lined up ready to go, no wasting time and before I knew it we were off. The first 800m or so was a slight side wind to the turn buoy and then downwind to the finish. I turned the buoy in a big group. We (Jenna, Amaia, Judit, Aurora and myself) were all pretty close going around the turn. I decided straight away on my line and put my head down and started concentrating on catching every run. I had so much fun and with my Garmin shouting fast splits -I was loving it. I knew then that if I wasn't on for the win then there was nothing more I could've done. So I just focused on my own race, and raced my Garmin.<br />
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When I crossed the line, I wasn't sure if I had won or not as the wind was so strong that I did not hear the announcement. Then the waves were crashing on the slipway so we had to paddle around to get out on a jetty that was sheltered from the wind and waves. It took a few minutes to find out that I had won, I am still so stoked. Thanks to everyone who made it a great race. And well done to everyone who raced, it was a fantastic downwind with decent conditions. It is great to see the strength and depth in the races in Europe.<br />
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<b><u><span style="font-size: x-small;">TOP 8 WOMEN</span> </u></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">1 3 CHLOE BUNNETT / ESPAÑA..................... MUJER SENIOR SS1.................................... 1:16:18:110</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">2 32 JUDIT VERGÉS XIFRA / ESPAÑA............ MUJER SENIOR SS1.................................... 1:17:45:847</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">3 8 AMAIA OSABA OLABERRI / ESPAÑA........ MUJER SENIOR SS1.................................... 1:17:54:181</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">4 52 JENNA WARD / SUD AFRICA.................. MUJER SENIOR SS1.................................... 1:19:40:601</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">5 20 AURORA FIGUERAS PALOMERAS / ESPAÑA...... MUJER SENIOR SS1..................... 1:20:38:790</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">6 6 LUCIA SERRALTA FERRER / ESPAÑA..... MUJER SUB 23 SS1...................................... 1:24:03:011</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">7 44 LIZELLE KEMP / ESCOCIA....................... MUJER VET C-D (1964-73) SS1.................. 1:26:01:434</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">8 58 MARIA VAELLO SANTAMARIA / ESPAÑA............ MUJER JUVENIL SS1....................... 1:28:15:118</span></div>
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As always a big shout out to <a href="http://carbonologysport.com/" target="_blank">Carbonology Sport</a>, <a href="http://livingsea.es/es/" target="_blank">LivingSea</a> and <a href="https://www.vaikobi.com/" target="_blank">Vaikobi</a> for your continued support so excited for the rest of 2018.<br />
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Also I have been working with Hayley Nixon from <span style="background-color: white; color: #1d2129; font-family: "helvetica neue" , "helvetica" , "arial" , sans-serif; font-size: 14px;">@posture2paddle during the off season</span> to add some strength and conditioning into my training and it has definitely paid off. So thank you Hayley, it has been awesome and I look forward to working with you during the rest of my season.<br />
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A big thank you to all the organisers from #Eurochallenge2018 and everyone from Club Nautico Villajoyosa who made our stay and race fantastic. See you in October for the European Championships.<br />
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😊<br />
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Chloe Bunnetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16262503470698472582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8052659026406182196.post-3146317524415187642017-12-31T22:50:00.000-08:002017-12-31T22:58:20.232-08:00And that is a wrap. Happy New Year<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Happy New Year to you all, may 2018 be everything you wish for and more.<br />
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A quick look back at 2017, which was a great year for me, Started in May with a podium at the Eurochallenge World Cup. The Eurochallenge is in Villajoyosa and it is a great event, if you have not been you are missing out. Dates for 2018 are 28th April to 1st May so get booking.<br />
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In June I won the Spanish Cup in Cartegena to set me up for selection for the Spanish Team to go to Hong Kong for the ICF World Ocean Racing Championships. The second part of selection is later on in my season at the national championships ;)<br />
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In July I went over to England to compete in the Icon Classic, which is another well organised event and the race takes you along some rugged coastline for a great experience of true ocean racing, great to finally get my name on the Iconic Trophy. After that we travelled to Portugal to race the Nelo Summer Challenge ICF World Cup, unfortunately there was no wind and it landed up being a pretty hard and flat race, finishing in the top 5. It is unusual for there not to be wind at this race and on the Monday after the race the wind blew and we had a fantastic downwind restoring my faith that when the blows here it is an awesome downwind route. The dates for 2018 are 31st August - 2nd September so let's hope for wind during this year's window.<br />
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August was my month with no races, so we booked a week in Gran Canaria, Canary Islands with Living Sea. They have the best downwinds. The temperature is warm (well hot) and the water is also warm, with a constant prevailing wind blowing down the coast it is an ideal surfski destination. The downwinds range from 12km - 40km depending on what you want and your skill and ability. Click here to look them up and book in <a href="http://www.livingsea.es/" target="_blank">LivingSea</a><br />
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September saw our National Championships and the race doubled as the selection race for the Spanish Team for the World Championships. The race was held at Villajoyosa and there was a bit of wind which created enough swell for a downwind but it was not a paddles down downwind so we had to work all the time to link runs and keep our speeds up, I messed up the start and played catch up the whole race. I finished second behind Amaia, which meant we were both selected for team to go to Hong Kong for worlds in November.<br />
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In October we travelled to Amsterdam for the Dutch Coast World Series race, again here the wind blew and we had a great downwind - albeit freezing cold. Another fantastic race and I was super happy to finish second.<br />
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November - and this was World Champs month, but before we head out to worlds I decided to race the Pete Marlin in East London, South Africa. This was a great race on a wild coast and I just missed out on a podium in a strong field so it was a good setup for the World Championships.<br />
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HONG KONG - Representing Spain at the World Championships was a real honour and I am proud to be part of such a great team. Racing surfski's here is different to say the least, the city is huge with loads of high rise buildings and a bustle of markets, buses, taxis, trams, undergrounds and a strange kind of organised chaos. But when you get to Stanley Beach and hit the water the views are awesome, its just so green and there are many islands dotted around the coastline. The wind blew the first few days and it looked like we were in for a classic race. On race day the wind just never came, they even delayed the start to try and wait for the wind that was forecast but it was not to be. The route took us from Clear Water Bay around Nine Pins Island and then we headed for a land mark, Kissing Whales, which marked the final turn towards the finish at Stanley Beach. I just missed out on a top 10 and finished in 11th, but in these conditions with such a strong field I am happy with my performance. Thank you to our manager Jou for sorting everything out for us and to our coach Sara for preparing us for the race.<br />
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December and the final race on the calendar is the prestigious and most challenging race..... The 52km Cape Point Challenge. The forecast was looking good for a small swell with a headwind picking up gradually during the morning. These are the best conditions we are likely to get. The start on the Atlantic side at the Crafish Factory is cold, with our batch starting at 6:05am we needed to keep warm. The race started off at a decent pace and I settled into a pace I was happy with, knowing that I need conserve energy for the final 25km of potential downwind. I took a shallow line through the kelp beds and reefs and once we rounded the point it was time to race. About 6km after the point I hooked a Blue Bottle (Portuguese Man-o-War) on my paddle and flung it onto myself. It takes a while for the sting to start so at first I just thought it was a fishing line......then realised it certainly was not. Luckily there was a NSRI rescue boat relatively close, so I called them over and they untangled it and took it off me. Not sure they wanted to touch it either. Now I knew I needed to make up time, so once I realised was not going die and all I had to do was break through the stinging pain I went for it. We had fantastic downwind conditions for the last 15km and I just linked as many runs together and pushed hard to keep my speed up. I managed to finish 5th, to make a top 5 here is great and it was an awesome way to end my season.<br />
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Now it is time to plan this coming year, I am so excited to race again next season and catch up with friends all over the world.<br />
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Thank you to my sponsors for supporting me, here's to an awesome 2018<br /><a href="http://www.carbonologysport.com/" target="_blank">Carbonology</a> <a href="http://www.livingsea.es/" target="_blank">LivingSea</a> <a href="https://www.vaikobi.com/" target="_blank">Vaikobi</a> <a href="https://www.precisionhydration.com/" target="_blank">Precision Hydration</a></h3>
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See you on the water :)</h3>
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Enjoy this clip of memories of 2017.<br />
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Feliz año nuevo para todos ustedes, que 2018 sea todo lo que deseen y más.<br />
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2017 fue un gran año para mí, comencé en mayo con un podio en la Eurochallenge World Cup. El Eurochallenge está en Villajoyosa y es un gran evento, si no lo has estado te estás perdiendo. Las fechas para 2018 son del 28 de abril al 1 de mayo, así que obtenga la reserva.<br />
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En junio gané la Copa de España en Cartagena para prepararme para la selección del equipo español para ir a Hong Kong para el Campeonato Mundial de Carreras Oceánicas ICF. La segunda parte de la selección es más tarde en mi temporada en los campeonatos nacionales;)<br />
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En julio fui a Inglaterra para competir en el Icon Classic, que es otro evento bien organizado y la carrera te lleva a lo largo de una costa accidentada para una gran experiencia de auténticas carreras oceánicas, ideal para finalmente obtener mi nombre en el Trofeo Icónico. Después de eso, viajamos a Portugal para competir en la Copa del Mundo NFO Summer Challenge ICF, desafortunadamente no hubo viento y aterrizó siendo una carrera bastante dura y plana, terminando en el top 5. Es inusual que no haya viento en este carrera y en el lunes después de la carrera el viento sopló y tuvimos un viento a favor fantástico restaurando mi fe de que cuando los golpes aquí es una ruta impresionante a favor del viento. Las fechas para 2018 son del 31 de agosto al 2 de septiembre, así que esperemos ver viento durante la ventana de este año.<br />
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Agosto fue mi mes sin carreras, así que reservamos una semana en Gran Canaria, Islas Canarias con Living Sea. Ellos tienen los mejores sotavento. La temperatura es cálida (bien caliente) y el agua también es cálida, con un viento constante que sopla a lo largo de la costa, es un destino ideal para surfear. Los vientos en popa oscilan entre 12 km y 40 km dependiendo de lo que quieras y tu habilidad y habilidad. Haga clic aquí para buscarlas y reservar en <a href="http://www.livingsea.es/" target="_blank">LivingSea</a><br />
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Septiembre vio nuestro Campeonato Nacional y la carrera se duplicó como la carrera de selección para el equipo español para el Campeonato Mundial. La carrera se celebró en Villajoyosa y hubo un poco de viento que creó suficiente oleaje para el viento a favor del viento, pero no fue un remos a favor del viento, así que tuvimos que trabajar todo el tiempo para conectar las carreras y mantener nuestra velocidad, arruiné el comienzo y jugaste a atrapar toda la carrera. Terminé segundo detrás de Amaia, lo que significaba que ambos fuimos seleccionados para ir a Hong Kong por equipos en noviembre.<br />
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En octubre viajamos a Amsterdam para la carrera de la Serie Holandesa de la Costa del Mundo, nuevamente aquí el viento soplaba y tuvimos un gran viento de fondo, aunque con un frío glacial. Otra carrera fantástica y estuve súper feliz de terminar en segundo lugar.<br />
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Noviembre - y este fue el mes de World Champs, pero antes de ir a mundos, decidí competir contra el Pete Marlin en East London, Sudáfrica. Esta fue una gran carrera en una costa salvaje y me perdí en un podio en un campo fuerte, así que fue una buena configuración para el Campeonato Mundial.<br />
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HONG KONG - Representar a España en el Campeonato Mundial fue un verdadero honor y estoy orgulloso de ser parte de un gran equipo. El surfski de carreras aquí es diferente, por decir lo menos, la ciudad es enorme, con montones de edificios altos y un bullicio de mercados, autobuses, taxis, tranvías, subterráneos y un extraño tipo de caos organizado. Pero cuando llegas a Stanley Beach y golpeas el agua las vistas son increíbles, es simplemente verde y hay muchas islas diseminadas por la costa. El viento sopló los primeros días y parecía que estábamos en una carrera clásica. El día de la carrera el viento nunca llegó, incluso retrasaron el inicio para intentar esperar el viento que se pronosticaba, pero no fue así. La ruta nos llevó desde Clear Water Bay alrededor de Nine Pins Island y luego nos dirigimos hacia una marca de tierra, Kissing Whales, que marcó el último giro hacia el final en Stanley Beach. Me perdí un top 10 y terminé en el puesto 11, pero en estas condiciones con un campo tan fuerte, estoy contento con mi rendimiento. Gracias a nuestro gerente, Jou, por haber solucionado todo para nosotros y para nuestro entrenador, Sara, por prepararnos para la carrera.<br />
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Diciembre y la carrera final en el calendario es la carrera más prestigiosa y desafiante ... El desafío Cape Point de 52 km. El pronóstico se veía bien para un pequeño oleaje con un ligero viento de frente que aumentaba gradualmente durante la mañana. Estas son las mejores condiciones que probablemente obtengamos. El comienzo en el lado del Atlántico en la Fábrica de Crafish es frío, con nuestro lote a partir de las 6:05 a.m. que necesitamos para mantener el calor. La carrera comenzó a un ritmo decente y establecí un ritmo con el que estaba contento, sabiendo que necesitaba conservar energía para los últimos 25km de potencial a favor del viento. Tomé una línea poco profunda a través de las capas de algas y los arrecifes, y una vez que redondeamos el punto, ya era hora de competir. Alrededor de 6 km después del punto enganché una Botella Azul (Portuguese Man-o-War) en mi remo y me la arrojé. Toma un tiempo para que comience la picadura, así que al principio pensé que era una línea de pesca ... y luego me di cuenta de que ciertamente no era así. Afortunadamente, había un bote de rescate NSRI relativamente cerca, así que los llamé y lo desenredaron y se lo quitaron. No estoy seguro de que quisieran tocarlo tampoco. Ahora sabía que tenía que recuperar el tiempo, así que una vez que me di cuenta de que no iba a morir, todo lo que tenía que hacer era superar el dolor punzante por el que lo hice. Tuvimos condiciones fantásticas de viento a favor durante los últimos 15 km y acabo de conectar tantas carreras juntas y me esforcé para mantener mi velocidad. Logré terminar quinto, hacer un top 5 aquí es genial y fue una manera increíble de terminar mi temporada.<br />
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Ahora es el momento de planear el próximo año, estoy muy emocionado de correr nuevamente este año.<br />
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Gracias a mis patrocinadores por apoyarme, aquí hay un 2018 increíble<br />
Carbonology LivingSea Vaikobi Precision Hydration<br />
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Nos vemos en el agua :)</div>
Chloe Bunnetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16262503470698472582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8052659026406182196.post-86193655613894295642017-08-25T10:22:00.000-07:002017-08-25T10:22:28.984-07:00Gran Canaria<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
We have just come back from an incredible few days in Las Palmas, Gran Canaria. It was awesome to train with Club Amigos and everyone over there. The club is right on the beach and there are so many options for different downwind routes. Thanks to <a href="http://www.livingsea.es/" target="_blank">LivingSea</a> for everything, click on their name and check out their website for any training camps they offer or you can get a group and get LivingSea to arrange a camp for you and your friends. Check out the video below to get a taste of what is there.<br />
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Now we are all getting ready for the Spanish National Champs next weekend. Look forward to racing again.<br />
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Live slow, Paddle Fast....happy paddling :)<br />
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Chloë :)</div>
Chloe Bunnetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16262503470698472582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8052659026406182196.post-26300270963625494712017-05-24T08:32:00.003-07:002017-05-24T08:33:29.816-07:00Travelling, airport lounges and Booking.com<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I thought I would write about my travelling as I am always doing write ups on races and we do travel a lot so this should help anyone else who travels a lot.<br />
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<u><span style="color: purple;"><b>Booking.com Booking.yeah</b></span></u></h3>
Firstly I have used <a href="http://booking.com/">booking.com</a> 48 times, so my profile tells me. This booking site is the best hotel booking site I have used and it is the only one I use. If, which has only been once, I have a problem they do their best to resolve it. So if you want to get a discount off your first booking click on the link below and follow the steps. We will both benefit so give it a go.<br />
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<a href="https://www.booking.com/s/b0c43e15">https://www.booking.com/s/b0c43e15</a><br />
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We stayed in 4 different <a href="http://booking.com/">booking.com</a> hotels last week and we had great stays in all of them, I am not sure who or how they check their hotels but they are doing a great job.<br />
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<u><b><span style="color: purple;">Airport Lounges</span></b></u></h3>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">This is by no means an insight to cheap travel, but more a way to find value for money and convenience whilst passing through many airports. Pete (my partner) bought a Priority Pass, which for a small fee (£159.00 per year) allows him access to airport lounges all over the world and I can be his "plus one" for £15 a visit. We will be passing through and spending a lot of time in airports this summer, so working it out, it will be way more cost effective, convenient and most important enjoyable way to travel. Whilst trying to waste the time you have spend in an airport you can easily spend far too much on refreshments, unless of course you always fly first class then you automatically gain access to a host of lounges. Here is an insight to a few of the lounges we have now visited.</span></div>
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<u><span style="font-family: inherit;">Johannesburg Bidvest International Lounge;</span></u></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">As soon as you enter the lounge you feel the relief from all the “hustle & bustle” of the airport. This year it was our second visit to this lounge and again it did not disappoint. You are allowed in 4 hours before your departure and gives you plenty of time to relax, have dinner and enjoy some South African wines. The food has been great on both visits and the staff and very friendly and helpful. They have showers which is a bonus as usually it is our second flight by the time we get to Jo’burg. The gets busy during peak times but it is a very big and spacious area so you never feel cramped.</span></div>
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<u><span style="font-family: inherit;">Gatwick No 1 Lounge South Terminal;</span></u></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">This has a buffet style continental breakfast with an option to order from a menu for food to be prepared, the tea/coffee is self service and they have a tendered bar. It overlooks the runway so there is a good viewing for plane spotting, if that is something that interests you. They have separate rooms with desks and plug points for working (writing blogs), charging phones etc. Pretty much all you need and expect in a long. This lounge is very busy so be prepared.</span></div>
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<u><span style="font-family: inherit;">Las Palmas - Gran Canaria - Sala VIP</span></u></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">So I am only a beginner at this lounge thing, but this was by far the quietest lounge I have been in to date. I think when we arrived there was only about 6 of us. The view is awesome, you overlook the runway which is right on the coast so basically you have a sea view. It has an outside terrace so its great to get some fresh air before being cooped up in an airconditioned plane once again. Comfy lounge chairs viewing the sea and very spacious. The food is quite continental with just a few salads and then lots of pastries, cakes and donuts. Here we could not resist the donuts. Our flight from Gran Canaria to Valencia landed up being delayed by over an hour, so having the comfort of the lounge made a huge difference as we were more relaxed during the whole - 3 gate change procedure!</span></div>
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<u><span style="font-family: inherit;">Alicante - Sala VIP</span></u></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">The Alicante lounge is right at the other end of the airport and overlooks the runway, and a few gates.....of which one was our gate = result. This lounge has snacks and a lot of sweet things, so if you have a sweet tooth you'll love this one. Coffee always seems to be good in the Spanish Lounges considering it is a help yourself machine.It was pretty quiet and not much else to say about it.</span></div>
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<u><span style="font-family: inherit;">Tenerife South - Sala VIP</span></u></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">I find the airport lounges in the Canaries, so far, all have outdoor terraces. It is great especially when travelling as you can get fresh air rather than be stuck in the aircon all the time. With the Canaries having great temperatures all year round the terraces can be used all the time. This lounge had a great selection of sandwiches, salads and a few tapas dishes. Their red wine (Pete's favourite) was chilled and it was better than any bottle you can buy in an airport these days.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">On our way back to Tenerife the Gatwick South No 1 Lounge was full as we didn't even think to book, but after some google searches and a bit of digging I found out that with the Priority Pass we could have a meal at the Grain Store not far from the lounge and we will get two by £15 vouchers with the Priority Pass. Their food is excellent and coffee is great.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Well that is a little insight of a few lounges, I think we have already got our money's worth from the initial small "investment", and the best is feeling so relaxed before flying. Our next flight is only in July where I think we will try the lounge in Porto.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">So if you travel a lot its worth looking into it.....</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: inherit;">Happy Travelling.</span></div>
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Chloe Bunnetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16262503470698472582noreply@blogger.com25tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8052659026406182196.post-72196585962537310332017-05-09T13:15:00.000-07:002017-05-09T14:26:39.776-07:003rd in the Eurochallenge World Series Race 2017.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
The Eurochallenge World Series Surfski Race is on of my favourite races on the calendar. It is located in a little fishing village near Alicante called Villajoyosa. The organisers at Club Nautico de Villajoyosa are awesome, very welcoming and helpful.<br>
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This year was a difficult year for them, the wind was Easterly one day and then South Westerly and then North Easterly. Being a sailing club they looked at the forecast and chose Sunday as our race day and changed the course so that we could have the best downwind possible. They were spot on with their decision and we had a very technical but awesome downwind, just what our sport is all about.<br>
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The start was very congested but we had quite away to go with a side wind before the turning buoy and the field spread out before the turn, once we turned it was race on. It was so awesome to race along side such a quality field in the ladies race. Angie Mouden (FRANCE) was ahead from the turn and we tried hard to catch her the whole race, trading places on runs with Sara Rafael (PORTUGAL) and Kirsten Flanagan (SOUTH AFRICA) made it an exciting race. Angie won and then Sara was 2nd and I followed closely behind in 3rd. Kirsten finished 4th on her first time racing here which is great. Well done to all the Ladies who made it such a great race.<br>
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Results;<br>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">1 </span>9 MOUDEN ANGIE................................................... FRANCIA................................................... 1:21:08:747</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">2 </span>109 SARA RAFAEL................................................... PORTUGAL................................................ 1:22:43:863</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">3 </span>8 CHLOE BUNNETT................................................... ESPAÑA.................................................... 1:23:22:760</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">4 </span>53 KIRSTEN FLANAGAN.......................................... SUD AFRICA........................................... 1:24:40:154</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">5 </span>103 AURORA FIGUERAS PALOMERAS................. ESPAÑA.................................................... 1:25:09:178</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">6 </span>6 AMAIA OSABA OLABERRI................................. ESPAÑA..................................................... 1:26:10:450</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">7 </span>45 SARA MARTI TRUJILLO...................................... ESPAÑA................................................... 1:27:30:453</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">8 </span>10 RAQUEL BOTA I FARRES................................... ESPAÑA..................................................... 1:29:09:341</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">9 </span>33 ANA MARIA OJEDA VERA................................. ESPAÑA.................</span><span style="font-size: x-small;">................................... 1:32:26:196</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">10 </span>LUCIA SERRALTA FERRER.................................. ESPAÑA..................................................... 1:32:59:692</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">11 </span>81 LISA GRAS........................................................... FRANCIA................................................. 1:33:36:632</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">12 </span>29 LIZELLE KEMP................................................... REINO UNIDO......................................... 1:36:25:141</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">13 </span>18 MARIA VAELLO SANTAMARIA...................... ESPAÑA.................................................... 1:42:22:457</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: "helvetica"; line-height: normal;">14 </span>MAR GALIANA ZARAGOZA................................ ESPAÑA..................................................... 1:50:07:870</span></div>
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Thank you to everyone at Club Nautico de Villajoyosa, it was a fantastic event. I will be back next year again.<br>
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Next up I will be travelling to the UK to compete in the Icon Classic in Woolacombe, I think I will need my Vaikobi V Cold kit as its looking a bit chilly.<br>
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See you on the water.<br>
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Chloe Bunnetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16262503470698472582noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8052659026406182196.post-72428084343629802292017-04-21T01:09:00.000-07:002017-04-21T01:09:02.573-07:00Tenerife Downwind<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
I'm back in Tenerife after a great block of training and racing in South Africa. I was welcomed back with a nice little downwind for my first paddle. I paddle my ski from where I keep it during the winter to where I store it over the summer and it is unusual for the NW wind to blow, but it did and it made for an awesome downwind. Check out the video below;<br />
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Next week I travel to the Eurochallenge in Villajoyosa, Spain to race in a Surfski World Series Race and of course to eat some of their awesome Valor Chocolate.<br />
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Catch you all next week, thanks for visiting my blog.<br />
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Chloe Bunnetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16262503470698472582noreply@blogger.com0Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain28.033197847676377 -16.6992187527.138395847676378 -17.99011225 28.927999847676375 -15.40832525tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8052659026406182196.post-55760327138809337032016-12-11T09:46:00.002-08:002016-12-11T09:49:48.046-08:00Back in Fish Hoek!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
We always enjoy our annual visit to Fish Hoek. Downwinds, races, sun and beach. This year we arrived on the 3rd of December the day before the final qualifier for the Cape Point Challenge. I had already qualified but thought it would be great to get a few more km's in the bag and always good to check out parts of the course. The qualifier was a windless day with small swell so it was a very pleasant paddle, well as pleasant as a 35km paddle can be.<br />
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Then this past week has been filled with downwinds, dices and races. You can do a race/dice every day of the week around Cape Town. Oh yes and of course every downwind is a race here. Have a look at my latest video of the local races/dices and downwinds.<br />
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On Saturday the 17th of December we will all line up for the gruelling Cape Point Challenge, a 52km race around Cape Point and into False Bay, finishing on Fish Hoek beach. Good luck to everyone taking on the challenge. See you out on the water.<br />
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Chloe Bunnetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16262503470698472582noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8052659026406182196.post-38047772812106051032016-10-16T06:48:00.001-07:002016-10-16T06:56:02.459-07:00Dutch Coast World Series Surfski Race <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
After the European Championships in Italy we went to Bournemouth for a few days and it was great to catch up with everyone. I also managed to squeeze in a downwind in really decent conditions. After a few days in the UK on Friday 30th Sept I would fly out to Amsterdam to race in the Dutch Coast race for the first while Pete would fly back home to Tenerife.<br />
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I entered the Dutch Coast, firstly because Joep kept on telling me that I must not miss this race and secondly I was in the UK so it would make an easy trip across to Amsterdam before I head back to Tenerife, it was going to be a very quick trip - Flying in Friday evening and leaving early hours Monday morning.<br />
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Joep is 100% correct, this is a race not to be missed. Thank you for persuading me to come and helping me find a place to stay and of course the great hospitality shown by the guys who make this event happen.<br />
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I flew in late on Friday evening so unfortunately missed the pre-race dinner. Rick Daman, my host for the weekend, picked me up from the airport and we went to his place so I could get some much needed rest before racing the next day.<br />
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On Saturday we arrived at the race venue and it was a bit cold, well for us from the Canaries it was colder than our coldest day in winter! There was not much wind but a nice swell left over from previous winds during the days before. Windguru was predicting wind, so the organisers decided to wait a little and to race at midday in the hope of the best winds. What a good call, as we were waiting around, drinking coffee, setting up boats, collecting goodie bags and generally catching up with friends the wind gradually started to pick up. Race briefing done, now it was time to get changed and put a dry set of clothes on the pre-arranged cart/trailer that would be at the finish.<br />
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Team Carbonology Spain - LIVINGSEA<br />
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We all lined up for the start and at midday the start gun went and we were off. The race runs parallel along a massive flat beach, so there is a safety car on the beach following the race as well as safety boats on the water. We race 19km up the coast to a town called Hargen. The first part of the race the runs were small, but I was having loads of fun linking runs. The wind picked up through out the race and the runs and swell just got better and better. I had a great race and was having so much fun. As you can see in the photo below, we were all smiles. Downwind conditions = happy paddlers, and everyone had a smile coming off the water......some were tired but still smiling.<br />
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Top 3 - Angie - 1st, Myself - 2nd and Sara 3rd.<br />
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So apart from the great downwind, at the finish for the ladies we had our own truck/changing room so we could get into dry clothes. They thought of everything!<br />
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As soon as the first bus was full we headed back to the Club for hot soup and the prize giving.<br />
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After the prize giving there was a huge dinner that was prepared for us along with a few drinks. It was a great time to catch up with everyone.<br />
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The next day we had double sit-on-top kayak sprint races. This was a huge amount of fun and I teamed up Raquel, we were the only all female crew and just had fun.....getting pounded on the way out and then surfing in on some awesome waves. We managed to get to the semi's and then got knocked out, not a bad thing as we had a hot shower before watching the final and then we gathered for a final prize giving and more much needed hot soup at the Club Zand.<br />
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This race is a great race and well organised. The guys who are behind making this race a great event have put so much into it and I will definitely be back next year, only next year I will be staying longer.<br />
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Thank you!<br />
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Men:<br />
1. Sean Rice (South Africa)<br />
2. Jasper Mocke (South Africa)<br />
3. David Slazchta (France)</div>
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Women:<br />
1. Angie Mouden (France)<br />
2. Chloe Bunnett (Spain)<br />
3. Sara Rafael(Portugal)</div>
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Full results: http://surfski-holland.nl/entry/sean-rice-winner-of-the-bollenboys-dutch-coast-race-2016#.WAOD3zuP7FI</div>
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Next up in a few weeks (5th Nov) is the Pete Marlin World Surfski Series Title Race in East London - South Africa.<br />
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As always thanks to <a href="http://www.livingsea.es/" target="_blank">LivingSea</a> <a href="http://www.carbonologysport.com/" target="_blank">Carbonology Sport</a> <a href="http://www.vaikobi.com/" target="_blank">Vaikobi</a> <a href="http://www.knysnaracingkayaks.com/" target="_blank">KnysnaRacing</a> for your continued support.<br />
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Chloe Bunnetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16262503470698472582noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8052659026406182196.post-1018959109735633842016-09-06T11:34:00.000-07:002016-09-06T11:36:11.071-07:00Gold & Silver at the Spanish National Surfski Championships 2016<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
This years Spanish National Champs were held over the past weekend in Castellon. It was a great turn out with around 400 Surfski Paddlers taking to the water. There are races for all age groups, held at a different time to the Seniors,U/23's and Master's, so it is great to be able to support and cheer on our club mates.<br />
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I arrived on the Friday evening and we were only racing at 4pm on Saturday, as to try and get the best possible wind and the Juniors would race after us.<br />
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This weekend there was heatwave on the mainland of Spain, and it was extremely hot. The race went off at 4pm as planned and there was a section of about 2.5km of flat to get out the harbour. After which we would go for 5km directly into the wind and then turn back and finish where we started. The wind had virtually died and we were left with some waves to catch but it was hard to work the runners that were left over and no time to rest. I had a good start and tried to break away after the harbour wall, Amaia and Aurora were strong and after a while were back on my tail. The heat was intense so I decided to rest on their tail for a while. Going up to the turn it was difficult to recover from the heat and I knew I was going to have to work hard all the way back. Aurora managed get away and created a small gap. I worked hard to close it all the way back to the harbour and when we hit the flat she was too strong and I could not match her pace. Well Done Aurora you had a great race also well done to Amaia, it is always great to race with you.<br />
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Big congrats to Sara, my club mate, who came in 4th - great race!!<br />
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Ladies Final Results:<br />
1st - Aurora<br />
2nd - Chloe<br />
3rd - Amaia<br />
4th - Sara<br />
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On Sunday we raced doubles on the same course, we raced at midday so it was, once again, really hot. I raced with Sara and we had a great start, followed by a very hard but fun race. We took Gold in the overall Ladies. Thanks Sara, it was great to race with you.</div>
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A big thank you to my club, Club Amigos de Piraguismo, it was a great weekend and everyone from the club raced so well and we placed 4th overall in the club points and first in the medal table.</div>
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As always thank you to Living Sea, Carbonology Sport, Knysna Racing and Vaikobi for my awesome and reliable equipment.</div>
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Next I will be representing and joining the Spanish team in Sardinia, Italy for the European Championships. They will be held between 21st and 26th of September.</div>
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Chloe Bunnetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16262503470698472582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8052659026406182196.post-6727239074182372842016-08-17T06:57:00.002-07:002016-08-17T07:09:08.201-07:00DOWNWIND in Gran Canaria<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Last week we travelled to Gran Canaria to join in a week of paddling, downwinds, beer, wine and good food.<br />
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Sean Rice and his fiancé, Emily McGrath, were also in Gran Canaria doing <a href="http://www.yourpaddlelife.com/" target="_blank">PaddeLife</a> workshops and talks. It was awesome to catch up with them and we went on some epic downwinds. Thanks to Esteban and Sara from <a href="http://livingsea.es/en/" target="_blank">Living Sea</a> for arranging all the downwind transport and a ski for me to be able to join in the fun. If you want to go on a paddling holiday with downwinds, warm water and sun then look them up and get yourself there. Las Palmas is the city in Gran Canaria where it all happens, there are skis for hire and downwinds start right at the club in the city on one of their great beaches. Depending on your experience and fitness you can choose how long (or short) you would like to go downwind. We did 30km and 20km runs. The guys then went on a 44km downwind, so really you can do pretty much anything.<br />
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Anyway check out my clip below to see how much fun you can have. I will edit and post our inland island tour so you can see its not just all about paddling and a great island to visit.<br />
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I hope you enjoy the clip.</div>
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Chloe Bunnetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16262503470698472582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8052659026406182196.post-83041808732628626562016-07-08T02:02:00.002-07:002016-07-08T02:25:16.063-07:00Nelo Summer Challenge 2016 - videos<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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It is always great to be back at the Nelo Summer Challenge. The team here really make you feel welcome and looked after.</div>
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There was no wind for the first two days when we arrived, but it was great to get on my boat and just get use to the conditions. Yesterday there was a bit of wind, so we headed straight out to sea for a bit and caught some great runs back into the beach. Today the mist has come over so it is a bit on the cool side. The wind is still predicted to blow for the race, so we will just see what happens. Either way, so far it has been great to catch up with friends from all over the world.</div>
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Thanks as always to Living Sea, Carbonology Sport and Knysna Racing. Also to Micky from Think Kayaks Europe for transporting my boat for me and to Sean Rice from Paddle Life for your continued help and support.</div>
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Happy watching :)</div>
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Subscribe and check out my latest videos on <a href="https://www.youtube.com/c/chloebunnett" target="_blank">You Tube</a></div>
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More videos and clips coming soon. :)</div>
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Chloe Bunnetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16262503470698472582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8052659026406182196.post-74788853261488500442016-06-18T14:45:00.000-07:002016-06-18T14:46:14.102-07:00Summer in the Canary Islands<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Summer has arrived in Tenerife and now it's not dropping below about 24 degrees celsius. So nothing better than getting out on the ocean. Here is a little clip of me doing just that. More clips of the summer to follow. Enjoy.<br />
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Chloe Bunnetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16262503470698472582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8052659026406182196.post-7587959765494020022016-06-06T00:48:00.001-07:002016-06-06T00:55:59.694-07:00Spanish Cup (Copa de Espana) - Badalona, Barcelona<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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This past weekend saw a very competitive field taking part in the Spanish Cup in Barcelona. The route that the organisers arranged would see us start at Puerto Olimpico and head into the wind for a couple of km's up the coast, then turn out to sea for a km or so and then race downwind back to Puerto de Badalona. On Friday afternoon we went to Puerto Badalona to register and meet up with my team mates, Esteban, Nacho and Sara.<br />
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Club Amigos del Piraguismo</div>
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The wind was perfect on Friday, but the forecast was for little wind on race day the next day. So the course was set for the best downwind possible, just unfortunately the wind came through the day before the race. Which made the race a brutal one. I was leading for a lot of the race and then Amaia caught up to me and we diced it out for a bit and then she look the lead and I could not respond. Well done Amaia on your win, while I was only 30 odd seconds behind her in second place with Aurora Figueras taking the final spot on the podium. Again it was awesome to be in such a close race.<br />
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Well done to my team mate, Nacho who won the U/23 and was placed 5th overall. Great paddle.<br />
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Thanks to <a href="http://www.livingsea.es/" target="_blank">Living Sea</a> and <a href="http://www.vaikobi.com/" target="_blank">Vaikobi</a> for my awesome new race kit. The paddling clothing and the PFD were really comfortable and their paddling clothing range is great for winter and summer so go and check them out.<br />
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Check out my video of us exploring the metro and looking around the Port and Beach in Barcelona.<br />
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Thanks to everyone for your ongoing support. Next race is the <a href="http://summerchallenge.nelo.eu/new/" target="_blank">Nelo Summer Challenge</a> in Portugal, we leave in 4 weeks for that race and race between 8th-10th of July.</div>
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Chloe Bunnetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16262503470698472582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8052659026406182196.post-84578721507753132552016-05-28T01:26:00.001-07:002016-05-28T01:27:52.302-07:00Playing around with editing <div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
So my aim was to do a video a week, this week I decided to play around with editing and learn new things. Have a look at my new video - a clip from my favourite downwind, the Miller's Run, and me just messing around with what I can do.<br />
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Enjoy.<br />
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Next week we will be in Barcelona for the Spanish Surfski Cup. Can't wait to explore Barcelona.<br />
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Chloe Bunnetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16262503470698472582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8052659026406182196.post-28293824361523848312016-05-23T04:03:00.000-07:002016-05-25T05:02:23.431-07:00Canary Island Champions<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Hi All,<br />
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Over this past weekend we went to the Canary Island Championships in El Medano, Tenerife. The wind is always great on that side of the Island of Tenerife. On Saturday there was no exception, the wind steadily increased during the morning and by the time we were about to start it was great. We had to do an upwind section to the turn buoy, but once we turned it was downwind all the way home. A technical downwind as we had to head out to sea to another turn buoy before we came into the finish. My <a href="http://www.clubamigosdelpiraguismo.com/" target="_blank">CLUB AMIGOS DEL PIRAGÜISMO</a> did really well and had a lot of podium finishes in all age groups. Myself and Sara finished 1st and 2nd respectively in the Open Ladies. Esteban, Nacho and Antonio finished 1st, 2nd and 3rd Overall. So the Club won the overall regional champs, thanks to the club for all your support.<br />
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It was a great event, thanks to the club in El Medano - Argonautas del Medano for putting it all together, along with paella and beer after the race.<br />
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Have a look at a clip I put together from the race and also having a little play around with editing and filming.<br />
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Next up on the 4th of June is the Spanish Cup and Selection race for European Champs, in Barcelona. I have never been to Barcelona so I am looking forward to visiting a new city and to race in a new location.<br />
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Thanks as always to <a href="http://livingsea.es/" target="_blank">Living Sea</a>, Carbonology Sport, Knysna Racing, <a href="http://www.yourpaddlelife.com/" target="_blank">PaddleLife</a> and Escuela De Vela en Los Cristianos.<br />
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Have a great week everyone and keep checking for updates, news and more videos.<br />
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Chloe Bunnetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16262503470698472582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8052659026406182196.post-4132372572204295232016-05-16T06:36:00.000-07:002016-05-16T06:37:48.369-07:00Summer of 2016<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
This season sees the European Surfski Championships in Sardinia, Italy at the end of September. Before that we have a few races around Europe, this weekend is the Canary Island Championships in El Medano, Tenerife.<br />
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I am going to attempt to do a video a week. So I can keep family, friends and followers up to date with where I am and what we are up to. During the first part of the season we will travel around Europe and then towards the end of the season I will be racing in South Africa.<br />
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Follow me here and on YouTube to keep up with my adventures.<br />
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<span id="goog_1515250263"></span><span id="goog_1515250264"></span><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5goFraPG-ek" target="_blank">This week's video.</a><br />
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Click above to view the first of my weekly videos and a few clips from races I have done so that anyone who isn't familiar with the sport of Surfski (Ocean Racing) can get a taste of what we do.<br />
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Below are the places and dates where we will be travelling to.<br />
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Canary Island Championships - 21st May - El Medano, Tenerife, Spain.<br />
Copa De Espana (Spanish Cup) - 4th June - Barcelona, Spain.<br />
Nelo Summer Challenge (World Seires & European Series) - 7th July - Esponsende, Portugal<br />
Spanish Championships - 3rd&4th September - Castellon, Spain.<br />
European Championships - 23rd-25th September - Sardinia, Italy<br />
Dutch Coast Race (World Series) - 1st&2nd October - Castricum wan Zee, Netherlands<br />
Pete Marlin (World Series) - 5th&6th November - East London, South Africa<br />
Cape Town Downwind - 10th&11th December - Fish Hoek, Cape Town, South Africa<br />
Cape Point Challenge (World Series) - 17th December - Cape Town, South Africa<br />
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Any questions about Surfski, if you want to know where your closest club is or try it out - just ask and I will get back to you. There are a lot of places all over the world so wherever you are I'm sure you won't be far from either a club or a group of enthusiastic paddlers.<br />
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See you soon :)<br />
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Chloe Bunnetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16262503470698472582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8052659026406182196.post-60363557032500030442016-05-12T03:49:00.002-07:002016-05-12T04:01:19.958-07:00Eurochallenge 2016 including the video of the start<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
This is one of my favourite locations to travel to and race. Villajoyosa is great little town close to Alicante airport. Known for their famous Valor chocolate it is always a good trip.<br />
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The race was held on the first weekend in May and has been part of the World Cup Series for a good few years now. This year there is a new European Cup Series and The Eurochallenge was the first European Cup Race for 2016. I have been coming to this race since 2009 and it never disappoints. We might not always get the perfect downwind but the organisers really try their best to make the race on the best day and in the afternoon when (if there is any) the wind should be the best.<br />
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There was a strong line up this year and I wanted to better my second place from 2015. We arrived on the Tuesday before the race to make the most of the town and to settle in before the race. My <a href="http://www.carbonologysport.com/" target="_blank">Carbonology Sport</a> Pulse was due to arrive the next day, so I just took the day to catch up with all the friends we have made here and from around the world. Great catching up with <a href="http://www.yourpaddlelife.com/" target="_blank">PaddleLife's</a> Sean and Emily to hear about there travels. Go and check out where they will be this summer.<br />
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My Surfski arrived and it was awesome to get onto the water and get a feel for the area, the wind was good so it was a fun paddle. The race was due to run from Altea, 22km North, and we would finish right at the Nautic Club. Unfortunately on race day the wind didn't come through as the forecast had promised, so it was going to be a tough race. The start as always was fast and furious.......<br />
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The first few km's were basically a headwind battle until we rounded the headland, then the wind died completely leaving a glassy sloppy sea. Myself and Amaia Osaba raced hard to the headland, after there we were neck and neck exchanging leads all the way to Benidorm Island. We rounded the island and then there was a long 5km to the finish. We both fought hard to get ahead of one another and in the end Amaia got the edge and opened a small gap on me, in the last few km's I could not close it and she crossed the line for a well deserved win. There is not much more I can say about the race, other than it was one of the best "battles" on the water I have had in a long time.<br />
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After the race the organisation puts on a huge paella, where we can all exchange war stories and listen to how everyone's race went. Thanks to the Nautic Club of La Vila Joiosa for a great event. I will be back next year once again.</div>
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Next up is the Canary Island Championships on the 21st of May 2016. Until then I will be training in Tenerife from <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Escuela-de-Vela-Los-Cristianos-1555774494672374/" target="_blank">Escuela de vela Los Cristianos</a></div>
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Thanks for the ongoing support.</div>
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<a href="http://livingsea.es/en/" target="_blank">Living Sea</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.carbonologysport.com/" target="_blank">Carbonology Sport</a></div>
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<a href="http://www.knysnaracingkayaks.com/" target="_blank">Knysna Racing</a></div>
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See you on the water.</div>
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Chloe Bunnetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16262503470698472582noreply@blogger.com0Costa Adeje, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Spain28.086075240669835 -16.73172175884246828.085637240669836 -16.732352258842468 28.086513240669834 -16.731091258842469tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8052659026406182196.post-70227237186900636002016-05-11T15:51:00.000-07:002016-05-11T15:51:02.425-07:00Interview with Kenny Rice<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Check out this interview with Kenny Rice, I will post a full blog about the race this week. Also I will be doing interviews from various athletes over the year. Next stop will be the Canary Island Championships on the 21st of May where I will catch up with Spain's top Surfski paddlers.<br />
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Subscribe to my youtube channel as I would like to do some live broadcasts at some World Series Races this year.<br />
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See you all soon.<br />
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Chloe Bunnetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16262503470698472582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8052659026406182196.post-13074543676975034592016-04-29T08:06:00.004-07:002016-04-29T08:06:50.106-07:00Eurochallenge 2016<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
A few clips from a great interview with Kenny Rice, full interview and more to follow in my video of the Eurochallenge 2016 that will go up next week after the event.<br />
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Race briefing is at 20:30 (Spanish Time)tonight and then we will find out the details of the time of the race tomorrow.<br />
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<a href="http://eurochallenge.es/" target="_blank">Eurochallenge 2016</a></div>
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Chloe Bunnetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16262503470698472582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8052659026406182196.post-69388391864814354252016-04-24T11:46:00.000-07:002016-04-24T11:47:09.471-07:00Nelo Summer Challenge 2015, Spanish Championships and some touring.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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First stop Portugal……….</div>
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For the past two years Nelo have hosted the World Surfski Champs in 2013 and then the following year the European Champs in 2014, so this year Nelo brings back the Summer Challenge in a new venue and new race course. Andre, Marisa and their team really make sure that whether you are a paddler or partner of a paddler you will definitely come away from this race with great experiences.</div>
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So right from the start we are picked up from the airport and taken to the hotel. An awesome new venue with the hotel right on the beach. We arrived late on Tuesday night so didn’t really get to see the complete set up until the morning. The dinning room overlooks the beach, which is also the finish of the race. A big grass area right next to the hotel has racks for all our ski’s and a big tent with bean bags, water coolers, red bull and the all important WIFI. We might say it every year but this year you have cracked it, this is the best venue by far. The hotel has friendly and helpful staff and not to forget great food.</div>
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The race itself was 100% downwind…..as in 100% downwind. From the beach where we start on we can see the apartment towers that are next to the finish at the hotel and it is a direct line no turning buoys. The wind was steadily picking up and Andre delayed the start slightly to make the most of the better conditions. Another great idea was the start, Andre announced that all paddlers must get behind the line as the start would be soon……then when everyone was behind the line he just sounded the horn, no count down which equaled no false start. It was the cleanest and most fairest start I have seen in a while.</div>
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So off we went and as we got out of the shelter of the small harbour the wind and the runners started. It wasn’t big but it was fun, I was paddling my Carbonology Sport Pulse, which is a slightly smaller ski, and was great in those conditions.. The wind did fade away which was a real shame as I was having so much fun, after the wind faded it was a tough race to the finish. I was very happy to grab the final podium place behind Michele Eray and Maggie Hogan, both great paddlers and it was awesome so share the podium with you two.</div>
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All in all a great race, but really the whole experience is great. Put this on your list of races for next year, as every year gets better…..even though I have no idea how they can better it. Big thanks to Andre, Marisa and the team at Nelo.</div>
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Next stop Spain……….</div>
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So after the Nelo Summer Challenge we caught a flight to Valencia for some touring. A good solid day in Valencia checking out as much as we could, and really getting the feel for this vibrant city which has a lot of history.</div>
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The Spanish Champs were to be held in Cartegena, which is just a bit further south of La Manga. So we hired a car in Valencia and drove down south towards Cartegena. We arrived late afternoon, so did a little bit of exploring…..mainly just trying to find the hotel and some food<img alt=":)" class="wp-smiley emoji" draggable="false" height="16" src="https://s1.wp.com/wp-content/mu-plugins/wpcom-smileys/simple-smile.svg" style="-webkit-box-shadow: none; background-image: none !important; background-position: initial initial !important; background-repeat: initial initial !important; border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; height: 1em !important; margin: 0px 0.05em 0px 0.1em !important; max-height: 1em; max-width: 98%; padding: 0px !important; vertical-align: -0.1em !important; width: 1em !important;" width="16" />. The next day we walked down towards the port where the race venue is on the way we passed parts of the city that dates back to Roman times so it was a beautiful amble to the port. The way they have incorporated the old stone walls into modern flats and restaurants is a great way to preserve the history. We had a wonderful tapas lunch in the heart of the city and then went to check out the race venue at <a class=" UFICommentActorName" href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Real-Club-de-Regatas-de-Cartagena/93206327918" style="border: 0px; color: #7348aa; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">Real Club de Regatas de Cartagena</a>. Where Alex and the team there made us feel so welcome, he showed us around the club which has a great restaurant and very long swimming pool, he told us that we must make ourselves at home and if we need anything just ask reception. So we had to have a dip in the pool to cool off before we did some more exploring.</div>
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With 400 entrants in the Spanish Champs ranging from U/14 to the veterans it looked like a big task to get everything done in time, the U/23, senior and veterans Male and Female’s course was a 17.5km downwind. The first time the Spanish Champs would be a downwind. It was from a beach called Portman back to the Port of Cartegena. The wind was certainly up on race day, and the organisers were bold enough to let us go and tackle the conditions. Which was awesome as it wasn’t to big. Now I had just received my new <a href="http://www.carbonologysport.com/" style="border: 0px; color: #7348aa; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">Carbonology Sport</a> Pulse, thanks to Hein and Jason as this ski is awesome. The start was on a very steep beach, not wanting to damage my rudder or my new ski I ran in very deep before jumping on…but my start went well. Then it was a cross wind to the buoy, which was about 1km out, and then we turned downwind. The wind, swell and runs were great. Unfortunately about 3-4km from the finish you have to turn towards the port and the wind gets sheltered a bit, but the swell and moving water is still there, with some great rebounds off the long harbour wall. Turning into the harbour itself we were faced with a tough headwind. This course threw up every kind of condition you can think of, including finishing next to the biggest working cruise liner, Anthem of the Seas. Again I was pleased with my race as I won the Spanish Champs, with my CS team mate Esteban Medina winning the mens race. Thanks to Amaia Olaberri for a great race, you pushed me right to the end, its been great racing with you this season. Also well done to Raquel Bota who came in third.</div>
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Thanks to everyone who made our two week paddling and travelling trip so great, the hospitality shown in Portugal and Spain from the different organisations and clubs has been overwhelming. To Sean from PaddleLife who has kept me motivated and on track while training on my own in the Canary Islands. Also I’m privileged to be apart of <a href="http://www.clubamigosdelpiraguismo.com/" style="border: 0px; color: #7348aa; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;" target="_blank">Club Amigos Del Piraguismo, </a>the guys and girls here are so enthusiastic and there are definitely future champions in this club.</div>
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Final stop back home to Tenerife……..</div>
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As always a shout out to my sponsors Carbonology Sport, Knysna Racing, LivingSea.</div>
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Chloe Bunnetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16262503470698472582noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8052659026406182196.post-8633377210284503722016-04-24T11:45:00.000-07:002016-04-24T11:45:03.640-07:00Great start to 2015<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I have had a whirlwind start to 2015, lots of travelling. I have learnt about how to plan our travel and more importantly, how not to plan our travels<img alt="😉" class="emoji" draggable="false" src="https://s0.wp.com/wp-content/mu-plugins/emoji/twemoji/svg/1f609.svg" style="-webkit-box-shadow: rgba(191, 191, 182, 0.498039) 0px 2px 2px; background-image: none !important; background-position: initial initial !important; background-repeat: initial initial !important; border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; height: 1em !important; margin: 0px 0.05em 0px 0.1em !important; max-width: 98%; padding: 0px !important; vertical-align: -0.1em !important; width: 1em !important;" /></div>
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I kicked my 2015 European racing season off with one of my favourite races, The Eurochallenge in Villajoyosa in Spain. I felt good for the race and quite prepared. The race was hot and flat, great wind on Monday and Tuesday and then it just disappeared. So it was a really tough race and I placed 2nd, being very competitive I always want a win, but I raced well so I am pleased with my race.</div>
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Then a week later I was in Sweden! I was invited to coach the Ladies on the Swedish Surfski Spring camp. With over 60 Surfski paddlers here for a camp and a pre-season get together, it was so great to see. There were lots of keen ladies from total beginners to canoeist who have been bitten by the Surfski bug. It was great to pass on any knowledge I have gained over the years on to some really enthusiastic paddlers. Thank you to everyone who made me feel so welcome and I will definitely be back next year.</div>
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Now this season is slightly….well actually totally different to my past few seasons, we are now based in Tenerife in the canary islands. So first up when we got settled was the Canary Islands Championships in Fuerteventura, Such a great race, really enjoyed racing here and had lots of fun finding a few reefs to surf on the downwind leg. When you have so much fun in a race, you kind of forget you are racing, but only kind of! I was part of Club Amigos del Piraguismo and they really made me feel part of the team, I won my race and then the club won the championships overall. So pleased I could help them take home the Canary Island Club Championship.</div>
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After that I had less than a week to try and prepare for the GB Ocean Surfski race in Poole, we flew in on the Friday and after a delay we only got to our hotel on the South Coast after midnight. At 7:30am I was in a random field on Studland doing one of Sean Rice’s Paddlelife workshops, it was worth the early morning as we had a beautiful location and awesome warm weather. At 2pm it was race time and the wind had picked up, it was perfect…..wait were we back in the UK…..sunshine, warmth (well warmish) and a perfect downwind, a 22km downwind as well. And so it turned out to be a great downwind.</div>
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One day to recover and then onto Italy for the Allwave Cup, which is the second World Series race for me this season. It is in a fantastic location. A resort right on the beach with everything you need. It was hot in Italy, when we arrived and were picked up from the airport to be taken to our resort, there was so much lightening from the humidity and heat – absolutely stunning. The build up to this race was mainly focussed around the pool and the coffee shop…..oh yes and great dinners around Micky’s van!!</div>
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The race was going to start at the venue and then finish 22km down the coast on another stunning beach. The day before the race we tagged along with Gus and his parents to have a look at the finish beach and it is an untouched beach in a nature reserve. Really wild and beautiful. On race day there was a bit of a delay due to some athletes arriving late to the venue, but at about 2pm we had collected our GPS trackers and were warming up. The start was a water start, and it went off without a problem….well I thought it was pretty good. Unfortunately the wind had died completely and the race turned out to be a tough race, there were still some runs out there but you had to work hard the whole way. I was really pleased to win this race, I enjoyed it and I will be back – hopefully we will have more wind next time. It was a great effort by Roberto, Mario, Allwave and their team to set a great and challenging course to race on. Well done to my friend Sara Trujillo on her second place.</div>
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Well Done Sean Rice (1st) Esteban Medina (2nd) and Danny Sanchez (3rd) in a fierce mens race.</div>
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Now we are back in Tenerife so that I can train and focus for the Nelo Summer Challenge in Portugal at the end of August.</div>
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Thanks as always to Carbonology Sport for making sure I have a great surfski to train and race in. Also to Knysna Racing for always supplying me with a great set of paddles. Having support from two great equipment manufacturers really helps.</div>
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See you on the water</div>
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Thanks for reading and following our adventures.<img alt=":)" class="wp-smiley emoji" draggable="false" height="16" src="https://s1.wp.com/wp-content/mu-plugins/wpcom-smileys/simple-smile.svg" style="-webkit-box-shadow: none; background-image: none !important; background-position: initial initial !important; background-repeat: initial initial !important; border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; height: 1em !important; margin: 0px 0.05em 0px 0.1em !important; max-height: 1em; max-width: 98%; padding: 0px !important; vertical-align: -0.1em !important; width: 1em !important;" width="16" /></div>
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Chloe Bunnetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16262503470698472582noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8052659026406182196.post-2690563825283546932016-04-24T11:43:00.004-07:002016-04-24T11:43:48.968-07:001st at the 2014 Cape Point Challenge.<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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I have been looking forward to this festival all year. It is such a great week (or two) in Fish Hoek in Cape Town, South Africa. There are 3 races in a week. First race is the Cape Town Downwind which is the final of the World Series Races and we paddle a route which takes in the famous Miller’s Run and we finish on Fish Hoek beach.</div>
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The conditions for the downwind were perfect, decent swell and a 20-25kt wind = awesome, fun and fast<img alt=":)" class="wp-smiley emoji" draggable="false" height="16" src="https://s1.wp.com/wp-content/mu-plugins/wpcom-smileys/simple-smile.svg" style="-webkit-box-shadow: none; background-image: none !important; background-position: initial initial !important; background-repeat: initial initial !important; border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; height: 1em !important; margin: 0px 0.05em 0px 0.1em !important; max-height: 1em; max-width: 98%; padding: 0px !important; vertical-align: -0.1em !important; width: 1em !important;" width="16" />. A great race which didn’t disappoint. So much fun racing, it was so good to have a great downwind conditions on race day.</div>
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Then on the Tuesday is the memorial race, Peter Crees Lighthouse Race. Which is usually run to Roman Rock Lighthouse and back, but due to the wind the course was changed to the Miller’s run course. Good decision by the race director (Andrew) as we had another great downwind race.</div>
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This then sets us up for the main race of the season, The Cape Point Challenge is a major race here and it is on the list of many paddlers to complete. To give you an idea of the race, we start in Scarborough on the Atlantic side of the Cape Peninsular and paddle around Cape Point and into False Bay where we finish in Fish Hoek, a total of 50km. We start in Batches early in the morning and the batches are worked out so that everyone will get to the Point at roughly the same time to help with the safety aspects of the race. I was in a batch due to leave by 5:50am, yup that’s early! When we arrived we were greeted with a misty and chilly morning on the Atlantic side, and the sea was showing off its ferocity……the swell was rather big and to miss the shore dump we started at the far end of the beach near the reef break, but then we had the reef break to negotiate. So needless to say there were many nervous paddlers doing last minute checks and prep. Race conditions were no wind and big swell.</div>
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We got away cleanly, well we just made it out before the set came through. At the briefing the night before we were warned that the swell was going to be big and that we shouldn’t try and cut inside any reefs. The NSRI would sit in the safe zone, so if we past near them we should have a good safe line through. When an experienced South African Surfski paddler says the swell will be big then you know its going to be big! Right after the start we formed a nice bunch and were going at a great pace, I felt good but about 8-9km into the race I felt we were to shallow and I could see the NSRI crews a bit further out, the waves were also starting to peak every now and then (not what you want to see) so I made the decision to lose my bunch and go further out. Which would result in paddling the rest of my race on my own. South Western Reefs was (in my mind) huge, so again I went wide. Then when I rounded the point I could not believe the difference inside False Bay, flat and glassy with a light headwind at times. Only one way to paddle the final 25km on your own is to find a rhythm and just go.</div>
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I didn’t know how well I was doing as no one was catching me and I was only catching a few people and I didn’t know which batch they had started in, just paddle and keep your rhythm is the only thing I could tell myself. I got a “second wind” about 5km out from the finish which got me to the end. It was only at the end that I found out that I won……what…….really……. I cannot describe the feeling winning the Cape Point Challenge.</div>
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Awesome Trophy</div>
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Top 5 Ladies</div>
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1. Chloe Bunnett</div>
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2. Kisrten Flanagan</div>
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3. Tarryn Brown</div>
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4. Nikki Mocke</div>
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5. Jodi Cleworth</div>
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Well done to Hank McGregor for wining overall in a record time.</div>
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Winners 2014</div>
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Top 5 Men</div>
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1. Hank McGregor</div>
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2. Sean Rice</div>
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3. Dawid Mocke</div>
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4. Simon Van Gysen</div>
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5. Kenny Rice</div>
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Well done to everyone who attempted this year’s race, it was a tough one!</div>
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I have recently joined the Carbonology Sport team and I am paddling the Pulse, I have really enjoyed the boat and have learned so much on the sea over the past couple of months. Thank you, its great to be supported by such an awesome team. I am really looking forward to the next season.</div>
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MERRY CHRISTMAS AND HAPPY NEW YEAR TO EVERYONE<img alt=":)" class="wp-smiley emoji" draggable="false" height="16" src="https://s1.wp.com/wp-content/mu-plugins/wpcom-smileys/simple-smile.svg" style="-webkit-box-shadow: none; background-image: none !important; background-position: initial initial !important; background-repeat: initial initial !important; border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; height: 1em !important; margin: 0px 0.05em 0px 0.1em !important; max-height: 1em; max-width: 98%; padding: 0px !important; vertical-align: -0.1em !important; width: 1em !important;" width="16" /></div>
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Chloe Bunnetthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16262503470698472582noreply@blogger.com0