In its 30th year, the popular Marine Series kicks off on Friday 14 January 2022 at the Marine Surf Lifesaving Club known as the Chalupsky Properties Marine Series following the announcement that the prominent Durban property brand will be backing the series again in 2022.
The seven race series is widely regarded as the kick-starter to the year's paddling and this year will be no different with the national calendar packed with paddling events in KwaZulu-Natal and around the country.
Herman Chalupsky, who is no stranger to the paddling community, believes that getting their company involved again in Durban's premier surfski series was a simple decision.
"I think I made my mind up in the ten minutes we had over coffee," Chalupsky laughed. "We were involved in the series as sponsors many years ago and saw huge value then and we see the series as a crucial part of paddling in the city.
"Our name is based around paddling and we've grown with the paddling community so we can see the synergy between the brands."
The sea at the Marine Surf Lifesaving Club has become a mecca for the growth of surfski paddling in Durban and for Chalupsky the series is about more than just the elite paddlers.
"The favourable conditions at Marine often mean that novices and junior paddlers have a good spot to cut their teeth and gain confidence in a surfski.
"That's a big part of why the Marine Series has been a success for so long and we are excited to be involved again."
For event organiser Trevor Martin having a Durban institute on board shows the faith that they have in the series.
"Chalupsky Properties are a truly Durban brand and have supported paddling in the province for years so we are very happy to have them on board this year," Martin said.
"We're expecting another exciting series with seven races and with the recent easing of Covid-19 protocol we hope to see more and more paddlers heading down to the races this year."
More information can be found at www.marineseries.co.za