surfski novice

Free registration and prizes for top 3 boats in categories.  For information or registration, go to www.RiverLightsBoatParade.com.  Important dates: Dec 1st registration deadline, captains meeting December 3rd, boat parade December 6th.

April 10-12th 2015 Honeymoon Island State Park Www.sharkbitechallenge.com Friday, April 10th, 2015 6-8 p.m. – Welcome Party Downtown Dunedin – Last night for Registration At Sundown – Movies  in Pioneer Park, Downtown Dunedin. Saturday, April 11th 2015 6 a.m. Fishing Tournament Check-in and Token Pick Up, Dunedin Causeway (registration at www.sharkbitechallenge.com) 8 a.m. Race Check-in Opens – No Race Day Registration 10 a.m. Shark Bite Challenge Distance Races (1 mile, 4 mile and 8 mile) 1 p.m. Surf N Turf Kids Race 4-6 p.m. Awards Ceremony in Downtown Dunedin Sunday, April 12th, 2014 8 a.m. Registration Opens for all events. Save money! Register online! 8:30 a.m. ACA Sea Kayak Forum Begins, click here for info 9 a.m. Feeding Frenzy Technical Course SUP race 9 a.m. Epic Kayak’s Introduction and Basics of Surfski Paddling Clinic Begins 10 a.m. Outrigger Canoe (OC6)  Races Start 10:30 a.m. Adapted Kayaking Clinic with Achilles International PFD’s and Leashes ar

Instead of being required to wear a type III USCG approved vest for races, race participants can now select a vest that better fits their specific needs.  I prefer to use the David Mock vest for offshore paddling if required.  I race surfskis which really require a vest that releases water weight and has a smooth front for wet reentry situations.  The Mock vest is by far one of the best I have seen but it is not USCG certified.  Now it won't matter and paddlers can choose the best equipment to meet their unique needs. Effective October 22, 2014, the U.S. Coast Guard has removed references to longstanding PFD type codes from its regulations for the carriage and marking of Coast Guard-approved PFDs; however, USCG regulations still require the carriage of "U.S. Coast Guard approved" PFDs. Title 33, Code of Federal Regulation 175.17(3)(c) "Racing shells, rowing sculls, racing canoes and racing kayaks are exempted from the requirements for carriage of any Type PFD."

See www.paddleinpink.org

See the link below for details & registration: https://paddleguru.com/races

Kayak race, run or combine both for the double dawg dare.  Relay partners also encouraged.  Check out the following link for details. : http://www.gilldawg.com/ai1ec_event/double-dawg-dare-run-paddle-event/?instance_id=

See the following link for info and registration: http://myemail.constantcontact.com/North-Shore-Cup-Kayak-and-SUP-Race-November-15-.html?soid=1102356560022&aid=iEqTKxC1m64

Surfski Caribbean race calendar 2014 / 2015 *Date* *Name* *Distance* *Place* 14 Sep 14 Back to School 8.25 / 3.8 St Maarten 12 Oct 14  Bridge to Bridge 18 St Maarten 02 Nov 14  Soualiga Challenge 25 St Maarten 05 Nov 14   Orient Bay Express 20 St Martin 16 Nov 14  Kim Sha Out and Back TBA St Maarten 28 Dec 14  Anguilla Channel Race 18 St Martin 11 Jan 15  Tintamarre Dash 14 St Maarten 18 Jan 15  Painkiller 18 BVI 24 & 25 Jan 15  Karukera Challenge 8 / 20 Guadeloupe 31 Jan 15  Ze Race 50 Guadeloupe 08 Feb 15  Rivier Salee 18 Guadeloupe 15 Feb 15  Border to Border 19 St Maarten 08 Mar 15  Basse Terre TBA Guadeloupe 15 Mar 15  Surf Classic  1 hour St  Martin 06 Apr 15  Crocodile Rock 12 St Maarten 25 Apr 15  Defis Kayak 12 Guadeloupe 26 Apr 15  25 09 May 15  TBA Basse Terre Guadeloupe 10 May 15 17 May 15  Oyster Pond Channel Race  1 hour St  Maarten 25 May 15  Raid Romain Martinique 08 Jun 15  Race  3 TBA St  Maarten 14 Jun 15  Guadeloupe Championships Guade

The race for mental health was September 13th, 2014.  The race was only 4 miles from Francis Avenue Park to Gil Dawgs.  A small pack of racer and recreational paddlers showed up to support this great cause.  100% of the profits of the race went to assist people who the foundation helps.  The foundation is 100% volunteer run with no staff so all of the donations help those with mental health needs.  The race started off with a high pumping sprint at 8.5-9mph in the shallow water.  We could tell everyone there were out for blood!  The race maintained a grueling 8mph pace for the entire race length.  In my opinion one of the fastest races in 2014.  In the mens 15+ length class, Brent Postma achieved 1st place with a time of 30.5 min, Karl Vogel 2nd place with a time of 31 minutes, and Steve Hunter 3rd place chasing Karl closely with 31.6 minutes.  Jan Mallet won first place in the women's over 15+ length class in her first race ever!  Thank you to all who came out to support this grea

Paddle Tri in Northfield Mass on Sept. 28th. The race will be a 5.5mile kayak, 3.5 mile trail run and 6.5 mile mtn. Bike. Do it solo or do it as a team(relay)!! www.greatriverchallenge.com https://www.facebook.com/greatriverchallenge

For more information go to www.paddlestars.com or to register for the event at www.paddleguru.com/races/paddlestars

Aloha everyone! I've just confirmed that my coach from Molokai will be here in this weekend and will be teaching a couple of OC6 clinics up here in Dunedin. I am super stoked to have her here! Everyone is invited to come! Her name is Alexia Lopez, and she paddles for the Waikiki Beachboys Women's A Team in Hawaii - which basically means that she paddles with one of the best women's programs in the world. They came in second in Molokai last year when I paddled it. She's been with them for a long time, but originally paddled with a recreational (and now competitive) club named Manu O Ke Kai in the North Shore of Oahu. In 2013, Alexia gave back to her original club by developing and coaching their women's program for free, as good aloha to her original hale. I paddled with Manu for Molokai, and found Alexia to be tough yet very inspiring. My experience with her was one of the most significant paddling experiences of my life. She's a celebrity among the wahine

Mirror Lake Race, Saturday, July 26, 2014 Tue Jul 22, 2014 9:52 pm (PDT) . Posted by: "World Paddler" us_swanboat Great race to take your family to. It starts and finishes on a sandy public beach on the longest lake in New Jersey. The water is clean and your family can swim while you race. The weather forecast for Saturday is Sunny and 88ºF. Mirror Lake Championships, Brown Mills, NJ; Saturday, July 26, 2014: http://www.pemberton-twp.com/mirror_lake_championships R

The Annual River Lights Boat Parade 2014 will be on December 6th 2014 on the Cottee River.  Registration info will be posted closer to the event date at www.riverlightsboatparade.com

Ft Lauderdale Lanakila Iki Race Ft Lauderdale 7/12/2014 Blackburn Challenge 7/19/2014 Blackburn, MA Confirmed Date Queen Liliuakalani 8/28/14 to 9/1/14 Kona, Hawaii Eric C./Jaro V. OC-6 18 Mile Distance Iron Catalina Crossing - KLM Plans to enter 9/6/14 to 9/7/14 New Port Beach, CA Jaro V./Eric C. OC-6 Distance - Water Changes Confirmed Date Treasure Island 10/25/14 to 10/26/14 Treasure Island, FL Rea Sieber OC6, OC-1, Sur

OC-6 Hawaiian Outrigger Race - Race format will be a three leg change out race.  8 Miles, 5 Miles, and then 8 Miles again.   Change outs will be shore side so no deep water changes.   Crews can be between only 6 paddlers or a total of 18 paddlers on each crew.  

The Florida Cup 2014 will challenge participants in the gulf and intracoastal waters. There will be races for the elite paddler, recreational enthusiasts, and kids. As a championship event it will draw contestants from across the united states. Races: 8 Mile Elite 3 Mile Recreational 1 Mile Fun Paddle 1/4 Kids Race For more info: https://www.facebook.com/events/239081196249412/

2014 WPA Championship Race Event St Petersburg, FL St. Petersburg Florida:   The World Paddle Association (WPA) in conjunction with the St. Petersburg-Clearwater Florida Sports Commission are proud to announce the 2014 WPA Championship Race to be held at the Sirata Beach Resort in St. Petersburg, Florida October 24, 25 & 26, 2014. It will be the 1st time the WPA Championships are held on the East Coast. “St. Petersburg-Clearwater is an amazing paddling destination with miles of open water and inter-costal conditions, it will challenge all competitors in this championship event. Get ready for a fun-filled three days of events showcasing our true Gulf Beach charm hosted by The Sirata Beach Resort and its first class beachside amenities. This will be a weekend not to be missed!”   Rob Mirlenbrink – WPA Region 5 Director and WPA Championship Race Director “We are excited to hold the WPA Championships in the St. Petersburg-Clearwater area given the large number of paddlers in Fl

The 1st Annual Pasco Paddlepalooza April 25-27th 2014 is going to be one of the biggest paddling events all year.  Three races with time trials, short course, long course, dragon boat sprints, etc.  There are races for many types of paddlers including kayak, Stand-up Paddleboard, OC-1, Surfski, K1, Tandem, recreational, etc.  Register at  www.pascopaddlepalooza.com Great prizes, each competitor gets a quality paddlepalooza dry weave shirt, craft beer festival, live music, raffle, food all held at Gill Dawg Port Richey and surrounding areas Salt Springs State Park, Cotee River, Durney Key, etc.

If you are interested in being part of a dragon boat team and competiting in the Battle of the Bayou as part of Pasco Paddlepalooza 2014, there will be a Intro to Dragon Boating held at Gil Dawgs in Port Richey from 6-7:30 pm with music on the deck and team Dawg social afterwards.  Come get your paddle on!  Call Walter for details at 727-842-1070.

The Tarpon Canoe Club organizes a great OC-6 team race every year called the Tarpon Relays.  Teams from all over the Tampa Bay Area will be competing this Saturday March 15th at the Anclotte River Park.  This event is an endurance event with three 8 mile races.  The first race of the day is usually from Anclotte River Park to Anclotte Key State Park and back.  The second race of the day is from Anclotte River Park to Alternate 19 and back.  Finally the day finishes with one last from Anclotte River Park back out to Anclotte Key State Park and back.  The waters between Anclotte River Park and Anclotte Key State Park are beautiful.  There is a string of small dredge islands leading out to the much larger Anclotte Key approximately 2.5 miles offshore.  In between you will see dolphins, sharks, and sea turtles.  See you all there!

The West Coast Championships was one of the best race event of the year.  Ideal weather and ideal location made for 2 days of intense paddling.  Saturday OC-6 500m sprints.  Saturday the beach was packed with hundreds of participants from clubs as far away as Miami and Atlanta.  Kai Aniani really over performed winning every event.  Sunday not as many participants but those who competed were very highly skilled paddlers.  We raced an ideal 8 mile course for SUP, OC-1 and Surfski from Sand Key straight out thru Clearwater Pass out to Marker #1 and back twice.  This course turned out to be one of the best course choices I have paddled in Florida.  The pass had its challenges on a great incoming current and side current as edge of the Sand Key jetty.  It was an ideal race under ideal condition, a real change from the last few years.  I stayed for both days and I'll be back next year.

There are two races in the Tampa Bay Area FL both on Valentines weekend.  I know you're girl might have some other plans, but if you are free then don't miss it.  Both are well attended and have been going for years.  Races are on Saturday February 15th & Sunday February 16th so technically they really aren't on Valentines at all and if you still have enough energy after this race, you can go out Saturday night.  Ok, here's the schedule: Sweetwater Paddle for the Cure 5 mile race & 2 mile family fun paddle https://www.facebook.com/pages/... Paddle-for-the-Cure /191690397537282 The annual Sweetwater  Paddle for the Cure  was created to bring kayakers and paddlers of all levels together to  ...  Be part of the biggest paddling event in  Tampa .  ...  6th Annual Sweetwater  Paddle For The Cure  Sunday, February 16,  2014 . Jensen Classic Weeki Watchee FL Saturday February 15th 12pm http://beatcancerwithpaddle.org/  Kayak, Surfski, Canoe, K1 racing (shor

List of paddling Pasco events thru April 2014 1.       Sunday January 19, 2014 - Sunrise paddling trip from Nicks Park in Port Richey to Durney Key off the mouth of the Cotee River. Coffee, Danish and maybe Champagne raised to celebrate the start of another wonderful day in paradise. Explore the island and nearby stilt houses and return to Nicks Park. We will launch between 6:45 am and 7 am – bring a lighting devise. Sunrise is at 7:23 am. We will head back to shore between 9:45 am and 10 am. It will be low tide when we head back in. Maybe lunch at Gill Dawg and Nap in the afternoon. 2.       Saturday February 22, 2014 - Sunset paddling trip from Eagle Point Park to Anclote River Park along the SW Pasco County coastline. Fire on the beach at Anclote River Park for about an hour and a half after sunset. Enjoy the mangrove covered shoreline along with a portion of the Ballies Bluff community, with views of the Gulf of Mexico and Anclote Key to the west. We will launch at Eagle