First stop Portugal……….

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Next stop Spain……….

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.

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 :). 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 Real Club de Regatas de Cartagena. 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.

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 Carbonology Sport 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.

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 Club Amigos Del Piraguismo, the guys and girls here are so enthusiastic and there are definitely future champions in this club.

Final stop back home to Tenerife……..

As always a shout out to my sponsors Carbonology Sport, Knysna Racing, LivingSea and Kudu Kayaks.

Check out the video from the Spanish Championships.

I always look forward to this race, it is one of my favorite venues. The Hotel that Club Nautico Villajoyosa organised for us was Hotel Allon – it is a great hotel. The hotel is right on the beach overlooking the start/finish and it has a great breakfast buffet.

We arrived very late Wednesday evening, my boat was only arriving on Friday morning so we had Thursday to kick around and meet up with our friends from SA, Spain, Portugal, Italy!! Also this gave us time to go to the best Chocolate shop – Valor Chocolate. A nice cup of pure chocolate with some “churros” and I think that was my perfect race fuel 🙂

I am going to be racing in an Allwave CX Surfski, I have tried it in South Africa but this would be my first race in the CX. It is a great boat, very comfortable. Also adding to a new boat this would be my first race with my new paddles from Knysna Racing, I am using the Swing LD and loving them.

I felt good coming into this year’s race and new I would have a tough race against last year’s winner Jenna Ferris. It was decided that Saturday at 13:30 ish (Spanish Time) we would start the downwind race (22km) and Sunday would be the classic race (18km). Then the times added together from the two days to determine the final positions. With not much help from the wind on either days we all knew this was going to be a tough race. The first race we actually had a headwind to start off, but as we rounded the point the wind died completely. There were some runs from Benidorm Island home but wow you had to work for them. I raced as hard as I could and came in first with Jenna in second, I was very happy to have a lead going into day 2.

In the men’s race – Sean Rice had a great race and finished first ahead of 2nd placed Dawid Mocke and Japser Mocke in third.

Day 2 and it was going to tough, tired from the day before……not use to this two day racing thing :)!! The start would be a mass start from the beach, standing about 10m behind your boat – the spectators love to see this start. We then paddled a triangle heading back to where we started as there was a HOTSPOT, which Dawid Mocke claimed. Another great time for the spectators as everyone rushes towards the beach for the turn buoy to try and claim the HOTSPOT. Our course then took us out to Benidorm Island and back.

I finished first to win my first ever Eurochallenge Race, very happy all the hard work paid off!!

Sean Rice, Dawid Mocke and Jasper Mocke all held the same places as day 1. Well done everyone out there it was a tough two days, but very enjoyable and I will be back next year for sure.

Next up are the first three (Icon Classic, Weymouth to Lulworth & St.Ives Paddlefest) of the GB Series races before we all head out to the World Champs in Portugal in July.

Thanks for all your support 🙂

Back in Tenerife now so taking stock of an amazing week in Dubai. Thanks to everyone who made my stay and race a brilliant one. A big shout to the organisers on a great race.

The Race.

Well that was one of the toughest races ever!! The heat was incredible and there was no wind to cool us off. The course was changed from last year as a northerly wind was predicted. The course would see us start on the beach and race out towards a bouy near “The World” then we would race on our own line to the finish. It is a great course as when we turn you get an incredible view of the Burj Al Arab (not that I even took any notice when we were racing!). Everyone had a different view on what line to take, I decided that any runs I could get, as they were few and far between, I would just follow them!! Not sure if that is the right way but it’s they only way I knew!! Then as we enter the bottom of the palm we had a 4km flat slog until the finish, also with a few currents. I entered there at the same time as Oscar’s son so I just tucked in behind him and hung onto his tail for dear life! I really had to dig deep to get to the finish at this pace, the heat had really taken its toll. I finished 4th in the Open Ladies and only a minute or two behind 3rd, I wanted to finish in the top 5 so I’m really pleased. Podium for sure next year!!! Michele Eray won with Nikki Mocke close on her heals, Ruth Highman came in 3rd!

Congrats to everyone who finished as it was not easy out there. Also there was a total of 15 ladies in the race…..let’s make it 20 next year!!

Now for a few days rest then back to training so I’m fit for our South Africa trip!!

Well I can’t believe we have been here for almost a week already. A bit of a stressed week for me as I had a bit of boat admin to deal with. Over here we don’t have a car and you can’t just put a 6.5m surfski on the roof and take it down the motorway, the police don’t like it at all!! So thanks to Domingo, Pepe and Laurence who were able to sort out a van(see the photo’s!) to take my boat from one storage unit to my daily access storage unit – it took almost the week to arrange but it’s there now and training from there is so easy only a bus(gua gua) ride away. Besides that I have still had a good week of training, better than I would get back in the UK, as the weather is perfect out here! Now this would make a great training camp venue….just need surf ski’s!

So for a change on my rest day I landed up out on the water…..this time in a fishing boat with engines bigger than mine, so it was quite relaxing. I caught a decent size Lizard fish but they are not good to eat, so it didn’t count….good fun though, mine was one of the biggest we caught. Pete only got a small flat fish!!

Check out how we transported my Ski, note its Spanish Colours!

Last night saw the last chance for anyone to post a time to claim their t-shirt for the Race The Light Series 2010, unfortunately the weather was awful and the waves were big(ish)! So besides myself and Ian no one else came for a paddle, so we decided just to have some fun in the waves….and boy was it fun. I took a big swim as we were going out, it was the last wave I needed to break through, so a long swim back to beach. Back on the ski for some more fun…..good training though!!

The Race the Light Series is held every September on Fridays instead of our local weekly Time Trial. The event gives any paddler the opportunity to record their best time over the 4 Friday evenings in September.

The route is the 8.4km route to Poole harbour mouth and back to Branksome Chine Beach. The paddlers will start at 18:30 sharp.

Event entry is £5 in order to receive a T-shirt, if you can make the qualifying times – you can enter as many of the series races as you like in order to post your best time.

The course record stands at 38:20 and is held by Peter Molnar

The current break points to receive a t-shirt are:
Singles Sub 50, 45, 42, 40, 38
Doubles Sub 45, 40, 38, 35

3 SEPT

• Andy Blow & David Blow 40:30
• Ian Robinson 43:53
• Nick Carter 47:02

17 SEPT

• Paul Kingman 38:34
• Brendan Reese 38:35
• Chloe Bunnett 40:35
• Ian Robinson 42:43

Unfortunately due to bad weather those were the only two Fridays that anyone posted a time. Hopefully next year there will be some more interest, but it is at the end of the season and difficult to get some paddlers out on the water!!

Here is a copy of the update on the British Surfski Champs, sponsored by Ultimate Kayaks, from the SURFSKI GB website;

Three days to go…

There have been a few questions so thought it would be worth letting everyone know.

First thing is that this is the British Championships so it doesn’t matter if you haven’t paddled in any of the series races, this is a one off race and the slate has been wiped clean.

There have been some people asking whether or not there will be youth age groups, there will be! There is an under 19s, under 16s and also a double ski category (open age group), so no excuses.

There has been a bit of confusion with some of the distances too. The open men, women and masters men will be paddling 14km (well as near to 14km that we can judge in the ocean, it could be a bit less!); the masters women, double skis and under 19 boys and girls will be paddling 10km; and the under 16 boys and girls will be paddling 5km.

The event is sponsored by Ultimate Kayaks and there will be some goodies to be won.

We are sorry but we have been told that there is a change to the start time, it will now be an hour later at 2pm, we hope this doesn’t cause any of you any problems.

Don’t forget to register online if you want to race as if you leave it to the day it will be £5 more expensive!

See you at the weekend.

Well there is less than one week to go before the British Championships, sponsored by Ultimate Kayaks. The race will be on Saturday 25th September starting at 1pm and take place at Bournemouth Pier. There are sign posts to direct you to the pier and there is parking (ticket needed) nearby.

This is the best chance to come and see how you have improved over the season! You can enter online now, just click here. So come on get you entries in, this event is not to be missed as it will see all the UK’s top Surfski paddlers going head to head. Championship medals will be awarded in the following categories:
Open Men/Women
Master Men (40+)
Master Women (35+)
Boy’s & Girl’s U/19
Boy’s & Girl’s U/16
Doubles (open)

Following the British Championships presentations, the final standings of the Icon British Surfski Series 2010 will be announced and medals will be presented along with the draw for the Icon ski, this will all take place in the rowing club. Then at about 5pm you will be able to see the premier of the Icon Downwind Classic SurfSki race film.

Look forward to seeing all of you there, participants and spectators!!