Playak News Flash 2008-11-25

Playak News Flash - November 25, 2008

News Watch Headlines

Evan Garcia: Rio Agrio After the Palguin we packed up the big Kayak Pucon van and started to drive to the Rio Agrio. After having some problems at the border crossing we were there in a beautiful place and ready to do some more kayaking. The river didn't have very much water but the drops were big and good to go.

Simon Westgarth: Gauley Fest Fun Its like no other paddling place I have been, the annual Gauley Fest in West Virginia, on the East Coast USA is like the Glastonbury Music Festival of the WW kayaking world.  Full of geeks, freaks and unique every where, plus a host of the mainstream crowd all rubber busing this fine river section.

Bootfahrer: Western Canada!! okay folks, once again I have been slacking off. no, there was no two weeks break on the road trip, it's just that i am in costa rica now!!! so i have been kinda busy with adjusting to the place i will be living in, finding a place, a job. and i succeeded, it's all set now. i will write about costa rica later though, only so much right now: it is an amazing place, so different than everything i have done before!

SUP Surf Mag: Stand Up Paddle Bombs At Punto De Lobos, Chile When the waves get big and the current is strong at Punto de Lobos, Chile, the only way in is to tow or stand up paddle. Punto de Lobos is one of the premier surf breaks in Chile, and when the juice comes, it's a long left with fast and tight bowl sections. This year, Punta de Lobos was the site for the Association of Professional Towsurfers, Inc (APT) sanctioned event, the Punta de Lobos, Pichilemu Chile World Cup Tow-In Surfing Championship.

PeakUK: Colligan Gorge Games Colligan Gorge Games Boater cross started early on the Saturday morning of the 15th November.There was a massive turnout to the event with competitors from as far as Tasmania. The races started with the individual head to head boater cross with 5 in each heat and only one going through. Some excellent races with a high turnout for all categories created a great atmosphere and plenty of banter. Junior Mens, Junior Ladies, Mens Sport, Ladies Sport, Mens Expert and Ladies Expert were all fine events.

rockratrobinson: Friday Fun So on Thursday I headed down to Wales for the UniYaker Selection weekend. It was a late start to the event when I was picked up in Carlise from some of the boys traveling down from Scotland. I think we eventually left Carlisle at 10pm and with only one stop reached the bunk house just outside Tremadog at some stupid hour in the early morning.

surfski.info: Dubai Shamaal Update - Entries Closing The massive prize pool (US$120,000 in total) has attracted the world's elite paddlers. They're coming from all over the world: Australia, South Africa, the USA, New Zealand, the UK, Sweden, Spain, France, Germany, Mauritius to name but a few.

Confluence Blog: Wilderness Systems Zephyr 15.5 St "chosen" By Canoe & Kayak The Canoe & Kayak Annual Buyer's Guide hit newsstands last week. For the gear-obsessed and the neophyte alike, it is the culmination of an eleven-month wait to gather information on just about every boat on the market. The venerable editors of Canoe & Kayak also use this issue to announce the list of "Chosen Ones," their choices for the best boats of the year.

surfski.info: Fenn Kayaks Cape Point Challenge (south Africa) The Fenn Kayaks Cape Point Challenge is the first race in the 2009 Surfski.info World Series. It's ideally placed for those internationals who are racing the Southern Shamaal PE2EL Challenge and who want to see a little more of South Africa.

Isle of Man Kayak: Manx Paddle Sports - Force 8 Surfing! Yesterday, Jess and I in sea kayaks braved the Sound tidal races, barely making progress against wind and tide as we attempted to enter the boiling, bubbling cauldron that was the sea on the west side. Today it was the turn of the surfers in a force 8 westerly pounding straight onto Peel Beach. I don't have a surf kayak yet and a sea kayak would have been hard work. Instead I hope these photographs help to capture some of the fun experienced on a cold winter day on the Isle of Man.

Playak: South Africa: Kwazulu-natal Province, Bivane River he Bivane River starts just below the Paris Dam and ends 34 km later at the confluence with the much larger Pongola River. One then needs to paddle another 6.7 km of the Pongola River to get to the take out. In total the combined rivers make for a 40.7 km long paddle with an average gradient of 6.1 m/km. This gradient is nicely spread out resulting in short pools and some easy, but fun, sections. The rapids are mainly in the class 2 and 3 range with one or two in the 3+ range.

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