This Week's PRIMI Naish downwind Update... ~ Up in the Sticks ~ Kidsty Pike

Playak News Flash - March 4, 2014
The world's latest paddling headlines.

News Watch Headlines This Week's PRIMI Naish downwind Update... SUPracer - Light winds greeted the PRIMI Naish downwind addicts as Wednesday night continues to tease the event. The week prior to race day (Thu-Tues) provided six days straight of epic downwinds in the 30knot + range.....and tonight we barely had 10knots! At least the direction was still a perfect S-SE but light wind downwinders are rare in Cape Town and it was good to see 30+ paddlers take part. Paddling in these conditions is about milking every little push you can find and straight off thestart, Brigette van Aswegen showed her intentions. Brigette is training for the ISA Worlds in Nicaragua and her form is clearly improving rapidly as she took off, leaving ladies and gents alike, in her wake... Up in the Sticks Jackson Kayak - However, don't worry the prizes at the end of the tunnel beacon for your reconnaissance. Don't feel over whelmed about getting lost or not finding what you thought would be that hidden gem where the snook come running up looking for a steel dinner. New Waves in Arkansas! Claire Chappell - Siloam Springs Whitewater Recreation Park is the latest river park to open up. With 60 degree air last weekend and frigid water that makes me feel right at home, I had to go check it out. It's on the Illinois river just downstream from the locally known Fisher Ford Bridge. This river is spring fed, the water is clear and gorgeous. There are two features and huge eddys. Even a small pool secluded from the current with a rock wall for lessons, practice or whatever your heart desires. This river is spring fed, the water is clear and gorgeous (except during agriculture run-off I'd imagine). There are two features and huge eddys... Crisis Averted: Stand Up World Series Announces Finalised Schedule, Avoids Clash With BOP SUPracer - Following an international game of musical chairs and a fair bit of to-ing and fro-ing, the finalised Stand Up World Series schedule for 2014 has now been released. The big news is that the Finals @ Turtle Bay - the Series' marquee event and the last stop on the tour - has been moved back one week to avoid a clash with the Battle of the Paddle. Other updates include the official move of Hamburg and a potential for Bilbao to get back on the World Series. Ecover Blue Mile SUPboarder - The Ecover Blue Mile Event is back this year and Naish SUP would again conduct safe SUP taster sessions for people to try Stand Up Paddling. There would be racing as well, with the UK Naish One SUP paddle series. The first event kicks off this July at Weymouth in Dorset. All the Ecover Blue Mile events would feature one-mile SUP and kayak races and an open water, one mile swim. The focus would also be to protect the marine environment with the The Go Blue! big weekend kicking off on June 6. Inaugural Punta Sayulita Longboard & Stand-Up Paddle Classic Victory Koredry - The festivities began on Saturday morning, with an hour-long blessing ceremony performed by an indigenous Huichol Indian group, captivating spectators and competitors alike, and making way for the great waves in every riveting competition that followed. In a tightly contested Men's SUP surf contest featuring SUP legends Chuck Patterson of Dana Point, CA, Ekolu Kalama of Molokai, Hawaii, and Sayulita resident, Shop Talk: Covewater SUP SUP Magazine - Capitalizing on the potential Santa Cruz contains for Stand Up Paddling, surfer Scott Ruble started Covewater SUP in 2010, and now SUP has grown extremely popular in the area. Scott in this interview talks about his outfitter that conducts sales of SUPs and organises tours around Santa Cruz which is a great place to paddle since it is located on the Monterey Bay that has great wildlife and there are surf breaks making things good for SUP surfing. Unthawing The Post Winter Stoke Fluid Blog - In the Mid-Atlantic, we have had a harsh winter filled with cold temperatures, lots of snow, and frozen rivers. With ski resorts across the region sporting deeper bases than most areas in the Rockies, there hasn't been much paddling to do. On the River Flow – February 2014 Gene17 - Every month we bring the best of our news, events and developments in a single source, with Gene17kayaking's on the River Flow. Stand Up World Tour / Brazil next month SUPboarder - After a dramatic first stop for the Stand Up World Tour at Sunset Beach on Oahu's North Shore, next up will be the Alagoas Pro Grand Slam, taking place from the 29th March to the 6th April. This Grand Slam event will feature stop number two on the 2014 Stand up World Tour, but also the Opener for the Stand Up World Series, as the world's best head to the North of Brazil to do battle. The Alagoas Pro Grand Slam will also feature the National Championships for Brazil for both Surfing and Racing, so this event will make history in the beautiful region of Alagoas, N. Brazil. What If Pope Francis Had Really Made The Declaration? SUP Radio Show - I Am Completely embracing the feeling I had while first reading the story of Pope Francis's declaration. Groups everywhere are jumping in posting "don't believe!It's a hoax. A weird and wonderful SUP adventure SUPboarder - SUPboarder reader Darrell Kirk sent us this video of his SUP adventure to the weird and wonderful place -the Salton Sea. An Extraordinary Experience Of Spiritual Awareness-Leslie Kolovich SUP Radio Show - As many of you know June of 2012 I traveled to British Columbia to meet and report on Paddle for the Planet's Bob Purdy's first World Paddle as he paddled the length of Lake Okanagan 80 miles. Kayak Fishing Club and Bass Club Make Great Partners fishyaker.com - The January 2014 merger between the Pennsylvania Kayak Fishing Association and the Suskie Bassmasters was featured in this morning's issue of the Times Leader newspaper, from Northeast Pennsylvania. Kidsty Pike Will Herman - I don't really do walking. It's not that I don't enjoy time spent walking, and I've walked many miles carrying ropes and gear up and down the fells on days when the likelihood of it being used was laughable. But still, without that greater objective, motivation is often lacking.

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Today's News Editor(s): bartw.