Surf Kayak Competitions and Events 2016          England Surf Kayak       

Entry is direct to the organiser in advance.  Some events also allow entry on the day, but even if this is the case, it really helps the organiser to know likely numbers ahead so he or she can prepare the first heats of the day – so please book in beforehand if you can!

There are two categories of boat.  Short Boat is less than 2.75m in length, and can include fins – this category is often still called HP, or High Performance, and has developed without restriction to become the most dynamic form of modern-day surf kayaking.  Long Boat is 3m or over in length, no fins allowed – this category has its roots in the original slalom and general purpose kayaks used in the early days of surf kayaking, and is still sometimes called the International class.

In each boat category, there is a class for Open (or Men), for Ladies, Junior and Master.  Juniors are 18 or under on 31^st December of the competition year.  Masters are over 40 on 1^st January of the competition year.  At a competition, generally each person can enter a maximum of two classes for which they qualify – this is so the heats, timing and judging can run easily.  However, particularly when there are Long Boat Ladies, Junior and Masters classes, these are often small numbers and can sometimes be allowed as a third entry, at the discretion of the organiser. 

The recommended entry fee is £10 for one class, or £15 for two classes.  However, events run slightly differently, the bigger events may employ judges, and costs for organisers vary so the entry fee can vary from event to event.  Entry fees cover prizes for the competition and the organiser’s expenses, and where possible any surplus is used by the organiser directly or by ESK, for the benefit of developing the sport in England.   You need to be a member of Canoe England / BCU, or prepared to join temporary membership on the day for liability insurance.

All surf events depend upon surf conditions.  There is a phone-in Thursday evening to confirm the event is on and the meeting place and time, or to find out if it has been postponed.

At the event, the organiser will aim to arrange reps after the first round, in at least the most popular open, short boat class.  How a competition day runs does depend on numbers entered, surf conditions and people being on time for heats and for judging, and things can change during the day – so please keep in touch with what’s going on, and appreciate the event organiser and helpers are volunteers and probably want to surf too!

Participants need to be available to help with timing, flags and judging for the event to keep to time and run smoothly.  Those new to competitions will be given good guidance whilst they learn alongside regular participants.  This is also a good way to see people surfing and develop your own awareness and skills. 

Results will be published, and ranking lists updated, soon after each event.

Northern Ireland:  www.nisurfkayak.com   Scotland:  www.canoescotland.org       Wales:  welshsurfkayak.co.uk      Ireland  www.paddlesurf.ie