[Editor: Here's a surfski story with a difference - a 300 mile race through the Florida Everglades.  Carter Johnson sent us the story of his epic three day race.]

The Watertribe Everglades challenge is a small boat race that takes you 300 miles down the Western coast of Florida from Tampa Bay to Key Largo. There are no mandatory stops and you may captain any small craft that you choose as well as pick from an infinite number of routes.  The course will take you thru endless channels, large bays, open ocean and swamps. The event is run by Steve Isaac otherwise known as "The Chief".

The 2007 New Balance Men’s Health Peninsula Challenge was held in Cape Town, South Africa on the weekend of 24^th/25^th February.

The race, now its 4^th year provides a fitting climax to the end of the Sunday racing season.  The format is simple – a two day doubles race totaling some 50km with the courses decided on the day to take advantage of the prevailing weather conditions.  Although the race is aimed at the doubles teams, singles are welcome to take part.

The 2006 St Francis Ski Series, organised by Nigel and Gavin Harvey and sponsored by INVESTEC and AQA with product support from POWERADE is always a favourite amongst the paddlers, this year's event was no exception. Weather wasn't the best, but the paddling certainly made up for it and the support was overwhelming.

South African Ben Silverston is currently living and working in Melbourne, Australia.  An avid paddler (winner of the "Keenest Paddler Award" in Billy Harker's Discovery Men's Health series a few years ago!) he wrote in to tell us about a new ski series that ran for the first time in 2006 in Melbourne.

As surf ski paddlers we tend to view Sea Kayakers as a breed apart - funny old fashioned tubs toddling along with those peculiar flip-up rudders.  Odd creatures.

But the recent Discovery Men's Health race at Seaforth, Simonstown, provided an opportunity for a mixing of the cultures...  the result was hilarious as you'll see below.

Hats off to the sea kayakers for coming along and taking part - especially in the testing weather conditions that saw some forty of the hundred-odd skis retire from the race.

Here's an account of the race seen through the eyes of sea kayaker Paul Weber.

The 2006 South African Double Surfski Championships were held on Saturday 25^th November, at Knysna, South Africa.

The course which doubled as the Discovery Men's Health Series race 6 took the fleet of 53 double skis (and 29 single skis) from Knysna, through the spectacular Knysna Heads via Buffels Bay to Sedgefield, a distance of some 30km.

Newsflash - Old Mutual Bank has become the title sponsor for the PE to EL challenge...  Anton Erasmus confirmed today that the race is now secure in terms of sponsorship - paddlers will even get race vests...

Canon the printer/copier guys have also stepped in as part-sponsors. 

More to follow - and if you've entered, you need to submit your medical form...

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