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[Editor: The Défis Kayak
race in Guadeloupe in the Caribbean took place the same weekend as the US Surfski Champs. Stuart Knaggs sent us this report.]
 Photo: Olivier Tanton
Caribbean Paddling - First Surfski Event in Guadeloupe
Surfski paddling has taken a strong hold in the
Caribbean. The location is perfect, with warm water, reliable trade winds and
perfect beach venues. Guadeloupe is no exception, with support for the sport
coming from both government and the private sectors.
The 2007 Défis Kayak was Guadeloupe's first surfski event
aimed primarily at regional and international participation. It got off to a
modest start this year and has potential to grow to a major event is future.
Participation this year was badly effected by the timing of the USA
Championships, which was brought forward after the date for the Défis Kayak had
been set and could, unfortunately not be rescheduled.
The race itself was part of a general paddling awareness
festival in St François, a fair sized coastal town with a marina, ferry
terminal and fishing harbour. On Saturday afternoon, the general public was
introduced to paddling with the free use of wave skis and recreational kayaks.
The younger paddlers from the various development programs guided the public in
the use of these craft and a lot of fun was had in the gentle surf off the
beach at Les Raisins Clairs à St François. Later that evening, we loaded our
surfskis onto the catamaran Paradox, which was to take us to the start of the
race the next day.
Flat Race?
Sunday morning was fairly calm and we were all muttering
about the prospect of another flat race as we boarded Paradox at 7am. The trip
to Petite Terre took about an hour and gave us a first hand view of the sea
conditions. There was a good swell from the northeast, with a steady breeze
filling in from the southeast. The day was cloudy with several tropical squalls
dotted about.
We anchored off Petite Terre, which is a beautiful pair
of small islands, Terre du Haute and Terre du Bas, off the south coat of
Guadeloupe. They are part of a nature reserve, with no fishing or development
allowed, apart from the lighthouse on Terre du Bas. The skis were launched
straight off the cat and we had a few minutes to warm up before lining up for the
start between a start boat and a channel marker buoy.
 Photo: Olivier Tanton
Once again, the start was fast and furious. There were a
good number of junior paddlers with us and they were all super keen to get
going. The 21k course took us up the small channel between the two islands for
about 100m, around a buoy and back down the channel past the start line.
We then went through some small surf on the corner of
Terre du Haut before rounding a channel marker buoy about 500m out and
continuing straight to the finish on the beach at Les Raisins Clairs à St
François.
Wind and Waves
A few of us were feeling the effects of a nasty bug that
was doing the rounds and I was very "off the pace" from the start. The front
bunch took a westerly line, making use of the 1.5 to 2m swell, with a pretty
good hunch that the wind would swing further south as the squalls in the area
passed. I decided to take a more direct line, getting fewer runs but paddling a
shorter distance. The crossing itself was great, with plenty of deep water runs
and just enough breeze to cool you down and give a bit of a helping hand. As
the squalls passed, the breeze also freshened up and swung south as expected,
but perhaps not enough to offset the effects of paddling off course.
 Photo: Olivier Tanton
Anyway, with about 5k to go, I noticed that my course was
converging with the front bunch (I could see the escort boats quite clearly)
and saw some flashes of red about 500m ahead. This meant that my rival in the
veteran's category was within reach (or so I thought). A few pitiful attempts
at an interval soon put any idea of beating him out of my mind though, and I
just plodded on my way to the finish.
There was a buoy off the reef at Les Raisins Clairs à St
François that we had to round to keep us from breaking our skis on the exposed
rocks.
We then rounded another buoy inside the reef before
crossing the finish line, which was in the water so we did not have to sprint
up the beach to finish.
The day was rounded off with the Caribbean's universal
dish - chicken and ribs - and a prize giving ceremony, loaded with mayors,
sports presidents and community officials. In all a thoroughly enjoyable
weekend. My very warm thanks to the paddling organisations in Guadeloupe and
the sponsors - Avène skin care products and the distributors of M&Ms, Snickers
etc.
 The winners: Benoir Leroux (1st), Ffrank Fifils (2nd), Mickaël Jabot (3rd) (Photo: Olivier Tanton)
Next year we are making a concerted effort to attract an
even bigger field, with more top paddlers from around the world joining us in
our Caribbean surfski festival, which will be made up of the Soualiga Challenge
in St Maarten and the Defis Kayak in Guadeloupe. Watch this space for more news
on that!
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