The Caribbean island of Guadeloupe had had a week of superb paddling conditions - great wind, great waves.  The day of the Defis Kayak race dawned however to... zero wind and zero waves.  "It was like paddling in an oven," said Franck Fifils.

Idyllic Desirade Island... Defis Kayak 2008

The beach in "Le Pradet" (for native English tongues: "leu pradee") was a shock - not only because of the humid 35 degrees which hit me like a fist in the face but also as I realized that this was not a small carnival but a huge event - one of the bigger races I ever have done in surfski racing so far.

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Cherbourg, France:  100 single skis registered for the race; one of the final steps in the French series to qualify for the National Championship that will take place in August on the Côte D'Azure...

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Watch out world - the French are taking Surfski paddling seriously!  The first in a series of elite N1 races takes place this weekend, 8th and 9th November 2008.

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