18th Sakonnet River Race 2026

The 18th Sakonnet River Race went off without a hitch with a small group of New England surfski paddlers.

Conditions were ideal for the 9.4 mile course. It was not the total grind up to the 1st turn buoy at Black Point as the wind died just a little from the white caps 30 minutes before the start. Coming back from Black Point to the Wind Turnbine jetty was simple awesome. 4 miles of downwind that was 1ft building to 2.5 an occasional 3 footer that were super consistent. The Sakonnet River, really a small bay leading out to Rhode Island Sound is known for this.

It is a great training ground for novice and intermediate paddlers since the waves are so consistent from Black Point to Island Park. So I averaged 7.1 mph for downwind section, while Greg Lesher (2nd)averaged approximate 7.8 to 8.0 mph along with Matt Drayer (3rd) and Eli Gallaudet(1st).

Robin Francis and Igor Yeremeev paddled a double. Jerry GW Madore had a good race coming in 4th behind the top North Shore Paddlers(absent Bernie) Leslie Berchtold Chappell came in 1st in the women on with little training but getting it done! Mary Beth Gangloff, surfski stalwart came in 2nd in the womens. Newcomer, Fred Gaston raced his 1st ocean surfski race and felt great the whole time which is key to more success. Glenn Shaw made the long trip up from NJ so thanks to Glenn for it up to the race! When you look at the results on PaddleGuru the top 4 guys did an extra .25 miles trying to find the turning buoy at Black Point. I needed to be more specific in my directions.

So for a small crowd it was a great day on the water capped off by (2) $100.00 gift certificates raffled of donated by Run Newport the best running store in the Northeast and one of the best in the country built on customer service, community events, innovation, and the best selection of almost any running store in the country. How do I know this? I work their for 4 years! So a big thanks to them, Adam Stadel owner, and Benny Barlow manager.

Next Race is the Nashua River Race next weekend and then the Ride the Bull Race(Jamestown, RI) rough water paddlers only) and then the big one, The Cape Ann Rowing Club/Blackburn Challenge 19.4 miles around Cape Ann in Gloucester, MA. . The 2026 event takes place on Saturday, July 11, 2026. It will officially host the ACA USA Canoe Ocean Racing National Championships.

Big shout out to Chris Chappell who seems to be getting younger every year!!