#1 in Surfski News and Reviews2025-12-31T20:30:22-05:00

  • On Downwinding: You’re Not Surfing

    Most paddlers learn to think about downwind paddling in terms of waves.  You catch a wave, you ride the wave, and you look for the next wave.  Wash, rinse, repeat.  That model works well enough [...]

  • On Training: Stress and Adaptation

    Nothing in training happens without stress.  In the absence of a stressor, our system remains exactly as it is.  But stress alone is not improvement, and in an ocean environment, misunderstanding that difference is one [...]

  • On Racing: Starting Right

    Most races are decided long before the first buoy or the first run.  They begin in the final minutes before the start, when paddlers are already spending physical, mental, and emotional energy, whether they realize [...]

  • Blackburn Challenge to host 2026 National Championships

    The American Canoe Association has selected the Cape Ann Rowing Club's Blackburn Challenge as the host venue for the 2026 USA Canoe Ocean Racing National Championships, placing one of America’s most iconic open-water races at [...]

  • USA Surfski Paddlers @ 2025 ICF COR World Championships

    The 2025 ICF Canoe Ocean Racing (COR) World Championships were held in Durban, South Africa this past October.  Worlds is the pinnacle international competition for surfski paddlers all over the world, in addition to World Cups [...]

Latest News

Narrow River Race 2021 with Bob’s Video

We had an excellent turnout for yesterday's race comprised of surf skis, kayak(Jim), tandem canoe( Gus and Jerry), and OC1 (Carol) on a beautiful day. In this mix of paddlers was a convert from sea kayak to surfski (Jeff), a top-notch triathlete( Loukia), and new racer Josko, first time Narrow River [...]

My 1st Blackburn Challenge in a Surf Ski by Melissa Meyer

Another Blackburn is in the books. It’s such a fun race and supportive community, I’m always excited to sign up. Then, come the 2/3 or 3/4 mark, I’m even more excited to be done with it. I came in “first place,” which honestly is not much of a feat considering I [...]

2008 Essex River Race – by Wesley Echols

What a turnout today for the Essex River Race!!! The most entrants ever according to Bill K., race director, and company. They did a fantastic job, organizing the race again this year. So thanks to Bill and everyone who helped put on the race. Also thanks to Andrew Binks who unfortunately [...]

Narrow River Race: New Order

The Narrow River Race typically serves as a gentle introduction to the New England racing season - a controlled opportunity for us to get our feet wet.  Indeed, the winding tidal estuary is so shallow that it'd be impossible to get any other part of your body wet without lying down [...]

Sakonnet Race: A Turn for the Worse

I've had enough.  I'm tired of constantly explaining that the Sakonnet River Race takes place in the ocean.  One year I had T-shirts printed up that said "The Sakonnet River Isn't", but this might have been too subtle - people kept spinning me around by my shoulders to read the rest [...]

Sakonnet River Race 2020

I have been paddling on the Sakonnet River launching from McCorrie Point since I first started paddling my P&H plastic Capella over 20 years ago. The Sakonnet with its small bay conditions is a perfect training grounds for all things paddling. Its complexity of waves increases slowly over six miles until [...]

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2014 Surf Ski Reviews and Comparison Chart by Wesley Echols, SurfskiRacing.com

This is a comparison and review chart based on 12 years of paddling surf skis with GPS recorded time trials with all the 25 skis listed on the chart over the same four courses since 2002 as explained below. I added 10 new skis to the comparison chart since last time [...]

Huki S1XL Surfski Review by Wesley Echols

History with Huki My history with Huki dates back to 2004 when I got my  first  Huki S1X(orange in pic below) with a fix leg length.  That was my second surf ski after a 3 month stint with my first surf ski, a Mako XT.  As I have told the [...]

Epic V14 Ultra, My First Impressions by Wesley Echols, SurfskiRacing.com

I spent many years running road races and I rarely talked to my training partners about anything other than "training". The topic of conversations were how many miles did you do this week? Did you do interval training? How is your recovery? Are you at optimal weight? How many long [...]

2020 Surfski Reviews: Part One-Stellar Skis

Introduction On February 2, I kicked off my "on season" training plan for the upcoming year that I look forward to every year. That was delayed three weeks later due to the flu, not the coronavirus. I did get my flu shot but with only 45% efficacy due to a [...]

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