Topics:
Articles of Interest: Tuesday/Thursday morning workouts; Local paddlers signed up for Yukon River Quest; Web site for world-wide paddling events and more
Events and Races: FCPA races; "Florida Challenge"; WaterTribe Challenges; and more
Article: For a Chuckle, Paddler Wildlife Menagerie

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Our morning outings continue from Dinky Dock, Winter Park, Florida on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 7:15. We usually have from 3 to 6 paddlers. These outings are for exercise, and there is a large variation in speed of paddlers. We paddle for about 1 1/2 hours then usually go to breakfast afterwards. Email me if you have questions.

Two of our local paddlers are signed up for the June 2010 Yukon River Quest, Anita Allen and Rod Price. Anita is asking for training partners, and I'm sure Rod would appreciate training company too. Anita says, "I am looking for kayak paddling partners to go on long distance (or portions thereof) training runs on weekends fron now until the end of June. Want to maintain a consistent speed between 4.5 to 6+ mph on these training sessions. I want to work up to going 12 hours or more and need company. I’ll be paddling an Epic 18. Anyone with GPS experience would also be greatly appreciated. Located in Broward County but willing to travel around Florida for training sessions. If interested call (954) 803-0028 or email me at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it ."

See the Worldwide Event Calendar, on the USCA web site, for a list of events, http://www.uscanoe.com/eventsSearchRegions.cfm. Select a state, and all upcoming events for that area are listed.

Sweetwater Kayaks in St. Petersburg offers numerous central Florida guided kayak trips, generally costing around $30 ($60 with kayak rental). See  www.SweetwaterKayaks.com

Florida Competition Paddlers Events:
March 13, 2010, Great Pickle Race, Tampa, FL, 11.4 or 5 miles. Contact Glennis Williams, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , 727-455-9188
March 20, 2010, Manatee Run, N. Ft. Myers, FL, 10 or 4 miles. Contact Bill@Calusabluewayoutfitters.com, 239-481-4600
April 3, 2010, Rainbow River Race, Dunellon, FL, 12 or 6 miles. Contact Glennis Williams, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , 727-455-9188, or John Edwards, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , 727-459-6366
May 16, 2010, Wekiva River Race, Sanford, FL, 14 or 7 miles. Contact Martha Carswell, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , 407-321-7188
June 5, 2010, Wascissa River Race, Tallahassee, FL, Contact George Blakely, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , 850-385-4974
June 12-13, 2010, Sunshine State Games, Alachua County (Poe Springs/High Springs), FL, See www.flasports.com, Contact John Edwards, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , 727-459-6366
July 11, 2010, Mere Mortals Canoe/Kayak Race, Suwannee River Park, FL, Contact Larry Frederick, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , 352-495-9846
September, 2010, Tarpon Springs Puffer Fish Race, Tarpon Springs, FL, Contact Cindy/Karl Vogel, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , 727-938-7685

Larry Frederick's Challenge Series
Larry has set up a series of races on central and north Florida waters with a target length of 6 hours. Entry fee is $10. The purpose is to provide training runs for longer races. Finishers of each race will receive a medallion depicting a Florida Indian tribe. For more information on each race, see http://www.fcpacanoe.org/chsr_0.html or contact Larry at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , 352.318.1702.
Races:
March 14, 2010 ...... Hillsborough River ............. Tocobaga medallion
April 3, 2010 ...... Rainbow/Withlacoochee Rivers ... Outina medallion

West Coast Point Series Races, Clearwater/Honeymoon Island. Info and details contact This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , 727-403-1903.
Doubles races: 3/14, 4/4.
Singles races: 3/27, 4/18

WaterTribe Challenges, March 6, 2010, Ultramarathon (65 miles), Everglades Challenge (300 miles), and Ultimate Florida Challenge (1200 miles). Fort Desoto Park, St. Petersburg, FL. These expedition-style races are epic events for kayaks, canoes, sailing craft, any non-motorized craft hand-launched off the beach. Check it out at www.watertribe.com. Although registration is closed, come see the launch of the 70 boats and 95 competitors at Fort Desoto Beach. Boats are staged on the beach on Friday, March 5 and launch Saturday at 7 am.

Lula Bridge Race, March 20, Gainesville, FL, 10K and 20K. Contact Brenda Miller, 770-287-7888, www.lckc.org

Paddlers Care Paddle Challenge, April 10, 2010, 8:00 am, Lake Kissimmee State Park, Lake Wales FL. Charity fundraiser, paddle the Kissimmee Waterway. Also campingovernight, food, music, etc. Contact Lynette Foster, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . See http://paddlerscare.org/ and http://www.meetup.com/adventuresinflorida/calendar/12707949/

Wild Hog Canoe Race (33rd Annual), April 17, 2010, start 8:30 am, SR 24 at the Waccasassa Bridge near Otter Creek, FL. Solo: $30; tandem: $40. Contact Margie McGarva, 352-486-2535

Coosa River Basin, April 17, Rome, GA, 13 miles. contact Joe Cook, 706-232-2724, www.coosa.org

2nd Annual Sweetwater Paddle for the Cure, April 24, downtown Tampa, 5-mile and 2-mile family fun races, www.beatcancerwithapaddle.org

Second Annual River Rat Relay, April 24, 2010, 8:00 am, Econlockhatchee River at SR 419, Chuluota, FL. Fundraiser for American Cancer Society. Includes camping, meals, entertainment. See http://main.acsevents.org/site/TR/RelayForLife/RFLFY10FL?team_id=600959&pg=team&fr_id=21084 or http://www.meetup.com/adventuresinflorida/calendar/12706748/

Back to the Chattahoochee Race and Festival, June 12, Atlanta, GA. 8 and 10 miles. contact Tammy Bates, 404-352-9828 ext. 12, www.chattahoochee.org.

Yukon River Quest, June 30, 2010, Whitehorse, Yukon Territory, Canada. 460 miles. Registration just opened Nov.1 and the race fills up very quickly, even though deadline is April 15, 2010. Terrific race with tremendous community support, an event of a lifetime. Check it out at www.yukonriverquest.com

Savannah Paddlefest, August 21, 2010, Augusta, GA, 8.5 miles. contact Andy Weed, 706-826-8991, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Suwannee River Challenge and Marathon (52 and 26 miles), October 9, 2010, White Springs, FL, Contact Rod Price, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , 407-227-5606

Florida Paddlers' Rendezvous, October 21 - 24, 2010, Silver River State Park campground. Day trips, potluck dinners, campfires. Make camping reservations at the State Park. Sponsored by CentralFloridaSeaKayakers@yahoogroups.com.

Alafia River Challenge, November 13, 2010, See http://www.alafiachallenge.com/ for details. This is a fun, 9-mile run from Lithia Springs, near Brandon, Florida, ending with music, food, etc. Sign up early since it fills up.

PADDLER WILDLIFE MENAGERIE
(thanks to "Scott's Spin" for the idea from Hal Downing's Cycling newsletter)

Paddlers come in all shapes and sizes. Here's a guide to the menagerie:

The Naturalist
Dress: optional, but if dressed: broad-brim hat, camo, binocs, camera, various other extraneous gear
Body type: comfortable
Distinguishing boat characteristic: KMart Special made from recycled soda pop bottles
Paddle:   aluminum shaft, plastic blade, seldom wet
If not a paddler, would be: librarian, college professor or loincloth-wearing ascetic
Favorite conversation topics: latest addition to bird list, carbon footprints, recyclability of objects not commonly known to be recyclable

The K1 ICF Racer
Dress: spandex, even at 30 degrees. hat? forget it
Body type: 2% body fat, godzilla shoulders, triceps the size of 2-liter coke bottles
Distinguishing boat characteristic: lift it with a pinkie, disappears in frontal view
Paddle: blades the size of garbage can lid
If not a paddler would be: street fighter
Favorite conversation topics: smack talk

The Long-distance ultra-marathoner
Dress: Body Glide, Hydropel, hat suitable for African safari
Body type: hybrid, runs on air, Gatorade and Power Gel
Distinguishing boat characteristic: faded from too much sun,
Paddle: 3 different types to indiscriminately injure all paddling muscles
If not a paddler, would be: anything obsessive-compulsive
Favorite conversation topics: usually too tired to talk, but otherwise extreme weather experiences

The FCPA competitor
Dress: jersey from last real race
Body type: short, over-weight wannabes to emaciated over-the-hillers
Distinguishing boat characteristic: nicks and scrapes from river skirmishes, stickers from stem to stern
Paddle: see boat characteristic
If not a paddler, would be: NASCAR driver
Favorite conversation topics: reasons for not winning today, the post-race restaurant

The Socialite
Dress: latest, brightest PFD, Tilley hat, designer shades
Body type: covered up
Distinguishing boat characteristic: wide, short boat with lazy-boy seat
Paddle: see Naturalist
If not a paddler, would be: bridge life master
Favorite conversation topics: food, last outing with a dozen or more of his/her type, favorite movie, food