How did you celebrate New Years Day?

Some paddlers got an early start on the paddling season. Here is a sampling of some of this year’s events:

• Michigan:
  Michigan had a 1 and a half mile paddle down the Huron River. This paddling event which has been going on since 1975 was organized by the University of Michigan Raw Strength and Courage Kayaking Club. The temperature for New Years Day was 24 degrees.
• Minnesota:
  St Paul Minnesota had their annual New Year’s Day Paddle down the Mississippi River at Hidden Falls Park. Canoes and Kayaks have participated in this event for the last 15 years with temperature at 23 degrees for the day.
• Chicago:
  For 23 years paddlers have paddled the North Branch of the Chicago River. This year there was over 200 paddlers. The Forest Preserve of Cook County Sponsored this event providing shuttles and portable toilets.
• New Hampshire:
• The Merrimack Valley Paddlers and Friends of the Winnipesaukee River had their annual New Years Day Paddle on the Winnipesaukee River in Tilton, Northfield and Franklin, New Hampshire. Novice and intermediate boaters paddled the Upper Winnipesaukee river and expert boaters paddled the Lower Winnipesaukee river. Paddlers had class III and IV rapids.The purpose of the paddle was to draw attention to the proposal for scheduled water releases for white water paddling during the summer.

Did you paddle on New Year’s Day? Tell us about your New Year’s Day Kayak and Canoe event by leaving a comment on this post.

April is right around the corner and along with it come warmer weather and water and of course, paddling events for canoers, kayakers and paddlers of all sorts!

If you’re looking for places to paddle, take a look below or visit our Places to Paddle page.

For even more canoe and kayak events and races, take a look at our Events and Races page. You can search on kayak and canoe events and races by state or by date.

Here are a sampling of upcoming canoe, kayak and paddle events for the month of April.

The BluzCruz Marathon in Vicksburg, Mississippi will be on April 18th on the Mississippi river. The Bluz Cruz is a 22 mile race for competitive and recreational canoeists and kayakers.

Click Here to Find Flatwater Canoe and Kayak Trail Maps for the Mississippi River.

If you are interested in paddling instruction, learning the tricks and tips of successfully navigating a canoe and kayak, you might want to check out the East Coast Canoe and Kayak Festival April 18-20 at James Island County Park in Charleston, South Carolina. This three day event will include lectures, on-water classes and demonstrations for the novice and experienced paddler.

There are lots of great places to paddle in South Carolina. Check a few more on your own. Click Here to Find Kayak and Canoe Paddling maps for South Carolina.

Don’t miss the largest paddling event in New England and one of the largest in the country! Get your kayak or canoe ready and head on up to the Kenduskeag Stream Canoe Race in Kenduskeag, Maine on Saturday, April 19.

This 16.5 mile race begins in the Town of Kenduskeag and ends near the Penobscot River in downtown Bangor. You can register three ways:

1. Online (Registration will be made available in March)
2. In person at the Bangor Parks & Recreation office
3. The day of the race in Kenduskeag

Maine is known for great paddling opportunites. Click here to Find Flatwater Canoe, Kayak, Paddling Trails in Maine, or here to Find Whitewater Kayak Trails in Maine.

And don’t forget about The Wild Hog Canoe & Kayak Race Saturday, April 26. (optional weather date is Saturday, May 3) in Bronson Florida. This is their 31st year. Paddling will be on the Waccasassa River. They have also added a few more classes this year they have included parent-youth and Senior (55+) categories.

Florida is chock full of awesome places to paddle that include lake, rivers and the Everglades, not to mention the sea kayaking in the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico! Click here to Find Flatwater Canoe and Kayak Trails in Florida or here to Find Florida Sea Kayaking Maps.

Whichever paddling event you choose to attend, drop us a line and tell us all about it! We would love to hear from you. Just Click Here to Contact Us.

Back on dry land after 62 harrowing days traversing the Tasman Sea, our intrepid Aussie Kayakers have completed their mission! Congratulations James and Justin!

Here’s the full report, story and photos courtesy of the New Zealand Herald:

Kayakers make landfall after 62 days

1:59PM Sunday January 13, 2008

Leg-weary, tired, but delighted, James Castrission and Justin Jones have completed their transtasman kayaking odyssey.

Castrission, 25, and Jones, 24, struggled onto Ngamotu Beach, near New Plymouth, 62 days after starting their kayak across the Tasman from their home city, Sydney.

They needed to hold onto each other for support as they got out of their two-man kayak but managed to walk to shore, where they were greeted by thousands of people.

Castrission hugged Jones as they stood on the beach and said: “I love you bro.”

“He’s my best mate and he always will be,” Castrission told the crowd.

The pair embraced family and spoke to media and customs officials before walking onto a stage, where they were greeted by New Plymouth’s mayor Peter Tennant, who said the welcoming crowd had been estimated at 45,000. (more…)

We’re still keeping tracking of our Tasman Sea kayakers…nope, not there yet. But according to their official website Crossing The Ditch, our kayaking soul buddies are 92.9% there, expected now to arrive by January 13.

The UK Times On Line, says that James Castrission and Justin Jones are on the verge of giving up just 170 kilometres from the finish line. We say they’re full of salt water!

But what about you? Not up for a Tasman Sea Crossing? That’s ok, we’ve got plenty of paddling races, paddling festivals and events coming up this year, and also information about paddling adventure travel, and whitewater parks…one near you!

Check out our Events & Races by Month or our Events & Races by State pages.

Looking for whitewater paddling? Click here for Whitewater Parks.

And book early for the best Kayak & Canoe Adventure Travel Packages.

Here’s the UK Times article on Castrission and Jones:

January 9, 2008

Kayakers James Castrission and Justin Jones in a muddle as exhaustion takes its toll on high seas

Two adventurers who have paddled 3,000 kilometres (1,864 miles) through 10-metre swells and powerful currents in an attempt to cross the Tasman Sea are on the verge of giving up only 170 kilometres from the finish.

James Castrission, 25, and Justin Jones, 24, are so physically and mentally exhausted that they are losing their sense of direction as they approach New Zealand.

Persistent headwinds and strong ocean currents have taken their toll and forced the Australians kayakers to paddle 800 kilometres farther than planned and prolonged their voyage by two weeks.

Concerns are now growing about the health of the pair, whose leg muscles are wasting and whose fat reserves are thought to be entirely depleted. Mr Jones said in a podcast that he and his partner, who set out on November 13, were losing mental focus.

“We’ll get our east and west mixed up and can’t remember numbers we were talking about just an hour ago,â€� he said. “Normally, we’re really switched on guys [but] we’re just getting worn down slowly. We’re busting out 30, 40, 50km a day and at the moment it’s just bleak weather. The sea’s grey and it’s rolling in and blending into the sky, which is grey. Everything’s grey.â€� (more…)

While we’re still tracking our Tasman Sea kayaking dynamic duo, anticipating their arrival in New Zealand next week, we’ve come across another adventurous kayaking soul.

Freya Hoffmeister is from Northern Germany and has traveled to New Zealand to become the first woman to navigate around the South Island solo. Here is the full story, courtesy of The Southland Times:

German woman close to solo kayaking record
By Evan Harding - The Southland Times | Monday, 24 December 2007

Her kayak has broken apart, she lost her paddle, has battled huge seas and been tormented by sandflies — but a 43-year-old German is now within two weeks of becoming the first woman to kayak solo around the South Island.

Freya Hoffmeister began her planned 2500km circumnavigation from the French Pass in the Marlborough Sounds, on October 24.

On Saturday she arrived in Runanga on the West Coast where New Zealand kayaking legend Paul Caffyn was waiting to welcome her.

Mr Caffyn was the first man to complete the South Island circumnavigation nearly 30 years ago.

Ms Hoffmeister arrived in Bluff in November before heading off towards Fiordland.

After spending Christmas with Mr Caffyn and waiting for expected rough weather to ease, Ms Hoffmeister will be off again.

She estimates she has five paddling days remaining to complete the journey.

All going well it would take less than two months and two weeks, she said.

Apart from one rugged day of high seas on the south coast, her biggest difficulties had been paddling through big waves when going to shore at night and leaving again in the mornings, she said.

“My paddle got ripped out of my hands (by big surf) when I was landing one night and it never turned up again, but I had a spare — and the previous day I was launching and got washed back and the stern dug into the beach and the clips came off.” The boat came apart but she clipped it back together again, she said.

“The open ocean is no problem, but on the south coast I had a rough day when I shouldn’t have been out there.

“Huge swells were breaking but I just kept on going and was lucky not to capsize.” Camping at nights had been testing.

“I have been completely beaten up and eaten up by sandflies.” Her best day has seen her paddle 90km but she averages 50km a day, she said. There’s no support crew, so she carries everything she needs on board.

Ms Hoffmeister, who said she thrived on challenges, owns two ice cream shops and a Christmas shop in Husum, northern Germany, which gives her the time and money for kayaking.

She is now looking forward to completing the journey and getting home to her 11-year-old son, she said.

Find your own paddling adventure. Check out our complete kayak and canoe travel and sports destinations. Click here to discover worldwide Kayak & Canoe Adventure Travel packages. Or, click here to find paddling fun for the whole family at a Whitewater Park near you.