The North Esk Race is a national whitewater kayaking competition situated in Aberdeenshire, just north of Dundee. The event is open to all kayakers running grade 3 and above. This event has 3 racing divisions, each with a men’s and women’s category: Intermediate, Advanced, and Iron(wo)man.
Each category required participants to race down a section of the river in a time trial format. Intermediates raced a grade 2/3 section from Rock Garden to the pool before the Main Event Rocks of Solitude (4). Advanced saw racers complete the same course as intermediate with the addition of the Rocks of Solitude (4), and the finish line at Presidents Corner.
Iron(wo)man is a category for the truly gnarly participants. The racers complete the advanced white-water racecourse followed by a gruelling 5K run!
Photo by Niamh Shannon
This year’s event was sponsored by Pyranha, NRS, Radical Rider, Peak, IR, Escape Watersports, Red Bull, Tiso, Brewdog, and System X. The event also received support from the SCA (Scottish Canoe Association)
Photo by Rhys Thomson
The day before the event, team paddlers Rowan Andrew, Taylor Stevenson, and Kyle Rodger headed up with friends to catch an evening lap of the river, spending some time scouting the rapids, talking lines, and generally just having a faff around. After ample time doing tailees at Presidents Corner, the group got off the water at around 7:45 pm, with the sun still beaming down!
Photo by Aberdeen University Canoe Club
Sunday the 2nd of April saw Aberdeen University Canoe Club host their 8th North Esk race, and what a day it was! After cancelling the last event due to covid, this one was extremely well attended by people and universities from all over Scotland and the rest of the UK. By 9 am, the registration area already had a buzz of excitement, with racers eagerly lining up to collect their bibs!
From this point on, time became a bit of a blur.
The advanced time trials were first with paddlers laying down some quick times and sick lines. This was followed by the intermediate races, then the Iron(wo)man category, which saw some tough boaters speed down the course, jump out their boats and complete a disgusting 5km run!
The event was rounded off with the prize-giving ceremony, where winners received an array of generous prizes donated by the event sponsors.
Photo by Aberdeen University Canoe Club
Photo by Rhys Thomson
We were very impressed with the environmental caution taken by the organisers. Participants were encouraged to car share wherever possible to get to the race location. From this point, a very effective shuttle system was in place to get racers and boats to the top of the river. The shuttle was appropriate as it respected local road users due to the fact there was little parking at the get-in and takeout. This helped maintain a good relationship with local road users. Many participants and spectators opted to walk the length of the river!
On top of this, there was a litter-picking competition with great prizes for the top two participants collecting the most litter throughout the day.
The winners of each race category received a sustainable wooden medal, with the first place of each category taking home a beautiful trophy made from recycled bike parts.
We had a blast attending this event and can’t wait to come back and do it all again next year! Best believe we will be practising our race lines! We would like to thank Aberdeen University Canoe Club for hosting such a great, well-organised event. These guys are on the ball!
A big congratulations to all the event winners; you guys are damn fast!
I’ll preface this write-up with a disclaimer: This may be more of an opinion editorial than a race report. But then again, show me a kayaker that doesn’t also have an opinion! (Long live the option to comment below!)
Can we agree that debate over “Do long boats have a place in class 5 races?” has become akin to the debate over whether pineapple belongs on pizza? Is paddling a long boat on hard whitewater a good idea? Yes, it is a good idea, especially if you are racing and you want to win! Long boats have become increasingly popular in the recreational paddling sphere, and are beginning to make an impact on todays open class races. Can we attribute some of this madness to the introduction of this era’s 10 ft creek boat the “Scorch X”? Since its arrival on the scene we have witnessed a pronounced disruption to the barriers that have long been held by the maximum boat length phenomenon.
Once upon a time, humankind’s struggle was against our environment in our pursuit for sustenance and survival. Now we enjoy an era of leisure and luxury where battling just against the elements of nature has grown boring, and we have switched our focus to battling against our fellow humans, sometimes by any means possible. Luckily the Little White Salmon Race endures as an ideal venue for those who care about going faster than someone else, yet maintains a sufficiently organic format that allows for evolution, by any means possible.
At Last year’s LW Race Todd Wells took a risk being the first paddler to use a long boat, the risk paid off with first place! Joe “Toad” Todd followed suit by pioneering the first use of a long boat at NorCal’s Gnarlfest (on the Class 5 gorge of the South Feather River, Oct. 2022) also taking first place. With these two recent west coast race winners present and paddling the same craft, you could say this year’s match up was going to be a “tale of two Todds.” (I was told I have better jokes.) Tales of these two recent victories swept across the land, and Alas! this year’s open class was flooded with a wave of paddlers now realizing that anything but a long boat would be the wrong boat. However, it has been said, that its the caveman not the club, that is responsible for the outcome. A surprising 18 paddlers arrived with long boats (3 women + 15 men) , thus ushering in the new era of open class racing and stoking competition! The Dagger Vanguard, had paddlers of all brands jumping ship (temporarily?) for a shot at this years title. While a steadfast crew kept true the 12R.
Another notable surprise appearance at this years race was the Little White Salmon River it’s self. In an other wise lackluster season for flows from the Monte Cristo Drainage, we were serendipitously blessed with some gauge splashing flows arriving about two weeks before the race, providing tolerable practice laps and a respectable covering of the boulders for competition day.
More surprises: During this year’s Little White Race, 75 racers crossed the finish line and there were no swims during the race. The event is growing, the sport is evolving and those pool sessions are finally paying off!
Women’s “Open” Class
Returning champ, Nouria Newman, was able to defend the title, embracing American culture by paddling a long boat. Followed closely by local Darby McAdams and recent gorge arrival Adrienne Levknecht.(sp?) Darby may have finished the race in second place, but was the unanimous winner of the after party! Maddie Kimmel kept an impressively close chase for 4th place in her new Scorch X! Laura Hofberger finished with 17:30 and beat my time by 16 seconds, cheers!
Maddie Kimmel [o] River Hoomans
Men’s “Open” Class
In a nearly photo finish Evan Garcia was able to snatch the Gold from Andrew McEwan by mere fractions of a second. Isaac Levinson made a return to the podium with 3rd place. Shout out to a very commendable 4th place from the people’s champ Zach McFarland, and also shout out to 5th place, for my media consultant, Cole Moore.
Pyranha’s 12R Class (unofficial) was led by Kentucky’s fastest squirrel hunter, Bernie Engleman, sticking with his streak of finishing within the top ten. 15:05, 6th place overall.
Bernie Engleman [o] River Hoomans
Owen Doyle sporting a Pyranha “12 Valve” attempted to roll coal, with his well researched blend of pre-race supplements, but narrowly missed top 10 by less than one second.
Owen Doyle [o] James McLeod
King Hesh repped the imperial measurement system while laying church treats.
Kyle Hull [o] River Hoomans
Taylor Coffer took the noble role of being the lead wolf to run at the back of the 12R pack.
Taylor Cofer [o] River Hoomans
Surprise coincidence: Louis Geltman and Geoff Calhoun tied for 9th last year and practically tied for 9th again this year! Relying on a 2/10th’s of a second lead Louis Geltman took true 9th.
Tough times ahead for non-long boaters? So is this a thing now? Unofficial top 3 for the sub 10’ class: Ben Marr keeps the pressure on, finishing first in this “class” ahead of several long boat enthusiasts. Second place goes to LW veteran Rush Sturges. With a tie for third between Wes Dixon and Sam Sharp. Again, this isn’t really a “class” and this write up is becoming even more subjective.
Teams “Open” Class
Long boat woes really seemed to re-invigorate the Team Race entries, harkening back to the race format origins of mandatory pairs. There were 15 teams total with the Scorch X representing a heavy stock in this pond and also the longest boat in category.
Victory in this class was earned by Matt Anger and Nate Garcia, aka Team Barrel Chest. (Showing that blood runs thicker, or actually faster than water with both Garcia brothers finishing at the top of their respective classes.) Hot on their tails were, best dressed, Dave Fusilli and Trevor Sheehan sporting matching Scorch X’s and b-ball jerseys. Third place went to Team Tad (Dennis) and Brad (McMillen). Shout out to 4th place Immersion Research heavy weights Max Blackburn and Ty Skoe. Repping the Angry Fish in their Scorch X’s, which I must say pair very well with IR Skirts. #getswoll #irdry
Jerseys. Shore. [o] James McLeod
Zander Ulmer. Photo Finish. [o] River Hoomans
A LW Race Report wouldn’t be complete with out a gratuitous shot of this feature:
Rob Fusilli. Single Drop Rapid. [o] Adam Edwards
The Awards Ceremony and after party were somehow allowed to return to the Bingen Theater. The evening started with river stewardship announcements made by Louis Geltman and Greg Lee both shouting out to American Whitewater and their continued advocacy for preservation and access to our beloved rivers both locally and planet wide. American Whitewater
A very well endowed raffle served as a fundraiser for American Whitewater and the crowd was blessed with a surprise appearance from Jah-Banana, who awarded raffle prizes and kept spirits high! Although, rumor has it, Jah Banana may be feeling more “Jah-Bless” than usual due to the the absence of Idaho’s NFC celebration this year. Race winners were announced by Evan Garcia and Todd Wells!
"Who wants a t-shirt?" [o] River Hoomans
A soft core DJ battle collaboration erupted between DJ Revolve and DJ Bella Flow! Much to the delight of the crowd, both DJ’s were current on their Spotify subscriptions and we were not forced to listen to any advertisements between songs! Then we danced our way through a half dozen kegs of beer until 3am!
General consensus was that attending this years festivities was more fun than not attending, see ya next year!
Designing a kayak for paddling whitewater is extraordinarily complex; it is a far more 3-dimensional world than any Naval Architecture software has been programmed for. To produce a successful design for the highly-competitive and performance-orientated discipline of Kayak Cross, which will feature in the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, especially at a point this early in the discipline’s history, where the sport is evolving almost as quickly as the designs, takes the challenge to a new level.
Success at an Olympic level is the result of supreme athletes, the professionalism of their preparation, and cutting-edge equipment. Nobody at this level of competition can rest on their laurels; not the athletes, not their coaches, and not the manufacturers of the boats they race in.
At Pyranha, we have put more work into the evolution of the next Evo than any kayak in our 52-year history; while our competitors were trying to match the performance of the original Rip-R Evo, we were setting the bar even higher.
Here’s how…
“Evo-lution” – How our Kayak Cross dominating designs have evolved, from Ripper 1, through Rip-R Evo, to Rip-R Evo 2
Two versions of the Rip-R Evo 2 are available – the ‘Rip-R Evo 2’, and the ‘Rip-R Evo 2 F’. Rip-R Evo 2 features a finely-tuned and carefully shaped hull, and Rip-R Evo 2 F takes this one step further by adding a pair of fins to the design.
These fins give extra grip, especially in eddy turns, and are a huge advantage on the ramp, minimising contact points for far less friction and acting as a pivot point to help you lift the nose higher and get a drier, more directionally focused landing.
What do the athletes think…
“It paddles just like a slalom boat, only it’s two thirds of the length and made out of plastic.
I’m also getting more out of upstreams; the Evo 2 sits on its tail nicely, but doesn’t feel like it gets stuck. It seems easier to control, but still rotates super quickly and pops away better.”
Joe Clarke, 2022 World Championships Gold Medallist (Rip-R Evo)
“I absolutely love it. Definitely feels quicker, and the backrest is a game changer; feels more stable with it!”
Kimberley Woods, 2022 World Championships Silver Medallist (Rip-R Evo)
“Absolutely amazing! It’s just so much better than the original Evo.
When you grab that catch on the sweep, it stays. It doesn’t slide, and then when you’re coming back out, it goes straight back to being flat and actually runs, instead of sweeping and waiting for the nose to come down and then going back up. Yeah, it’s rapid. It’s class.”
Etienne Chappell, 2022 World Championships U23 Silver Medallist (Rip-R Evo)
“The Evo 2 pushes far less water and the boat twitches less from side to side when moving forward. There’s a big improvement on running speed.
The boat feels more stable, but with more grip and control when crossing flows and eddy lines.”
David Bain, Design Team Member
There’s more…
Check out the links below for more info and key features:
It takes me a while to warm up to new kayaks. The Firecracker had me excited from the beginning, but it still took me a while to understand what the design is capable of and what its limitations are. On a highwater, spontaneous Turkey trip, I found out exactly what I could do with it…
Before I start, I should say that I was expecting lower river levels and I took the Firecracker because it is new and shiny and sick and keeps me entertained even on small rivers. Myself and the crew landed in pouring rain and I could feel everyone wincing a little bit as we loaded the kayaks and the eyes lingered on by far the smallest kayak of the lot. Mine.
My friends needn’t have worried though, I spent so much of my life in a freestyle kayak on the Nile; I feel pretty comfortable feeling small out on the water. But that’s just it, I didn’t necessarily feel like I was in a small kayak. The Firecracker has a good amount of business up front, and I launched over and dropped into rapid after rapid feeling confident. I think a lot of that comes from the width and bow rocker.
The softened edges undoubtedly help to keep things feeling steady. For comparison, my favourite kayak of all time, the Ripper 2 is a weapon, but it’s sharp and you need to be wielding it with speed and confidence when using it on hard rapids. When I’m tired and on a powerful river, I really feel my edges catching and the kayak not looking after me. In the Firecracker, I rarely felt that; the shorter tail stays out of the water better until you do want to get vertical, and the softer edges really do a good job of looking after you out on the water.
On a high water Koprucuy River descent, I had the same amount of rolls as a kayaker in a full-size creekboat (Two). Obviously, this is a small, playful kayak, but I don’t want anyone to misunderstand how good it is downriver as well.
It has almost a micro-creek-boat feel to it, which has been popularised by previous Pyranha Kayaks such as the Microbat, Ammo, and Nano designs. It stays on top of the surface really easily, continually has me laughing as it snaps into eddies faster than I would ever expect, and in general, deals better with rapids than perhaps any kayak this size has a right to.
The Manavgat River is undoubtedly one of the best rivers in the world. An endless continuation of class four and some class five rapids take you through a beautiful, remote gorge. At high water, it feels quite pushy, and the consequences of a swim or lost equipment on this river can easily end up with a night spent shivering next to the river. Thankfully, the Firecracker dealt with everything I (or more importantly, the river!) threw at it, and I never felt pushed or intimated, even in this little kayak.
As the river dropped, it became a paradise in the Firecracker; I felt confident on all of the lines, I surfed all the waves, got vertical a lot, and finished every lap tired and happy. I guess using a kayak like this, you have to accept that there will be times when you have to roll, times when you have to get yourself down from vertical, and to understand that it’s all part of being a better kayaker. I think the Firecracker is the best advancement for intermediate kayakers in years. You’re going to have a lot of fun in this kayak, and the by-product of that fun is you’re going to become a better kayaker.
I can get the kayak vertical anywhere with a quick snap, whereas in the longer Ripper 2, I need to do more of a windup and slow edge drop to get vertical. Both are really satisfying techniques, but certainly different. I guess the differences continue with Pyranha’s two river-running, freeride designs. The shorter length and rocker of the Firecracker means that it sits very happily in the trough of a wave; the longer Ripper will often gain too much speed and purl if you’re not on it. The longer length and speed of the Ripper give me more confidence in hitting sticky moves, but don’t underestimate what the Firecracker is capable of downriver. I am happy dropping into most rapids with this thing!
The Ripper makes it easier to carry speed around the river, but the way the Firecracker skips and turns is pure joy, and a whole different way to experience the river.
I can’t choose between the Firecracker or Ripper, and thankfully, I am a lucky git and I don’t have to. I’m going to keep using them both. If you do have to choose, I’m going to say choose the Firecracker right now. It delivers on its design promise of opening up the world of freeride kayaking. The Ripper 2 is still sick, and I’ll be back in mine soon enough, but for now, I am fired up on the Firecracker!
Taking the time to learn more about the paddlers who make up our community of ambassadors has been such a rewarding experience. To be able to reach out to someone, asking them to share a window into their life- how they got into paddling and what it means for them to be an ambassador, opens up your eyes to the amazing community of paddlers that surrounds us. Their backgrounds and stories are all very diverse, but the one common element is the genuine passion that extends past the whitewater.
Bill Eades
One of the first ambassadors that I reached out to was Bill Eades. I could tell you all the cold hard facts about Bill- becoming an Impex Tech Rep (when they distributed Pyranha) in order to avoid being arrested for receiving stolen property, or setting up so many Pyranha dealers in the Midwest, that to this day, they still have a disproportionate amount of Pyranha kayaks in Missouri and Arkansas.
That’s simply not what stands out about him the most, or what people know him for best. Bill is greatly known for his love of whitewater, his skills on the water, and his adventures chasing rivers. In the ’90s, Bill paddled with Corran, Brad Ludden (when he was 16), B.J. and Katie, Dan Gavere, Ammen Jordan and EJ. He struggled between getting past being a really good boater, to being better against trying to fulfil a demanding day job in science and engineering, and eventually gravitated towards the latter. Bill never stopped chasing the rivers, but now he was sharing that joy with the future generations of paddlers.
Besides teaching his own children, Nate and Natalie, Bill bought every small Recoil, Varun, and 4-20 that he could in order to get more kids paddling. Rachel Fly has paddled with Bill and his son Nate from her earliest beginnings and now has come full circle by being the Team Manager for Pyranha.
For the last 20+ years, Bill has branched out to so many younger paddlers that when he starts to tell his stories, it is almost like a who’s who list of today’s paddlers. Chances are if you know a paddler that started out young, most likely, you will find a common link with Bill. This is one of the true joys of whitewater- not only having the love of it for yourself, but being able to share it with others and watch them start the experience for themselves. As Bill says it best – “I am settled to sit back and watch all of the seeds grow.”
Bill has deep roots in his community- as president of the Missouri Whitewater Association, he has co-taught pool classes, led trips with younger paddlers, taught advanced technique clinics for 12-to-15-year-olds, and managed all of the electronics/timing/scoring for the oldest, continually run slalom event in the US- the Missouri Whitewater Championships. Since 1998, Bill has also been heavily involved in the National Paddling Film Festival, judging all of the professional films that are submitted. Once again, giving him the opportunity to “watch his seeds grow” as he sees many familiar faces throughout the films.
Bill’s love for whitewater and paddling keeps him chasing the rivers today. If you ever find yourself competing at the Missouri Whitewater Championships, you better bring your A-game, because the man to beat in the short boat division is Bill Eades.
Dominic Morrell
One of our newest ambassadors, Dominic Morrell, brings an incredible level of enthusiasm to the community. Dominic has been paddling since he was 4 years old, and now at the age of 13, he is fired up to be part of the ambassador community. In his own words, “I’m super stoked to be a Pyranha Kayaks ambassador, not only for the kayaks, but for the people as well.” It’s that same feeling that flows through the souls of our community, it’s the deeper feeling behind why we paddle.
As a new year of paddling has started for Dominic, he is already “super fired up” for a lot of rivers-paddling/racing the Green River Narrows, Moshier Spillway, Upper and Lower Blackwater, Hornbecks, and Van Campins are on the top of his list. Racing for a second time at Whitewater King of New York is also on the list year after making impressive times on his first race. There is definitely a lot on Dominic’s plate this year, and it is truly inspirational to watch him paddle and see what he brings to the table.
As Dominic says it best- “There is a lot on my bucket list to paddle this year, and I’m glad to move forward with Pyranha by taking their sick boats with me in all of these adventures!”
Morgan Cox
I wanted to finish up this set of bios with Morgan Cox- her love of whitewater started as a kid while taking annual summer family trips to raft the Ocoee River. During that time, her mom never expected what those family adventures would spark.
Pyranha Ambassador- Morgan Cox, Photo Credit- Micah Cox
As I started to write this, I realized that it told a better story in Morgan’s words. Her words share a story that rings true throughout our community of ambassadors, a story that goes beyond the whitewater and into the heart of a paddler.
“When I was 20, a cute guy, who later became my husband, convinced me to go to Georgia State University’s raft guide school. A few weeks later, I was offered a summer job working for a small rafting company on the same river I had rafted as a kid. I never would’ve thought I’d become one of the smelly, bearded guys telling bad jokes in the back of a raft. By the end of my first summer guiding, I had fallen in love with whitewater and couldn’t imagine it only being a summer job. I dreamed of paddling year-round, navigating harder whitewater, and visiting more remote places. The obvious way to make this happen was to learn to kayak.
For many of us, I think being part of the whitewater community eventually becomes far more than paddling. Whitewater becomes less about the rapids (don’t get me wrong – I love the rapids) and more about the places you get to explore and the people you share those places with. I’m honored to also be a part of ACE Kayaking School, where I get to help spark the same love I have for this sport in people of all ages.
I have gotten to explore beautiful, wild, remote, and scenic rivers all over the world because of paddling and can’t wait to see where else it takes me and the new people it will allow me to share this life with.”
Thank you for taking this journey to meet our ambassadors and learn more about them. There are so many diverse stories, paths that are travelled, and adventures that drive them- Stay tuned for more!
As Galway Fest is wrapped up for another year, this one, in the words of Lyndon, was “a wonderful, yet emotional rollercoaster.”
Lyndon and Mat loaded up the van with demo boats from the Pyranha factory, ready to make the journey across to Ireland. En route, Beth Morgan was collected from the airport, and the team arrived accompanied by snow in Galway Thursday evening. Perfectly timed for Galway Fest’s pre-weekend race event. A group of nearly 30 paddlers gathered to make their way down the double drop rapid in the centre of town against the stopwatch. This year in the true spirit of the event, athletes were being pelted with snowballs from onlookers above. Once everyone had completed a timed run, everyone quickly departed for a warmer venue.
Friday Freestyle – with water levels being low this year, the freestyle event formerly at Tuam was moved in line with the rest of the weekend to a downriver freestyle event on the Corrib river. Once all of the waves and kisses to the judges had been completed, athletes made their way back to the put-in, formed teams of 6, and competed in heats for arguably the most fun event, the Big Balls Race. That evening delivered a new and pretty special event for both competitors and spectators, an expression session on the double drop. The perfect playground for Beth and Lyndon to demonstrate some waterfall freestyle in the Pyranha Firecracker. Watching world-class athletes throwing some amazing moves with some added carnage on the floodlit section was epic; the crowd was immense, and the overall vibe was a highlight for many.
Into the heart of the weekend, Saturday unfolded another 3 event day which included individual time trials, team time trials, and the Big Balls Race final. In true West coast of Ireland fashion, the rain was relentless all day, and the morning’s wind made it difficult for sponsors to set up flags and gazebos. Nonetheless, everyone did a great job, and the stage was set. Lyndon ignited the individual time sheet in the Rip-R Evo, the team time trial had plenty of sabotage, and the Big Balls final was, as to be expected, hilarious mayhem! With the day of racing completed and Saturday evening upon us, everyone packed up. It was time to share just the one Guinness and calmly listen to a DJ, I mean choir, in an upper-class establishment…
The slowest of mornings happened on the Sunday, as it turns out the choir didn’t finish until very early hours. Paddlers met later that morning, with each of the categories competing in a mass start race. Immediately after the mass start commenced the Boater X. Heats of 6 paddlers battle their way across a flat canal basin before squeezing through a narrow gap and dropping about a meter into the river. A mandatory upstream means any gaps can be closed, so it’s really anyone’s race, but only the top 2 proceed to the next round. After the final races, it was time for the Pyranha van to be packed up and to head to prize giving. This year, Pyranha donated a custom colour Firecracker to be raffled throughout the event. All proceeds and donations from Galway Fest went to the RNLI, raising almost £3000.
Galway Fest wouldn’t happen if it wasn’t for the incredible guys and girls who give up their time to volunteer, making it one of the largest and most sought-after paddling events in Europe. Huge thanks and shout out to Aoife, Barry, and the rest of the team, who bring so much positivity to the paddling community both in Ireland and worldwide. We look forward to seeing you at Galway Fest 2024 on the 8th, 9th, and 10th of March!
Here at Pyranha, we have one of the largest families of paddlers around. We have an incredible team of employees, both here in the US, and in the UK, that make everything happen, from boat design to marketing, production, sales, and more. “By Enthusiasts, For Enthusiasts” will always be true for Pyranha.
Pyranha Ambassador- Dominic Morrell, Photo Credit- Tony Morrell
We have an awesome team of pro paddlers, who are out there day after day, charging whitewater, chasing the dream, and launching new adventures all over the world.
Separate from the Pro Team, Pyranha also has a widespread network of community paddlers, also known as Ambassadors. We have over 40 Ambassadors in the US alone, plus over 100 outside of the US. The Ambassadors are an eclectic group of paddlers with an unbridled enthusiasm for paddling. Within our diverse group, the one thing that ties them all together is their love of “it”. Each has their own passion, whether it be for the beauty of the water alone, sharing the stoke with other paddlers, teaching/mentoring moments where it all clicks, or their own personal journey.
Pyranha Ambassador- Bill Eades, Photo Credit- John Niebling
You will find our Ambassadors within their local community, sharing the stoke and their resources- river beta, boat design info, safety, mentoring, and even that missing gear you forgot to pack. They are the ones up at dawn to get a lap in, out well past dusk surfing that wave, planning their next adventure or working out logistics. Some have been Ambassadors for over 20 years, and will always have incredible stories of the earlier days and pioneering the rivers. Others may have joined the crew recently, bringing fresh enthusiasm and new energy to their community. They will be the first to share your joy on the river, and they will stand beside you during more challenging times. They are all changing and evolving, but the one thing that will always remain constant is that their love for paddling is bigger than themselves.
Pyranha Ambassador- Morgan Cox, Photo Credit- Micah Cox
Over the next few months, we will be introducing you to our Ambassadors, giving you a glimpse of what drives them, what they bring to the table, and sharing their stoke, because simply said, that is what our Ambassador program is all about.
Galway Fest is an Irish kayaking festival which takes place over three days on three different rivers around Galway, attracting paddlers from all over the world. Galway Fest 2023 will take place between the 10th and 12th of March.
Each year, the Galway Fest organisers use the sizeable momentum of the event within the paddlesports community to give back to communities that provide so much to the Irish kayaking community.
On the 29th of December 2022, the Galway kayaking community sadly lost an exceptionally bright light and avid kayaker on their home river, the Boluisce, Spideal. Mark Morley was a much-loved member of the NUIG Kayak Club as well as the Galway Kayak Club. He is fondly remembered for his infectious smile and positivity both on and off the water. He will be greatly missed, but the memories that he left behind will never be forgotten.
Galway Fest this year will raise funds for the RNLI who were there for the community in its time of need, and for which, as well as their continued support, the Irish community is forever grateful.
It’s an honour to be able to support this fundraiser for such a worthy cause by producing a one-off custom Firecracker 242 in the iconic RNLI colours.
If you would like to be included in the raffle and be in with a chance of winning the Firecracker as well as a whole bunch of other exciting prizes, you will need to be able to attend the Galway Fest prize giving at NUIG on Sunday the 12th of March, 16:00, and you must add your name and contact information to the donation.
The Firecracker concept originates back to when our US Office had sold us on the idea of a 9R with a slicey tail – subsequent discussions raised the question of whether a 9’ half-slice would be suitable for the lower-volume rivers of the UK and elsewhere, and so we considered producing a shorter version with the expectation that the Ripper might not sell as well outside of North America.
Fast forward 5 years and the Ripper went down so well worldwide that our competitors have all produced their own take on the 9’ half slice, and we’ve just begun producing the second generation of Ripper, as well as a Kayak Cross (Extreme Slalom) focused variation called the Rip-R Evo. There’s been so much energy generated by this market segment that it’s fair to say the sport has been reinvigorated, and so many paddlers have been having so much more fun on the water.
We’re here for the enthusiasts, though, and it’s not untrue that there are some regions where you can’t easily throw down in a 9’ half slice, and not everyone is up for the low-volume bow freeride experience of the Ozone, and so the short half slice project was put back on the table…
After a couple of years in development, we focused in on an 8’ half-slice design that was accessible to the masses yet explosive for intermediate and advanced paddlers; the name ‘Firecracker’ was suggested at some stage of the process and became synonymous with the fun and energy we all felt when paddling this boat.
The wide, planning hull and high volume bow of the Firecracker mean you can head downstream, surf everything in sight, and play every corner of the river all day long in comfort and confidence, the tail is easy to get down, even for mid-weight-range paddlers on the flat, and the compact and lightweight size mean you can throw it around easily, whether your ambitions are to nail a ludicrous tomahawk, kickflip, cobra flip combo, or just to carry the boat back up to the top of the rapid for another lap – whatever level of freeride capability you’re coming from, the Firecracker gives you the tools and ease of use to reach the next one.
We began development of the Firecracker intending to produce it in S/M and M/L sizes, but testing with a variety of sizes of paddler brought us back to a conversation we’ve had often about the fluidity of size choices in our freeride designs. For example, Bren has been known to rock all three sizes of Ripper, turning up the play potential by going Small, getting sendy in the Large, and using the Medium for anything in-between.
Using size names like ‘Small, Medium, and Large’, or combinations of these, which have strong associations with clothing sizes for many paddlers, seems somewhat restrictive to the reality of your choice of size in freeride kayaks like the Ozone, Ripper, and now Firecracker being based on your intentions, as well as your size.
We didn’t want to average out the performance of the sizes on offer across too many shapes and sizes of paddler, so we’ve ultimately decided to expand the Firecracker size range from two sizes to three, and to name those sizes after the boat length. The Firecracker 242 is in dealers now, the smaller 232 will enter production soon, and the larger 252 will come later in the year.
Find more information on our new #HalfSizeHalfSlice, the Firecracker, here; if you like what you see, book a demo with your local dealer, and #SetItOff! 🧨
