Cardiff PaddleFest 2023
Over 400 like-minded people came together for multiple days of fun and competitive events sponsored by NRS, Palm Equipment, Radical Rider and many others.
Lots of trade stands supplied demo boats such as the new Firecracker, Ripper 2 and Ripper Evo from Pyranha, and the Supernova from Dagger. Dewerstone also had their fresh summer colours and SurfPlugs, keeping all our ears clean and healthy.
The day started with the GB SUP Race; the weather was grey and rainy, but it didn’t stop them from turning up in force! One hundred forty paddlers showed up to the race, ranging from highly competitive athletes to friends who only started paddling last summer; it was open to all. Once the SUP race was underway, all the white water paddlers started to arrive and sign in, ready for a day full of events on the course.
shiny new demo fleet
Starting on 4 cumecs, paddlers could play on the course and test the shiny new demo fleet from Waka, Pyranha and Dagger before signing up for events throughout the day. At 11:30, the events began. Upping to 6 cumecs, the day’s first event was Ducky Derby, a mixture of ages, single and double duckies. It was a recipe for laughs and carnage and did not disappoint! Noon brought us onto the downriver play, where the paddlers showed us our best and silliest tricks; multiple members of staff and sponsored athletes judged who they thought had the best moves.
Throughout the day, Matthew Houghton was on the decks keeping everyone in the mood. Coffi Pass kept the caffeine flowing, and Blue-Light Caterings cooked delicious pizzas. You could feel the buzz on and off the water.
Ramping it up to 8 cumecs, the first event of the afternoon was ‘extreme’ Ducky Derby, where once again, a mix of ages, abilities and duckies raced their way down the course to claim the Ducky Derby Champion title.
Once the ducky havoc had ended, it was time to watch and heckle some freestyle paddlers; once again, we had paddlers of all ages and abilities throwing down their best moves to the judges to gain their points to put them on the podium. Not going to lie; I had no idea of any of the moves they were making, but it looked pretty cool! Even though it had been raining and heavy showers throughout the day, the vibe was still good, and the sun started shining for the main event, the boater cross.
hustle and bustle
The water went up to 10 cumecs, and suddenly, it felt like there were more paddlers than there had been all day; you could feel the hustle and bustle, the competitiveness building between the paddlers. They started with a timed run to help put them into their heats, men’s and women’s; the top two of each heat went through until the semi-finals and the finals.
Even those who weren’t paddling or had got off for the day stuck around to watch, heckling and shouting their support for their friends and family.
Overall, day one of CIWW PaddleFest was memorable and full of fun!
Bank Holiday Monday welcomed over 100 slalom paddlers and even some Olympians for the Prem race. Demos from Cardiff’s own Andy Kettlewell, course walks with the athletes and visualising, followed by a lot of class racing! It was another good day on and off the water.
