SQUAMISH, BRITISH COLUMBIA (July 17, 2019) – 195 ocean racing athletes from around the world took part in the 6th annual Canadian Downwind Championships in Squamish, BC this past Saturday July 13th. Surfskis, SUPs, prone paddleboards and outrigger canoes all gathered and raced 21km on Howe Sound through the Sea to Sky corridor.
Racers began at Porteau Cove and travelled up Howe Sound to the finish line in the Squamish Harbour. It was a beautiful sunny day in Squamish with great wind conditions.
Canadian master Surfski athlete Greg Redman was the first male Canadian to finish the race, with a time of 1 hour and 30 minutes. The top female Canadian to cross the line was Sally Wallick in the open Surfski event with a time of 1 hour and 36 minutes. Two-time World Surfski Champion Kenny Rice from South Africa took top Men’s open Surfski honours and was the overall winner of the race coming in at 1 hour and 21 minutes. On the Women’s side, Teneale Hatton of New Zealand was the Surfski winner in a time of 1 hour and 29 minutes.
In the SUP category, Lincoln Dews of Australia took the victory with an impressive race covering the SUP course in 1 hour and 40 minutes. With perhaps the performance of the day, Fiona Wylde of the United States put on a masterful performance in the swells of Howe Cove, paddling to the second overall finish in the SUP category and earing the prize as the Women’s SUP Champion.
In the Outrigger C-1 category, Kendra Kent earned top honours in the Women’s side, while Tematuanui Delamare powered to the Men’s title.
“In an astoundingly beautiful setting on Howe Sound, we saw some equally remarkable performances from paddlers from around the world at the Canadian Downwind Championships”, said Ian Mortimer, Director of Development at Canoe Kayak Canada. “The performances of the athletes, the organization from Bob Putnam and Ian Lowe, and the hospitality of the whole community made for an amazing event. This 6th edition of the Canadian Downwind Championships further cemented the event’s status as a world leading Ocean Racing event, and a bucket list competition for any paddler.”
For a full list of results, click here.
To get more details about the event, visit the Canadian Downwind Championships website here.
Visit Canoe Kayak Canada’s website to get more information and make sure to follow @PlanetCanoe and @CanoeKayakCAN for more live updates.
Subscribe to Canoe Kayak Canada’s mailing list to get all news and results directly to your email.
About Canoe Kayak Canada
Canoe Kayak Canada (CKC) is the national governing body for competitive paddling in Canada, one of Canada’s top performing summer sports with a total of 24 Olympic medals, and a leader in the Paralympic movement. Canoe Kayak Canada is a member-based organization that includes an intricate network of clubs as well as provincial, territorial and divisional paddling associations. Elite National Team athletes proudly represent Canada at various competitions around the globe – most notably the Olympic Games, Paralympic Games, Pan American Games, ICF World Cups as well as Junior, Under 23 and Senior World Championships. Follow Canoe Kayak Canada on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube.
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Laurel MacAdam
Communications Assistant
Colleen Coderre
Communications Lead