Wash Rider Blog — portage

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ICF Marathon Classic Series: Regata Internacional Del Rio Negro (Argentina)

ICF Marathon Classic Series: Regata Internacional Del Rio Negro (Argentina) 0

The Regata Internacional Del Rio Negro is a stage race run on the Black River which crosses the entire province of Rio Negro in northern Patagonia. There are 6 stages broken into 2-day blocks with a rest day after every 2 days. Paddlers who thrive in the Rio Negro will be comfortable racing in the heat, asserting themselves in mass starts, handling large river eddies and spending the first hour of each day doing sprints on and off as the front pack of 20-30 paddlers thins itself down to the lead group and chasers behind.
ICF Marathon Classic Series: Descenso Internacional Sella (Spain)

ICF Marathon Classic Series: Descenso Internacional Sella (Spain) 6

This race is absolutely mad. If you ever get the chance, do it. Doesn’t matter if you paddle surfski, K1, canoe. Just do it. This race is a real experience to say the least and as such one that is hard to put into words.  The Sella Descent is the biggest race of the Spanish river series and one of the largest kayak races in all of Europe in terms of paddlers, boats and definitely spectators. In this blog we’ll try and give you a sense of what makes the Sella so special and hopefully tempt you into racing it yourself.
ICF Marathon Classic Series: Cesky Krumlov (Czech Republic)

ICF Marathon Classic Series: Cesky Krumlov (Czech Republic) 0

What does paddling have in common with mosh pits and World Heritage? This race has a wicked fun river, great paddlers, and idyllic scenery with great Czech beer waiting at the finish line. The Cesky Krumlovsky Vodacky Marathon is a Bohemian odyssey and well worth noting on your paddling To Do list.
ICF Marathon Classic Series: Liffey Descent (Ireland)

ICF Marathon Classic Series: Liffey Descent (Ireland) 3

Using the words of a numerous Liffey paddlers "That's the Liffey!” and what a race it is. With the 2021 edition of the race coming up I thought I’d retrieve the old 2014 GoPro footage of my first attempt on this race and re-watch this superb ICF Marathon Classic Series event. For those unfamiliar, it is a race where the luck of the Irish can help greatly.
Portage handles will make you portage like a pro

Portage handles will make you portage like a pro 0

A guide for marathon kayak paddlers to install your own portage handles ready for your next race.

The best way to portage is to portage cleanly. This requires control of your kayak when taking it out of the water, running with it through the portage and placing it into the water at the end of the portage. A clean portage will be a fast portage so to remove the risk of your cockpit edge slipping out of your hand or losing control while excess water moves inside of your kayak during the portage many of the top kayak marathon athletes upgrade their K1’s and K2’s with portage handles. This gives your hand a complete grip to control the kayak and allow you to easily carry the kayak through the portage like a suitcase. The Wash Rider portage handles are also made with an aluminium insert making them stiff to allow you to steer the kayak where you need it when weaving through the pack in a hectic portage.