Fantastic weather accompanied a fantastic event in Brighton last weekend. A great selection of trade stands, entertainment and exhibitors on land overlooked a medley of successful events in the water, including races, the paddle, and demo events.
The atmosphere was electric – the sun was out for the whole weekend and with a footfall of around 50,000 people there was plenty going on. People were giving things a go, engaging with exhibitors and organisations and having a great time with the entertainment on both land and water. Watersports lectures, events, entertainment and exhibitions were all a fantastic success overall, with a huge turnout for events on the Sunday in particular on account of the improved conditions.
At least £6000 was raised on the Saturday alone, with the final figures yet to come. All money raised will be given to the RNLI, Surfers against Sewage, and Amaze – fantastic charities that carry out some crucial work not only for those of us involved in watersports but for the wider community also.
We experienced some pretty severe wind on the Saturday, making the water so choppy that it would have been rather difficult to paddle very far! Luckily, the weather was brilliant all day Sunday which meant the races and other events could be re-scheduled, and continued to go off without a hitch.
The Fatyak Races were a great success with competitors taking to the water in pursuit of a Fatyak Kaafu as first prize, and a Hono as second! Big congratulations to Michael Van Doorn who came first in the race, with a time of 2:26, and has bagged himself one of our lovely UK-made Kaafu kayaks!
As well as the races – we also a lucky young man who won himself a Hono in the raffle! Along with a variety of great prizes from generous exhibitors at the event, including kayaks, surfboards, lessons, accessories and more.
Overall, we had a fantastic time at Paddle round the Pier and would like to extend our thanks to the organisers, the other exhibitors and the community who came and engaged with it all. We loved chatting to you all about our products, and hearing your thoughts on issues within kayaking and the paddlesports world and can’t wait to do it all again next year!
