New kayak racing in store

The Dubai Surfski & Kayak Club (DSKC) have just donated six surf skis to the Malta Canoe Racing Club (MCRC) and the shipment arrived last week courtesy of Carmelo Caruana Co. Ltd.

The surf skis are 6.5m long but only 0.5m wide. These particular dimensions help the boat to cut through large broken waves.

These kayaks are used worldwide for lifesaving, surf kayaking and for training and competition on flat-water or ocean racing.

Surfski races are perhaps the most spectacular to watch, with some of the finest field of Ocean paddlers, including ironman, world and Olympic champions, all lining up to race along the season.

The MCRC said they will be putting these kayaks to good use, enabling rowers to practise in open sea as opposed to being confined to the safe waters inside the Msida marina.

In a statement, the club said the kayaks also extend the sport to a whole new concept, attracting those who might have been put off from racing due to its confinements in the marina since the racing kayaks available only fare well in flat water.

A number of surfski races are now being planned later this year.

Rules are most likely to be based on the Australian Lifesaving Technique which includes both paddling and portages where the canoeist would have to run with the kayak along a short distance.

The locations will vary across beaches in different parts along the coast. Other types of races such as point-to-point open sea races and multi-day races are also in the pipeline.

The MCRC said they were indebted to the Dubai Surfski & Kayak Club, Kunsill Malti għall-iSport and Carmelo Caruana Co. Ltd for their help and support in introducing this new kind of kayak racing to the Maltese islands.