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Florida Canoe Paddlers Association
The Florida Canoe Paddlers Association (FCPA) runs various organized races through the Florida area which include outrigger canoes, surf skis, and also kayaks. All of the paddling boats vary in sizes ranging from only 6 feet in length up to about 35 feet in length. Most of the kayaks are single person but the outrigger canoes are either single person, tandem, and also 6 man teams. For the novice paddlers we will be doing a 4-mile course that will be run in the intercoastal area which will be made up of lap roundings. For the more experienced paddlers, we will do a course that will start in the intercoastal and then exit through the pass and then round a marker that will be placed in the Gulf and then head back towards the Dunedin Causeway. The total length of the experienced course will depend on the weather but it will most likely range between 8 to 10 miles. All of the races that we do are mostly focused on having fun and also introducing the sport of ocean paddling to the general public.
The race for the novice paddlers will be directly off the beach of the Dunedin Causeway which will allow a great view for any spectators. The more experienced paddlers will do one lap around two buoys which will be located in front of the causeway and then head west out through the pass and then round a mark that will be located off of Honeymoon Island on the beach side. They will then head back to the causeway and do one more short lap around the buoys located off the causeway and then cross the finish line. The race will start at 12:00 and will last until the last racer finishes the finish line. (Approximately 2 hours long) Spectators are more than welcome to come to the staging area and will be allowed to take any demo boats out for a ride. After the race there will be a short clinic on the sport of outrigger canoeing.
Outrigger canoes have been around for hundreds of years mainly used for fishing and also transporting goods from island to island in Southeast Asia. The sport has grown considerably since then and now in some races you can see up to about 200 paddlers at a starting line. All of the more popular races are held in the Hawaiian Islands, however places like California and Australia are starting to get very good turn outs at their events. The state of Florida is a perfect area for this sport to grow and hopefully we can all work together to educate the public about how fun and exciting this sport can be. The level of competition isn't a major factor to all of us. The only thing that we want from each competitor is for them to have a good experience at each event. We will be expecting about 30-50 competitors in the Dunedin Cup.
This will be a perfect opportunity for spectators to come and see all of the different types of paddling boats. There will be an area set up for anyone that will be interested in learning about outrigger canoes and also get a chance to try one of the single person outrigger canoes for a test run.
Visit our website for more information about this event.
Race Classes
Spinnaker Class
Non-Spinnaker Class
Cruising Class
Windlasses Prams & Sunfish
Kayaks
Beach Catamarans
Offshore Catamarans
Ensigns
SailAbility
