Sea Eagle Explorer Kayaks! SW The NEW Completely Redesigned
Is Back With a Vengeance! Lighter, stronger, faster, easier to drain, easier to carry easier to paddle!
Our legendary Series See All
Our Boats at
SeaEagle.com
Continued from page 28—
See our Explorer Kayak Video at
SeaEagle.com And/or Join us at
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Since 1978 our Sea Eagle Explorers have been used to go down some of the toughest rivers on planet Earth. Now
this legendary series has been completely redesigned to drain faster in white water, to paddle easier on open water, to be more responsive and tougher in whatever conditions you expose it to. The New Redesigned Sea Eagle Explorer Kayaks feature an inside drop stitch floor for greater rigidity and increased cockpit space, 16 drain valves for superfast drainage in white water and a large removable skeg for open water paddling! Just 1 of 20 great inflatable boats!
Visit
SeaEagle.com to see all our models
or Call for Color Catalog & material swatches 1-800-748-8066 Mon-Fri 9am-5pm
OAS_rapid_5.5833x5.0625_2013.ai 1 16/11/2012 9:39:15 AM
19 N. Columbia St., RA023B, Port Jefferson, NY 11777
Sea Eagle Explorer 380x
• 12’ 6” x 3’ 1” * Weighs 38 lbs. • 16 Open & Shut Drain Valves • 4 Velcro Paddle Holders
• Pro Kayak Package (shown) comes with 380x, 2 paddles,
2 seats, 2 stow bags, foot pump, carry bag & FREE SHIPPING
on to help found the International Raft- ing Federation (IRF), put together the first unofficial World Rafting Championship. From 1994 until 2001, the Camel White Water Challenge (CWWC) was held on riv- ers around the world from the Zambezi to the Futaleufu. In ‘96, countries began sending one
men’s and one women’s team to compete and by 1998, the IRF was founded and the CWWC had morphed into the World Raft- ing Championships. That year, the men’s team from Slovenia and U.S. women’s team became the first official world cham- pion rafters.
In the early years of competitive rafting, former Soviet block nations like Slovenia, Russia and the Czech Republic domi- nated. In recent years however, there has been a shift, with Japan and Brazil becom- ing major contenders on the world stage. Initially, events were contested in six- person rafts but since 2010, four- and six- person raft competitions have been held in alternating years. Because they are more nimble, four-person rafts are better suited for the artificial courses found all over Europe.
C M Y M MY Y MY K
IRF championships feature four dis- ciplines—sprint, head-to-head, slalom and downriver. In sprint races, teams are awarded points based on their time rank in a tear down a short section of white- water. Based on performance in the sprint race, teams face an opponent in the head- to-head—an elimination-style tournament with top performers being awarded points according to their finishing position. Similar to traditional whitewater slalom competitions, rafting teams have two chances to charge through 14 upstream and downstream gates, their best time determining their ranking and number of points awarded in the slalom event. The final and most physically demand- ing event is the downriver race. The race begins with a mass start, teams compet- ing for the fastest lines, again with points awarded
according to finishing rank.
Scores from the four events are then com- piled to determine the overall winner. Many dream that rafting will one day
return to the Olympics but its status for the 2016 Games in Brazil remains uncer- tain. Meanwhile, teams passionate about pushing rubber downriver faster than the tourists they guide are preparing for No- vember’s championships on the Kaituna, Tarawera and Rangitaiki rivers. And, be- ing raft guides, they’re undoubtedly also training for the after party. Sierra Stinson fell in love with rafting when she was 13 on a trip down her home river—the Ottawa.
30 RAPID SPRING 2013
STANDINGWAVES
PHOTO: KAREN LACOMBE
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