Paddlecast

Billy and Betsy recap the last few major surfski races and share their live interviews from the ocean racing Exe Bay event in Exmouth, UK.

Billy shares a race report on South African Surfski Nationals (solo) including the conditions and strategies in play. It wasn’t the classic downwind, Miller’s Run, that racers dreamt of. Instead fog on the water led to a change in course and perhaps an advantage for local paddlers. But it was Hank McGregor who found an advantage early in the race when he appeared to leverage classic marathon kayaking tactics to squeeze out a few competitors behind him while turning around the harbour wall.

Results: South African Surfski Nationals (mens) 1. Nicky Notten 2. Kenny Rice 3. Uli Hart

Results: South African Surfski Nationals (womens) 1. Kira Bester 2. Jade Wilson 3.Georgia Singe

Stand out performance: Jared Shrimpton

Betsy shares the results from the Freedom Paddle around Robben Island, which doubled as the South African Surfski Nationals for tandem craft. Nicky Notten and Kira Bester doubled up their gold medals for the weekend, but it was Uli Hart’s double with Georgia Singe that was the stand-out performance. Not only did they take a clean win in the mixed category, but Uli and Georgia managed to finish fourth overall ahead of Hank McGregor / Josh Fenn.

Results: Freedom Paddle (South African Surfski Nationals, tandem)

Mens: Nicky Notten / Kenny Rice

Womens: Kira Bester / Melanie van Niekirk

Mixed: Uli Hart / George Singe

Then they get into the top results from Eurochallenge, the first ICF Ocean Racing World Cup. In perfect downwind conditions, the South Africans showed up most of their European competitors as usual, but several Europeans showed that Europe is on the rise.

Results: Eurochallenge (mens) 1. Gordon Harbrecht (Flash Gordon) (Germany) 2. Bernardo Leça Pereira (U23) (Portugal) 3. Uli Hart (South Africa) 4. Kenny Rice (South Africa) 5. Pierre Vilella (France) 6. Matthew Fenn (South Africa)

Results: Eurochallenge (womens) 1. Kira Bester (South Africa) 2. Jade Wilson (South Africa) 3. Thaïs Delrieux (France) 4. Rosie Edwards (Great Britain) 5. Chloe Bunnett (Spain) 6. Marian Hernández Vellisca (Spain)

The big race of the episode though is Exe Bay, a GB ocean racing qualifying event in Exmouth. For the first time, this event was held under the Paddle UK banner and included not only surf skis but also outrigger canoes and stand up paddle boards (SUPs). Wales represented with top talent in both the surfski and SUP racing. Conditions were flat, but there was still plenty to chat about with the day’s winners.

Results: Exe Bay Ocean Race

Women’s SS1: Ellie McCloy

Men’s SS1: Ryan Lark (Scooby)

Vet Men’s SS1: Billy ButlerSS2: Andrew Birkett / Elly O’Connell

Women’s SUP: Emily Evans

Men’s SUP: Joey Jones

After the race, Billy and Betsy spoke with Ellie McCloy, Andrew Birkett / Elly O’Connell, Freddie Heard, and Emily Evans / Joey Jones about their races at Exe Bay and upcoming race plans. The audio is a bit busy since these were recorded live on Exmouth beach, but you should still be able to hear the interviewees’ voices clearly.

01:56 South African Surfski Nationals (solo) race recap

04:48 Freedom Paddle (South African Surfski Nationals, tandem) race recap

06:29 Eurochallenge race recap and Europe’s growing role in the surfski racing scene

10:11 Exe Bay race introduction, recap & results

22:35 Exe Bay Paddlecast LIVE interviews

22:58 Ellie McCloy

29:07 Andrew Birkett / Elly O’Connell

34:30 Freddie Heard

37:46 Emily Evans / Joey Jones

If you enjoyed the episode, please subscribe to Paddlecast and leave a review. You can also follow:

https://www.instagram.com/paddledaily

https://paddledaily.com

https://www.instagram.com/supracer

https://supracer.com

http://instagram.com/billylikeskayaking

And here’s a few links we referenced in the show:

https://www.slsgb.org.uk/2025/04/young-lifesavers-quick-actions-help-save-injured-paddleboarder-at-saunton-sands/

https://www.instagram.com/cardiffbaykayakers/

To wrap up Paddlecast’s coverage of the 125 mile ultra paddling Devizes to Westminster race which was the most competitive year in recent memory, Billy and Betsy sit down with each of the crews who made the podium in the senior doubles race. Each crew shares the highs and lows of their race with surprisingly honest answers. As close as Billy and Betsy were to the race (Billy was racing and Betsy live streamed the event), they had no idea until these conversations just how much the top two crews overcame to earn their podium finishes.

Whether you’re an elite paddlesport racer, a schools paddler from the stages race, or just a fan of sports and good stories – this is a long episode but it’s jam-packed with insight from some newly minted DW Legends.

#devizestowestminster #ultrapaddling #kayaking #paddling #canoekayak #sportsnews

Tom Sharpe and Anoushka Freeman, 1st Place Devizes to Westminster 2025

Tom has joined the elite club of “hat trick” three-time (in a row) winners, while Anoushka has become the first woman to win DW twice and one of only three women to ever win the overall race.

00:00:46 A strong start: strategic, or just convenient?

00:09:16 Overcoming issues with sickness and swims

00:14:31 Was the race really as close as it looked? What was the tideway like?

00:25:56 Historic firsts: Hat trick for Tom, and Anoushka is the first woman to win two DWs

00:27:01 Noushie and Tom’s future race plans

00:37:37 Noushie’s DW background starting as a schools crew to winning the race, and advice for any schools paddlers who did DW this year

Brynde Kreft and Joe Petersen, 2nd Place Devizes to Westminster 2025

Brynde may be a first-timer at DW, but she put in a level of training and preparation that any 1,000 mile club member would be impressed by. Joe found that his success in marathon racing translated to a top performance in ultra paddling. In the face (or back of the head, as it turned out) of shocking amounts of vomiting, this team pushed through new levels of pain and discomfort to earn second place just four minutes behind the winners.

00:41:39 From 8th place to the top

00:45:59 Gaining ground

00:51:05 Unexpected illness

00:56:36 Reaching 1st place at Teddington

01:03:17 Future race plans

Billy Butler and Jon O’Grady, 3rd Place Devizes to Westminster 2025*

*with guest host James Prowse

Billy and Jon only committed to this year’s DW about two weeks before the big day. But their seemingly short engagement belied their excellent foundations. This crew finished second behind Tom / Anoushka in 2024, but it wasn’t the close race they wanted. On Paddlecast, they revealed that Jon was struck early in the race last year by a serious injury when his paddle hit something large and immovable under water. This year, they were determined to have the race they felt they deserved last year. And that’s exactly what they pulled off.

01:07:34 Despite being a late entry, it was a successful race

01:10:15 How to adjust to your K2 partner

01:11:26 Running strategy for Crofton & Froxfield

01:12:47 Multidisciplinary advantage

01:16:38 Second time’s the charm

01:21:14 Updates from the support crew

01:25:43 Hindsight

01:33:47 Future race plans

01:35:38 Betsy & Billy debrief on the interviews and what’s come to light since, particularly the rampant sickness amongst paddlers that could be related to water pollution: a spectre that may haunt DW for years to come if nothing changes

If you enjoyed the episode, please subscribe to Paddlecast and leave a comment. If Paddlecast isn’t enough paddling chat for you, you can also follow:

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http://youtube.com/@paddlermedia

It was the most competitive DW in recent memory. At the first checkpoint, the first eight crews were within 8 minutes of each other. As the race wore on, half of those crews dropped off or dropped out. But the four crews remained within the same 8 minute gap. At Teddington, the top three had earned separation, but their order had completely flipped. The gap across all three was only two and half minutes. The final result would be decided on the tideway.

Betsy and Billy discuss the race results from their perspectives on the land (Betsy live streaming) and on the water (Billy racing). They talk about the boat issues and racer illness going on behind the scenes, what made this year’s race unique, why the attrition rate was so high (and should it have been so high?) and what the future of the race could hold.

Stay tuned for exclusive interviews with the crews who landed on the podium… Remember to subscribe and click the bell to receive a notification when the next episode drops.

Thank you to our sponsors for making Paddlecast possible. Check out Tango Charlie Lights at https://tangocharlielights.com.au

DW Nonstop Senior Doubles Recap

00:00:22 Results

00:02:27 Start in Devizes & effects of start times on the race

00:09:30 The boat issues begin… Billy Butler / Jon O’Grady’s start with David Horkan / Dan Palmer, what went well and what went wrong

00:13:00 Behind the scenes: what went wrong for the two mixed crews (Anoushka Freeman / Tom Sharpe)

00:13:50 Role of the support crews for top teams

00:16:46 What happened to Tom Simmons / Andy Birkett

00:18:39 Billy Butler / Jon O’Grady’s race

00:19:13 Overwhelming impressions of DW 2025, and the Top 5 attrition rate

00:22:52 High attrition: the crews that dropped out unexpectedly

00:26:03 Scheduling, scheduling, scheduling!

00:27:40 The stand-out successes of the race

00:29:19 Future of the race, and international paddler appeal; suitability of ultra for ex-marathoners

00:38:03 DW Stages Race Recap: Singles & SUPs

00:42:00 Paddling News: Race Recap

Breizh Ocean Race (Surfski)

00:43:39 Paddling News: Race Previews

GB Marathon Kayak K2 Assessment Race

SUP Battle for Hercules

Barrow Blitz SUP Ultra

South African Surfski Championships & Freedom Paddle

If you enjoyed the episode, please subscribe to Paddlecast and leave a review. If Paddlecast isn’t enough paddling chat for you, you can also follow:

   / @paddlermedia  

  / paddledaily  

  / supracer  

https://supracer.com

https://paddledaily.com

  / billylikeskayaking  

#devizestowestminster #canoekayak #marathonkayaking #thamesriver #standuppaddle #supracing #supracer #paddleuk #ultrapaddling #surfskikayak

Longtime SUP racer Emily King joins Paddlecast to talk about why she's signed up to be one of the first stand up paddleboarders to race the Devizes to Westminster this weekend. In its more than seven decades of history, 2025 is the first year the DW has allowed SUPs to race. Emily, along with Paddy McCormack, will be one of the "SUP Pioneers". She'll paddle nearly 125 miles from Devizes to central London over four days, and her experience will shape the future of DW.

Hosts Betsy and Billy ask Emily about her motivation, training, how she's applying learnings from her attempt at the Thames 200 Ultra last year, and what this means for the future of SUP in longstanding ultra paddling races like the DW.

After Betsy and Billy's interview with Emily, stick around to hear what happened at the biggest international paddling races over the last couple of weeks, and hear our Paddlecast predictions for who will win the upcoming Battle for Hercules in Malaga (SUP) and the South African singles and doubles championships (surfksi).

Thank you to our sponsors for making Paddlecast possible. Check out Tango Charlie Lights at https://tangocharlielights.com.au

Emily King on Paddlecast: The first SUP to attempt the Devizes to Westminster

00:29 Introducing Emily King

03:30 Emily’s motivation for doing DW

06:3: Is this a chance for SUP to prove itself to DW?

08:17 What about the race’s time limits, how is Emily approaching these?

09:26 Emily attempted the Thames 200 Ultra last year (streamed and covered by Paddler Media), how did that experience affect her approach to DW (which has 50% the same course)?

16:14 Emily’s approach to training for the DW stages race (feat. kneepads)

29:28 Paddy McCormack will be the second SUP racing DW, will Emily and Paddy race together? How does their approach differ?

32:47 Emily’s expected race time (or as much of the secret information as she’s willing to share!)

33:28 Betsy & Billy debrief on the Emily King conversation: Billy overcoming his “SUP scepticism”, and if this year is successful, could tandem SUP be the key to unlock a non-stop DW option for SUPs?

Paddling News: Race Recaps

37:50 SUP Twelve Race Recap: repeat wins for Tanja Ecker / PJ Simmons, 3rd place for newcomer from Costa Rica Carlo Arias, and a great DW “warm up” for Emily King who finished in 2nd place

40:45 Spring SUP Race Recap: rise of the junior and recently junior women, why Csillag Kocsis’ winning streak is even more impressive than it looks, and Andrey Kraytor’s insane 100m sprint that broke the 20 second barrier (can it be considered a new World Record??)

45:49 Amsterdam Waterland Marathon Race Recap

47:27 Australia Marathon Nationals Race Results

47:51 South Africa World Games Selection Race Results

Paddling News: Race Previews

49:28 SUP Battle for Hercules in Malaga

50:31 South African Surfski Championships & Freedom Paddle (South African Doubles Surfski Championships)

54:52 PADDLECAST CORRECTION. On the last Paddling News episode, we talked about the recent and current greats of GB marathon kayakers and between Lizzie Broughton and James Russell, missed out on the incredible Lani Belcher. Lani has phenomenal paddling results in marathon (and sprint), and it’s well worth learning more about her paddling career:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/canoeing/41216261

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lani_Belcher

https://www.canoeicf.com/athlete/lani-belcher 

It’s here. We couldn’t wait until Monday to drop this one: the Paddlecast Preview of Devizes to Westminster 2025. DW is England’s most iconic race that runs every Easter Weekend and finishes in central London in front of Parliament. 125 miles, 77 portages, from Saturday starts all the way through the night until Sunday morning.

If you’ve been following Paddle Daily’s coverage of the Waterside and Thameside Series this season, you already know the racing is going to be tight. Last Sunday, two of the top three crews finished the 34 miles Waterside D race just 7 seconds apart. But over 125 miles, there’s a lot that can go wrong. How close will the racing really be by the time these crews reach Westminster? And which crew do Billy and Betsy think will take the win?

Listen for:

• What makes this year’s DW unique

• Top 3 crews: pros, cons, and how would Paddlecast assign the odds if we were betting

• Next 5 crews: who’s racing, who entered as a surprise last minute entry, and how will these crews perform

• Canadian doubles: who’s racing, and why the race has suddenly gotten much tighter than expected

Leave a comment: who do you think will win this year’s DW? Are Billy and Betsy way off the mark? Why?

Thank you to our sponsors for making Paddlecast possible. Check out Tango Charlie Lights at https://tangocharlielights.com.au

And here’s a few links where you can learn more about what we discussed in the episode:

• 2024 DW Race Recap including Anoushka / Tom’s post-race interview: https://paddledaily.com/2024/05/01/2024-dw-winners-from-in-the-mix-to-a-mixed-win/

• About DW: https://supracer.com/the-ultra-that-finishes-in-front-of-parliament-englands-most-brutal-paddling-race/

• DW Official Site: https://www.dwrace.co.uk/

• Ausable River Canoe Marathon: https://www.youtube.com/@AuSableMarathon/featured

• Edd Dobson / Mike Rees-Clark’s Just Giving page: https://www.justgiving.com/page/edward-dobson-1

If you enjoyed the episode, please subscribe to Paddlecast and leave a review. If Paddlecast isn’t enough paddling chat for you, you can also follow:

https://www.youtube.com/@paddlermedia

https://www.instagram.com/paddledaily

https://www.instagram.com/supracer

https://supracer.com

https://paddledaily.com

https://www.instagram.com/billylikeskayaking

Paddlecast may be on a bi-weekly schedule, but with a plethora of paddling news from around the world, a fresh episode was a must. Billy and Betsy cover recent and upcoming races from their unique features (“the washing machine” and possibly the smoothest portage in Europe) to top contenders for national championships and World Games to the new European SUP League that starts in just a few weeks. Coverage includes:

• Marathon Racing: Waterlands Marathon preview, GB assessment race results, and South African marathon assessment racing for the 2025 World Games team

• Surfski Racing: Preview of the Breizh Ocean Race on the coast of France, where the reigning men’s world champion will be racing

• SUP Racing: Newly announced European SUP League from the European Surfing Federation, and the upcoming “backyard ultra” style SUP Twelve

• Descent Racing: Slaney Descent Race in Ireland results, and a preview of the Spey Challenge in Scotland with “the washing machine”

• Sprint Racing: South African sprint championships preview with the country’s 2024 Olympians racing on home turf

Thank you to our sponsors for making Paddlecast possible. Check out Tango Charlie Lights at https://tangocharlielights.com.au

If you want to learn more about some of the races mentioned in the episode, check them out here:

• Waterlands Marathon: https://amsterdamcanoemarathon.com/

• GB Assessment Race Results: https://entries.canoemarathon.org.uk/results/races/2025/k1c1-marathon-assessment-race-norwich#race-sfk1  

• Paddle South Africa marathon and sprint races: https://www.canoesa.org.za/calendar/ 

• Breizh Ocean Race: https://breizhoceanrace.fr/en/la-course/ 

• Flash Gordan’s Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gordanharbrecht/

• European SUP League: https://standupmagazin.com/en/2025/03/european-sup-league-launched/ 

• SUP Twelve: https://brendonprince.com/pages/suptwelve-2025 

Please subscribe to Paddlecast and leave a comment or a review. If Paddlecast isn’t enough paddling chat for you, you can also follow:

https://www.youtube.com/@paddlermedia

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https://www.instagram.com/supracer

https://supracer.com

https://paddledaily.com

https://www.instagram.com/billylikeskayaking

Welcome to the new Paddlecast, hosted by Betsy and Billy.

In the first episode of Paddlecast since 2020, new co-hosts Betsy and Billy introduce themselves and share paddling news from around the world. The new Paddlecast will continue to cover stand up paddleboard racing as part of the core mission of SUP Racer, but will also cover canoe and kayak racing including marathon canoe and surfski. Betsy and Billy have a Venn diagram of paddling enthusiasms that covers it all (nearly).

In future episodes, Betsy and Billy will speak with paddlers who are pushing the limits: their own limits, and the limits of paddlesports. In this first episode of the relaunched Paddlecast, Betsy and Billy talk about:

• What's the most exciting paddling racing and formats happening right now, across SUP, marathon canoe/kayak, and descent racing?
• Which of the big names will be racing at the Spring SUP Race in Italy, and what events should you be watching at the Spring SUP Race?
• Did you see that video with the insane river conditions in South Africa? What's the Umkomaas, and what made this year's edition so epic?
• What is the Devizes to Westminster (DW), and why has every fan of the race been talking about the top boats non-stop for the last four weeks?

If you enjoyed the first episode, subscribe to Paddlecast! Leave a review, a comment, or send a message.

Thank you to our sponsors for making Paddlecast possible. Check out Tango Charlie Lights at https://tangocharlielights.com.au

If you want to learn more about some of the races and videos mentioned in the episode, check them out here:

• Spring SUP Race, Italy, 3-6 April: https://www.instagram.com/spring_sup_race
• STIHL Umkomaas Canoe: https://www.instagram.com/umkocanoe
• That wild footage of the Umko from Tom Luzmore's Umkomaas: https://www.instagram.com/p/DHOVZQZqqAH
• What is the Devizes to Westminster race: https://supracer.com/the-ultra-that-finishes-in-front-of-parliament-englands-most-brutal-paddling-race
• What's the history of mixed crews winning the DW: https://paddledaily.com/2024/02/19/dw-2024-top-teams-introducing-anoushka-tom

For more paddling chat, follow:

https://www.youtube.com/@paddlermedia

https://www.instagram.com/paddledaily

https://www.instagram.com/supracer

https://supracer.com

https://paddledaily.com

https://www.instagram.com/billylikeskayaking

Nadia & Nico Schenk are traveling all the way around the coast of Australia in their motorhome, and just to make a little more interesting, Nico is paddling/running/riding the entire way. Yes, all 16,000km of it (that's 10,000 miles...). Follow @australia.epic.lap on Instagram for more

Jim Terrell is a four-time Olympian and the founder of Quickblade Paddles. We had a great chat about everything from building canoes to competing in the Olympics, the birth of QB and working with guys like Dave Kalama and Laird Hamilton in the earliest days of the sport. We were also joined by Jimmy's good friend and one of the original SoCal paddlers, Dane DeBoer, to chat about the first-ever Battle of the Paddle. This is a marathon episode, hope you enjoy!