The Pacific Northwest is home to very active racing communities. There are races year-round in sprint canoe and kayak, surf ski, outrigger canoe, marathon canoe and SUP. SCKC masters are active racers and you’ll find one of us in many of these races.
Smaller local weekday race series
SCKC Duck Island Races — Summer Fridays on Green Lake; all crafts. Potluck afterwards
Ballard Monday Night Paddle Races — Summer Monday nights in Ballard; mainly SUP but a few surf ski and OCs
Larger Weekend Races
Some of the Sound Rower and PNWORCA races are “open water” and require a high-level of experience. Make sure to check the race info. PNWORCA also has a summer series that is for OC-6. Check the PNWORCA website for that calendar. Jericho Paddling Club also has a good calendar here.
The types of crafts appropriate for the race are shown with an ‘x’ in the boat class columns. Boat classes: HPK=surf ski, OFS = Olympic flatwater sprint kayak and canoe, OC = outrigger canoe, OWR = open water rowing shell, SUP = SUP; M = marathon canoe
| 2026 date |
Race Name (click link for registration/info) |
Location | Distance | OFS | HPK | OC | OWR | SUP | M | Host | Size |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb 7 | La Conner | La Conner, WA | 11km | x | x | X | x | Sound Rowers | 50 | ||
| Feb 21 | BBOP | Bellingham, WA | 10km | x | X | x | x | PNWORCA Winter Series | 170 | ||
| Mar 14 | St. Paddle’s Day | Union, WA | 3km & 6km | x | x | X | Salmon Bay Paddlers | 46 | |||
| Mar 14 | Bellingham Bay Rough Water Race | Bellingham, WA | 10km | x | X | x | x | Sound Rowers | 62 | ||
| Mar 28 | Race for the Cookies | Bothell, WA | 2km | X | x | Cascade Canoe and Kayak Club | 50 | ||||
| Mar 28 | Sand Point Outrigger Club | Seattle (Sand Point), WA | 5 & 9 mi | x | X | x | x | PNWORCA Winter Series | |||
| Apr 11 | Squaxin Island | Olympia, WA | 8 & 13 mi | x | x | x | x | Sound Rowers | |||
| Apr 25 | Paddler’s Cup | Gig Harbor, WA | 5 & 10km | x | x | X | x | x | Gig Harbor Canoe and Kayak Racing Team | ||
| May 2 | Lake Whatcom Classic | Bellingham | 9 & 12km | x | x | X | x | Sound Rowers | 70 | ||
| May 2-3 | Slawko Fedechko | Maple Ridge, BC | 500m, 1000m & 5km | X | Ridge Canoe and Kayak Club | 100 | |||||
| May 9 | Commencement Bay | Tacoma, WA | 9.6km | x | x | X | x | Sound Rowers | 21 | ||
| May 25 | Ski-to-Sea | Bellingham, WA | 30km | x | x | Ski to Sea | 300+ | ||||
| Jun 6-7 | Ted Houk Memorial Regatta | Seattle (Greenlake), WA | 200m, 500m & 1000m | X | Seattle Canoe and Kayak Club | 200 | |||||
| Jun 16 | Bellingham Regatta | Bellingham (Lake Padden), WA | 200m, 500m, 1000m & 2km | X | Bellingham Canoe and Kayak Club | 100 | |||||
| Jun 20 | Rat Island | Port Townsend, WA | 2.9mi & 6.8mi | x | x | X | x | Sound Rowers | 57 | ||
| Jul 14 | Budd Inlet | Olympia, WA | 5 & 8 mi | x | x | X | x | Sound Rowers | 28 | ||
| Jul 13-18 | Gorge Downwind Championships | Columbia River Gorge | various | x | x | x | Gorge Downwind Champs | 800 | |||
| Jul 25 | Elk River Challenge | Westport, WA | 3/7mi | x | x | X | x | Sound Rowers | 25 | ||
| Sep 5 | Bainbridge Island Marathon | Bainbridge Island, WA | 12/26.2mi | x | x | X | x | Sound Rowers | 12 | ||
| Sep 15 | Budd Inlet | Olympia, WA | 3.5/7mi | x | x | X | x | Sound Rowers | 17 | ||
| Sep 26 | Salmon Roe | Bellingham, WA | 5.5mi | x | x | x | X | x | Sound Rowers | 145 | |
| Sep 26 | Clean Lake Union | Seattle, WA | |||||||||
| Oct 10 | Mercer Island Sausage Pull | Seattle | 10km & 20km | x | x | X | x | Sound Rowers | 57 | ||
| Oct 20 | Chicken Long Race | Tacoma | 4km, 8km, & 16km | x | X | x | x | Kikaha O Ke Kai club race | 50 | ||
| late Oct | Cascade Distance Race | Bothell, WA | 2km, 5km & 10km | X | x | Cascade Canoe and Kayak Club | 30 | ||||
| late Oct | Ballard Halloween Paddle Race | Seattle (Ballard), WA | 9km | x | x | X | Salmon Bay Paddlers | 18 | |||
| early Nov | Eric Hughes Distance Race | Seattle (Greenlake) | 5km and 10km | X | x | Seattle Canoe and Kayak Club | 50 |