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. This is a list of the local races.
Smaller local weekday race series
SCKC Duck Island Races -- Summer Fridays on Green Lake; all crafts
Ballard Monday Night Paddle Races -- Summer Monday nights in Ballard; mainly SUP and surf ski
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
The 2018 date will give you an idea of when this race happens.
| 2018 date |
Race Name (click link for registration/info) |
Location | Distance | OFS | HPK | OC | OWR | SUP | M | Host | Size |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 6 | Wasabi | Portland, OR | 7km-ish | x | X | x | x | PNWORCA Winter Series | 95 | ||
| Jan 20 | Autumn Rose | Ferndale, WA | 11km | x | x | x | x | PNWORCA Winter Series | 50 | ||
| Feb 3 | La Conner | La Conner, WA | 11km | x | x | X | x | Sound Rowers Race Series | 50 | ||
| Feb 3 | Mountain Home | Kalama, WA | 10km | x | X | x | x | PNWORCA Winter Series | 210 | ||
| Feb 17 | Jericho | Vancouver, BC | 10km | x | X | x | x | PNWORCA Winter Series | 170 | ||
| early Mar | St. Paddle's Day | Shelton, WA | 3km & 6km | x | x | X | Salmon Bay Paddlers Race Series | 46 | |||
| Mar 3 | False Creek | Vancouver, BC | 10km | x | X | x | x | PNWORCA Winter Series | 300 | ||
| Mar 10 | Bellingham Bay Rough Water Race | Bellingham, WA | 10km | x | X | x | x | Sound Rowers | 62 | ||
| Mar 17 | Kai Ikaika | Portland, OR | 10km | x | X | x | x | PNWORCA Winter Series | 37 | ||
| Mar 31 | Race for the Cookies | Bothell, WA | 2km | X | x | Cascade Canoe and Kayak Club | 50 | ||||
| Apr 7 | Sand Point Outrigger Club | Seattle (Sand Point), WA | 20km | x | X | x | x | PNWORCA Winter Series | |||
| Apr 21 | Paddler's Cup | Gig Harbor, WA | 5 & 10km | x | x | X | x | x | Gig Harbor Canoe and Kayak Racing Team | ||
| Apr 21 | Jetty Island | Everett, WA | 8km | x | x | X | x | Sound Rowers | 28 | ||
| late Apr | Dan Harris Challenge | Bellingham | X | x | x | x | 76 | ||||
| May 5 | Lake Whatcom Classic | Bellingham | 9 & 12km | x | x | X | x | Sound Rowers | 70 | ||
| May 5-6 | Slawko Fedechko | Maple Ridge, BC | 500m, 1000m & 5km | X | Ridge Canoe and Kayak Club | 100 | |||||
| May 12 | Commencement Bay | Tacoma, WA | 9.6km | x | x | X | x | Sound Rowers | 21 | ||
| May 27 | Ski-to-Sea | Bellingham, WA | 30km | x | x | Ski to Sea | 300+ | ||||
| Jun 9-10 | 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 23 | Rat Island | Port Townsend, WA | 2.9mi & 6.8mi | x | x | X | x | Sound Rowers | 57 | ||
| Jul 9-15 | Canadian Downwind Championships | Squamish, BC | 21km | x | x | x | Canadian Downwind Champs | 111 | |||
| Jul 14 | Lake Sammamish | Lake Sammamish | 13km & 20km | x | x | X | x | Sound Rowers | 28 | ||
| Jul 14 | Clean Lake Union | Lake Union | 3.2 mi | x | x | X | x | Clean Lake Union | 28 | ||
| Jul 16-21 | Gorge Downwind Championships | Columbia River Gorge | various | x | x | x | Gorge Downwind Champs | 400 | |||
| Jul 28 | Elk River Challenge | Westport, WA | 3/7mi | x | x | X | x | Sound Rowers | 25 | ||
| Aug 17-19 | David Thompson Paddlesport Classic | Revelstoke, BC | 125km | x | x | x | x | x | Paddle Revelstoke | 800 | |
| Aug 25 | Great Cross Sound Race | West Seattle, WA | 7mi | x | x | X | x | Sound Rowers | 32 | ||
| Sep 8 | 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 22 | Salmon Roe | Bellingham, WA | 5.5mi | x | x | x | X | x | Sound Rowers | 145 | |
| Sep 29 | Guano Rocks | Wenatchee, WA | 2.5/5.5mi | x | x | x | X | x | Sound Rowers | 26 | |
| Oct 6 | 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 |