Our National Championships brings together our three types of competition to find our fastest paddlers. Competitors will take part in Distance, Tech, and Sprint events with a combined time used to find our winners.
This year, the British National Championships is being held at Bray Lake in Berkshire, and we can't wait to enjoy a full day of competition. Here are the outline plans for the event.
Entry is open until 8 pm on Wednesday, 13th Spetember
Event Format
A single day and three races will only mean one thing. An action-packed day on the water to find our fastest paddlers. The day will start with the Distance Race using the outer course at Bray Lake to give competitors an 8 km race. The Tech event will follow up next with paddlers taking on an M-shaped course over a 3 km total distance. Finally, it's on to the Sprints with an out-and-back 150m course to close the day with the fastest and closest racing to boot.
Virtual Briefing
Day Timings
The site opens for competitors at 8 a.m.
Parking and board drop-off 8 am to 9:30 am
Paddler Check-in 8:30 am to 9:30 am
Water access from 9 am
Distance Race Briefing 10 am
The Distance Race Starts at 10:30 am
Tech Race Briefing 12:30 pm
Tech Racing from 1 pm
Sprints Briefing and Starts from 2:30 pm
The event Ceremony is estimated at 4:45 pm.
Event Close 5:30 pm
Event Updates
Any changes to the event information will be included in this blog, the Paddler Information Pack, and emailed to all competitors.
ALL COMPETITORS MUST WATCH THE VIRTUAL BRIEFING AND ATTEND THE EVENT-SPECIFIC BRIEFINGS ON THE DAY
Entry and Competition Details
The British National Championships is a three-event competition to find our fastest paddlers across the 2023 competitive fleets. Paddlers will compete in all three events to achieve a combined time calculated using our performance algorithm, ensuring parity across the different races and distances.
The Competitive Fleets are:
14’ Hardboard
Open* 18 - 29
Seniors 30 - 39
Masters 40 - 49
Veterans 50 - 59
Grand Kahunas 60+
*Paddlers must compete in the 14’ Hardboard Open Fleet to be eligible for the British National Champion Title
14’ iSUP
Open 18 - 29
Seniors 30 - 39
Masters 40 - 49
Veterans 50 - 59
Grand Kahunas 60+
Nisco
Open 12+
Prone
Open 12+
National Titles
Paddlers in all three events can compete for a National Title in their respective fleet as our Age Group Champions. In addition to this, we will also be crowning our British National Champions. Paddlers must compete in the 14' Harboard Open fleet to qualify for this title.
Winners of the respective races, Distance, Tech, and Sprint, will receive honours in the final results listings.
Distance National Series
Due to the cancellation of Windermere earlier this year, the final event of the 2023 Distance Series will take place at the British National Championships. To achieve this, the Distance race results will be used to form the final race in the series.
Event Ceremony
The ceremony will occur after the day's events, including our British National Championship Winners and 2023 Distance National Series presentation.
Course Information
Distance Course
The proposed Distance course will use an outer loop of Bray Lake across 3x laps to cover an 8 km course.
Standing start in Wave Order
Order confirmed during the virtual briefing on Thursday, 14th Sep
Paddlers follow the outer edge course to the West side of the lake.
Return using the inner course
The exact course and buoyage will be confirmed to meet weather and other impacting factors.
Full details will be defined in the Paddler Information Pack and in-event briefings.
Tech Course
The Tech course will have a M-shape layout over multiple laps to complete a 3 km distance.
Proposed Course to have 3 or 4 laps
Including Left and Right turns
Standing start in Wave order
Potential for multiple race start times depending on fleet sizes (men's and ladies' races)
The Paddler Information Pack and Virtual Briefing will detail the exact timings.
Sprint Course
The Sprint course will aim to cover a 150m total distance with paddlers completing a single out-and-back sprint.
Standing start between two smaller marker buoys
Paddle 75m out to a gated turn where paddlers can choose to turn left or right
Return to the start markers to finish whilst standing on your board.
Site Information
Bray Lake Watersports is located on Monkey Island Lane, accessed from the A308 running between Maidenhead and Windsor. Note there is no access from Bray village.
The address is Monkey Island Ln, Windsor Rd, Bray, Windsor SL6 2EB.
Bray Lake has a cafe, changing rooms and shower facilities on site.
Car Parking will likely be beyond the centre down the lake's western side.
Marshalls will be on hand to direct you to parking and board drop-off areas.
In the event of needing overspill parking, it's possible to park along Monkey Island Lane.
Arrival Information
Upon arrival, the morning swim session will be underway, which takes place between 6 and 10 a.m. Please be considerate to other site users and respect the available space for the swimmers around the site, including car parking, board drop offs and changing areas.
If you wish to warm up before the distance race, our check-in team and marshalls can direct you to an area on the east side.
PLEASE DO NOT LAUNCH ON THE LAKE WITHOUT THE FOLLOWING:
You have signed in to race check-in.
Have a leash on your board.
Have confirmed and understood the correct launch and paddling areas.
Other Water Users
Throughout the day, Bray Lake remains operational and weather-dependent; we may see different users visit the lake, including other paddlers, wind sport users and the general public visiting the site. Please be respectful of other users and ensure that areas, as directed, are left clear of boards.
