This page is a summary of our most recent posts about Joanne Hamilton-Vale

11 Cities Update: Non-Stoppers Complete 24 Hour Epic; Gnarly Winds Cancel First 5-Day Stage

posted by Christopher Parker, Boss Man

11-City-Tour-Friesland
Nine brave paddlers have survived gale force winds and extreme exhaustion to complete the epic, 200+ kilometre “Non-Stop” 11 City Tour around the Dutch province of Friesland this week, as finishing times ranged from 24 to 32 hours while several others were forced to abandon their quests.

Dutchman Niek van der Linde won in a remarkable time of 23 hours 59 minutes and 48 seconds, coming home almost an hour ahead of 11 Cities veteran and pre-race favourite Bart de Zwart, while Frenchman Olivier Darrieumerlou finished runner-up for the second time after completing his odyssey in 24 hours 14 minutes.

Former champion of the five-day race Janneke Smits was the sole woman to finish the non-stop challenge this year, crossing the line after 31 cold and grueling hours out on the water.    → READ MORE

Bart de Zwart Completes the Epic ‘Yukon River Quest’ in Record Time of 52 Hours (UPDATED)

posted by Christopher Parker, Boss Man

Bart-de-Zwart-Yukon-River-Quest-2017After overcoming extreme sleep deprivation and the sheer remoteness of the Canadian wilderness, endurance king Bart de Zwart reached the northern frontier town of Dawson at 2:16am local time Saturday morning to officially complete the 2017 Yukon River Quest, crossing the line after 52 hours and 16 minutes of paddling to set a new race record and claim line honours for the small but very bold stand up paddling division.

Following more than two and a half days of racing, which included the 52 hours on the water plus an additional 10 hours of mandatory minimum rest at the two break points (7 and 3 hours, respectively), Bart finished this ultra-ultra-marathon two and a half hours faster than his winning time from last year.   → READ MORE

Yukon River Quest: The Longest, Craziest, Most Epic Race in the World Starts TODAY

posted by Christopher Parker, Boss Man

Yukon River Quest The 2017 Yukon River Quest, arguably the toughest, craziest and most extraordinary race in the world of paddling, is set to begin today in the Canadian wilderness, with eight bold and adventurous stand up paddlers joining dozens of canoe and kayak competitors for the 715km (444 mile) odyssey along the infamous Yukon River.

With finishing times estimated between a staggering 50 and 84 hours (the latter being the official cut off), the Yukon River Quest is by far the longest annual paddle race* anywhere on planet Earth.    → READ MORE

Bart de Zwart Ticks Another ‘Ultra’ off His List, Wins the 92km Great Glen Paddle in Record Time

posted by Bart de Zwart, Starboard Team Rider and SUP Explorer

Great Glen PaddleBart de Zwart has continued to cement his reputation as one of the craziest most inspiring paddlers in the world, taking out the 92km Great Glen Paddle in Scotland last weekend and setting yet another ultra long distance race record in the process.

To put the race in perspective, Bart won in 10 hours 50 minutes, which was a record fast time for this course; some of the other paddlers were out there for 15 or 16 hours.

Click through to read Bart’s race recap…   → READ MORE

Inspirational: Bart De Zwart, Joanne Hamilton-Vale and 14 Other Bold Paddlers Conquer the 547km “MR340” Race in Missouri

posted by Christopher Parker, Boss Man

Missouri River MR340 paddle raceBart de Zwart, Joanne Hamilton-Vale and 14 other bold stand up paddlers have survived extreme heat and a serious lack of sleep to conquer the MR340, a 547km (340 miles) race along the Missouri River.

With just 16 days rest following his epic conquest of the Yukon River, Bart continued his series of ultra long distance events – aka the world’s longest SUP races – by winning the 11th annual MR340, a race he described as the toughest he’s ever done.   → READ MORE

MR340: Bart de Zwart and 20 Other Brave Paddlers Are About to Race 547km Across Missouri

posted by Bart de Zwart, Starboard Team Rider and SUP Explorer

Bart de ZwartBoss Man’s note: It’s only been 16 days since Bart de Zwart became the first ever SUP champion of the almighty Yukon River Quest, the 715km (444 mile) voyage through the Canadian wilderness, yet he’s already on to his second race of the ultra long distance season, the 547km (340 mile) “MR340” in Missouri, which begins tomorrow morning (Tuesday 19th).

On the eve of the race, here’s what the Starboard team rider had to say about his next epic challenge…   → READ MORE

Meet the Pioneering Paddlers of the Yukon River Quest, the Epic 715km (444 Mile) Adventure Race That Begins Tomorrow

posted by Christopher Parker, Boss Man

Yukon River“The last unknown is the sleep deprivation – there are many stories of paddlers seeing dancing bears, people walking on water, trees on fire and hearing strange voices.”

That’s Bart de Zwart talking about the Yukon River Quest, an extraordinary race that stretches for 715km (444 miles) through the Canadian wilderness. The 2016 edition begins in less than 24 hours, and for the first time ever stand up paddlers have been allowed to enter.   → READ MORE

What You Missed In… Finland: Casper Wins In The North

posted by Christopher Parker, Boss Man

Stand Up World Series SUP raceThis is part of our “What You Missed In…” series that we’ll be running today, where we update a bunch of races that we failed to cover over the past few weeks.

After the Stand Up World Series finally got started in Barcelona last week, the franchise leapt straight over to Finland for event number two, the Sieravuori SUP Masters, on July 3rd & 4th.   → READ MORE

Titouan Puyo, Casper Steinfath Victorious In Paris As 400 SUPs Invade The River Seine (FULL RESULTS + RANKINGS UPDATE)

posted by Christopher Parker, Boss Man

parisTitouan Puyo, Casper Steinfath and Celine Guesdon have dominated the 2014 Paris Crossing, as a record 400 stand up paddlers invaded the iconic River Seine on Sunday. In what will surely go down as the single biggest race of the year, Titou won the distance event while Casper took the pool sprints and the overall title.

The main event, the iconic long distance race that includes a passage right by the Eiffel Tower, started just after dawn on a crisp but clear winter’s day in the French capital. Right from the start Titou and Casper broke away and were never challenged. Kai Lenny started strong but clearly wasn’t in his element, unable to keep the pace of the main chase pack that was being led by French SUP stalwart Gaetan Sene.   → READ MORE

Over 100 Paddlers Hit London For The Battle Of The Thames

posted by Christopher Parker, Boss Man

Battle of the Thames stand up paddleboard raceOne of the biggest races in the UK, the annual Battle of the Thames race in London, drew over 100 paddlers to the capital on Saturday in another sign that SUP racing in Europe is growing strong.

The 16km course covered a stretch of the Thames river in Surbiton, just outside London city. Covering it the quickest was the UK’s winningest paddler, Ryan James. The Starboard team rider took line honours on his 14, ahead of Ben Payne and Pete Holliday. In fact the entire top 10 were on 14 footers, with young gun Pete Kosinski the first of the 12’6 paddlers in 11th place.

Over on the women’s side it was Joanne Hamilton Vale, the only female to paddle from one side of Scotland to the other, taking the win (while also getting an impressive top 20 overall).   → READ MORE

Epic Race: Small Band Of Brave Paddlers Complete The 93km ‘Great Glen Paddle’ In Freezing Cold Scotland

posted by Christopher Parker, Boss Man

The Great Glen PaddleOne of the longest races, most unique and most grueling races in the world of SUP racing happened last month, yet if you’re not from the UK you probably didn’t even realise it existed. On the 22nd of March (yeah I know, I’m a bit late as well), the 2014 Great Glen Paddle took place in the Scottish Highlands, with a small but very bold band of stand up paddlers tackling the course for the first time.

The Great Glen Paddle, which has been running for several years as a kayak race, is like an ultra-marathon on the water. The course, all 93 kilometres (57 miles) of it, stretches from one side of Scotland to the other via a series canals and lakes (or lochs, including the most famous of them all, Loch Ness).

Paddlers have the option of either doing it in one day, or camping overnight halfway and making it a two-day voyage. However in a show of true British stubbornness, every single one of the SUPs decided to have a crack at the one day, 93 kilometre, non-stop course, which meant the first four or five hours were paddled in the dark. And temperatures were hovering just above zero. Oh and at one point it was snowing. WTF?   → READ MORE