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Brazil’s SUP Race Circuit is on! Martin Letourneur reports!

The first leg of the Brazilian championships will take place this week-end on the island of Florianopolis (Floripa) in the south of the Brazil. This is the first big contest of the year there, so a large turnout is expected.

By Martin Letourneur, in partnership with VMG Blades, Hobie Cat Europe, Howzit, CT+ and Swell Addiction. Article available in French HERE.stand up paddle brasil

Right now, I am staying in Floripa, Brazil for a few days. I will be staying there with my older brother Thomas who is studying in this city. This SUP contest was the perfect opportunity to dive into the Brazilian SUP racing scene. You will live the 2 days of competition through my eyes.
The Brazilian championship is held in multiple locations across the country during the year. At the end of the year/championship, an overall ranking is established to crown the champions. Each even is open to everybody and there are two divisions : elite and amateur. Here, you can compete in 12’6 or 14′ but the 12’6 is the size chosen for the pro division. Floripa Island is the perfect place to hold the first leg of the championship, because the event happens on the site of the Praia Mold Hotel, located just between the lake and the beach.
Here is the program of the race: On Saturday will happen the long distance races  on the lake while the technical races will take place on Sunday on the beach.
There are different divisions according to : gender, age, board sizes.. But the important thing is the overall including rankings from the long distance and the technical race.
In short, Saturday’s Long distance will be an approximately 12km square-type race. On Sunday, the technical race will include different qualifying heats on a 1 mile race maps (the format is based on the Stand Up World Series one). The surf and wind forecast is for now pretty good with sun and warmth, a little bit of wind on Saturday to make it more interesting. On Sunday, we are hoping for some clean 3ft+ waves in Praia Mole for the Technical Races”

stand up paddle race route brasil floriapa

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Martin Letourneur with Antonio and women’s favorite Barbara Brazil!

For more information on Martin Letourneur’s sponsors, visit:
VMG Blades
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Hobie Cat
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Howzit
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Carbon Technology Paddles (CT+)
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Swell Addiction
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About the Author

Mathieu Astier

Mathieu is the hyper-active founder of TotalSUP and a multilingual online marketing veteran with more than 20 years of experience working for top international internet companies. His love-at-first-sight for Stand Up Paddling in 2013 led him to build one of the leading online media dedicated to SUP in English and French and to turn his family lifestyle towards the ocean.

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