Madeira SUP Challenge 2018: Excellent European Season Opener

Clube Naval Funchal hosts its 2nd SUP Challenge from the 8th till the 12th March 2018.

Madeira glistens like a jewel in the Atlantic Ocean, 978km south of Portugal. Madeira is an exciting and topical destination to race in and possibly the best way to start the SUP racing season. The Madeira SUP challenge is set over 4 days, with 2 races and a host of SUP workshops, trips, and touristic activities to cater for all the family, an brilliant example of the spirit of the event.

The Challenge will be a great event with a excellent chance to gather friends and family, taking advantage of the good conditions that the island offers to practice SUP.

Sounds Enticing? Read this article, then book your place and plane ticket! Race organiser Clube Naval do Funchal introduces this race to TotalSUP and describes why it is a must go-to race.

Can you introduce Club Navale? 

At Clube Naval we have a full range of watersports including sail, dive, sursfki, surf and fishing. The club has great experience in organization of nautical events, particulary at a national or international level for example, The World Moth sailing class in 1968 and the great international sailing regatta La Baule Dakar, Monaco – New York, Mini Transat. In 2012 we organized the European RS:X Championship with 72 participants frome 13 different countries  and sin 2014 we organized The Madeira Ocean Race in Surfski and finally the Madeira open Swimming Marathon in October, when the water temperature are 23º C.

We have being doing SUP at Clube Naval since 2015, following the holidays camps with the coach Ricardo Rodrigues. Our club has been at the vangard of the nautical events since the beginning. We have excellent conditions in Funchal bay for SUP and our water temperature in winter is 23º C!

In the last 10 years we have many examples of great athletes like our coach Ricardo Rodrigues, and the young promising paddler Tomás Lacerda under 16 national champion.Ricardo Rodrigues came in 2nd at national marathona in 2014, 3rd in 2015 and 1st place in Technical Race. After his good results, he went on to be selected for Team Portugal and went to the European Championship in 2016 in France, where he came in 11th place in the long distance event and the third place in the team event. With this experience Ricardo Rodrigues is a great role model for the younger generation in our sports schools project.

Can you describe the race and the format?

This is the 2nd time we have hosted the race, The idea comes from the potential of  this sport in Madeira Island and because of all the growth around this kind of sport, especially with the younger generation.

The routes take place in the beautiful bay of Funchal. On the first day we will have a long distance event 12km along the touristic route of Funchal. On the second day of racing we will have a technical race (5km) next to the Marina of Funchal, there will be excellent conditions for spectator viewings scarcely 10 meters from the course! There are classes for allround,12.6ft and 14ft for both female and male racers, plus an under 16yrs old race (12.6ft).

On the morning of the first day we will also have fun and sprint races that are open to all the family and friends that came along the athletes. Wewill have workshops, trips, and touristic activities open to all and there is a village zone where we can all support and get involved in the event.

Before the competition on the 4th March, there is the opportunity to experience a Downwind. In addition to this accommdation packages are also available for paddlers and their families, information can be found on the registration page.

Madeira is a great location for SUP racing, what are the future goals of the event?

Our expectations for growth are moderate, as we want to grow in a sustainable way. First we will try to attract elite athletes and national teams to our events, then we would like to target families doing other activities that will allow them to enjoy the beauty of the island. At the same time fostering social interaction throughout the event with the creation of several initiatives, that will allow the athletes and families to stay in Madeira several days before or after the competition.  An example of this was the first edition that had the presence of the Swedish technician Magnus Lindstedt for a workshop. For this to happen we hope to find the right partners, whether they are people or institutions with proven skills, so that we can be sure that we move in the right direction.

For registration information and form follow this link! – Total SUP Madeira SUP Challenge 2018