Do you love zipping along the water in a sea kayak? Do you also enjoy helping others? If you participate in the 15th Annual Tybee Island Sea Kayak Races, which will be held on Saturday, September 7, 2013, you will be able to do both. The Tybee Island Sea Kayak race is held each year for an excellent cause. Proceeds from the race go to benefit the Tybee Island Marine Science Center, a non-profit facility that offers a number of educational marine programs to the public. In addition, the Tybee Island Marine Science Center manages a loggerhead sea turtle program on Tybee.
Tybee River Race is a Six-and-half-mile race
The yearly Tybee Island Sea Kayak race actually consists of three different events. The Tybee River Race is a six-and-half-mile race on a tidal river that runs between Tybee and Little Tybee Islands. Casual paddlers who would like to take part in this event are also welcome. They can participate for two miles at their own pace.
The second race is called the Little Tybee Challenge. This is an eight-mile test for more experienced kayakers. The course includes narrow tidal creeks and open waters that can be rough. Participants in this event must have experience in rough waters and have boats that will be sea worthy in such conditions.
Tybee Island Sea Kayak Races
The third race is for major sponsors of the Tybee Island Sea Kayak Races and is called the Race Across the River. Any gold or platinum sponsor of the race can choose a person to represent them in this race. The prize for this event is a natural history trip on a boat.
Stand up paddleboarders are also welcome to enter the River Race and the Little Tybee Challenge. There will be an overall winner for each event, as well as awards for male and female winners and for participants who are over the age of 50. The Tybee Island Sea Kayak Races are sanctioned by the American Canoe Association.
Race Across the River
Sea kayakers who have participated in the Tybee Island Sea Kayak race in the past will receive a registration form in the mail. Interested sea kayakers can also register online or download the form and mail it in. For those who want to participate in the Tybee River Race but don’t have their own kayak with them, race organizers will have ones available for an extra charge.
Tybee Island is a small island, about 2.75 miles long, located about 20 minutes east of Savannah. It boasts many miles of beautiful beaches and a charming array of lovely shops and restaurants. Tybee Island is an excellent place to get away from it all and to enjoy a day communing with nature on its sea oat-covered dunes or to play in the surf.