News

Kayakers and a stand-up paddleboarder on the River Thames, the kind of paddlers this kayaking gifts guide is for
Kayaking Gifts: The Paddler's Gift Guide for 2026
|Vector Paddle
Funny kayaking gifts for him, her and the paddler who has everything: tees, hoodies and Christmas sweaters made by paddlers, for paddlers. Read more...
K2 marathon kayak crews racing down a tree-lined river in summer, with spectators on a footbridge and city high-rises beyond
Devizes to Westminster: The Complete Guide to the Canoeist's Everest
|Vector Paddle
Everything you need to know about the Devizes to Westminster: the 125-mile course, 77 portages, the race classes, the tide, and how to prepare for Easter 2027. Read more...
Four kayak cross racers in red, blue, green and yellow boats and helmets battling side by side through whitewater beside a slalom gate
Kayak Cross Explained: The Olympic Discipline Built for Chaos
|Vector Paddle
What kayak cross is, how the ramp start, upstream gates and roll zone work, and why it became the breakout paddling event of the Paris Olympics. Read more...
Santa Claus handing out kayaking gear — a Pyranha kayak, NRS helmet and drybag, and an Astral buoyancy aid — to excited children on Christmas morning
The Paddler's Gift Guide: Something for Every Kind of Racer This Christmas
|Vector Paddle
Christmas gift ideas for paddlers, matched to who you're buying for: the jokers, the racers, the distance crowd, the cat lovers and more. Read more...
Canoe polo players in a goalmouth scramble, reaching for the ball beside a red-and-white striped goal in full-face helmets and GBR vests
Canoe Polo: The Most Physical Discipline in Paddlesport
|Vector Paddle
How canoe polo works: five-a-side teams, the pitch and suspended goals, the kit, the card system, and how to start playing in the UK. Read more...
Dragon boat crew racing hard at the UK National Dragon Boat Racing Finals, paddles driving through the water as the drummer stands at the stern
National Dragon Boat Finals 2026: What to Know Before Holme Pierrepont
|Vector Paddle
Where and when the 2026 National Dragon Boat Finals ran at Holme Pierrepont, the classes and distances raced, and how clubs enter. Read more...
Kayak racers competing on the River Thames during an ultra paddle race, with a pack of competitors following behind the lead boat.
The Thames 200 Ultra: Everything Competitive Paddlers Need to Know
|Vector Paddle
What the Thames 200 Ultra is, how the 200km source-to-tide course works, and what it takes to race England's longest river. Read more...
Angler paddling a fishing kayak across calm open water
Kayak Fishing for Beginners: The Complete Getting-Started Guide
|Vector Paddle
New to kayak fishing? A beginner's guide to choosing a kayak, essential gear, and staying safe. Read more...
European sprint kayakers racing at an elite international flat-water competition
Paddling Europe: From Hungarian Sprint Supremacy to Scandinavian Sea Kayaking
|Vector Paddle
From Hungary's sprint dominance to world-class slalom in Slovakia and France, aggressive open water racing in Scandinavia, and deep canoe traditions across the continent — how Europe became paddling's most... Read more...
Wilderness canoeist paddling a traditional open canoe across a remote Canadian lake in summer
Paddling North America: The Canoe, the Wilderness and the Racing Culture of the US and Canada
|Vector Paddle
North America has a profound paddling heritage — from First Nations canoe traditions and the Boundary Waters to competitive sprint and marathon scenes that produce world-class athletes. How the canoe... Read more...
Va'a outrigger canoe paddlers racing across open Pacific Ocean water in a traditional ocean race
Paddling the Pacific: The Ocean Cultures That Built the Sport
|Vector Paddle
From va'a outrigger traditions in the Cook Islands to ocean ski racing in Australia and world-class sprint paddlers from New Zealand — a look at how the Pacific shaped modern... Read more...
Traditional Greenlandic qajaq (kayak) resting on calm Arctic waters, representing the origins of the kayak
Greenland: The Birthplace of the Kayak
|Vector Paddle
The kayak was invented in Greenland by Inuit and Yupik peoples as a survival tool thousands of years ago. Here's the story of the qajaq, traditional Greenlandic rolling, and how... Read more...