how long is the typical sea kayak race? are they generally coupled with other classes of racers, such as surf skis, etc? is there a website dedicated to recreational racing (opposed to die hard racing with prize money, olympic medals etc.) with some detail as to how to go about setting up races, rules, etc?
Here on the east coast
You can pretty much find a race every Saturday either in the ocean on a lake or on a river.
They average about six miles.
Some of them will have ten or fifteen entrants and others will have over a hundred.
The bigger the race, the more classes there usually are, and the larger races are broken up by not only type of boat, but also by age divisions.
Most of them include a race T shirt with the entry fee, and most of them give ribbons, medals, plaques or trophies for first second and third place.
The average entry fee is usually twenty or twenty five dollars with some higher and some lower.
Many of then include a lunch with the entry fee.
Once you go to one race you will be on their mailing list, and usually at the race there is mention of other races. If you do enough searching you’ll eventallly end up on some ones mail list that keeps a schedule of almost all the races.
Other ways to find them are do a municipal search and then go to “Parks and Rec” activity or “Sporting Events”
The ACA also lists a lot
Usually race orgaizers drop off entry blanks at the paddle shops.
Hopes this helps a bit.
Cheers,
JackL