2017 Rio Cubatão do Sul Kayak Festival (Brazil)

Worlds and Photos: Andrew Morrissey

the 2017 Rio Cubatão do Sul Kayak Festival was a hit. With quite the turnout and an extremely close finish, made for the perfect display of camaraderie and a willing to push boundaries. Not only kayakers, but duckies and rafters also attended. Boaters drove from all over the country, 50 kayakers played their part to make the event possible, but Bruno Alves de Mattos was the man to set the stage! Day one was a community paddle down the lower commercial section, followed by a second lap featuring a mass start down river race, day two was a community paddle down the upper class 4-5 section. It was a breakthrough for many paddlers that day who stepped their game up. I was blown away by the way everything played out.

Rio Cubatão do Sul Kayak Festival ©A.Morrissey/kayaksession.com

« The community was really showing a love for the river! » Bruno says “ I felt the festival was beyond our expectations. We did our best to make it as much accessible as possible. Camping and Transport was free, and we didn’t offer food as in the years before but for our surprise spontaneously each participant brought something and at the end we had a big and fun barbecue. In the water was a lot of fun running the Rio Cubatão do Sul with old and new friends from all over Brazil. “

Safety team at the finish line was probably the most entertaining part of the day. It was the first time experiencing whitewater for a hand full of stoked friends. I really believe this festival was the perfect cross blend of basic and expert skill level. Everybody was taking care of each other and watching out at all times.

Rio Cubatão do Sul Kayak Festival ©A.Morrissey/kayaksession.com

A very close call at the finish line, It looks so close, who takes the cake? We had to look closer and inspect the gopro footage to determine the truth. After a long debate and many inputs, the winners were announced! Congrats to the athletes who raced, participants who helped coordinate events and most important congratulations to the Brazilian kayaking community!

Results: 1st Marcelo Marcondes Galizio , 2nd Alejandro Campos,, 3rd Volnei Schwarzrock, 4th Ana Carolina Didyk Souza, 5th Joao Gabriel Araujo

If you’re thinking about doing a trip to Brazil, I would highly recommend getting in contact with both Marcelo Marcondes Galizio (professional kayaker) and Bruno Alves de Mattos ( founder of Kayak Brasil ). Between the both of them you can set yourself up with awesome people and find first descents.

Honorable mentions and sponsors : Hidro2Eko, Hard Adventure, the municipality of Santo Amaro da Imperatriz, the Association of Employees of the Resort Plaza Caldas da Imperatriz and the Goedert Computer Shop