Tasmanian Stellar agents and race promoters Southern Paddlers have just completed another huge season with 27 races throughout the Summer months. Running fortnightly twilight races aimed at getting paddlers onto open water in a safe environment as well as the popular downwind events this year was bigger and better than ever with Stellar coming on board after agreeing to support the ocean series. The Stellar Kayaks and Skis Ocean Series consisted of nine races and culminated in the Tasmanian Ocean Paddling Championships on the 12 March won by Australian Wild Water Paddling stalwart and now ocean paddling convert Ben Maynard for the second year in a row.

Race organisers Ian Cooksey and Steve Price were keen to encourage participation in the series and with the generous support of Stellar were able to offer a Stellar ski as a spot prize. Paddlers received an entry for every race they competed in with the ski drawn at the State Championship BBQ and presentation. Tasmanian paddling legend Jim Stubbs was the lucky winner drawn from more than three hundred entries. Jim has won just about everything there is to win in Tasmania including nine surf safaris and numerous national and state surf life saving titles. This year Jim has been concentrating on building his new gym but still managed to win four races and is keen to have the SES at the front of the field next season "This is awesome" I'm stoked! I just want to thank Southern Paddlers and Stellar for supporting the races and helping to grow the sport, it really is appreciated."

Flying Eagle has taken  legal action to protect itself and claim compensation for what it believes is stolen Intellectual Property, financial losses, breach of the CO-OP agreement and damage to its reputation.

Epics legal action is an attempt to secure the release of boat stock it believes is being held "Hostage" by Flying Eagle .

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Mike Walker wins the New Zealand Cambridge to Hamilton Kayak / Ski race on Sunday in the Stellar Ultra SES. The Cambridge to Hamilton Kayak Race is New Zealands biggest kayak event.
Read more and view full results..

Olympian Mike Walker wins the "King of the Harbour" World Cup Race in Auckland in a Excel Stellar Surfski.

"Ideal conditions greeted ski paddlers for the 2010 Fullers King of the Harbour, from the Viaduct Harbour to Waiheke Island - Auckland. Sixty of New Zealand's top paddlers were treated to runners from the start created by the south westerly blow, which grew..to large breaking swells on which they raced along at speeds over 20kmhr at times passing Rangitoto Island. After time away from paddling, Olympian Mike Walker returned in top form to take another King of the Harbour crown"

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"The first thing you notice about this Stellar boat is the superb construction. You can’t help but be impressed with the finish work and precise attention to detail. This boat screams, “Touch me!” to test if your eyes are computing correctly with your touch sensors. This reviewed model is the Advantage, in a fiberglass layup. It is very stiff for a glass ski.

The components of this prototype boat were also of high quality. Some components have already been improved upon as I write this. For example, the rudder yoke was a simple, yet effective design, allowing for easy swapping out for ocean or flat water rudders. The wing nut used to fasten the yoke to shaft will be replaced with a more secure fitting, still allowing for “no tools needed, 30 second” switching of rudders. The ocean rudder was designed to eliminate weeds by leaving virtually no space forward of the rudder post, creating no opportunity for weeds to catch. This is the first ski that I have reviewed incorporating this design feature."

Wesley Echols
http://www.surfskiracing.com/

Read full review..

Stellar SE Surf Ski Paddler Jesse Phillips and his partner Steve Bird (who also paddles a Stellar SE Ski) had some great success at the recent 2010 Australian National Championships. Here’s his account of the action.

"It was a great day for my paddling career and equally for The WAIS Canoeing Program as I claimed the first K2 National Senior Sprint Championship; Steve Bird and I won the K2 200m event in 33.87, just 0.01 seconds in front of 2nd place. The only other national title in recent years coming from Reece Baker's national K4 1000m win at the 2009 Australian Championships.

The day came for our final of the K1 200 and the heat/final of the K2 200. We had a hot heat in the K2 and we knew we had to execute our race plan for practise in the final - later in the day.

The K2 200m HEAT: Steve and I burst out of the blocks and clicked into autopilot; our bodies had been through this so many times before. We won our heat in 33.9 and were pumped for our final.

The K1 200m FINAL: It was not my best race of the event, I had one false start against my name and just before the call "start within 10 seconds" my bow swung around right caused by a gust of wind. I was caught facing too far right and knowing I couldn't false start again. "(beep)" I was off and racing but after my first few strokes I wasn't where I usually would be - right up in the front line of bows pushing for the lead - I had fallen back to a nose behind after 50 meters. I felt great lock on the water with my blade but I had started so woefully that I couldn't fight my way back into the race; the 200m race leaves no room for error.

RESULT: I finished 9th, 1.5 seconds behind 1st.

After the K1 final I was not all that happy but I had to evaluate the race quickly and move on. My partner Steve had a ripper Race and finished 4th in a lunge finish. I was very happy for him and it was a great result to work off for our K2 final.

After a swift recovery snack and rub down by our great physio Brett, we got back into our Pre-race routine. Fired up and ready to race we paddled our brand new nelo v3 k2 around the top of the course for our on-water drills and warm-up.

The K2 200m FINAL: We were called to the line, "please come to the start line"...then..."start within 10 seconds"....GO!!! View video

I am now looking forward to representing Australia at World Cups and Sprint Cups in Europe and the World Championships in August. I will then travel to Ireland to race in a world renown race: The Liffey Descent before flying to South Africa to paddle the Fish River Marathon. All this before my return for the WA/Australian Ocean Paddling Series where I will be paddling the newest model Stellar SES Ski I look forward to some great results.

I was a very proud paddler from WA that day, and i really appreciate the support received from all my supporters":

WAIS
Stellar Kayaks and Skis
Precision Paddling
Helly Hansen
Skins
B.d. Farm Paris Creek
h2O Audio

Regards,
Jesse Phillips

Jesse Phillips had a breakthrough win for the new Stellar Surf Ski brand in the 1km ‘Dash for Cash’ at the 2009 Classic Paddle on Perth’s Swan River today.

With 25 knot cross breezes, conditions on the Swan were challenging. However sprint specialist Phillips got the jump on the field and held off fast finishers to the first buoy including race winner, and 1000m specialist Brendan Sarson.

“I got a fantastic start, the Stellar ski has great speed off the mark. I managed to hold on in the sprint as the conditions got harder the further we went.”

Sydney International Boat Show (Sydney Australia, July 30-August 3, 2009)