Having just passed the 50 registrations mark for this year’s edition of the NELO Summer Challenge, it’s amusing to see that there’s no lacking in creativity from our participants.

After Tim Brabant and Ben Farrell opened the gates of the “alternative” profile photos, now that athletes from Vila do Conde’s local club joined the party and submitted even more crazy ones!

We at Nelo are all very curious to see who will win between Topo Gigio and the rat from Ratatoille.

See all the photos in our entry list.

The most original photo will win a very special prize (pictures must be related to canoeing or Nelo)! Register now.

...and in big towns!

Two days before the race I find myself sitting in the Nelo van with Andre, Henrique and Manuel Busto heading north to Benidorm with the trailer behind us loaded with ski’s. The wind is howling blowing at around 15-20 knots.

After putting on all the warm gear we have (not much as this is the Mediterranean and should be warm) we are immediately in some good cross runs heading out to the island.

The 11km from Benidorm back to Villajoyosa in these conditions are as good as you would get anywhere around the world! Heaps of fun.

Come race day, nothing like that, we had 14km of upwind paddling into a light 5 knot breeze heading up to Benidorm and our turning buoy. Not all was lost though as the wind was blowing in our face on the way up and should be at our backs on the way home…....not to be.

The wind did a magic trick and disappeared to make it a grind the whole way home.

Sean Rice lead from start to finish with Hank and Jasper on his wash with myself and Dawid always 50-100m behind heading to Benidorm.

After the island I paddled my way up to second on a more inshore line with Sean still out in front.

Coming into the last 3pm the boys on the outside had managed to fight back and found something in their water to bring them home over the top of me.

No one was ever going to catch Sean today and he raced really well. Dawid powered into second with Hank third, Jasper fourth and myself fifth.

It was a bloody hard race in conditions that made 25km seem even longer.

As the race finished and we were enjoying lunch, the wind came up! As I am writing this looking out the window the wind is blowing in the same perfect direction as the swell for a paddle back from Benidorm. Unbelievable!

Tim Jacobs AUS and Manuel Busto ESP are top class paddlers in their disciplines, for our Team to have them is a great honour, to be able to share these days with them it is an enriching experience!

We discuss Canoeing in general and SurfSki in particular for 12 hours a day, and even better we catch up for some good sessions as today where we can see both boat and paddler in action and understand better where we have to aim in the future.

Today was one of those days, headed up to Benidorm and paddle the second part of the course with a 13 knot wind on our back making it an awesome afternoon of downwind paddling.

Tomorrow last minute adjustments and more lessons to be learnt!

I made the 4 out of 4 finals from the week, single and double, ski relay and taplin relay. Got 3 5ths and an 8th in the taplin. Single ski final was a blunder of a race for me, had a shocking start, last of the beach after missing my jump in, decided not to chase and let the field go and sneak out to the right looking for clean water. Paid off after popping a few waves cleanly and finding some flat water to the cans and getting there in fourth close to the medals. I misjudged a wave coming and let of a bit power and unfortunately the wave just slid from underneath me and there goes the medals. Caugth the next wave with 5 other guys and got pipped at the line for fourth.

David Smith