NEAH BAY — Contestants will begin to arrive at the Hobuck Hoedown Paddle Surf Festival today for races, dinners and camaraderie through Sunday.
The surf kayak festival will be at Hobuck Beach near Neah Bay.
It is the Official Sanctioned Surf Competition, with points qualifying towards the U.S. West Surf Kayak Team in the High Performance and International classes only, according to the website at www.hobuckhoedown.com.
Based on signups, heats may be split by gender and age.
Contestants are urged to stake their claims to campsites today because they are first-come, first-served.
Between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. today will be check-in and late registration. From 7 to 9 tonight will be “beverages, bonfire and conversation,” the website said.
On Saturday, check-in and late registration will continue at 6:30 a.m., with a safety briefing at 7 a.m.
The first heat will begin at about 8 a.m. Contests will continue until about 4 p.m., followed by a dinner and more gathering around a bonfire.
Heats are set from about 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday.
The Hobuck Hoedown was started in 2007 as the Pacific Northwest’s first surf and sea kayaking competition, according to the website, which says that over the years the festival has drawn participants from as far away as Oregon, British Columbia, Idaho, Texas, Sweden and Southern California.
To register, and to see the rules, go to the website at www.hobuckhoedown.com.
