The September Sessions 2008 - The Return
After the success of The September Sessions event in '07 we are proud to announce details of the '08 event. Over to John Hibbard, the events creator to explain more: 
What: The return of the UK's famous SUP event - Surf Comp, Distance Comp, Board Demos & Coaching Clinic
Where: Brandon Bay, S.W Ireland. MAP
When: Contest 30th - 31st August 2008 - Coaching Clinic Mon 25th - Fri 29th August (ok, so we know it's not September but it's close enough!)
Who: Anyone
My mission was to put together an event that encompasses all that is good about Stand Up Paddle Surfing. The 2007 event was an amazing success and really put a marker in the sand for future events. The aim is to build on this success and move the event to a different location every year. Hopefully it will serve as a travelling advert for SUP and will attract a good number of local and not-so-local entrants. The locations are picked for the quality of the conditions as well as the local surroundings. I want the journey to the contest to be part of the experience. Some years the event will be just down the road from you and other years you will have to do a little bit of a road trip to get there. The plan is to always keep The September Sessions close to its roots as a rider driven event. We won't be selling out to sponsors and we will always consider the locations with the conditions as the most important aspect. 'Road Trippin' is all part of experiencing new locations - they don't come much better or as varied as Brandon Bay.
The 2008 event will be held on the picturesque coast of West Ireland. Our hosts for the event will be Jamie Knox Watersports, who are based on the shores of Brandon Bay on the Dingle Penninsular - a sandy horseshoe bay open to swell from the Atlantic. The pace of life is slow in Brandon Bay and the beaches are clean and spacious. The waves range from perfect peeling reef breaks through to gentle sandy beach breaks. The flat water cruising is awesome with a back drop of mountains and forests. It has to be seen to be believed. It is the perfect location for The September Sessions.
So that you and your friends and family can make the most of your trip to Ireland we are putting on a coaching clinic on the days leading up to the event. This is open to all comers from total beginners through to the more advanced paddlers. We will guide you through the basics and take you onto more advanced techniques. You can either bring your own board or hire one from Jamie Knox Watersports at a reduced rate. The cost of the clinic is 250 Euro. This gives you a goody bag, and 5 days of coaching from experienced SUP paddlers and instructors John Hibbard and Jamie Knox. To book your place on the SUP clinic please contact Jeremy at Jamie Knox Watersports Tel:00353(66)7139411 or by emailing him HERE
The contest on the weekend is free to enter as long as you send your entry in before 22nd July. After that it will be 20 Euros to enter - you'll have to be quick though as places go very quicky. Entry forms for the contest can be downloaded HERE and completed forms should be emailed back to us (click HERE for email address). Just like last year the competition will be a friendly affair with a good mix of competitiveness and friendly atmosphere - we will be promoting the Give Respect to Gain Respect way of paddle surfing in the waves. All levels of riders are encouraged to enter and all entrants will be provided with a goody bag. Prizes will be awarded for the winners as well as highest achievers and most improved. More details about the format of the contest will be coming out soon but we can confirm that there will be Surf and Distance events with the winner of the distance event winning a months supply of Grasshopper Organic Instant Porridge. There is limited entry space though so you will need to get your entry form to us ASAP if you would like to take part.
This really is an event to be part of. You don't have to be in it to win it. It's all about coming along and being part of the friendly SUP scene. If you came along last year you'll know all about it and we look forward to welcoming you back. If you are a newcomer then you are more than welcome and we will make you feel at home. This is an event for everyone and the sucess of the event comes down to you, the entrants.
For Contest entry forms click HERE
For Coaching week bookings contact Jeremy at Jamie Knox Tel:00353(66)7139411 - EMAIL
How to get to Brandon Bay - it's easier than you might think and pretty cheap too:
BY AIR:
Kerry Airport is located just 30 min's from the beach and Ryan Air fly direct, twice daily from Stanstead or Luton. You can get SUP boards on to the plane for £25 each. We've travelled with 10" SUP boards on Ryan Air with no problem, so a board up to 12" should be no issue. At the time of writing you can get a return ticket to Kerry for £34. Car Hire is available at the airport. The coaching clinic starts at 10am on Monday 25th and the competition starts at 10 am on Saturday 30th (with check in from 8am) and ends on the evening of the 31st.
You can also fly into Shannon Airport. This is about 1.5 hrs drive from Brandon. Cork Airport is about 2.5 hrs drive from Brandon and Dublin Airport about 4 hrs. So there is plenty of choice and all cheap if booked in advance.
BY SEA:
If you would like to bring your own car as well as a stash of boards and friends then sea travel could be the answer for you and is what we use most of the time. Ferries cross the Irish sea on a daily basis. You can get ferries to Rosslare in SE Ireland from Pembroke/Fishguard in South Wales, which take 3 hrs. The drive over to Brandon from Rosslare is then about 4 hours, passing through some stunning scenery. Ferries from Holyhead in North Wales get you to Dublin where it is about 4 hrs to Brandon Bay
BY ROAD:
If you live in Ireland then you'll just need to jump into the car and "road trip" it to Brandon.
Please feel free to CONTACT US with regard to any travel questions you may have.
Accommodation:
There is a varied mix of accommodation available very local to the beach. Here is a list of local B&B's. We can strongly recommend the Brandon Bay Lodge for it's awesome breakfasts and proximity to the beach. We will be meeting here every morning for both the competition and the coaching.
So there you have it. The September Sessions has returned and is set to mark yet another memorable event in SUP history. You are the people that make the event what it is, so we look forward to seeing you all there. As we've already mentioned, places for both the coaching and contest are limited, so please get your entries and requests in as soon as you can.
Thanks as always to the sponsors for helping with this event and believing in The September Sessions.
Fat Face, Jamie Knox Watersports, Starboard Stand Up Paddle Boards, Grasshopper Porridge.
ANY QUESTIONS PLEASE EMAIL US
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