Elite FBOR'23 GB Selection Race

Fishguard Bay Ocean Race 2023 (FBOR’23) is a major downwind Ocean Ski race along Pembrokeshire’s wild, award winning north coast – starting at Goodwick beach and crossing 17km of open sea to finish on the wide sandy beach at Newport.

You’ll paddle deep clear water, past towering cliffs, a couple of fun tide-races, a skid turn around a wave-tossed rock and a final sprint up the beach at Newport Surf Lifesaving Club. And this year we’re keeping fingers crossed for epic downwind conditions!

FBOR’23 is the 8th year of this annual tussle and will be held across two days,

On Saturday 8st July – an Elite race for the Welsh Ocean Ski National Championships, plus the GB Team selection.

On Sunday 9th July the course is open to Advanced and Intermediate competitors with their own set of medals, trophies and other prizes, just as in previous years.

In both races, paddlers from all over the UK and beyond compete to test their extreme fitness, boat-handling and seamanship skills, to win this “black-belt,” no-holds-barred ocean race.

The blue riband prize is the perennial FBOR Trophy, awarded to the line-honours winner – the first craft of any category to cross the finish line.
Entry Criteria and Safety

As a race committee we have to be sure that every competitor who enters either of these races is capable, in all the above respects, of successfully complete the course. That specifically means you must have a well practiced, 100% “bullet-proof” remount that, if necessary you can successfully repeat a dozen times without assistance.

So, to enter the race online you will be required to agree to a waiver release (see below) and, at registration, we will require proof of your successfully completing a minimum of one 15+km ocean downwind race within the last 12 months.

Any paddler NOT having an established record of safe finishes in equivalent races must prove their fitness and competence to the race officer before or at registration, preferably by being vouched for by organisers of other races, or you will be excluded from The Race.

At the very least, the waiver, which you will be asked to sign in person as hard copy at registration, will be your statement of assurance to the Race Officer that you are fit and capable of safely finishing The Race.

When we receive your entry you’ll get more detailed race information and, closer to the race date, a detailed course description and virtual race briefing.