Fast sea kayaker overall winner at Lake Jocasee

The overall winner of this year’s Lake Jocassee Paddle Splash was Kayla Raymes, racing in a fast sea kayak.  She was one of 81 competitors in Saturday’s race at the Devil’s Fork State Park.  Racers, from 12 to 81 years old, competed in kayaks, canoes, surf skis and stand-up paddleboards.  Chris Rucker, race director for Friends of Jocassee, says the contestants came from across the Southeast “and were happy to race at the premier inland paddling destination in South Carolina.”  Proceeds from the race go to projects at Devil’s Fork and other state parks in the Jocassee Gorges.