Paddle for Charity Yields Big for UCSF Foundation!
Race #2 of the Whole Foods Market Paddle Race Series was a charitable one with over 100 paddlers coming together to raise $4602.75 for the UCSF Foundation Hematology Department.(above Ryan Funk charging off the line - all photos Ron Steinau)
While the calendar said 'November' the weather said 'May' with near perfect conditions. 75+ degree temperatures and nearly windless conditions greeted a massive fleet of Outrigger Canoes, Surfski's, Prone Paddleboards, Stand Up Paddleboards, and Kayaks. 100% of the event proceeds are to be donated to the UCSF Foundation that has been so instrumental in extending and saving lives. But we didn't stop there. Generous donations from event Sponsors Carve Designs, O'Neill Wetsuits, alongside some 101 Surf Sports gear made for some excellent raffle and auction items raising an additional $1500 dollars going for a great cause.
The day started with some reflection. 101 Surf Sports owner Cort Larned recounted his own battle with a severe, rare, and deadly form of cancer. Cort was able to beat his cancer, with the help of the entire UCSF family, and is celebrating 5 years cancer free. A minute of silence followed as we remembered the friends and family lost over the years to cancer. A heartfelt thanks to all that dug deep and gave to help those that come after us. As Cort has proved; the battle can be won.
Given the large contingent of over 100 paddlers the starting action was broken up in to 3 starts with the boats leading the way. The boats broke some new waters with our first ever spin around the 17 marker. The Marin Islands were still in the mix with the paddlers needing to also go around them. Unfortunately a few of the boats opted to turn early and forgot to go out to the piling 17. A 1 hour penalty was added to their times. Next up the long course fired off. Long course racers can remove 7 minutes from the times on paddleguru to come up with an accurate time. Short Course racers can remove 13 minutes to come up with accurate times.
Some stellar performances were turned in on the day but it was the charity action to really stood out. We can't thank enough everyone who donated till it hurt to help raise dollars for the UCSF foundation. If you want to give some more you can do it by clicking here.
We can't thank enough all our sponsors. Out title sponsor Whole Foods Market once again outdid themselves with a lunch spread for over 115 hungry paddlers. Both the San Rafael and Mill Valley Miller avenue store pitched in to feed this massive fleet. Mamie's Pies and Three Twins Ice Cream for desert ; how can you beat that? Cold beer that's how! Thanks Marin Brewing Company for the tasty local suds. Hint Water has become a mainstay of the local paddle scene. With all the free Hint Water the racers could drink there was no dehydration to be seen. We welcomed two new sponsors to the fold Kind Bars and Honey Stinger Energy – this probably explains the new course records being set on the day! O'Neill Wetsuits went big donating a massive trove of rash guards and a high end wetsuit to boot! Thanks O'Neill! Last but not least our normal boat support the Barbary Ghost was in the house with captain Drew on hand to volunteer as well. Need to keep the winter stoke going then make sure to check out the November and December Paddle Tours on the Barbary Ghost. Click Here
In addition to our normal sponsors, the charity angle saw the industry rally behind the cause. No one rallied harder than SIC Maui. The company donated a 12'6 SIC Bullet for the raffle and threw in a full carbon paddle to sweeten the pot. We here at 101 have a particular affinity for this board as it's literally our favorite one board quiver for San Francisco Bay's rougher waters. Race it, downwind it, even catch a Bolinas wave or two. The folks over at Carve Designs got in on the giving as well setting us up with enough Carve Designs Paddle wear to hold our own fashion show! Quickblade Paddles did what they normally do – give! QB set us up with a full Carbon Kanaha paddle to help cajole the paddlers into reaching in to those wallets one more time. Surfstow Paddles got in on the giving too offering up one of their super nice adjustable paddles. Lightweight and easy on the eyes it's the perfect paddle for getting one paddle for multiple people. Thanks to Sausalito's OnBoard SUP who donated 5 Yoga Classes. If you haven't been over to see the new set up OnBoard has at SeaTrek then put it on your short-list. While there is no public launch they are stocked with an awesome portfolio of rental boards and one of the best launching set ups we've scene. Paddling Richardson Bay should be on every paddlers list and SeaTrek is the place to do it. Click here to get directions to the new SeaTrek Location.
The race simply would not be possible without the help of our Volunteers. Thanks to Dave Hook, Shanna Upton, Frank Bartek, Drew Testuide, Liz Larned, Emily & Haile Wells, Janice Callahan, and Linda Haggerty. Thanks as well to the US Coast Guard and the San Rafael Police Boat for helping keep our waters safe. Thanks as well to the 101 Surf Sports Staff for all your hardwork making this possible. One more big thanks to Captain Ron Steinau for all the Photography. Check out his gallery here.
Please do remember to sign up early for all our races. We do need to limit the action to 101 Paddlers in the future. Next race is our December 6th long distance race sponsored by Terrapin Crossroads. The race is called the Long Strange Trip and this one is not for inexperienced paddlers with over 13 miles of San Francisco Bay between you and the finish line. More Info on the December 6th Race Here.
One last gigantic THANKS to all who donated, bought raffle tickets, put in a bid in the auction, or just showed up to paddle. It's very very appreciated.
PS - Thanksgiving requires a Mamie's Whipped Pumpkin Pie! Put Three Twins Vanilla alongside and get ready for goodness guaranteed!
PPS - We are closed on Tuesday November 11th for Staff Appreciation Day as well as November 26th and 27
Free Metabolic Efficiency Seminar Wednesday November 12th - CLICK HERE
Free Nutritional Supplement Seminar Thursday November 20th - CLICK HERE
Free Surf SUP Demo Day Saturday December 13th and Sunday December 14th - 9am to Noon - CLICK HERE
See Jean Rathle's GPS Tracks at the very bottom of this article.
Race Results (boat race times are accurate, long course subtract 7 minutes, short course subtract 13 minutes)
