Weather Insanity Makes For Gorgeous Day Of Paddle Racing

It seems we start these race reports off the same way every time with a thank you for the great weather. Today would be no different so THANKS FOR THE GREAT WEATHER! (Kurt Feeter rocking the new 4 Fin 8'2 Raceboard!!!!)

We are big believers in gratitude paving the way for a happy life and we sure were thankful for the group assembled today. With Outrigger Canoes, Surfski’s, Prone Paddleboards, Stand Up Paddleboards, and kayaks all sharing the course it was a model of inclusion.(Below - The long course fleet at the ready)

Racers were greeted with a plethora of healthy eats provided by Kind Bars and all the Hint Water needed to hydrate the over 80 paddlers assembled to tackle either a 2-mile short or 6-mile long courses.(Below David Hook on his way to winning on a Starbaord Blend)

If you have ever considered giving this racing thing a whirl we can only promise you 3 things. You will meet nice people. You will have a wonderful time. You will not leave hungry! Besides the bars and water there is literaly a cornucopia of fruit served up all day long. Fruit courtesy long time event sponsor The Fruit Guys. The Fruit Guys can deliver fresh fruit to your home or office so take a step towards healthier living and sign up with the Fruit Guys today - Do it! (Pictured below - They are off!)

Our apres paddle lunch is legendary with Mamie’s Pies and Three Twins Ice Cream polishing off your day. Winning is just being here and enjoying the comradery of a SUPer SUPportive community.

We base our race plans on maximizing family fun. Sure we still get some elite athletes but the action is centered more on good times and low pressure fun. In-fact kids under 16 race for free on their own gear on our short course. Rental gear is always available and if you register on our short course in the under 12’6 division we can pretty much assure you of one of our infamous coffee cup trophies.

Paddle of the day goes to Zach Alva. With less than a half second between Zach and top local paddler Carter Johnson notice has been served. These kids are fast! A special nod to Caroline who helped clean the canal and then jumped in a double outrigger canoe with Kelly Starrett to take the win on the OC2 Short Course. Thanks as well to Starboard Ambassador Patrick Alteri pictured below. Patrick brought the killer Starboard starting arch then after finishing went on to pick up trash - note the pile at his feet. Ambassadorship defined. A special nod to Philip Majumdar who tied the course record of Jasper Cadell at 19:25 exactly. Time for a match race boys! One more 'atta-boy' for Rick Carpenter who paddled the long course on a SUP surfboard and did it in under 90 minutes! 

We end up where we started. With Thank You’s. Thanks first and foremost to the businesses that support our sport. Hint Water and Kind Bar have showed up early and often while Mamie’s Pies and Three Twins have been wrapping up our events with smiles since the very beginning. We partner with these businesses because they share our values and run their shows with leaving the world better than they found it as part of their company fabric. Thanks to the San Rafael Police boat for keeping our waters safe.

Thanks as well to all the volunteers with a special nod to Alexander Alvarez who helped in many capacities. Also to the Robison clan with Olivia's help in keeping the scoring line straight. 

Upcoming Events

Sunday Feb 4^th – SUP Surfing Class San Rafael (walk ups welcome)

Saturday February 24th – San Rafael Sprint Racing

Saturday February 24th - Try Outrigger Canoe for free courtesy He'e Nalu

Saturday March 3^rd – San Rafael Course Racing

Saturday March 31^st – Free San Rafael Water Sports Swap Meet

PHOTO GALLERY

COMPLETE RESULTS

Time Offsets. Surfski Long Course – Accurate as is. OC/Prone Long Course -1minute, SUP Long Course -2minutes, Short Course - 9 minutes for boats and 10 for SUP.