Good Times Literally At Charity Paddle Race

We were once again blessed with a fantastic weather window that saw over 70 paddlers taking full advantage of the super high King Tides and a windless San Francisco Bay.(pictured the new course record holders The Alva Brothers)

With rain bookending our race day schedule we were needlessly nervous all week that the weather gods would not be kind. We think however that the good karma of our community, and the fact that the event was a fundraiser for the North Bay fire victims, combined to push that weather window open for us. Literally a perfect day for a paddle race.

We started the day with a remembrance of our good friend Judy Jensen. Judy’s passing this past Sunday has left a hole in the heart of the paddling community. We decided we needed to redirect a bit of our energy to celebrate Judy and as such we sent the proceeds of the auction items to Rivers For Change. Rivers for Change supports our community through adventure, conservation and education projects that connect individuals and communities to rivers and promote source to sea literacy. In particular Judy was quite partial to the Source to Sea Program. Source to Sea works with communities and organizations in helping to understand how this flow of water connects us all and is a key component to a sustainable future. We were able to raise an additional $1000 in Judy’s name to help the programs grant funding. You can learn more about Rivers for Change and even make a donation by clicking here.

We used our positron (pictured above) to send some love to those that needed it most. Thanks to all the racers for lending us your energy. We believe very strongly it helped by channeling our energy towards them with the power of positive thoughts. 

With Surfski, Double Surfski, SUP, Inflatable SUP, OC1, OC2, and Prone Paddleboards on the line it was our normal celebration of diversity. Our only rule of inclusion is that the rider faces forward and that’s just for safety purposes.

With a bold attitude the race director announced it was unlikely any records would be broken. All the rain of late has created a flow of water that was moving in addition to the outgoing tide making for a water-based treadmill that would be working against all the paddlers. In a word we were wrong, and the fleet knocked out numerous records. Most impressively however was the effort put in by brothers Zach and Petri Alva of River Town Racers, who now own the fastest time ever paddled around the Marin Islands course - on any craft. They didn’t just break the record they smashed it by taking over a minute off Carter Johnson’s prior record!

Philip Majumdar did likewise in the short course and now holds the title of fastest human powered anything to complete the 2 mile piling 7 course. Throwing down a blazing 17:52 knocking more than one minute off Jasper Caddell's previous record. That's a picture of Philip at the skippers meeting before racing. We chose this photo as we thought it perfectly captured the "I am about to throw down" face that comes from practice and hardwork. Eye of the tiger Philip. Well played.

Almost as impressive however was the effort put in by Michael Melville, Jen Fuller, Teresa Rogerson, and Devina Horstman (pictured above). All four of them paddled together on the Red Paddle Co inflatable Dragon four-person paddleboard. This crew simply threw the hammer down. They were the second to finish overall in the SUP division completing the course in under one hour. In fact, they were within one minute of overall winner Bojan Bernard’s time. Inspiring to say the least and serving notice that inflatable paddleboards are fast!

We ran the race with out all the trimmings of our normal affair. The event was focused on maximizing our fundraising punch and in addition to the money raised for Rivers for Change we put over $2500 in to the kitty to help our North Bay friends who are still suffering the effects of the Chico fires. Thanks to everyone who raced and to all who bid in the auction. We are stoked to be part of such a vibrant giving community.

A special thanks to Kind Bars, Hint Water, and the Fruit Guys. Their support all season long has been spectacular and with our normal spread of food not out it was very well received.(pictured below the womens 12'6 long course with Sunny Blende, Madeleine King, and Nancy Bell with our new first prize oven mitts)

Also a big hug to Solstice Water Sports, SIC Maui, and Starboard SUP. We are proud to work with such community focused brands.

Upcoming Events

February 2^nd Paddle Race San Rafael – More Information

February 3^rd Surfski Clinic with Jay Wild – More Information

March 2nd  Paddle Race San Rafael - More Information

March 3rd Surfski Clinic With Jay Wild - More Information

March 16th Paddle Race - More Information

April 6^th – San Rafael Swap Meet – More Information

May 19^th – California River Quest – More Information

Complete Photo Gallery

Complete Results (Time Adjust, Long course SUP -1 min, Short Course Boats -6 min, Short Course SUP -7 min)

Pictured below the Alva Brothers with their spoils!