101 Surf Sports Winter Race Series Race #1 / Lahaina Fundraiser
101 Surf Sports Winter Race Series Race #1 / Lahaina Fundraiser
The Aloha was in the air this morning in sunny San Rafael as our dedicated community of paddlers assembled for our first race of the season. Every type of forward facing paddle craft was in attendance which created a formidable starting line. Racers of all ages were ready for some action as the water filled with an impressive number of outrigger canoes, surfskis, prone paddleboards and SUP’s.
Our typical race is actually one big party disguised as a race, so with that said, we took the opportunity to gather our dear friends and customers to generate some much needed relief for the folks affected by the recent wildfires on Maui. Our retail partners stepped up to the plate to help us make this fundraiser an over the top affair by providing amazing raffle items such as boards, paddles, and other fantastic merchandise.
Of significant mention is Olukai Sandals who offered to match each and every dollar raised through their Ama Olukai Foundation. Combined we reached 20k for the fundraiser!
Many of the people in attendance bought raffle tickets, and some very generous friends even made cash donations. Congratulations to those who won prizes, and more importantly, thank you to everyone who participated in the event and contributed towards a good cause.
To make things fun, this year we’ve added yet another category for our racers, Legend. This category spans from the age of 71 to 101, and it came at the perfect time as many experienced paddlers showed out. Another fun thing we’ve added is an OC-6 category! An OC-6 is short for Outrigger Canoe, 6 person. There were 3 canoes that duked it out over the span of a total of 6 miles, and it sure made for an exciting finish! The crews from He’e Nalu and Tam OCC came out in force to add some Polynesian vibes to our race.
Our friends from Petaluma joined us yet again, and if you don’t know about River Town Racers, you should check them out. It’s a group of youth paddlers that focus on the art of K-1 kayaks and several of their members are killing it on the regional and national levels. A special thanks goes out to Kiana Morse for helping us keep it honest by pulling the raffle tickets from the barrel. Another RTR that deserves an honorable mention is Violet Ryan for stopping to help out a fellow racer that capsized at the beginning of the race. That’s classy and extremely respectable, way to go Violet!!!
Finally, we need to thank Tom Sixsmith for yet another amazing lunch of some traditional Oktoberfest favorites as well as a big thank you to the following retail partners for their generosity and support to help us raise that much needed money for the folks on Maui; Jimmy Lewis, SIC, Tahe Outdoors, QuickBlade Paddles, Carve Designs, Duotone, Epic Kayaks, Jam Bar,Fahlo Bracelets, FCS, Infinity SUP, Maui Jim Sunglasses, O’Neill Wetsuits, Ocean Lineage, Rainbow Sandals, Sand Cloud Towels,Simba HwlmetsSolite Boots, Starboard SUP, Stay Covered, Sun Bum and Vamo!
Races at 101 Surf Sports are perfect for first time racers and our next event is the 101 Surf Sports Race #2 “Halloween Party” so sign up soon!
Sign up for the Halloween Race # 2
Take a look at the race results