Now that hundreds and hundreds of Santa Barbarians (it is Fiesta week…;-) and Central Coasters, own standup paddle boards…we are encouraging folks to get together and participate in some friendly and fun races…it’s an opportunity to push yourself a bit and meet other interesting and kewl people that share their mutual love of standup paddleboarding…

The conditions for the fun SUP race yesterday afternoon were quite challenging…we had a late Spring like low swing through and kicked up the wind on the backside as it passed heading East…sizeable wind swell was also generated…

We put together a 3.6 mile double loop course…

Heading to the upwind mark outside the kelp bed…

Rich Schroeder and Matt Becker battling it out…Rich is quickly learning how to ride the swells on the outside to his advantage…even though Matt is a good surfer, Rich glided past him on a long swell ride, and into the lead for good…

Ashley grinding it up to the first mark upwind…

Emily Chan ended up persevering and took 1st place in the wahine class…

Adam heading for home and the 3rd place bronze medal…or popsicle stick as it were…;-)

Scott enjoying an afternoon on the water workout in Santa Barbara…

Christian at the finish line…

Rob Graham powering home…

Jon Cotter finishing strong…

Matt Becker taking the silver medal…

Rich Schroeder…two time Olympic gold medalist, adding another gold to his collection from the 2nd race in the Leadbetter SUP Cup…part of the Naish Summer Race Series…

More pics in this GALLERY…

Fun SUP race and social paddle today at Leadbetter Beach…6:00 P.M.

Leadbetter SUP Cup…

Here are some more inaugural Santa Barbara Point to Point (P2P) SUP/Paddleboard Race photos…

There will be a link to a gallery with 130 or so images in it at the bottom of this post…

Kevin Steele also has some nice ones up on his blog…

Skipper’s meeting…Starboard K-15 and 12’6″ Pin in foreground…

Legendary waterman Dave Kalama powering the production 14′ Naish Glide into 1st place Men’s 14′ class…

Rob Graham runs for the gate after jumping off of his new 12′ Naish Glide…

The 12′ Naish AST Glide was working pretty nicely for Jon Cotter…

If you are L@@King for a racier SUP, we have lots of 12′ and 14′ Naish Glides in stock…as well as Starboards and BARK…including the new Surftech production model of the BARK 14′ Expedition…

You’ll have several more opportunities right here in Santa Barbara to participate in paddle racing a SUP this month…the next 4 Thursdays we’ll be hosting a 3.5 mile fun race at Leadbetter Beach in Santa Barbara at 6:00 P.M.

These races are part of the Naish Summer Race Series…and, we’re calling this the “Leadbetter SUP Cup”…

Additionally, in conjunction with Wine & Roses Hobie Cat Charity Regatta
there will be a SUP & Paddle Board Race Saturday, August 15 @ 8:30AM
Leadbetter Beach, Santa Barbara, CA…near the Hobie Cat beach by the SB Yacht Club…

BBQ followed by Charity Auction/Raffle…6:00pm Saturday Santa Barbara Yacht Club

Proceeds to go to Make A Wish Foundation of the Tri-Counties

Two time Olympic gold medal winner, Rich Schroeder, powering his 12’6″ stock carbon Hobie…

Bryan Fernandez put on a great race on the Starboard K-15…

14 year old Matthew Becker catching a nice bump at the end of the 11 miler…

Guy Lindburg, our shop manager, crossing the finish line of the 11 miler…he loves downwinders…

Naish stepped up to the plate for this race…and is assisting with the “Leadbetter Cup” races the next 4 Thursdays…

Eric Diamond from Honolua…another big race sponsor…

EJ and Andie Johnson…great SUP competitive paddling couple…great peeps…great friends…

The “Hero Stoke Attitude Award” goes to Jon and Reyna…they paddled their 9’8″ and 10’5″ Starboard SUP surf style SUP’s the entire long course from the West end of Goleta Beach to the East end of East Beach…that’s what the judges are L@@King for!!!

Matter of fact, Reyna won the wahine stock class…her competition rode a board twice the length of hers…

Almost everyone scored some kewl shwag during the raffle…

A shout out to Robert Gilcrest of Blacksmith Endurance, for helping to coordinate this inaugural Santa Barbara endurance paddling event…

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More pics in this GALLERY…please note that there are 5 pages…

*** Race results here

Santa Barbara will play host to two downwind SUP/Paddleboard races this weekend…
Saturday August 1, 2009…an 11 miler from Goleta Pier to the East Beach Pavilion…and a 3.5 miler from Leadbetter Beach to the East Beach Pavilion…

The short course will also be the inaugural race in the Naish Summer SUP Race Series stock class…designed to be a “fun race”…all surfboard style SUP’s are welcomed…

Benefiting from this event will be The Friendship Paddle Foundation of Santa Barbara to be recipients of 50% of the proceeds generated from this event to assist with funding for the their support program aligned with the Santa Barbara Hospice program.

Legendary waterman Dave Kalama is expected to be in attendance and to compete…

Ernie (EJ) Johnson, fresh from the JEVER SUP World Cup in Hamburg, Germany where there were 27,000 spectators, will also be competing…a few other top ranked California based prone and standup paddlers will be competing as well…

Race course…click to enlarge…

Click for full race details here and see below…

Free Shuttle Ride for Entrants and Boards

Event Description:

SB- P2P®.
Saturday August 1st, 2009
Paddleboard and Stand Up Paddleboard

Two Course Lengths!
11 Mile and 3.5 Mile Point to Point Course Routes

11 Mile events starts at promptly at 2pm at Goleta Beach and finishes at East Beach, Santa Barbara 3.5 Mile event starts promptly at 3:15 pm at Ledbetter Beach and finishes at East Beach, Santa Barbara.
Additionally there will be an entry level 3.5 mile short course event launched from Ledbetter Beach, Santa Barbara.

Mission
Recognizing the importance of supporting and promoting the Santa Barbara paddle boarding community, Blacksmith Endurance has established the SB- P2P®. 100% of the profits from this great inaugural event will be given to The Friendship Paddle Foundation (www.friendshippaddle.org) of Santa Barbara.

Paddleboard

Male Class
:: Unlimited
:: 14”
:: Stock

Male Divisions’
:: Men 60+
:: Men 40-59
:: Men 17-39
:: 16 and under

Wahine Class
:: Unlimited
:: 14’
:: Stock

Wahine Division’
:: 39 and under
:: 40+

Stand Up Paddleboard

Male Class
:: Stock (12’-6”)
:: 14’ Class
:: Unlimited

Male Divisions’
:: Men 60+
:: Men 40-59
:: Men 17-39
:: Kids 16 and under

Wahine Class
:: Stock (12’-6”)
:: 14’ Class
:: Unlimited

Wahine Division’
:: 39 and under
:: 40 and older

Race and Course Description
[Click here to upload map image]

11 Mile Long Course Event
:: Online registration starts 6AM Tuesday July 14th, 2009 and closes 6PM Friday July 31st, 2009

:: Day of the event registration; 8AM-1PM Saturday August 1st, 2009 at:
The Beach House
10 State Street
Santa Barbara, CA 93101
(805) 963-1281
Map

Or

Stand Up Paddle Sports
121 Santa Barbara St
Santa Barbara, Ca 93101
Map

:: Courtesy entrant and board shuttle from East Beach to Goleta Beach will be provided for those who sign up in advance at registration locations. Departures times from East Beach parking lot will be 11:30AM, 12:30PM
Free shuttle for entrants, gear and boards
:: Entrants can take advantage of free shuttle service
:: Each entrant will be given a “large white plastic bag” to stash their personal belongings into, these bags will then be returned “unopened” to the finish line.
:: Boards will be loaded into large van and stacked on multi level racks
:: All categories will water start simultaneously
:: All entrants are required to adhere to the current US Coast Guard watercraft regulations for safety requirements.
:: Support vessels and Lifeguards will be on course to provide safety and support for entrants
:: Course is closed to outside support from persons other than the race organization: any person who receives unauthorized support (from a vessel or coach in the water or on land) will forfeit all raffle and prize eligibility. This is to ensure the safety of all entrants
:: Course closure will occur at 5:00pm at the 8.5 mile course marker buoy.
:: Early drop out of this race is restricted to Arroyo Burro Beach or Ledbetter Beach.

3.5 Mile Short course event
:: Online registration starts 6AM Tuesday July 14th, 2009 and closes 6PM Friday July 31st, 2009
:: Day of the event registration; 8AM-1:00PM Saturday August 1st, 2009 at either:

The Beach House
10 State Street
Santa Barbara, CA 93101
(805) 963-1281
Map

Or

Stand Up Paddle Sports
121 Santa Barbara St
Santa Barbara, Ca 93101
Map

:: No entrant or board shuttle service will be provided for the “Short course race”
:: 3:00PM water start for all “short course entrants”, hour time limit.
:: Minors must be accompanied by parent or guardian

Event Fees
:: 11 Mile race entry fee is $45.00
:: 3.5 Mile race entry fee is $30.00

Entry Fee will include:
:: One event T-shirt (choose from men’s women’s or youth) (additional shirts will be for sale for $10.00 apiece)
:: Event sponsors swag
:: Unlimited amount of fuels and mixes ( Sports Quest Carbo Pro and Carbo Pro 1200, Hammer Nutrition Head or Sustained Energy, GU O2, GU and Roctane gel.
:: Post race meal (locally made burritos, rice, beans , fruit etc…. )
:: Complimentary refreshments and / or locally made beer by Telegraph Brewery
:: Raffle ticket

Benefiting recap:
Event proceeds will be forwarded to the Friendship Paddle Foundation

Registration:

www.ultrasignup.com

All entrants will be required to digitally sign an Entrant’s Waiver disclosure at the point of transaction. Additional each entrant and or parent guardian will be required to fill out and sign an “Entrant Waiver” at pre-race check in

Event Day Itinerary:

7:00am- 12:00pm Event set up at East Beach (East end of the beach)
8:00am- 12:00pm Race registration
11:30am-12:45pm Courtesy entrant and board shuttle service rides from East Lot- East Beach to Goleta Beach
1:30pm 11 Mile-Goleta Beach to East Beach; mandatory pre-race briefing for all entrants
2:00pm 11 Mile-Goleta Beach to East Beach; group water start (see map form start line location)
3:00pm 3.5 Mile-Ledbetter Beach to East Beach: mandatory pre-race briefing for all entrants
3:30pm 3.5 Mile-Ledbetter Beach to East Beach: group water start (see map form start line location)
1:00pm- 6:00pm East Beach Sponsor product demos, exhibits,
5:30 Course is closed and all entrants remaining on course will be delivered to the East Beach finish line.
6:00pm Awards and raffle
8:00pm Event is officially over

Mark your calendars…

In conjunction with Naish, Honolua, and Blacksmith Endurance we are helping to coordinate a Santa Barbara downwind race Saturday August 1, 2009…Goleta Pier to the Pavilion at East Beach (~10.5 mi)…there will also be a short course from Leadbetter Beach to the Pavilion at East Beach (~3.5mi)…the short course will be part of a US Championship Race Series…

NAISH 2009 SUP CHAMPIONSHIP RACE SERIES

The Naish 2009 SUP Championships is a Recreational Race Series that will be held
weekly in 10 to 15 Cities across the US and Canada.

The four to six week series will be held between now and August 31.
The Divisions will include a Men’s and Women’s Class with a board restriction of 12’6” and under. At the end of the series the top 3 Men and Women in each city will receive an invite to compete with racers from across North America for the Championship race in San Diego, CA on September 13th , 2009.

These races are intended to be for the beginner to advanced paddler. The goal is to
increase overall participation and visibility of the sport. Ideally races should be at a time and place that is convenient for participants and spectators to attend on a weekly basis.

Below is a general outline of the races.

Series Outline
Series Length- 4 to 6 Weeks, 1 Race a week
Course Type- Course Race or Downwinder
Length- 30 to 45 Minute Races
Divisions- Men’s Division
Women’s Division
Fee- $20 Series, $5 Race
Scoring-
1- 10
2- 8
3- 7
4- 6
5- 5
6- 4
7- 3
8- 2
9- (and above) 1

The scoring is cumulative and the high score wins.

The Championship Race will be held on Sunday September 13th in San Diego, California.

The Winners of each division will receive a 14’ Glide and a trip to Maui, Hawaii for the 5th Annual Naish Paddle Championships, a 9.54 mile race from Maliko Gulch to Kahului Harbor.

Thank you for being a part of this great race series!

It’s that time of year again…we are hosting a FREE SUP demo tomorrow (Sunday May 3)

It will run from 9 until ~2…we have a RSVP list that is getting very full of people wanting to demo specific boards of interest…but, we will do our best to accommodate all…please call the shop or email for details…

A variety of SUP’s and paddles will be available to demo…
From the leaders in the SUP industry, including Starboard…Naish…Hobie…Imagine Eco…Bill Foote…Werner…Powerex…

Safety…etiquette…board handling…paddling technique…and, general/technical questions/issues from fitness paddling to racing to wave riding will be addressed…

Alrighty then…today is ANOTHER day in paradise…get out there and paddle…

Here’s a few more shots from the race on Saturday…

There’s 59 images in this gallery…

and another 64 images in this gallery…

Special shout out to Bill Anderson of Anderson Custom Boats for the photo skippering he did…