SurfingSports Standup Paddle Surf & Standup Paddling BLOG

Matt spanks Rich Schroeder at our weekly SUP race series...



NOT!!! Matt put me up to the pic...;-)

Heading out to the first turn...



Rich is in good form right now...



Adam is helping us out at the shop...he's a keen triathlete, who is finding a liking for standup paddle racing...



John Ford showed up and powered his Naish 11'6" around the course into 3rd place...



Nolan L@@King pretty comfortable on the Naish 12' Glide...



More pics in this GALLERY...

Labels: Santa Barbara standup paddle sports, Santa Barbara SUP race, standup paddle racing

Major props to Steve Leo for smoothing the way to get an inaugural SUP/paddleboard race added to this year's 10th Annual Wine & Roses Regatta here in Santa Barbara...

Next year's event is already in the planning stage, so please mark the 3rd Saturday in August on your paddle racing calendar now...this is the only event in Santa Barbara where beach camping for an event is allowed...so, if you think that the long drive to Lake Tahoe for a 7 mile race is a burden, consider this 4 mile event next year...it's a cheap date to live like kings and queens on one of Santa Barbara's premiere beaches for a couple of days...not to mention the killer BBQ at the Santa Barbara Yacht Club after the event...proceeds go to the Make-A-Wish Foundation of the Tri-Counties

Reyna styling the event t-shirt...we wonder if she wore it to her high school reunion last night...;-)



Try finding a spot this nice to camp on the beach in Santa Barbara...
(hint: there are none...;-) let alone for $7/night...fun racing and camaraderie...



This race features a beach start with a 2 lap upwind/downwind course...
Hobie Alter, Jr. showed up to keep everyone on the line...;-)



Mad dash through the surf...



Scrambling for the lead...



The glassy water is egg-beaten by the frenzy...



Hard fought battle between Rich Schroeder and Dan Gavere...at the end of the 1st lap, Rich hangs onto the lead...



Nick Bobroff is the overall winner...1st place stock paddleboard...



Rich Schroeder held Dan Gavere off for 1st place men's stock SUP...



Rich's training regimen is starting to pay dividends...his GPS numbers are improving at every race...



Dan Gavere powering the 12'6" Starboard Pin into 2nd place...



John Dutton slicing home into 2nd place men's stock paddleboard...



Tom Reilly showing off his "trophy"...;-)
Tom is the organizer for the 17th Annual Ken Harmount Pier to Pier Paddle this September 12th at Avila Beach...it's a benefit for Central Coast Junior Lifeguards...



Rob Graham starting his anniversary off with a "trophy" to share with wifey...;-)



BBQ at the Santa Barbara Yacht Club...



Everybody is a winner at the auction fund raiser...



Here is an image GALLERY capturing a small part of the event...

Labels: Santa Barbara paddle racing, Santa Barbara standup paddle sports, Santa Barbara SUP race, Wine and Roses regatta

Reminder about the Wine and Roses event in Santa Barbara tomorrow...
SUP & Paddle Board Race
Saturday, August 15 @ 8:30AM

In Conjunction with Wine & Roses
Hobie Cat Charity Regatta
Leadbetter Beach, Santa Barbara, CA

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...

We had another of Naish Summer SUP race series race yesterday in very foggy conditions...last week wind...this week fog...

Exciting race between Dan Gavere (Werner Paddles) and Rich Schroeder...with Rich digging hard, and using local knowledge of the kelp beds in the fog, to come out on top...









Longtime windsurfer, Tami Starczak, took 1st place in the women's SUP race...she also did well in a couple of the Naish Summer SUP race events held in Hood River, OR...



Rob Graham trimmed 7 minutes off of his time last week...he's been practicing and tuning his gear...all fired up for the Hobie race tomorrow...



Next SUP race in Santa Barbara is Thursday August 20 at 6:00 P.M. west end of Leadbetter Beach...

On another note...we just received the new Starboard 10'3" x 28.5" Gun SUP...
At 147 liters of volume, this new SUP is going to be quite popular...slightly slimmed down version of the best selling 10'5" x 30" Drive...

We have them in stock in Classic, black camo Tufskin, and wood...



This boards dimensions makes it extremely versatile. Enough rail length, combined with the narrower width, enable it to tackle the most daunting of waves. Extreme amounts of V and thinner profile tail, creates a super smooth transition from rail to rail, while also providing an extremely loose yet driven feel in smaller surf. High performance for every type of condition in one board.

This board is also great for women looking for a bit narrower SUP than the 10'5" x 30" Drive...and longer than the 9'8" x 30" Element...

Labels: PADDLE RACE SANTA BARBARA, Santa Barbara paddle racing, Santa Barbara SUP race, Starboard 10'3" Gun, Starboard SUP

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...

Labels: Santa Barbara paddle racing, Santa Barbara SUP race

Race results here

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

Long course skipper's meeting...



11 mile long course starting line...



3.5 mile short course start...



Tom Gallagher 1st place Men's unlimited SUP...



Prone paddle boarder Eric Mehlberg (Honolua) 1st place Men's stock short course...



Ernie (EJ) Johnson 1st place Men's stock SUP long course...



Adam Kirkcaldie 1st place Men's stock SUP on the short course...



Dave Kalama 1st place Men's 14' SUP cruisin' to victory on the new Naish 14' Glide production model...we have the "DK" signature version...;-)







Kenny Krall first time on his 12' Naish Glide running for the gate...



Tucker Ingalls bringing it home...



Andie Johnson 1st place Women's stock SUP short course...



Short course wahine competitors having fun...



Kathy Hanley taking time off the volleyball court for her first SUP competition...with Rossana Sandoval also doing her first SUP race...15 seconds separated them...they had bred their dogs together and hadn't seen each other in years...



The SUP youth brigade...SAVE NAPLES, yeah buddy!!!



Stoked paddlers, Eric and EJ...



SUPsports team flags...relaxing in the afternoon breeze...

Labels: Santa Barbara SUP Demo, Santa Barbara SUP race