Sacred Craft was a great success for Surftech last weekend in the San Diego Convention Center! Simon Anderson was the convention’s guest of honor, and rightly so! The inventor of the thruster setup has made a HUGE impact on the development of surfing over the years, and Surftech is pleased to welcome Simon into the family as he works with us to develop a full quiver, utilizing  Tuflite and ULTRAFLX technology.

In Tuflite, Surftech and Simon plan on unveiling a 6’0″, 6’2″, 6’4″, 6’6″ and 6’10″ models.

In ULTRAFLX, look for models sized 5’10″, 5’11″, 6’0″, 6’1″, 6’2″, and 6’3″.

The Surftech booth was well stocked with up and coming boards from shapers like Simon Anderson, Xanadu, Stretch, Strive, Rusty, and Surftech’s head shaper and founder Randy French. World class shapers are choosing Surftech because of superior technology and proven performance.

The 2010 Surftech Jay Moriarity Memorial Paddleboard Race is an annual ocean paddleboard race in the beautiful waters of the Monterey Bay. This event is in memory of Santa Cruz Waterman Jay Moriarity. Paddle the 12 mile or 2 mile course. Free races for kids 12 and under.

Why should you do the Jay race?
This is the 9th annual race. It keeps getting better every year! We gather to remember Jay! Proceeds will go to Santa Cruz County Junior Lifeguard Programs to purchase paddleboards and to provide scholarships in Jay’s name. Participants get a goodie bag, tee-shirt, fresh Peet’s coffee, and snacks. And…you get a Hawaiian plate lunch from Aloha Island Grill. Of course there is the challenging course, family-friendly atmosphere, and great hand made trophies and raffle.

Divisions for the 12 mile Race.

Men: 12 mile Stock and Unlimited boards: 29 and under, 30–39,  40–49, and 50+.

Men and Women: 12 mile SUP: stock (12’6 and under) and unlimited.

Women: Stock paddleboards. If paddling an Unlimited you will grouped in the Men’s division.

Fourteen foot class

*New for 2010 Lifeguard Division! All lifeguards and Jr. Lifeguards who paddle the 12-mile course will accumulate points for your Lifeguard organization. A perpetual trophy will be awarded to the organization who accumulates the most points!

Pre-Registration Gathering
Friday, June 25th from 4 pm to 7 pm at the Santa Cruz Harbor Beach near the Crow’s Nest Restaurant. You can still register for the race for a discounted price. Look over the course map. This is a great time to meet other paddlers, discuss race tactics, and ponder the Monterey Bay currents.

Parking and Restrooms
Plenty of parking in the New Brighton Beach lot above the venue. Be prepared to pay the entrance fee at the kiosk. This is not included in the race entry fee. There is limited parking in the surrounding neighborhood and challenging access to the park.… if you know where to look! Restrooms are located several hundred yards from the venue on a vehicle access path on the beach. Plan ahead!!

Race Day Registration
5:30 am registration opens for both the 12 and 2 mile races.

Race Day Entry Fees on 6/26/10
12 mile is $50.00, 2 mile is $25.00, The No Frills 2 mile (no lunch or tee) is $5.00 and the Family Relay and Kids Races are free (we provide the soft paddleboards).

Jay Ceremony
At 8:00 am we will have a ceremony to honor the great Santa Cruz Waterman Jay Moriarity. This year the Jay ceremony will be hosted by Mavericks charger and Jay’s good friend, Grant Washburn.

12 mile Course
(Paddleboards) Water start at 8:30 sharp.

12 mile Course
(Stand-ups) Water Start at 8:40 sharp.

2 mile Course
Water start for all paddleboarders and stand-ups at 8:50. The course parallels the beach toward the Cement Ship. It is an out-and-back course. There will be plenty of California State Lifeguards patrolling the course. The winds are usually calm and the swell small. This is a great course for beginners. Sorry… we can no longer provide loaner boards. Start looking for one now!!

2 mile Categories
Paddle any type of board! We will make up divisions based on participants.

Lunch
A Hawaiian Plate lunch will be provided by the Aloha Island Grill.

Kids Races
Kids races will begin around 11:00 am. We will provide kids age 12 and under with Nipper or Soft paddleboards to use. Courses are age appropriate. They are out and back around a marker off the beach. There will be plenty of Lifeguards on hand to keep the kids safe.

Fun Family Relay

New for 2010 a Three person relay around a triangle course of roughly 800 meters. Teams will use one board to paddle the course. All teams will consist of three paddlers and must have at least one male and one female paddler on the team.

After Race Gathering
We will meet at the Crow’s Nest, at the the Santa Cruz Harbor, for a after race gathering at 5pm.

New age restrictions for the 12 mile paddle.
If you are 15 years old or under, you must be paddle the entire distance with another responsible adult (buddy paddle). However if you are 15 and under and have completed this race in the past, the race committee will decide if you can paddle solo.

Additional Information
Friday, June 25th: 4 to 7 pm is pre-race check-in at the Crow’s Nest / Harbor Beach. Look over the course map. You can also register for the race if you haven’t yet done so online. Saturday, June 26th: Race Day! 5:30 am Check-in starts for both the 12 mile and 2 mile paddle. 8:00 am Jay Ceremony. 8:30 am 12 mile Paddleboard start. 8:40 am 12 mile Stand-up start. 8:50 am 2 mile start. 9:20 am first 2 mile finishers. 10:20 am first 12 mile finishers. 11:15 am Lunch, awards, kids races and Fun Family Relay. 12:00 pm Raffle. 5pm Post-Race Party at the Crow’s Nest.

Call up Aunt Hilda and tell her to get her orthopedics on, because March 26–28, it’s going down.

The 24th Annual Santa Cruz Surf Kayak Festival

@ Steamer Lane in Santa Cruz, CA

:: Thanks to Ocean Extreme Sports for this killer footage! ::

See Lil Darling, Love Lil Darling, BUY Lil Darling!

Racers were treated to a perfect day at the second annual Marin County Triathlon, a fundraiser for several nonprofits.

TJ Tollakson, 29, a pro triathlete from Des Moines, Iowa, was the top male finisher in 1 hour, 55 minutes, 40 seconds. Sarah Haskins claimed the women’s crown in 2:03:26.

While the athletes were out on the race course, the Surftech SUP demo was treating spectators to the world’s hottest new water sport, stand up paddling. When the racers finished their race, many of them joined the fun at the Surftech tent down at the waters edge. Notable triathletes including Chris Lieto and TJ Tollakson to triathlon coaches Reid & Eileen Swanson of Tri Lab Coaching, Neil Fraser of Tri More Fitness and Dorrette Franks of Trifinity to triathlon hopefuls and non-athletes alike, the water was filled with stand up paddlers enjoying the beautiful day on offer in Marin County paddling the best stand up paddleboards on the planet!

DANA POINT, CA. – (October 3, 2009) — Australian Jaime Mitchell is the reigning eight time champ of the grueling Molokai to Oahu Paddleboard Race held every July. Known in elite paddleboard circles for his prone paddling prowess, Mitchell recently took his paddling act to his feet at Doheny Beach, California for Rainbow Sandals’ 2nd Annual Battle of the Paddle, the world’s largest Stand Up Paddle (SUP) race.

2009 Rainbow Sandals BOP Champion!

“Mitchell is more suited for the races in Hawai’i than in California”, “…a fast prone paddler, but he won’t hang with the top guys in stand up”, was the online chatter posted on message boards before October 3rd, 2009. Accused of being a one-dimensional athlete, Mitchell surprised all with a stunning win, a full 4 minutes and 39 seconds ahead of waterman Chuck Patterson’s winning time at the previous year’s event.

The morning after Mitchell’s glorious victory, critics ate their words and Wheaties in stunned silence. Mitchell’s magic formula: sheer athletic ability and a unique SUP race board designed with similar features to his Molokai to Oahu prone race board.

For stand up paddling’s elite, the Battle of the Paddle represents the world’s largest and most competitive race. A “motocross” style course has participants zig-zagging in and out of the breaking surf. It’s a challenge that tests the endurance and surfing skills of the world’s best watermen and women. Athletes fly in from around the world to compete for the coveted Battle of the Paddle crown and a cash purse of $25,000.

Doheny Beach resembled a NASCAR event last Saturday morning with dozens of vendors showing off their latest speed machines. With its festive atmosphere and a jubilant throng of onlookers staking out viewing spots on the sand, the salt air was buzzing with anticipation. As the sun rose that morning, no one could have anticipated what was in store. Mitchell had never competed in a stand up paddle race in the USA before.

Starting Line

Could the success he’s enjoyed in traditional “prone” paddle races be his in an SUP event? Dozens of rivals were there to take on the challenge. The sudden popularity of SUP in the fitness, kayaking and surf worlds has fueled fierce competition amongst athletes, board designers and shapers. Every innovator, huckster, fitness guru and experienced board and boat builder is climbing on the SUP bandwagon.

With a building swell and increasing onshore winds, this year’s race was to be far more challenging than the last. Mid-way into the first of four laps, and nearing the lead, Mitchell’s hopes were nearly dashed when he fell, loosing his board. Caught in white water, the board arrived almost back to shore without him. Swimming to recover it, Mitchell got back on course. The mishap had cost him approximately eight places.

Jamie extends his lead

Now in tenth place, he summoned his inner warrior to make up the lost time. When he overtook young phenom Slater Trout and Andrew Logreco to take the lead with a nice margin, the winner was clearly “MITCHO!”, a first time BOP competitor. “After the wipeout at the south buoy, I just put my head down and told myself that I wasn’t going to make any more mistakes” commented Mitchell.

Indeed, his remaining three laps were aided by surf skills honed in Australia and Hawai’i. Mitchell, perfectly positioned, surfed several set waves which extended his lead. Jamie completed the 5 mile course with a record time of 1:07:45. The ever so humble “Mitcho” gave credit for his win to his board designers, and added, “I’ve been busy traveling and working with my surf school back home so we didn’t really have much time to train before coming out to California.”

Just days prior to the Battle of the Paddle, Mitchell and a tight knit crew of fellow Aussies were up in San Francisco for the Hennessey International Paddleboarding Championships. Mitchell was there to defend his title in the Unlimited (prone paddle) Class. Victory was his when he won that race with more than a three minute lead.

By about 2:30 in the afternoon on Saturday, Mitcho’s lead at Doheny had left little doubt who’s board was the fastest! Mitchell’s unconventional SUP board has a unique concave bottom, chine rails and consistent thickness flow from nose to tail. A stark contrast to the majority of racing boards in the water, Mitchell’s board was designed by Lahui Kai, the Australian partnership of Adrian Birse and Mick Di Betta. The “Mitcho”, Jamie Mitchell’s 12’6″ model racing SUP board will be manufactured by Surftech, the innovative Santa Cruz, California company known for bringing exclusive shapes by elite designers to market. Surftech’s unique proprietary construction makes their boards both hi-performance and ultra-durable. Fast, stable & light, the 12’6″ Mitcho is a great board for racing or cruising on a long paddle. It’s a solid and proven performer, even in windy or bumpy conditions. Look for Surftech’s Mitcho in stores worldwide by Spring 2010.

Congrats Mate!!

(click to enlarge)

Last weekend Mette and I were in southern WV  for the Gauley Fest (an annual whitewater river festival).  Every fall the Army Corp of Engineers draws down Summersville lake to its winter level and as a result for 6 weeks in the fall the Gauley river has consistent flows that make for some world class whitewater.

We decided to skip the crowds on the river on Saturday and spend a relaxing day paddling the 14′ Bark and 10’6 Pearson Arrow Laird around Summersville lake.   This is an amazing lake that is absolutely beautiful and great for SUP.  If you are ever in the area make sure to check it out.

Here are a few pics from the day.

Enjoy,

Joe Mosquera

Mitchell told news.com.au he was out filming a pilot for his coming documentary, Living in Liquid, when a pod of up to five humpbacks surfaced, and started following him off Tweed Heads at about 7.30am (AEST).

He said the pod played around him for about 10 minutes.

“We were just out on the water paddling around and all of a sudden, boom, a whale breached about 100m away from me,” he said today.

“I thought that was pretty cool and then all of a sudden another whale came up right in front of me.

“At the start it was sort of scary, I got goosebumps and the adrenalin started flowing.

“But then I realized that they were just playing. They swam right underneath my board and I thought I’d be in strife if they came up but they had a good sense of where I was.”

The 32-year-old,  who lives on the Gold Coast and spends most of his time in the water, said the migrating humpbacks drifted off after a while.

“It’s certainly the closest I’ve ever been to them,” he said.

Mitchell is soon heading to California to compete in the Hennessey’s International Paddleboard Race.

Link to story from News.com.au