more from the Website, How does this course compare to your events in Australia?

That stand-up paddleboarding has become the coast’s fastest-growing ocean sport should come as no surprise. Combining surfer’s balance skills and wave riding with canoe paddler’s endurance and speed, SUP harkens back to the surfing’s Golden Age, when in the 1940s and ‘50s calling yourself a surfer meant mastering a broad variety of ocean skills.

Now come celebrate the modern West Coast waterman’s lifestyle at the Rainbow Sandals Gerry Lopez’s Battle of the Paddle, a stand-up paddle festival/exposition with a series of races and demonstrations that offer ocean athletes of all ages and skill levels the chance to experience this exciting new sport.

Staged at Dana Point’s historic Doheny State Beach, the Battle of the Paddle is more than an ordinary paddle race. For the sport’s elite paddlers it presents the first-ever championship styled SUP race featuring an offshore course that tests not only endurance but also the open-ocean and surfing skills of the world’s best men and women stand-up paddle racers. Not to mention a cash purse of over $25,000.

Invited competitors on stock (12’6”) SUP boards, will complete multiple laps on a circuit that will include beaching their equipment through the surf for a short run around a course flag on the sand. This exchange will challenge competitor’s technical and athletic skills as well as create great spectator drama. There will also be an age-group race open to all SUP craft categories (12’6” stock, 14 ft. and unlimited) that will compete on the same circuit course without the exchange.

For the recreational paddler and newcomers to the sport The Battle of the Paddle’s exclusive festival/exposition is an extraordinary opportunity to paddle with legendary watermen like Gerry Lopez, Dave Kalama, Jamie Mitchell, Kyle Mochizuki, Colin McPhillips, Titus Kinimaka and many more. You’ll meet the world’s best shapers, check out the latest board designs and paddle innovations and naturally there will be demo boards and paddles of all shapes and sizes available for those who want to perfect their stroke or even try SUP for the first time.

Everyone who enters The Battle of the Paddle will receive a free pair of Rainbow Sandals, event tee and lunch. There will also be a special awards dinner and aloha concert featuring the music of legendary waterman Titus Kinimaka at the Surfing Heritage Foundation on Saturday evening October 11. All event proceeds to go to the Surfing Heritage Foundation and the Doheny State Beach Interpretive Association.

Whether you’re racing for the prize or just getting started, The Rainbow Sandals Gerry Lopez’s Battle of the Paddle is the perfect way to immerse yourself in the rich tradition of Southern California’s original surf lifestyle, and the dynamic new surf/paddle discipline known as stand-up paddling.

Sounds cool can't wait to see the pic's.

I'll go Guy Pere and Lauren Bartlett !! But Aaron Napoleon is an animal. Not sure if alot of these paddlers will be there are Molokai Hoe is on this weekend also in Hawaii.

Maybe Ben Dover could get a late entry...and become a Rich Wally !!

I'm just an observer, bringing a friend down and introducing him to SUP. After the event we'll get out the boards and have an intro lesson for him in the harbor

Woogie said he saw Kalani Vierra training for this race - sprint Paddling then sprinting along the beach - much like you would train for any Ironman race while changing craft -

He is now also in my mix of Paddlers to do well

Ladies race hard to look past Lauren, Dane Ward and Andrea Moller as they all paddle for Team Bradley and have very similar strokes

Your names on the list Wuduku but you're obviously not over there..or are you ?? After hearing the race format..I'm definately backing Guy Pere or Aaron Napoleon.

Just heard the Chuck Patterson won the main race and Mark Raaphorst's wife won the Women's division. 18 knot winds made the going tough!

Just got this off the Zone.

Start line with 250+ SUP(open race)

Conditions, WINDY, Racing, out of control.

Elite finishers
Chuck Patterson
Thibert Lussiaa
Aaron Napoleon
Kyle Mochiziki
5th
Bryce Saeman
Rob Pelki

An interview and full profile on Chuck Patterson"

http://www.surfersvillage.com/surfing/17143/news.htm

More info coming through on the Zone.....

"Thibert actually overtook Chuck 1/4 of the way thru the last lap, but then Thibert fell once (maybe twice) due to the big wind chop and Chuck passed him and won by maybe one minute, one minute 30. It was really fun watching those two battle it out.
I was only a few minutes off of Chucks time...'cept I was in the open race (3 laps only)"

Hey Sue there's some great shots and vids of Chuck on the Hobie site.

www.hobie.com/surfing/

Check out the first vid.. 'Hennessey's US Paddleboard Championships'

Better get the cold shower running.. ..Does that work for girls?..

I wonder how Candice Appleby went???... We need pics and vids no matter how she went..

DJ

Was a great event to see, harsh conditions for the elite race. Upwind crossing swells and landing the board, running in the sand and going out again. Numerous times there were calls to medical for the carnage happening at the shore break.

Just got home, took a good friend out for his first paddleboard session in Dana Point Harbor. I'm changing the world on paddleboarder at a time.

Have numerous videos and pictures to upload, tomorrow. Time to go to bed.

I'm feeling for Thibert - he is a good family freind and has only just taken up the Sport - I think he went and paddle SUP instead of Paddling with Team Livestrong in this weekends Molokai Hoe.

Videos to come, just give me time to figure out how to use YouTube