Paddle Round The Pier- Report

Stand Up Paddle Surfing UK - Paddle Round the Pier

Saturday 6.30am was an early start for the paddlers, but in order to avoid the worst of the wind and to get the tides right it was a necessity. The early doors briefing presented a dilemma for the paddlers as the forecasted winds had meant that the safety crews were not keen to put to sea. This meant the full race distance was not going to be possible - but with a group of keen paddlers it was decided to start the race at Shoreham Harbour, a distance of around 5 miles.

8am and the paddlers were lined up on the shingle beach at Shoreham harbour. Dave Samuel, event organiser signaled the start with a 1-2-3 GO! . Heading out of the harbour the paddlers were met with a strong, gusty head wind and once out into the sea they had to negotiate a head high breaking swell for 20 meters before breaking free into open water.

A cross on shore wind and choppy sea made catching a glide hard. Straight from the off Ekolu Kalama from Hawaii stroked out in to the lead and looked strong having come to the UK especially for the race. Elliot Dudley slipped into 2nd with John Hibbard tucked behind in 3rd. As the paddlers made their way down the course the rain eased and the sun came out, making for warm conditions.

By the half way point Ekolu was clear ahead. Guts Griffiths had taken the inside line along the coast, but paid for it around Hove Lagoon, where the waves made progress along the inshore route hard. John Hibbard paddled strong to over take Elliot, but he could only hold on to 2nd place for a few minutes before Elliott passed John to regain 2nd. Mark Slater and Nick Healey were having a close battle for 4th and 5th.

Further down the field there were some great close racing as well as some people just enjoying the challenge. Some paddlers chose to finish at Hove Lagoon where they were picked up and taken back to race HQ.

By the final stages Ekolu had done enough to win by a fair margin and even had time to take a course further out to sea so he could get a good glide into the beach on a following swell. Elliott paddled well, but Mark Slater was right on his heels and it was a sprint for the line. Elliot got it and did really well to get 2nd after paddling strong for the duration of the race. 4th place was taken by John Hibbard who passed Nick Healy (5th) in the surf line when Nick fell and lost his board. Guts Griffith's paddled strong to take 6th place.

The race was a great success and over £2000 was raised by the entrants for charity. Within an hour of finishing the wind had picked up and blew hard for the next three hours The early start was a good choice.

Thanks goes to all the entrants for making it another successful SUP event as well as all the event organisers and helpers who made the event happen and Oxbow for sponsoring the race.

The evening saw a great party at the Brunswick with some great live music including a rocking set from Ekolu Kalama who played a mixture of Hawaiian songs and modern music on his guitar. That guys got some talent!

Final results (full list to follow)

1) Ekolu Kalama (Starboard 14'8" Distance) (Prize - £1000 of Oxbow clothing)

2) Elliot Dudley (Surftech) (Prize - £500 of Oxbow Clothing)

3) Mark Slater (Gong 12') (Prize - £250 of Oxbow Clothing)

4) John Hibbard (Starboard 12'6")

5) Nick Healey (Custard Point 12")

6) Guts Griffith's (Jimmy Lewis 12'6 Distance)

7) Jock Paterson (Jimmy Lewis 12"6')

6) Steve Carter (Starboard 12'6")

Here are some shots of the prize giving and party

Stand Up Paddle Surfing UK - Paddle Round the Pier