The Battle of the Paddle 2014 event was held on October 4 & 5, at Salt Creek Beach in Dana Point, California – with contestants coming from all over the world to compete in what’s considered to be one of the most prestigious and potentially challenging SUP races there is (see the crashes compilation video below!), with distance and technical events.
The race categories were Prone Paddleboards (12’0 stock men & women) and 12’0 stock, 14’ and unlimited (UL) for the distance Race.
A number of Starboard UK Team riders competed in the race, with many posting great results
Notable efforts came from Marie, Paul, and Sam – with Marie posting a 1st in the 12’6 Women’s Open, Paul with a 3rd in his age group and Sam Ross winning the distance race in the inflatable category.
Choosing to ride his 14’0″ Red Elite was an easy decision for Sam as it enabled him to travel to the event with minimal fuss, no excess baggage costs or damage on route, unlike many others with hard boards. Some were unable to compete either due to their boards not arriving or because they were damaged by the airlines.
Durability during the event was a massive consideration, the day before the event 11 fellow competitors snapped their full carbon race boards in the heavy shore break leaving them unable to participate and many formed a queue to use Sam’s 12’6”!
Marie was fortunate with her travels and entered the B.O.P with an unscathed 12’6″ Brushed Carbon All Star.
With a number of UK titles under her belt, Marie, true to form posted excellent results of 1st in the 12’6″ Women’s open and 20th in the Women’s elite race
A big congratulations goes out to all Starboard team rider’s who took part in the competition, showing the SUP world the level of paddling here in the UK!
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