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Our first sight of Lundy!

Exploring marine environments by SUP is a great experience, high above the surface of the water you have a perspective that other paddle sports just can’t achieve.  You can look down clearly into the depths of ocean, river or lake and while standing you can peer over trees, rocks, banks and fine great places to explore. There’s no doubt that Lundy is an incredible place to explore. The waters around Lundy were designated as the UK’s first marine conservation area and consequently the ocean and its bays and beaches are full of sea life relaxing in this harmonious environment.  The island has no roads, streetlights and only 23 holiday properties to stay in, so it’s never crowded and promotes itself as ‘a place apart’ compared to the hustle and bustle of the main land.

SUP South West, based in Woolacombe, North Devon, UK offer day excursions and overnight adventures exclusively to the island, and work closely with the Landmark Trust who manage the island to offer trips for visitors to get a great experience of the uniqueness of this incredible environment.

Check out SUP South Wests excursions information; Lundy Island Tours

Our Lundy Experience

Arriving early to a sunny Ilfracoumbe the harbour was bustling with activity.  The MS Oldenberg, the lone ship in harbour was being packed full of supplies to be shipped to Lundy.  We met the team from SUP South West who briefed us on the day of fun ahead.  The wind was a little busters so the plan was to SUP the Eastern side of Lundy on a Mega SUP allowing Simon, the local newspaper journalist and also a complete SUP rookie to experience the full SUP experience on Lundy incase the wind was too strong for a beginner.

The MS Oldenberg has been a passenger ferry since 1958 and although originally built in Germany to ferry passengers from the German mainland to the Friesian Island of Wangerooge she now offers a distinctly ‘British’ experience with tea/coffee and bacon sandwiches sold by the incredibly welcoming crew.  As we headed out of Ilfracombe for our 10 mile crossing to Lundy we ate our breakfast taking in the much talked about Damien Hirst statue of Verity and the imposing cliffs of the North Devon coast – a mind blowing sight! As we rolled gently into the ocean we looked forward to what wildlife Lundy would present us with, and we chatted to the ships captain about Lundy and the ship – an incredibly friendly guy who made an effort to speak to many of the passengers.

On arrival to the island and as the other tourists dispersed on their own adventures around the islands we met the islands warden who gave us a brief on how to approach the wildlife on the island – explaining what creatures we might spot she highlighted that we shouldn’t get too close, but expected the seals would probably be extremely inquisitive.

Common wildlife on Lundy includes seals, a vast array of sea birds and if you’re lucky basking sharks, puffins and dolphins.

Following lunch we were all excited to get on the water and as a team pumped up the giant SUP and set out on a paddle under the high cliffs of the eastern side of the island.  It wasn’t long before the true diversity of wildlife became apparent.  Vast numbers of sea birds circled us, going about their daily business of fishing for food for their offspring.  It wasn’t long before we spotted seals which inquisitively followed us as we headed up the coast.  The coast was covered with seals, basking in the sun – a truly spectacular sight!

Stopping to just ‘take it all in’ – Surrounded by sea life.

There weren’t many words, but smiles beamed and worries disappeared.

Although the sun was out, so unfortunately was the wind, but Marc from SUP South West got us working as a great team to reach our destination of Gull Rock, home to huge colonies of sea birds and even more seals.  Stopping on the shoreline of our upwind paddle we all took a moment to take in our surroundings.  A truly breathtaking place… quiet, unspoilt and rich in wildlife.  There weren’t many words, but smiles beamed and worries disappeared.  Its fair to say we all felt particularly lucky to be experiencing such a unique experience.  Perching on the shoreline near Gull Rock the group took in our surroundings while the wildlife kept a close eye on us!

Wonderful wildlife on Lundy – never far away…..

The paddle downwind home was faster and required less paddling. As we glided down wind we had the opportunity to spot yet more wildlife and even go for a swim.  As we packed up the kit ready for our return sailing, we were all a little disappointed, mainly because we wished we had signed up for the two day trip – we had all become a little fond of this wildlife haven in the middle of the ocean and wished we could stay a little longer.

Packages from SUP South West

SUP South West have packaged this trip up into two options – a one or two day all inclusive excursion.  The two day trip includes camping. Check out the poster…. Lundy Island Tours

Lundy is a fantastic and unique SUP experience – allowing you to get close to the wildlife on a SUP where your presence is non disruptive, was truly incredible.  Although we didn’t see some of the less common wildlife their was more than enough to take in. SUP South West have really put together a great package here – the day trip will give you a very unique SUP experience and if you want to see more of Lundy, sign up for the 2 day excursion and increase your chances of seeing the less common wildlife!

Useful links about Lundy: www.landmarktrust.org.uk/lundyisland/

This years first BSUPA wave event held for the first time at Putsborough had a lack of new faces in junior event but was still a tightly contested fleet. With less than perfect conditions it was still a fun and well organised event by South west SUP’s Marc Hambridge. For the fist time I competed in both the Junior and Open mens fleets too. My first heat (Open) was in the wind blown choppy 2-3ft waves , besides spending a fair bit of time struggling to stay on my board I managed to get a few decent waves and happily advanced through. There was some great Paddle boarders in the heats and I was stoked to be competing against them, such as Alex Murray who also advanced forward with me. A few heats down and I was in with the Junior 3 man Final with Todd Sawyer and Finn Gablin we were all competing in tough on shore windy conditions, all of us struggling to find some quality waves. Before long I was now in the main open  semi final of the main event, the toughest heat so far the heat read: Matt barker -Smith, Arron Rowe, Matt Argyle and Me!, It was a tricky heat against the best SUP surfer in the country. Although I got some great waves it was no surprise that my contest ended there, (although I did get further than my dad for the first time!).

At the presentation I was super stocked to get my first Junior surf win, and also finishing higher in the ranks than many great SUP surfers inc my dad, it’s put me in a great position for the  start of the year. Looking forward to competing in the up and coming events ahead in the BSUPA surf series. Blue Ewer (14).

Blue is supported by Naish UK, K4 Fins, and Reactive Watersports.

Blue Ewer’s BSUPA surf #1 Putsborough SUP surf event

Where are you Groms? This years first BSUPA wave event held for the first time at Putsborough had a lack of new faces in junior event but was still a tightly contested fleet.

This years first BSUPA wave event held for the first time at Putsborough had a lack of new faces in junior event but was still a tightly contested fleet. With less than perfect conditions it was still a fun and well organised event by South west SUP’s Marc Hambridge. For the fist time I competed in both the Junior and Open mens fleets too. My first heat (Open) was in the wind blown choppy 2-3ft waves , besides spending a fair bit of time struggling to stay on my board I managed to get a few decent waves and happily advanced through. There was some great Paddle boarders in the heats and I was stoked to be competing against them, such as Alex Murray who also advanced forward with me. A few heats down and I was in with the Junior 3 man Final with Todd Sawyer and Finn Gablin we were all competing in tough on shore windy conditions, all of us struggling to find some quality waves. Before long I was now in the main open  semi final of the main event, the toughest heat so far the heat read: Matt barker -Smith, Arron Rowe, Matt Argyle and Me!, It was a tricky heat against the best SUP surfer in the country. Although I got some great waves it was no surprise that my contest ended there, (although I did get further than my dad for the first time!).

At the presentation I was super stocked to get my first Junior surf win, and also finishing higher in the ranks than many great SUP surfers inc my dad, it’s put me in a great position for the  start of the year. Looking forward to competing in the up and coming events ahead in the BSUPA surf series. Blue Ewer (14).

Blue is supported by Naish UK, K4 Fins, and Reactive Watersports.

Northern SUP Winter Race Series

Throughout the UK SUP clubs are getting their winter race and training schedules sorted out. For winter 2016 six northern SUP clubs have got together to run their annual Northern SUP Winter Race Series: Take six SUP clubs an schools, a bunch of enthusiastic paddlers with the aim of “Supporting the Development of SUP Racing in the UK” and some winter kit. Mix them together and you’ll get the…

Change can be a good thing but when things are just the same they feel comfortable, knowing what’s in store before a paddle begins can settle the nerves a little making the experience more fun. Arriving in Exmouth for the 2015 Exe Hammer I had that sense of deja-vu, it was sunny, just like last year, there were a lot of cars with paddle boards on them, just like last year and it was windy, just like …

Registration was on the beach where Steph from Edge Watersports managed to get a diverse field of competitors into order with her pre-race talk. There were some changes from the 2014 event, the start was nearer the river mouth due to the conditions and the finish was further away, approx 12km, with only two checkpoints en-route competitors could decide on their own route to the finish.

Carbon exotica

I always like to check out the boards at the start of any event as sometimes I’ll see something new or exotic that I’ve not seen before. The fleet here was largely inflatable with a huge number of N1SCO boards from Naish on the beach. Nestled amongst these were the usual Red Paddle boards, a selection of Rides, Races and my Explorer, and a selection from Fanatic with a Vandal or two. Then two sleek hardboards caught my eye,  a Jimmy Lewis U126 and a 14′ from SIC, a rare sight in the SW of England.

It was no surprise to see very few boards in the water 10 minutes before the start. With the wind gusting from the west and an incoming tide staying near the start was going to be tricky and would consume energy so most elected to take to the water with a few minutes remaining to the scheduled start at 14.00. Then,  exactly on time we were off.

14.00 – Go!

The start of any race is hectic but with the way the water was moving this one was even more so, I saw several paddlers go straight into the water and many more elect to stay on their knees for a bit but given the relaxed nature of this event that wasn’t a problem. I’d brought a big stable board as I wanted to take photos and just enjoy the atmosphere but as soon as I stopped to take one I was going backwards, not the best way to progress up the course.

At the front of the field the more experienced racers got stuck into the conditions, with Paul Simmons, Maff Wall, and SUPboarder’s own Peter Kosinski and Marie Buchanan leading the way, a series of brightly coloured dots heading up river from my perspective.

And so the race went on, I for one throughly enjoyed it, chatting to others, enjoying the atmosphere and the scenery as we made our way upstream. The wind appeared to drop slightly mid race which made the paddling easier but we all still had to concentrate as the incoming tide in places was about fin deep leading to embarrassingly slow progress if trying to take a tighter line.

Race Winner Paul Simmons, Image Edge Watersports

As the finish approached I found myself in a group of 4, two Red Paddle Race boards ahead and a surf style Fanatic inflatable beside me, number 48. Typically for middle aged men we had to sprint, at the line the width of a paddle blade separated me (52nd) and Peter (53rd).

One of the main attractions of the Exe Hammer is the post race food, provided this year by the Pig and Pallet on Topsham Quay and this didn’t disappoint if the silent sound of paddlers refuelling was any indication. Alex from Naish took that opportunity to recruit paddlers for the N1SCO sprint event that was run just off the quay, often to the amusement of crowd attending the Beer and Bacon Festival being held that night. A series of close races held late in the evening provided all with a great end to the day. I’m already looking forward to next year.

N1SCO Sprints

This year’s event built on the solid foundations laid last year with a larger field and a longer course making what was good event in 2014 into a great event in 2015. SUPBoarder will be there in 2016!

Words and Images: Chris Jones

Race Gallery

Podiums Gallery

Results

The event, called SUP4LIFE, was part of a nationwide series of SUP events taking place throughout the UK. The event raised over £16,000 for The Wave Project, a charitable company that provides free and subsidised surf lessons for young people facing mental health issues.

Joe Taylor, the charity’s chief executive,:

“We are so grateful to all the people across the UK who supported this event and helped to raise over £16,000. As a small organisation we are proud to have organised the first nationwide charity SUP. All the funds raised will go towards providing free surfing courses for young people at risk of mental illness.”

“We know from our evaluation that going surfing or being in the open water with a supportive community of peers has really positive effects on mental health in young people.”

Cornwall

Paddlers took to the water on the Helford River, the Gannel Estuary, Carbis Bay and in Mounts Bay in a series of SUP events for the Truro-based charity.

The event on the Helford River took place on Sunday morning, coordinated by Ian Prickett, owner of Verticle Blue SUP school, based in Porthleven.

“It was a perfect day. We had perfect conditions with a following wind and an outgoing tide taking us upriver. All of the paddlers were complete beginners but they managed to complete the full 5 mile course.”

Cheers and whistles rang out on the Helford River as paddlers made their way from Gweek to Helford Passage clad in luminous Spandex pants, fluorescent fishnet vests, bright leggings and giant sunglasses.

They paddled 5 miles up the Helford River, past Frenchman’s Creek through to the Ferryboat Inn, where they arrived at 12pm – causing a stir among families having a quiet lunch on the waterfront.

In Crantock, near Newquay, the paddle was run by Rob Small of Crantock Bay Surf School, who supplied kit, equipment and safety cover to the event. Here 17 brightly-coloured participants took part in an event around the Gannel Estuary, starting from Crantock Beach.

Devon

22 paddlers took to the water from the Crabshell Inn in Kingsbrige for the Waterborn SUP4Life event, organized by Crispin Jones.

“Over the winter months I was approached to see if I would be interested in hosting a venue for an event called SUP4Life. SUP4Life is a nationwide event in order to raise money for the wave project to get children suffering from bereavement, anxiety or other hardships to have a few hours of lessons in the surf. I was very keen to be able to get on board to help those who less fortunate than myself to enjoy the water; I signed Waterborn up and then proceeded under the guidance of Tabitha from the Wave Project in order to get everything in place ahead of the big event.

The event took place over the weekend of the 18th/19th of July, after having spent the Saturday racing in Norfolk I managed to see many photo’s of others around the country doing their part for the cause and hoped I had everything in place ahead of the Sunday’s event. Leading up to the event I was very aware that the weather forecast was less than ideal, thankfully though, on Sunday morning the sun was out and the wind was dying down, it turned into an absolutely cracking evening ready for everyone to turn up in their suitably bright garb. Everyone across the country had a choice of 1, 3 or 5 miles; I attempted to make a route that kept everyone as close together as possible in order to keep the event from splitting up.

We hit the water with 22 people in total, including Peter Everitt and his 4 year old daughter Fleur, doing the 1 mile route, surely one to watch out for on SUPboardermag in the next few years, with almost everyone else attempting the 3 mile route. We even had a famous Canine friend join us out on the water! SUPBoardermag’s very own Chris Jones and Magnus, his 7-month-old Labrador Retriever. ‘Paws’ for a moment to think about paddling 5 miles with a dog on board.

As we got towards Bowcome Bridge, a designed rest stop for the 3 miler everyone wanted to carry on with the 5 mile group, it was fantastic to see people who wanted to challenge themselves with 3 miles decided to push through and made the entire 5 mile route. It was also great to see a wide range of abilities, fitness levels and age ranges all accomplish something they thought they would not be able too, truly testament to the event as a whole, not only helping the kids with their issues but also helping those raising money for them.”

If you would like to contribute anything towards to Wave Project Crispin is still raising money on his page : www.waveproject.co.uk/fundraisers/crispinjones

Elsewhere across the country brightly coloured paddlers took to the water in Bristol, Brighton, London, Cardiff, Swansea, Snowdonia, Nairn, Bournemouth, Weymouth, Eastbourne and the Isle of Wight.

Wave Project SUP4LIFE coordinator Tabitha Kendall-Carpenter said: “We’d like to thank everyone who took part this year – this is officially the first nationwide charity SUP that has ever taken place and we’re stoked that it has support the Wave Project.”

SUP4Life images from around the country

What great participation and great weather for the first nationwide charity SUP event. A great excuse to get out there and paddle with loads of people, loads of fluro and raise loads of money. This year raising over £16,000 was a huge achievement. But let’s see if we can get even more paddlers on the water next year and raise even more money for a great cause. 

Words: Cornwall & Overview:  Joe Taylor, The Wave Project 

Devon: Crispin Jones, Waterborn SUP 

Images: Feature & Cornwall  Sarah Clarke, Checkered Photography

Devon: Crispin Jones

N1SCO Stand Up Paddleboard National Championships

Saturday 11th July saw Stand Up Paddleboarding or SUP take centre stage on Weymouth Beach to kick off the two week Dorset festival for Sport and Wellbeing. An already packed town from the seafood festival flocked to watch the spectacle from the esplanade around the Pavillion. This gave a grandstand view of the 67 competitors who had travelled from all over the UK and even Ireland to battle for the title of National Championship.

N1SCO is a One Design race class introduced by Hawaii based watersports company Naish. It allows competitors to challenge each other on identical boards and paddles so it all comes down to who paddles the hardest. Now the fastest growing watersport worldwide, SUP is a common site on beaches around Dorset with Weymouth Bay and Portland Harbour offering near perfect conditions.

Competitors challenged each other to three race disciplines throughout the day including Sprint, mid distance and long distance races. Defending Mens Champion Ben Fisher from Plymouth defended his title despite fierce competition. In the Womens fleet, Joanne Hamilton-Vale from Hampshire took the title having recently returned from competing in World class events in America and Europe. Weymouth Sailing Olympic hopeful Sophie Weguelin provided stiff competition, even taking the win in the Mid distance race having only last year taken up SUP for physical training. A fleet of juniors also took to the water, as young as 10 years old, impressing the crowds with their smiles and seemingly tireless energy.

David Hughes who travelled 5 ½ hours to compete commented ‘The yardstick for all sup events in the UK. The best event so far this season.’

Throughout the day, local SUP training company Adventure 4 All provided on water safety cover and provided taster sessions for those new to the sport. Working at full capacity between races over 100 people were given an introduction to the sport for the first time in near perfect conditions with waist deep warm water and blue skies.

Further information about N1SCO racing in the UK can be found here.

Anyone wishing to take their first step in to the world of SUP can learn locally with Adventure 4 All;

[email protected] or 07870659081

Loco SUP get a slice of Welsh perfection

When the swell and wind plays ball and it all comes together, it makes those cold and choppy winter sessions worth it. When it comes to surfing you’ve just got to get out whenever you can and then you’ll be rewarded with a slice of perfection. It was Will Bailey’s turn to get a few good ones on his Loco 8’6.