After 18 years of living in San Francisco, I still feel extremely grateful for our weather. The picture above was taken this past Saturday, November 14th! What a great day to be in Alameda. As you may recall, Saturday morning was gloomy! I woke up to cold, dreary skies and rain. My first thought, "The weatherman sure missed the mark." The forecast was for sun, but I had serious doubts about seeing sun that day. Fortunately, about 1 hour later, blue skies were on the horizon and the next thing I knew, there wasn't a cloud to be seen!!
I drove to Alameda and set up for our SUP tour/BBQ and windsurfing lessons. Four of us, hit the water for a Balina Isle paddle at 11:30. The conditions were ideal. Amazing flat water, blues skies and lots of pelicans diving for their lunch. The tide was ebbing so the paddle out was also easy. Once in side the lagoon area, I could feel the wind picking up. Perfect for our two beginner windsurfing students, Ed and Ben. It was also perfect to have tail winds come back around the other side of the Isle. Ed and Ben were able to sail around as the wind picked up to a steady 8-10mph and stayed there all afternoon. Even Jesse was able to get out kiting on his 19m Flysurfer and Litewave 161 Wing!
At the end of the day, a few of us sat on the lawn chairs and watch the sun start to set. How lucky we are to live in the Bay Area!
Monday, September 14, 2009
Congrats to Boardsports SUP Team Rider Susan Barber (seated foreground left) for her stellar finish at the Naish National Championship Race in San Diego yesterday. Susan finished in the top 10, and drove all the way there on Saturday and back on Sunday (8 hrs each way). She even made it onto the local news! You rock Susan!!
Shana Kaplan (SF Series top 3 finisher) also drove down for the event and finished 3rd place! Great job ladies and hope to see you paddling locally very soon. Check out pics and video here.
I went to Alameda by ferry yesterday, cruising down Nob Hill on one of our new Ultramotor Electric A2B Bicycles. The whole SF to Alameda bike/ferry trip takes about 35 minutes.
We are now a dealer of these cool electric bikes. Come by or call us for a free demo ride anytime. I am totally addicted to riding around town on them. They go up to 20mph, have a range of 20 miles on one charge, and can fully charge (by basic power outlet) in 3 hours. You can pedal while you motor, gaining great speed and getting everywhere in a flash. They are technically a bicycle, so NO registration or motorcycle license is required, and you can take them on Bart and all the local ferries. Saturday Marie and I cruised down to Coyote by Bart and bike and I had so much fun that I decided with the Bay Bridge closed for the weekend, this was the most elegant option for getting to Alameda on Sunday.
The ferry leaves from the Ferry Building in SF, and drops off right by Rosenblum Winery in Alameda. From the winery, it's about a 6 minute pedal to the shack.
It's a gorgeous ferry ride and it was a beautiful day to travel by boat. I got a nice view of the Bay Bridge Construction Project. Alameda was warm and mellow when I arrived at the shack. Around 2:30pm, the wind came up nicely, blowing a steady 18+. Arde was overpowered (I mean totally lit!) on his 19m Raven. I went out on the 10.5 Cult and had a blast. We have just received our 2010 kites so if you would like to demo the new Cult, give us a call. It is sweet! The beach was less crowded than usual, with lots of people out of town for Labor Day Weekend.
On my return trip to SF, the Bay was lit up by an almost full moon. What a nice way to spend the day, and a what a relaxing, fun way to travel the Bay. Thanks to the wind Gods for a very nice windy September weekend in Alameda!
Our final 4th race was held at Crissy this past Saturday. For a change, the weather was hot and gorgeous (no fog, just sunshine and clear skies). The beach was packed with families and dogs. Heat wave in San Francisco at Crissy Field, watch out for babies everywhere! The 505 World Championship Sailboat Race was also going on. Here they are entering the water about the same time as our start. Their race did not start until noon, so they didn't mind all of us SUPpers paddling about while they launched into the bay. All provided a stellar backdrop for our Naish SUP Recreational Race Finals. We had lots of new attendess...and over 20 racers for our final event! Jesse prepares the start line. Ready, Get Set, GO!
This week's course was 2 counter clockwise laps around Anita Rock and 2 buoys down by the St. Francis Yacht Club. Here are our top 3 Racers coming paddling to the last mark before the finish, Anita Rock.
For the final stretch, there was tension in the air. Jean, Joe, and Darcy were all very close together. They rounded the Anita Rock mark in near unison, then power paddled to the small swell on the inside near shore. When they were almost to shore, Joe had the lead and seemed to have it all wrapped up. But then Joe fell in! He popped up on his board so quickly, we don't think he even got wet. He madly paddled in, adrenaline pumping to help him sprint to shore.
Joe ran so fast past the finish line, I could not catch his picture. He got his very first first place finish for this 4th and final race of the 4 week series. Congratulations Joe! Here he is below, pictured with Jean. The two of them were the only top 3 finishers to attend every race in the series. These are true waterman. Thanks for the extra devotion, Jean and Joe! They seemed to have some serious fun at these races.
Jean also ran into a 2nd place finish for Saturday to secure his win over Darcy. With such a stellar and consistent performance, Jean finished 1st place overall. Congrats to Jean for wining the series!
Darcy Doyle coming in 3rd for Saturday and for the series. Joe copied his paddle stroke technique, and ended up winning this past Saturday. Thanks for the race tips last week Darcy! New attendee Vijay took 4th place. Where did this guy come from? He is good! And yes, another Naish paddler on my favorite board, the 11'4. He came in 4th despite having his thruster fins on. Oops! Jonathan's first SUP race, and he finished 5th out of over 20 racers. Pretty impressive. He said it was a great workout. I think he'll be coming back for more. Group shots at the end of the race. Thank you cheer leading squad! They helped motivate everyone to really run to the finish line. Thank you to our Race Committee Chair Jesse Stewart. You rock Jesse!
Jesse (pictured below with me)
The top 3 men and women from our race series are invited to compete in Naish SUP Championships in San Diego on Sept 13. There they will get a chance to win a 14' Naish Glide and a trip to Maui to compete in another SUP race! There is also an Open Race Class in San Diego, so all SUP paddlers are welcome to compete.
Crissy Naish & Boardsports Recreational Race Series Final Rusults, August 2009
Men's Division 1st Place - Jean Rathle (pictured below left) 2nd Place - Joe Miller (pictured below right) 3rd Place - Darcy Doyle (pictured below middle) Women' Division 1st Place - Karen VanPutten, pictured below with her daughter
2nd Place - Susan Barber (our local SUP champ, go Susan!)
3rd Place - Shana Kaplan (new attendee and makes top 3!) We also could not help creating a junior race series. Shane Rathle did some serious paddling to win the juniors. Congrats Shane on going the full course on the final day!
We'll be announcing some more recreational races soon. This was too much fun not to keep it going. Thank you to Naish for promoting the 15 city national race series. Good luck to everyone going to San Diego for the big final!
Here are some pics from the last 2 weekends of SUP races at Crissy. Our FINAL RACE and BBQ is this Saturday, 8/29 at 10am, Crissy Field. This recreational race is OPEN TO BEGINNERS some come out to paddle, watch, or join the bbq this weekend!! Race results are posted on our website.
WEEK 2 GROUP SHOT with the little kids coming to help chear everyone on! lots of new faces at the starting line for week 2...and sunny conditions with a 12 mph breeze. Ready, set, go! Darcy and Jean nailed the start by starting a little west to compensate for the flood on the inside...and the 20 mph winds.Darcy Doyle coming in 1st for the week 2 race... Joe coming in 2nd right behind Darcy. Michelle with her new Naish Glide 12'. She decided last minute to join the race, and ended up coming in 2nd place! Must be that super fast new board :)
Daniel on his new Naish 11'4...another beginner SUPper taking it to the races. Jean's son Shane joined us...our first junior racer...and he came in 6th place! Group finish photo. Good fun had by all. After the race I rigged up my 5.0 and played in the small surf and the 12'6 SUPer SUP (SUP with centerboard). I went out fully clothed, and luckily did not fall in. WEEK 3 RACE, featuring COLD temps, STRONG WINDS, and a STRONG FLOOD tide. Yikes! Check out the fog and chilly looking weather. The flood tide really pushed everyone down the beach at the start. Our 2 rookie paddlers Chris and Jessica (just learned last weekend) looked like they were being swept away to Alcatraz...but both ended up finishing strong once they beat the flood. Some competition from outriggers at the finish... Jean looks a little tired after this one...he said it was the toughest race so far...I guess because he kicked some booty and came in first place! Darcy had to live with second place this week. Rumor had it he was overtaken at the 3rd mark. Joe comes in 3rd...and also let's us know it was a tough one! Jesse kept everyone's times so they could see how they progressed over the series. Times have been varying from 23 minutes to 43 minutes for the race course. Fred comes in just in time to get out of the way of this big tanker. Chris decided to loop Alcatraz (almost) and still came in first for the ladies! Jessica finished 2nd. We were super proud of the rookies - 2nd time ever paddling and they raced Crissy Field! It was too chilly for a group photo. Stay tuned for next week's FINAL RACE! Jane
BOARDSPORTS SCHOOL & SHOP LAUNCHES THE FIRST OF FOUR AUGUST STAND UP PADDLE RACES AT CRISSY FIELD.
The race course was a trip to the yellow buoy shy of the South Tower of the Golden Gate Bridge, around Blackaller buoy, around Anita Rock buoy, and back to the beach. We had 10 racers in all, paddling on everything from an 11' Uli inflatable SUP (Michael came in 4th!) to the Laird 12' (Jean came in 1st!). The weather was gorgeous - sunshine and warm. No wetsuits needed! See videos and pics below. Race results are noW posted on our Boardsports School & Shop website.
Jesse from the Coast Guard and our beloved staff member, knows racing logistics so he helped plan the event.
Pre-race group shot. Tried to get the Golden Gate Bridge in the background, fog interfering...
The START!
The dog definately wanted to join the race...next time!
Jean approaching the beach finish in a time of approximately 25 minutes....riding a Laird 12' and using a Powerex Sean Ordonex Paddle (visit our gear page to check it out and buy one!)
Jean, leisurely walking across the finish line...he had a significant lead.
Joe was not too far behind...congrats to our Boardsports Team Member for finishing 2nd!! He paddled the Naish 12' Glide (winner of the final of the race series wins a 14' Naish Glide and trip to Maui) and the Powerex Sean Ordonez Carbon Paddle. We have both in stock at our retail shops if you want to come demo or purchase them!
Fred and Jesse at the finish.
Congrats to the TOP 3 Finishers...Jean Rathle (Laird 12'), Joe Miller (Naish Glide 12'), Fred Anderson (Jimmy Lewis 11').
4th place to Mike Acquino on the inflatable Uli 11'In 5th place, Joe's friend Jesse from out of town...he had paddled just a couple of times before today.
After the race they were going to head up to Bolinas and paddle the waves on their SUP boards.
AJ, way to bring it up from the rear to finish 6th..and you didn't even fall in! He said that he had only paddled once before today. Dean on his nice 11'2 Starboard.
Karen from San Diego, on a Naish 12' Glide...and super cool adjustable telescoping Sawyer paddle.
Looking cool, calm and collect after about a 2 mile race...good job Sam!
And Allen with a big smile...glad to be in to the finish line and ready for the next race.
All in all a great time and lots of fun. Can't wait for next week!!
NAISH 2009 SUP CHAMPIONSHIPS for AUGUST Every Saturday (Aug 8 start) 10am at Crissy Field (in photo, MJ from Pacific Boardsports (Naish), Rebecca (Boardsports Owner), Nick (Naish)
Naish is pleased to introduce a weekly Recreational Race Series that will be held in 10 to 15 Cities across the US and Canada between now and August 31st. The series will include both men’s and women’s classes, and boards will be restricted to 12’6” and under to provide a level playing field, and keep the event centered around the surf culture. Boardsports School & Shop will be hosting the San Francisco Series every Saturday morning at Crissy Field. The top 3 men and women from each city will be invited to compete with racers from across North America for the Championship race in San Diego, CA on September 13th, 2009. The races are designed to be fun for paddlers of all levels, with the goal of increasing the visibility of the sport. The general format is as follows:
Series Length: 4 Weeks total duration, Every Sat (Aug 8 start) in August 10am at Crissy Course: Course Race around Anita Rock and western buoy Length: Races will typically last 30 to 45 Minutes Divisions: Men, Women Entry Fee: $20 Series, $5 Race Equipment: Race entrants bring their own SUP boards. Board rentals are available with advance reservation from Boardsports School & Shop.
Contact info below to sign up.
Jane
-- Boardsports School & Shop Alameda - San Mateo - San Francisco Voted "Best of the Bay" http://www.BoardsportsSchool.com 415.385.1224
After 18 years of living in San Francisco, I still feel extremely grateful for our weather. The picture above was taken this past Saturday, November 14th! What a great day to be in Alameda.
In 5th place, Joe's friend Jesse from out of town...he had paddled just a couple of times before today.
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