SUP CATCHES ON IN THE LOWCOUNTRY

In spite of the holiday weekend, we opted to host another "Battle of the Paddle" style race this past Saturday, 9/4/10, at Sullivan's Island's Station 30. Although the turn out for the 9am race was thin, it became apparent by 11am and the droves of SUP'ers that this sport has finally caught on in the Lowcountry. There were tons of standup beginners and enthusiasts alike amongst the other water vessels- a beautiful sight! Regardless of your fitness level or SUP knowledge, if someone you know is interested in trying it out, bring them to one of our SUP race events every Saturday through October 9 (hosted by SUP Nation and Charleston Watersport). There's a lot of comradery and tips to be shared!

9/4/10 RACE, WINNER'S CIRCLE:

1st: Dean Johnson

2nd: Jeremy Whitted

3rd: Dave Mello

RACE #3 DETAILS:

When: Saturday, September 11, 2010 9:00 AM

Price: $5.00 per person-- 100% goes to Surfer's Healing

Race Start: Red's Ice House
98 Church St
Mt Pleasant, SC 29464
843.323.0172 (My Cell)

The 3rd Race in the Charleston SUP Race Challenge will be held out of Shem Creek starting at Red's House @ 9:00am. You can put in at the boat landing at the end of Simmon's St at the landing. We'll start and finish in front of Red's.

Race course will be to Patriot's Point and back. For more race info please email or call Charleston Watersport @ 884 9098.

This is a great venue for this race! The race is open to all who are interested and boards are available to rent for the race at Charleston Watersport, reservation is required for all rentals, race rental price is $10.

Brittle Bank SUP Race

Saturday, August 28, 2010- Gorgeous flat water conditions welcomed racers for series #2 at Brittle Bank Park, downtown Charleston. This 3 mile course took racers up the Ashley River under the Hwy 17 bridge, past the City Marina and circled a buoy in front of picturesque Charleston Battery. A slight breeze and perfect water conditions reminded us that fall is on it's way!

WINNER'S CIRCLE

1st: Dean Johnson, 30 min

2nd: Dave Mello, 32 min

3rd: Mike Evatt, 34 min

(Sorry guys- I cleared the stopwatch before I could get exact times for everyone... I'll know next time!)

We will be racing Labor Day weekend!

WHEN: Saturday, Sept 4

9am

WHERE: Sullivan's Island, Station 30

WHAT: "Battle of the Paddle" style race with a beach start, 1.5 mile buoy to buoy paddle, beach run (with paddle in hand), repeat. 3 miles total

SURF'S UP! New Dean SUP surf board just in time for Hurricane Earl

Charleston, SC- Just in time for Labor Day weekend and Hurricane Earl, local SUP shaper Dean Johnson introduces a true performance SUP surf board. At 9'4 in length and weighing only 15lbs, this SUP surfs like a short board.

Check it out at Charleston Watersport on Coleman Blvd, Mt Pleasant SC. (843) 884-9098

Since most mass-produced boards ride like boats, Dean's focus was to keep it light, durable and super ridable. Hand shaped using carbon fiber, fiber glass and epoxy, this Dean SUP surf board is 28.5 inches wide, 4 inches thick, with a thruster fin set up.

Charleston SUP Race Series, August-October 2010

Paddle's up!

Saturday, 8/21, marked the first of a six-week race series through October 9, 2010. Benefiting the local chapter of Surfer's Healing and presented by Charleston Watersports, these fun events are open to men, women and kids, and all levels are welcome.

Race #1 was "Battle of the Paddle" style at Station 30 on Sullivan's Island, with a 1 mile paddle bouy to bouy, a 100 yard beach run with paddle in hand, then back to the water for one more round. This was the first Saturday in two months where water temps weren't through-the-roof, so it was a refreshing change of pace.

Race #1 WINNER'S CIRCLE

Men

1st: Dave Mello

2nd: Dean Johnson

3rd: Jesse Duffie

4th: Eddie Sanders

Women

1st: Beth Lovett

2nd: Sammie Arnold

3rd: Eve Wilbanks

4th: Amy Zonarich

Each week we'll change the course location, leading up to the championship race on Saturday October 9.

Race #2

WHEN: 9am, Saturday 8/28

WHERE: Brittle Bank Park dock, off Lockwood Ave downtown (near baseball stadium and across the street from Marriott)

Map: http://bit.ly/aMWdRH

WHAT: Brittle Bank is typically a flatwater area on the Ashley River. The course will be 5K, or roughly 3-3.5 miles. $5.

WHY: These Saturday races benefit the local chapter of Surfer's Healing, a foundation for Autism. 100% of the proceeds will go towards boards for the kids.

Stay tuned here for more information, or email info@charlestonwatersports.com or call 843-884-9098.

1st Annual Shem Creek SUP Shootout - 0717/10 - Mt Pleasant, Sc

$10,000 In Cash & Prizes Awarded At Shem Creek Shootout

Charleston, SC—The first annual Shem Creek Shootout on Saturday, July 17, had a great turn out from SUP pros on the East Coast. A good- and enthusiastic- crew from Wilmington, NC really brought the heat! Also in town and representing Starboard, East Coast champ Iain McFarland from Cocoa Beach, Fl. In all, there were 36 racers from Fl, NC, VA, and NJ racing amongst others from SC and Charleston. It wasn't all about the pros though- there was a "Kids" division and they all had a blast! Thanks to Dave at Charleston Watersport for really pulling this together! And special thanks to John from Distressed Mullet for helping us get the word out and rallying the Wilmington crew. Conditions on the water were pretty rough, but in all, a great race. Red's Icehouse on Shem Creek were great hosts of this family-friendly affair- thank you.

Stay tuned for details about the October 9-10 SUP surfing contest, and our regular race series beginning late August.
Dean + Misty Johnson
Dean Watersports

Shem Creek SUP Shootout, July 16-18