Paddlers & Outriggers Do Battle in Dana:

The 27th Annual Dana Point Ocean Challenge hosted by the Dana Outrigger Club was a hit this year attracting several hundred stand up paddlers and outrigger racers from SoCal. We cracked it in the morning from San Diego and headed up to Dana Point with a couple of our team riders and 12’6 Isle race boards. There were two open ocean courses, one was a 5 mile open course and the other was a 10 mile both finishing in the harbor and we opted to do the 5 mile. The start of the races were held from just outside the Dana Point Harbor and offered a nice warm up paddle to reach the starting line.

 

Thankfully the cool morning air and overcast clouds kept us shielded from any direct sunlight. The only downside was the slight open ocean cross chop making it tricky to balance and zapping a lot of energy to maintain proper form. With over 100 paddlers it was an interesting start and the cross chop had people falling in left and right. Once the pack spread out and everyone found their groove it was a grind to the finish at the beach within the Dana Point Harbor.

 

5 Mile Race Results:

 

Races are a great place to see what brands are designing and using for their new lineup in addition to watching the fastest paddlers and their different techniques. Truly impressive and mind blowing to see how fast the top guys move across the water and it was interesting to see the 14’ Class far outnumber the 12’6 Class as people are really liking the longer boards this season for racing.

 

The Need for Speed:

 

The 1st place 12’6 finisher completed the 5 mile course in 48:48:72 coming in a full 4 minutes faster than our top Isle team finisher Ikaika Pidot taking 5th in the 12’6 at 53:15:42.

 

Isle Rider Experience & Results for 5 Mile

 

Name: Ikaika Pidot

Division: 12’6 Men’s SUP Class

Time: 53:15:42

Place: 5th Place

 

A few words about the Race:

 

“Dana Point Ocean Challenge was a pretty fun race! Not much swell but some wind chop which made it a little more difficult. There was a lot of talented paddlers out there which helped me identify where I can improve as we head into the summer season. Overall, it was a good time on the water with the Isle boys. Can’t wait till next race!”

 

Name: Marc Miller

Division: 12’6 Men’s SUP Class

Time: 55:52:88

Place: 6th Place

 

A few words about the Race:

“Racing for the last 2 years its crazy to see the growth in the sport and how many paddlers are now in the SUP division vrs the prone and outriggers. They also have a kids division and the groms battled it out in the small bay before the main race event so always a pleasure to see the youth kill it with top finishers showing very mature form and style well beyond their years.“

 

“I also had a chance to use a demo paddle from Aztek Paddles a new southern California paddle company started by engineers who make golf shafts and hockey sticks. I was astounded by the demo paddle i used for the race and its flex pattern and it really seemed to give me a huge boost in speed with a lot of pop and def worth looking into for those trying to step up your race paddle game. I will be getting one for sure! “

 

See you next Year Dana Point!

 

ISLE VISITS THE DANA POINT OCEAN CHALLENGE