PaddleXaminer is a veteran owned publication based in Los Angeles, California. We provide stories, gear reviews, and news for adventurers on and off the water.
© PaddleXaminer 2023 – All Rights Reserved
If you have taken part in a stand up paddling event in North America, chances are you have been photographed by OnIt Pro. Their tent is a staple at SUP events around the United States, particularly in the company’s home turf (or should I say waters) of Southern California and their event photographs are routinely shot, edited and disseminated to the stand up paddling community via social media free of charge as an altruistic gesture to support the greater good.
OnIt Pro was founded in Southern California by long time water sports enthusiasts with the goal of developing innovative, top quality products for the water sports community. Each of their products are developed with environmental sustainability in mind by sourcing safe, non-toxic components that will not harm the environment. Known by the slogan “Champions Trust OnIt Pro”, their products are widely used by a number of top competitors across the stand up paddling community seeking an extra edge over their competition.
OnIt Pro’s SUP Deck and Paddle Wax
SUP Deck and Paddle Wax from OnIt Pro is a natural based wax with a high melting point designed to provide extra grip and traction. The wax was specifically designed for SUP’s with a UV inhibitor to ensure the wax would not slough off or flatten out during use. OnIt Pro packages their SUP Deck and Paddle Wax in recycled paper printed with recycled ink.
SUP Examiner’s Take
The SUP Deck and Paddle Wax from OnIt Pro is an inexpensive and easy to use product which eliminates slippery paddle shafts by giving your paddle a Spiderman-like grip. I enjoy backpacking when I’m not on the water and began using trekking poles a few years ago. Hiking with trekking poles is the equivalent of hiking in four-wheel drive and the trekking poles have been an essential piece of gear ever since. The same can be said regarding OnIt Pro’s SUP Deck and Paddle Wax. Once you use it you will never go with it again – at least not intentionally! It creates such an effective grip surface on your paddle shaft that I found I was able to relax my lower hand’s grip on the paddle, thereby staving off-hand and forearm fatigue which enables me to focus 100% on maintaining sound paddling technique throughout my session.
Many waxes on the market become soft and sticky after application and can leave a gooey residue on your hands, feet and clothing. With OnIt Pro’s SUP Deck and Paddle Wax, however, you can rest assured the wax stays where it was applied. Clean and easy to use, OnIt Pro’s SUP Deck and Paddle Wax should be an essential item in your gear bag. It is in mine.
Disclosure: OnIt Pro provided SUP Examiner with a sample bar of SUP Deck and Paddle Wax, however, the opinions expressed are my own. I have not tested the product on my SUP deck, as doing so is not applicable to the boards I am currently riding.
PaddleXaminer is a veteran owned publication based in Los Angeles, California. We provide stories, gear reviews, and news for adventurers on and off the water.
© PaddleXaminer 2023 – All Rights Reserved
The Lanakila Outrigger Canoe Club led a flotilla of several dozen paddlers in an ocean cleanup on Labor Day morning. The ocean cleanup was the product of a joint initiative between Lanakila, the Southern California Toyota dealers, the Los Angeles County Lifeguards, and the Eco Warrior Foundation. Paddlers met at the Lanakila club site at 7:30 Monday morning for a brief organizational meeting before taking to the waters of King Harbor in Redondo Beach. Once all the canoes and participating paddle craft were launched, paddlers split into three groups, each responsible for a different section of the harbor.
At 9:00, all three groups converged at the harbor mouth and formed a giant flotilla which slowly made its way to the north side of the Hermosa Beach pier. Camera drones whizzed overhead as beach goers looked on while the dozens of outrigger canoes, surfskis, paddleboards, and SUPs massed offshore.
Trash collected by the group was placed in specially designated bags provided by the Eco Warrior Foundation and ferried ashore in the lead Lanakila canoe. The flotilla of paddlers then slowly turned back south towards Redondo Beach and enjoyed the pristine summer paddling conditions as they made their way back to the harbor.
About the Lanakila Outrigger Canoe Club
The Lanakila Outrigger Canoe Club is a competitive racing club based in King Harbor, Redondo Beach, California. The OC-6 racing season commences in May and continues through to early September. The season concludes with a challenging race between Newport Beach and Avalon on Catalina Island. Women’s teams and some co-ed crews race from Newport Beach to Avalon Harbor on a Saturday. The following day, the men’s teams and the remaining co-ed crews race the canoes back to Newport Beach.
This year marks the 60th anniversary of the first Catalina Channel crossing. The event takes place this weekend, September 7 – September 8 2019, and will be marked by a range festivities each evening.
#California #Environment #LanakilaOutriggerCanoeClub #LosAngeles
The 2020 Yukon River Quest has been cancelled. The board of directors of the Yukon River Marathon Paddlers Association regretfully decided last night that due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the race cannot go ahead. The 22nd annual marathon paddling race from Whitehorse to Dawson City was scheduled to be held June 24 to June 28, 2020 with a full roster of 125 teams from 13 countries.
A week ago, the board was hoping to carry on with the event, but stricter health directives and restrictions on international travel forced the board to make the decision to cancel. The board also was concerned that even if they had a race, and the virus was still a threat, then it would be difficult to manage the social distancing of more than 250 paddlers and 150 volunteers. They also did not want the event to become a potential risk of exposure of the COVID-19 virus to Yukon communities along the race route, including First Nation populations.
Advertisement
“Last week we were hoping that we might still be able to hold the race. But it has become clear, especially with the announcements this week from Canadian and Yukon health officials and political leaders, that this will not be possible,” said Peter Coates, President of the YRMPA Board.
Racers and volunteers were notified in a letter from the board last night.
Registered 2020 racers are being given the option to defer their registration to the 2021 race, or receive an 85% refund (some is being held back to cover fees already incurred by the race). Similar accommodations also are being made to those who rented boats from the organization.
“We’re hoping to see many of the teams back for 2021,” said Coates. “That would be the best outcome for everyone.”
The 2020 race was going to be a great one. This year’s race roster filled in a record 2.5 hours when registration opened in November, and a long wait list was started. But nervousness from the COVID-19 pandemic certainly was going to have an impact on the race, even before travel restrictions were announced.
Still, teams were looking forward to the event in a probable high-water year based on snow packs in the Yukon, and the likelihood of a faster river and faster times for all classes: canoes, kayaks, stand-up-paddleboards, C4’s, and voyageurs.
As one of the world’s toughest adventure races, the popular paddling event injects an estimated $1.25-$1.5 million into the Yukon summer economy. Just this week, an hour-long film “Chased by the Midnight Sun” about the 2019 race was released by SUP Racer and had generated more than 2,100 views on YouTube in just four days.
The board is holding out hope that, should things improve over the course of spring, it may be able to work with community partners on a smaller, informal paddling event some time this summer.
For more information, please visit www.yukonriverquest.com or the YRQ Facebook page.
Founded in 2012, OY Surf Apparel was born from a desire to fill a niche that was missing in the surf industry—stay put swim and workout gear made from high quality materials.
Production originally began in Bali in 2012 but in an effort to minimize their carbon footprint, has since switched to Portugal as the recycled fabrics are sourced from Europe. The suits are first developed and designed in Switzerland and then are manufactured in Portugal through a small family business working under fair labor conditions.
OY Surf Apparel strives to make products that are both functional and environmentally friendly. Bikinis tops are designed to have a secure fit as well as a stylish design and most have fixed or crossed straps to ensure they stay in place. Bottoms come in a variety of different coverage options but include a drawstring, allowing the suit to be cinched tight to your particular preference. All suits are made from recycled Econyl yarn or recycled polyester–in the future OY hopes to reach a circular economy where suits can be fully recycled to 100%.
As an avid surfer and standup paddler, I am always on the search for the perfect stay-put suit and OY really hit the nail on the head with their designs. On a recent trip to Fiji I had the chance to try out the Malea top and Brasil bottoms from the new collection as well as the Faya top and Sumba bottoms and was very impressed.
All of OY’s pieces are beautiful and the quality is quickly apparent at first glance. As promised, all of the pieces fit perfectly and I am a big fan of the crossed back tops and the drawstring on the bottoms for an extra secure fit. Another thing I really like about OY is that every single one of their pieces offers a secure fit, whether it’s a full coverage top or cheeky bottoms, which is something I haven’t found elsewhere.
In addition to swimsuits, OY offers leggings and workout gear as well as the occasional surf retreat, so they’ve got you covered on all fronts.
I used to be a surfer. A wake up early, charge every day, hard-core surfer. I have fond memories of my high school days surfing with my buddies all over Orange County, especially at the famous 54th Street jetty in Newport Beach. I competed in contests and traveled to faraway places all for the joy of surfing.
In addition to surfing, my buddies and I were part of the IMUA and then later the Offshore outrigger canoe clubs and even won the 16 and under California State Championship. While in high school, I bought a used road bike to train for surfing and fell in love with the feeling of being alone on the road. I knew I wasn’t headed towards a career as a pro surfer and I was getting burned out with fighting the crowds just to catch a wave.
In college I hung up my board and charged head first into bike racing. It didn’t hurt that I left the great waves of Orange County for the frustrating waves of Santa Monica. I found that I had a knack for bike racing and received some good results right away, spent some time at Olympic Training Center in Colorado and raced in Europe. For the next 25 years I was “roadie” and didn’t touch my board.
When my two sons were born, I knew I didn’t want to spend my weekends doing epic rides with a bunch of other “roadies”. Trust me, some of these guys are pretty single-minded. I was also getting spooked by stories of my fellow cyclist being hit by a car or riding off a cliff.
Michael Kelley and his sons pose for a selfie after sharing a stand up paddling session.
I made another change to my exercise regimen and reluctantly I started to run. Slowly at first but then I got faster. Of course, I had to compete in this new sport and found a group of fast runners to train with. I really liked doing the 10k and half marathon races. Unlike in bike racing, where there is a real possibility of seriously crashing, in running races you just go as hard a you can till the finish line. I still enjoy running and racing to this day.
When my two [now middle school age] sons started surfing on the school’s “Surf Team” I decided that I wasn’t content to watch them from the beach, but I also didn’t want to sit out in the Santa Monica lineup waiting for a 3 ft. wave to arrive from the depths of the bay. I had seen SUP surfing in the past and thought it looked like fun. I really liked the idea of trying something new and that you could have fun surfing waves that nobody else wanted.
After renting a surf SUP for a few sessions, I purchased an 8’10” PVC surf SUP and began to learn how to surf all over again. The experience was humbling and fun at the same time. I actually enjoyed being a beginner again and seeing improvement in every session. I poured over all the websites to find tips and watched countless YouTube videos. I was paddling at Mother’s Beach in Marina del Rey one day when I saw a friend, Nikki from Pro SUP Shop, cruise by on a stealthy, black carbon BARK racing SUP. I had never been stand up paddling on a race SUP before and she was kind enough to let me take it out for a spin and I was hooked.
Nikky told me that I should check out this big race that was happening that weekend called Battle of the Paddle in Dana Point. When I arrived at Doheny State Park with my son and brother, I had no idea what to expect. Once I saw the racers running down the beach, jumping on these long, skinny race boards and paddling furiously through the surf, I knew that I had to do this sport. It was like surfing, outrigger canoe racing and bike racing rolled into one. I also really liked the Ohana spirit that I saw from the racers, spectators and vendors. Yes, the competition was very serious, but there seemed to be an emphasis on having fun that appealed to me. This definitely was not the bike racing crowd.
The other appealing thing to me was the design of the race boards themselves. We used to chuckle at photos of the hollow wooden paddle boards from the 30s and we now see that they were actually very cutting edge for their time. I love to go stand up paddling and catch a wave on my 14’ SUP and imagining that I’m surfing back in the day with Duke Kahanamoku.
After paddling some demo race boards in and out of the surf at the Battle of the Paddle, I said to my brother, “I’m going to do this next year”.
Cut to a year later and I did the race in the Battle of the Paddle at the new venue in Salt Creek. I had a fairly good finish (for a 48-year-old) at 21st place in the 14’ open race and was mid pack in the distance race. It was really exciting charging through some pretty big surf with hundreds of other competitors. Looking towards my 50th birthday, I’m having a great time learning a new sport, being competitive and spending time in the ocean with my sons.
So now, I am a surfer again.
#standuppaddling #ProSUPShop #Dispatch #GuestWriter #MarinadelRey #BattleofthePaddle
PaddleXaminer is a veteran owned publication based in Los Angeles, California. We provide stories, gear reviews, and news for adventurers on and off the water.
© PaddleXaminer 2023 – All Rights Reserved
PaddleXaminer is a veteran owned publication based in Los Angeles, California. We provide stories, gear reviews, and news for adventurers on and off the water.
© PaddleXaminer 2023 – All Rights Reserved
PaddleXaminer is featuring the Hala Rado in a series of articles testing the Rado in different situations such as on rivers and lakes, on the same rivers but at different flow levels, and more. This is the fourth article in the series.
When I tell people I paddleboard, a majority of folks think of flat-water paddling on lakes. Well, that can be fun, but what I really enjoy is whitewater paddling on rivers. The typical response is either disbelief or “oh yeah cool” where you can tell they don’t quite understand that I mean yes, I stand up (most of the time) and paddleboard on rivers.
I first started paddleboarding rivers in 2016. I was new to being on the river in general so learning how to read a river: identify the current, and recognize obstacles, all while trying to stand up on my board was a learning experience. I still remember my first experience on the Arkansas River when I got a nice little scar on my left shin from a rock that day. Boy did I enjoy being on the water, I was hooked!
The challenge with whitewater paddling, besides the obvious of staying on your board, is the season is pretty short. River flows are dependent on the snow pack from the winter. As a skier, I’m always praying to the snow gods for more snow because:
-
I want to ski POWDER!
-
I want a high snowpack to fuel the paddle season
In general, the paddle season starts in mid-April in Colorado when the weather starts to warm up and the snow begins to melt. The season can last into August with a good snowpack. If the snowpack is low, the season can gradually wind down in June. As such, you’re looking at two months on the short-end to four months on the long-end. Keep in mind these are general estimates as flows vary from year-to-year.
In 2019, I learned about the Vail Whitewater Series which takes place every Tuesday in May. The course changes each week with different obstacles on the river right in the heart of Vail. I participated in the last event which was a downriver race from the amphitheater to International bridge.
After this race I was convinced I was ready for a river specific board. I chatted with the Hala folks at the Summer OR in Denver later that summer, demoed a couple different boards, and settled on the Hala Rado. The Rado comes equipped with:
-
River Rocker
-
Swallow Tail
-
Dynamic board shape
-
Two side handles – ideal for pulling yourself back on your board after falling in
-
Stompbox (retractable fin) – no supermanning off your board with a fin strike
I took my Rado out as much as I could last year to get used to the new board. Because the snowpack was at near record levels in 2019 the whitewater season lasted all the way through August. My intent was to get as much experience on my board for the 2020 Vail Whitewater series (VWS).
The VWS was postponed in May due to COVID-19, but was able to hold three races in June, with certain safety precautions: SUPcross races, shorter in distance with different obstacles each week. This was a new event for me but I was ready to test my skills! First lesson, always get a warm-up lap in. Scouting along the shore only goes so far, you need to get your feet wet.
The SUPcross events were a lot of fun! All the participants were supportive, practiced physical distancing, and wore masks when not on the river. Each race started at the covered bridge and ended at International bridge. There were different challenges each week, the toughest being the final week where you start in an upriver position river-left, make a left-hand turn, cross the river and tap a bell river-right fifteen feet downstream. I did not complete the challenge successfully on either of my runs, but I take solace in knowing I wasn’t the only one!
Big shout-out to Vail Recreation District for holding the events this year, it was great to get out on the water!