#Dispatch

Matthew Chebatoris For the past three years, two sections of the Los Angeles River have been open to the public for recreational paddling. Known as the Sepulveda Basin (open 30 May through 30 September) and Elysian Valley (open 30 May through 25 September) Recreation Zones, the two sections offer adventurous paddlers the opportunity to explore an often overlooked natural resource in the Los Angeles area. I took advantage of an unanticipated opening in my schedule on a recent Friday and packed u Matthew Chebatoris I left work later than I had planned this past Thursday and decided to head over to Playa del Rey to launch my SUP from Ballona Creek and paddle out into the Santa Monica Bay instead of continuing south to outrigger practice with the Lanakila Outrigger Canoe Club in Redondo Beach. Outrigger practice begins promptly at 5:30 and I knew I wouldn’t make it there before the six man canoes were launched. Sure, I could always take out one of the club OC-1’s and join in the workout, Matthew Chebatoris As a young girl on the small island of Ilhabela, Brazil approximately 150 miles (240k) down the coast from the thriving metropolis of Rio de Janeiro, Andrea Moller found everything she needed to make herself happy in the ocean. The water was equal parts playground, refuge and competitive arena upon which Andrea demonstrated her aptitude to excel from an early age as a competitive swimmer and windsurfer within Brazil’s water sports community. In pursuit of her dream to become Matthew Chebatoris The Magic of the Quickblade Flume Throughout the stand up paddling community the number of paddling clinics on offer has seemingly proliferated at a pace mirroring that of paddle manufacturers themselves. With options abound, it can be difficult to separate the wheat from the chaff and properly evaluate the value of the services and products on offer in the current market. My advice to paddlers interested in taking a paddling clinic is to evaluate the credentials of the instr Matthew Chebatoris Infinity SUP Helps Promote the Revitalization of the Los Angeles River The words decrepit, scummy, trashy, joke, have all been synonymous with the Los Angeles River ever since the Southland’s once wild riparian path was ingloriously channeled and lined with concrete by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in the 1930s. The decision to channel and concrete the river was taken in reaction to a series of floods in the early 20th Century. The floods during this period caused widespre Matthew Chebatoris The Columbia Gorge It has been said experiences are better than possessions and I think that is mostly true. I have to admit though, I’m always lusting after some new equipment and coming up with elaborate reasons to justify the purchase to my wife. My take is that you “need” that shiny, new piece of gear to truly enjoy the above mentioned experience. My wife then hides the credit cards. So it was with the “experiences are better” mantra that I came up with the idea of the Mi Matthew Chebatoris “The wind is going to be nuking this Saturday! Can you make it out?”, read the mid-morning text from Braly. It was still early in the week and I didn’t have anything else planned so I ran the idea of me driving out to Vegas for a downwinder on Lake Mohave past my wife. Rarely one to stand in the way of one of my ideas for an adventure into the great outdoors, she smiled and asked how long I’d be gone. “Just three days, out Friday and back on Sunday. Everyone will be paddling Matthew Chebatoris Don’t let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do. John Wooden, Collegiate Hall of Fame Basketball Coach – UCLA There were many story lines and subplots at the 2015 Payette River Games from the speculation on who would claim their share of the $50,000 prize purse to the colorful attire sported by female competitors such as Izzy Gomez and Annabel Anderson. Residents of rural Cascade, Idaho had probably never witnessed such a vibrant display of neon and faux animal pr Matthew Chebatoris With his decisive win at the Carolina Cup after a grueling back and forth game of cat and mouse in a three-man draft pack with Danny Ching and Connor Baxter for the majority of the race, Travis Grant humbly left an exclamation point on North America’s most important coastal SUP race of 2015. But before the final drone videos recapturing the glory made the rounds on social media, Grant was back home in Hawaii working his full-time “day job” doing boat canvas work fitting uphol Matthew Chebatoris The West Coast of the United States has experienced a marked increase in the number of California Sea Lion pups stranded on beaches across southern and central California during the first four months of 2015. The sight of distressed marine life along our shores is an emotive topic for those of us who enjoy spending time on the water. Most paddlers have a deep appreciation for the ocean and the marine life dependent on a healthy ecosystem in order to survive. As word of the st Matthew Chebatoris The West Coast of the United States has experienced a marked increase in the number of California Sea Lion pups stranded on beaches across southern and central California during the first four months of 2015. The sight of distressed marine life along our shores is an emotive topic for those of us who enjoy spending time on the water. Most paddlers have a deep appreciation for the ocean and the marine life dependent on a healthy ecosystem in order to survive. As word of the st Matthew Chebatoris The West Coast of the United States has experienced a marked increase in the number of California Sea Lion pups stranded on beaches across southern and central California during the first four months of 2015. The sight of distressed marine life along our shores is an emotive topic for those of us who enjoy spending time on the water. Most paddlers have a deep appreciation for the ocean and the marine life dependent on a healthy ecosystem in order to survive. As word of the st Matthew Chebatoris Erika Benitez is not your typical American teenager. Yes, she goes to school like the rest of the kids her age, but that is where the similarities end. Instead of chasing boys at the mall, 14-year-old Erika is chasing them down on the water. More often than not, she wins. As the popularity of stand up paddling continues to grow, more and more young paddlers are gravitating towards the sport. This is particularly true in Southern California where a hip surfing vibe permeates t Matthew Chebatoris At a time when many stand up paddleboards are mass-produced by a handful of factories dispersed across Southeast Asia, one Orange County, California manufacturer is going about business in much the same manner as they have for decades. Steve Boehne, founder of Infinity, has learned a fair share about what it takes to design a board to move efficiently across the water in his career as a shaper spanning more than five decades. Steve shaped and glassed his first surfboard back Matthew Chebatoris Hailing from the desert island of Fuerteventura in the Canary Islands, Germany’s Sonni Hönscheid has literally been rotating her home from one exotic island locale to another throughout her life. The daughter of a professional windsurfer, Sonni was born on the small island of Sylt in the North Sea near Germany’s border with Denmark.  The family traveled the world throughout her father’s career, during which they spent a considerable period of time on Maui (her older sister wa Matthew Chebatoris My Journey to  Stand Up Paddling 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