As Stand-Up Paddleboarders Race Around New York City, a Sport Takes Off

By Samantha Cook; photographs courtesy O'Neill Sea Paddle NYC

“Every day is paradise,” said stand-up paddleboard athlete Annabel Anderson as she looked out into the water from Pier 40 on the west side of Manhattan. Anderson quit a stressful corporate job to dedicate herself to stand-up paddle boarding, and its obvious that she has no regrets.

Last Friday at 6:45 a.m. Anderson, along with over 200 other enthusiasts, was preparing to participate in the fifth annual O’ Neill Sea Paddle NYC, a 26.5 stand-up paddleboard race around Manhattan. The race benefits Surfer’s Environmental Alliance and autism charities.

Unlike surfing, stand-up paddle boarding can be done in any body of water. It’s also much easier to learn. As a result, the sport has become increasingly popular. This year’s race had its greatest number of participants, about 20 percent more than last year.

“Stand-up paddle boarding is the fastest growing sport right now,” said Andrew Mencinsky of Surfers' Environmental Alliance. “We have participants who are coming from Chicago—where there is no ocean— Tennessee, Utah. There’s paddle boarding going on almost anywhere there’s a lake, pond or river.”

Meet the Adventurers of the Year: Paddler Jamie Mitchell

Each day we will feature one of the 2010 Adventures of the Year here on our blog. Get to know them all in our photo gallery, then vote for your favorite for the People's Choice award—every day. You can even vote for a new favorite each day, if you can't pick just one. Photograph by Jody MacDonald

The Paddler

Jaime Mitchell won his ninth race across Hawaii’s Molokai Channel, proving yet again he’s the best paddlerboarder on Earth.

There’s a reason the 32-mile marathon from Molokai to Oahu is considered the world championship of paddleboarding. It’s the superlative of races—the biggest swells, the least predictable seas, the fiercest competition. And yet 33-year-old Australian Jamie Mitchell is unbeatable here. But then, Mitchell is unbeatable almost everywhere. He’s hardly lost a race since 2002. The Queenslander is also—in his own, low-key way—representing a sport in the throes of a breakout moment. If you happened to be near a significant body of water this year (lakes and rivers included) chances are you saw some folks standing atop very large surfboards, paddle in hand. Mitchell’s been dominating and advocating SUP (stand up paddleboarding) for more than a decade, and runs a SUP school in his hometown. His real deal, though, is managing to navigate those windy, finicky waters off Molokai while kneeling—it’s faster than standing—on his 18-foot board, crossing the channel in not quite five hours. Here’s how Mitchell has managed it nine years in a row. —By Ryan Bradley

Read more about Jamie Mitchell >>

 

Stand-Up Paddleboarders Race 28-Miles Around Manhattan

By Tetsuhiko Endo

“It’s like snowboarding the 80s,” says world champion paddle racer and all-around waterman Jamie Mitchel, observing the scene at Pier 40 on the west side of Manhattan this morning. He’s referring to the rapid growth spurt of stand-up paddling (SUP), which in the last five years has exploded onto the outdoor sports scene with a fervor not seen since Jake Burton put two foot straps on a wooden plank.

The current popularity of the sport is on display here as around 100 people launch 14-foot epoxy surfboards into the Hudson River at the start of what will be a 28-mile paddle around Manhattan. Some will race, and some will simply enjoy the city views and the fresh northeasterly winds, but all are hear to support SEA Paddle NYC, which raises money for the Surfer’s Environmental Alliance, and chosen autism support groups.