Paddle Round the
Pier – Brighton
My first taste of team SUPing
came in the form of Slip Stream SUP at Brighton’s Paddle Round the Pier event.
A different format than I was used too but a good way to promote team work and
understanding with each other while also utilising one of the fundamental key
tricks of SUP racing, Drafting. The race format was 14 miles (turned out to be
16.22) with stops at intervals on the beach to collect wrist bands, split
into 2 laps for the Pro/brand or 1 lap for the Amateur’s. Having to drive such
a long way to the event the 14 miler seemed the sensible choice to make the
most of the day.
The drive up to Brighton after
work on the Friday wasn’t too bad, we were making good progress till about 40
miles from Brighton when there was a round about every few minutes making for
slow progress so close to the end. We finally got down to the sea front and
could see the fenced off event and were pleased to arrive, pretty much bang on
our estimated time, however finding the entrance was more tricky than I had anticipated.
Once in though we headed down through all the trade stalls and found our space
to park, Sean White our 3rd team member had already pitched up tent
and made himself cosy. After a few hours’
sleep it was time to get up and sort out a nice carb tastic breaky, Chicken and
pasta Yum followed by a protein bar for desert, sorted. By now a few people
that had camped overnight were waking and others were starting to arrive, there
was a bit of a congregation happening around our cars and it was good to see
some of the familiar faces of UK sup races, much like our extended family. 
My Brother Dan and I went in
search of the registration tent and a bit of a gander at what was around in the
paddle village, we were told everything was running a bit late and that the race
start would be delayed, and as far as I was concerned this was great, I still
had plenty to sort out before I was ready. We got the sign in sorted and
decided to head back as a team and sort out our race shirts with some WESUP
sticks for extra Bling… by the time we got to the cars and got the T-shirts the
voice over the loud speaker said briefing was in 10 minutes, bring your
equipment and race start dreckly afterwards…… This was the only thing that I thought
was rather poor about an otherwise brilliantly organised race and event as a
whole. We rushed to get our boards off the roof, Fins attached, hydration packs
filled, paddles ready, and it felt panicked, no time for last minute toilet
stops or stretches and getting your head in the right place for a long race.
As the race started teams went
off almost on their own, and it wasn’t till just after the first mark off the
beach that the teams formed and the draft trains formed up. The limit for a
teams overall board size was 39’ so I was on my 14’ ace pro, Dan on his 12’6”
new and Sean had borrowed a 12’6 Coreban. Staying as a team and trying to get
the draft engaged wasn’t really paying off due to the tracking on the coreban
board. Ideally 3 identical boards would have worked better but we made do. Sean
was having a horrid time and so after the first of our beach stops we swapped
boards and I took on the challenge of the coreban while he took the ace pro to
catch a breather. It soon became crystal clear why we wasn’t having any joy,
the tracking while trying to draft was fairly bad and hard work, feeling like
paddling a brick after being on my board. Even by this point 1st and
2nd place teams had pulled a fair sized gap but 3rd place
looked catchable. We paddled up wind and tide back towards the start location,
where I swapped the coreban and gave Dan a go at it. It certainly wasn’t doing
us any favours and we slogged our way up beyond the pier and go our third set
of wristbands (cableties) the stopping at the beach was a good way to break up
the distance and also a good way for the event organisers to make sure everyone
was feeling ok and not likely to pass out, the heat by now was extremely tiring
in itself, and the sea conditions were mirror flat, bar a bit of swell and some clop from
nearby boats. Paddling back to the start getting ready for the 2nd
lap we all agreed 1 lap would have been more than enough in fairness but when
in Rome. The gap now between us and third seemed a bit too far to catch but the
gap behind us was getting bigger and we felt confident we could hold on to fourth
place failing any major incidents. The last lap I took over on the coreban and
decided to slog it out and got used to how it moved, standing a lot further
forward than I would have thought and staying out of the slip steam wake it
actually seemed easier. Much of the last lap went without incident apart from
we saw the most massive jelly fish.
We crossed the line happy with 4th
place and considered ourselves the 2nd Pro Am team…. The rest of the
day was at our own leisure until prize giving at the pirate party later on in
the evening, Cider and listening to the live music sat in the sun seemed like
the best idea, sadly having to drive in the evening back for work Sunday limited
my cider consumption but none the less a great vibe and atmosphere. I look
forward to making my way back to this event next year. Id like to thank
everyone who turned up, the event organisers, Ginny for doing a great job
keeping us all informed and in order. Also to Wesup for the event T-shirts and
general stoke, and Starboard and Tushingham for their increased support. Next known
race Exmouth’s Battle of the Paddle, July 20th… Whoop Whoop…
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