It was the Balmoral Surf shop SUP race at the 09 Mambo... Beach to Bar to beach race.

We just had Australia's biggest SUP race at the Mambo with 16 teams of four paddles.. You do the math.. That's well over 60 paddlers broken into different teams that had to have one paddler run down the beach to their board.. paddle all the way up to the Bar Beach which meant paddling across the waves at the bar and across the strong current of the Merimbula lake inlet.. Then tag your next team mate.. He'd then have to run up the beach to the Beach Kiosk and down a strong short black coffee.. then run back down to their board and paddle across the current and bar waves.. down to and around the floating party island and then back to the main beach.. tag their thrird team mate and do the same till all four paddlers and paddled.

I was in the SupVic team with Lummers being our first paddler (btw Matt Lumley finshed first on the first leg) where Cam paddled second.. Cam fell on the current crossing and lost most of our lead.. Once Cam got to the main beach our third paddler was Jason from Torquay and he held our lead battling the strong north head wind and using his beautiful wood paddle.. He tagged me and now it was my turn to do the coffee thing and paddle for the finsh line.. I also fell crossing the current.. and once up and going I knew Casso was not far behind me doing the last leg for the Sydney guys with the strong Queensland team not far behind him.

I put my head down and opened up our lead for the SupVic team and winning it for the Vics with the Syney guys coming second and Queenslanders finishing third.

It was a great race.. There was a 12'6" board limit and we used my 12' Glide.

They are now concidering having a paddle-off with the three winning teams tomorrow morning if the conditions are ok..

DJ

Well we just had our paddle-off with the top teams around a short'ish triangle course.. Out through the surf.. around a bouy.. parrallel to the shore for a few hundren meters and around another bouy before heading back to the shore.

The word over the PA system was come down and cheer for your faverite team and boo the Victorians.. (all in good fun).

Matt started for us a getting a good lead.. we slipped to second at the end of the second and by the end of the third we were third.. I gave my all and chased down second but had nothing left in the tank once we hit the beach together.

I thought we'll just had to settle for third when Casso came sprinting past me to take third place off us... Bugger!

It was all good fun thought.. Here's the winners from today.. and can you believe it.. They won using the Naish Window board..

DJ

Hmmmmmm Just a question to throw the Glowmesh into the Shagpile??

Wasnt the race called "Beach to Bar" ????????

If so then the Vicco team Won!


The NSW / QLD Team won the roundy round the triangle thingy with no wind race

Now where did I put that spoon?

Phill