As impressive as his feat of paddling 365 days in a row may be, Bob has just announced that he’s continuing his initiative straight through 2012, with plans to making it 730 consecutive paddle days!

And on Saturday June 16th, 2012, Bob is also organizing “World Paddle for the Planet Day”, which will be comprised of a variety of events throughout the World. Keep tabs here and at PaddleForThePlanet.ca… Details will be released as they become available!

Here’s the news release:

Life is a precious gift! All Life is interconnected! Is that connection lost, and have we affected the Planet’s ability to sustain Life? The evidence says we have, and indicates we need to “Change the Way We Live on the Planet”!

The challenges we face socially, economically and environmentally in today’s World  are staggering, and just like all life on the Planet, intricately connected! The decisions made, and actions taken in the past have affected all life on the Planet. Our future decisions and actions will have no less impact. The question we need to ask ourselves is “How can I change the Way I live on the Planet now for generations to come in the future”?

My journey down this road began several years ago when Sharon and I began contributing to the “David Suzuki Foundation”. Fast forward to 2007 when I discovered the sport of “Standup Paddle Surfing”! In spite of breaking my nose in the surf of Florida my first time out, I knew I had found something very special that would become a lifelong passion, something I wanted to share with everyone! Fast forward again to 2010 where I found myself wanting to do more for the Planet. Shortly after I started paddling I told Sharon, “I would paddle every day if I could” and so I decided to combine my passion for paddling with the discovery of things I could do to “Change the Way I was Living on the Planet”. A few phone calls to the “David Suzuki Foundation” later and,  voila, “Paddle for the Planet “was born on New Year’s Day, 2011!

I had three goals in 2011; 1) challenge myself personally by paddling all 365 days of 2011,  2) raise $100,000 in donations for the “David Suzuki Foundation” to support their amazing work, and 3) challenge and change the way I live on the Planet. My experience in 2011 made me realize that lasting change takes time and effort.  So, just like the challenges of the planet, my personal efforts will continue.  On New Year’s Day, 2012, I will dip my paddle into the water again to continue the consecutive daily paddle I started in 2011! Fundraising, and searching for more ways to “Change the Way I Live on the Planet” are priorities once again! Since there are few people who have created more change for the Planet than Dr. Suzuki, “Paddle for the Planet 2012” will once again donate every penny raised to the “David Suzuki Foundation” in support of their body of work!

In addition, I invite you to watch for a very special paddle in June, the 1^st Annual “World Paddle for the Planet Day” which will take place on Saturday, June 16th. This event has been created to encourage Standup Paddle Surfers all over the World to paddle for the “Change” they want to see!” For my part, I will attempt to paddle all 80 miles of Okanagan Lake in one day! I will be paddling to change the devastating impact our consumptive ways have on the Planet! Join me, and paddle to “Change the Way We Live on the Planet”!

My name is Bob Purdy and I am a “Standup Paddle Surfing, Elder in Training, Outstanding Somewhere!” I paddle 365 days a year because the call to action is urgent! Our Planet is crying out for help! I encourage you to answer the call! Start today! Make a donation at www.paddlefortheplanet.ca or www.davidsuzuki.org , support a project you are passionate about, start a project of your own, Or?……….

One person is the difference, stand up & be that person! If I can do it, you can do it!

Congratulations once again Bob… It’s been great following your journey thus far, and wish you the best of luck in continuing your efforts!

Here’s an excerpt from the story…

A Kelowna filmmaker is back in town to tell the story of Bob Purdy, another Kelowna man whose story CHBC News brought you earlier this year.

Filmmaker Carey Missler shot a portion of a surfing documentary, called the Canadian Surfer Movie, with Purdy on Sunday at Rotary Beach in Kelowna.

Purdy has been stand up paddling around Okanagan Lake every day this year to raise environmental awareness.

Missler is traveling across the country to shoot different stories about surfing; he will stop in Nova Scotia to film about ocean surfing, Montreal for a segment about river surfing and Lake Ontario for a story about lake surfing.

Read it on Global News: CHBC Okanagan | Kelowna stand up paddler to be featured in documentary

Click here for the whole story!

Definitely worth a watch… Check it out!

Kal Lake is enjoyed by all types of water sports both motorized and human powered and as public usage increases, so do the challenges of keeping it clean and safe.  Kalavida is an ongoing partner with SPrKL and dedicates resources to help protect and preserve what many consider as one of the best places to paddle in the province.  Many of the local paddleboarders are members of the society and act as lake ambassadors throughout the year.

“With an increase in Standup Paddleboarding (SUP) activity on the lake, we felt it was our responsibility to take a proactive approach” said Michelle Mitchell of Kalavida. “Our shop is right across from Kal Beach which allows us to monitor it daily and the SUP community as a whole is genuinely concerned about the overall health of the lake” she adds.  The money raised for the donation came from several events including the Kalamalka Classic SUP Festival – An event recognized as the largest Standup Paddleboard event in Canada.  For more details about SPrKL and Kalavida, visit their websites at www.spkl.ca and www.kalavidasurfshop.com.

The race attracted participants from all over the Pacific Northwest, including Bob Purdy and Stefan Idzan from the Okanagan, and a surprisingly strong contingent of paddlers from Washington, including unlimited class winner Beau Whitehead and 14′ class winner Kimo Jandoc from Bellingham. 24 paddlers tackled the 13.5km long course, and 9 paddled the short 6.5km course, for a total of 33 participants.

During the opening racers’ meeting, Bob Purdy from Paddle for the Planet announced his initiative for petitioning Transport Canada to change their rules to consider a standard surf-style board leash as a suitable substitute safety device in place of the current PFD requirement. Be sure to visit paddlefortheplanet.ca/pfd to help the cause!

The weather was looking a bit sketchy earlier on, but things gradually improved throughout the morning and by race time the rain and wind had calmed down to provide some pretty pleasant, in fact pretty much ideal racing conditions… Cloud cover kept things cool, temps were comfortable, and the tides and winds were basically a non-issue.

Beau Whitehead came in at 1:23:43 for the fastest time on the long course on his unlimited board, with Kimo Jandoc coming in at 1:28:52 to win the 14′ class. Mike Hammer won the Men’s 12’6 class at 1:41:11, and Elizabeth Schalka won the Women’s 12’6 class with a time of 1:45:08. Congratulations to everyone!

Once the short and long distance races were completed a BBQ lunch was provided, then a fun kids’ race was run right in front of the boathouse. 4 kids participated, and all looked like they had an awesome time!

Next up was the team sprint relay race on the same course that was used for the kiddos. Three teams of four battled it out over the short course, and Team Deep Cove came out with a narrow win. Lots of fun and drama with this event and very spectator friendly.. EVERY SUP event needs a sprint relay!

Overall, the event was exceptionally well planned and executed and I sincerely hope that Mike and his team continue their efforts in the coming years… Had the morning’s weather cooperated a bit more, I’m certain we would have likely seen at least double the attendance. I heard mention that there were actually quite a few pre-registrants that didn’t bother showing up (likely due to the expected weather), and all I can say is they should be kicking themselves not only for wasting their registration fee, but more notably because they missed out on a great day!

Many thanks go out to Deep Cove Kayak and Mike Darbyshire in particular who planned all the details, right down to the hand-shaped wooden trophies which he built with Kelvin Humenny. Also, big thanks to race sponsors Starboard, Icebreaker, North Shore Credit Union, and Q Energy.

Here are the official results, and be sure to check out the photo gallery at the end of the post!

Long Course Results

Short Course Results

Photo Gallery

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Thanks for sending Lina, and nice work!

Well,
I think my body deserves a big pat on the back and a big rest. Good thing I am heading to the cottage for a week for my sisters wedding and just some plain old relaxing cottage fun… I can’t wait to be sun bathing on our wooden row boat sippin on gin and juice and beltching out some old school lithuanian camp tunes!

but first a recap of what its like to finish a tough 6 day adventure race and 6 days later try to push the body to its limits in a more sprint fashion race (x2).

Oceanman

I can’t believe I managed to miss this event for so many years. Gary Parsons puts on one fun filled event. It all happens around Jericho sailing club and pushes the limits of a different kind of athlete… maybe more like the fish in us….

The race was a 1km swim, 5km kayak, 6km run and 2km stand up paddleboard.

I am not a horrible swimmer and I used to race triathlons, so although I don’t enjoy swim starts I am no novice to open water/mass swim starts but on this particular day you wouldnt have known, and neither would I. I definitely knew my body was run down and hadn’t fully recovered from my adventure race but I was trying to think positive and was super excited to get to be part of this race and experience it solo style. I knew a bunch of people racing, people in the crowds and Johnny was helping me out with support. I didn’t want to disappoint anyone, including myself.

On the start line, the waves were big, choppy, and coming from every direction. The big yellow triangle bouys were moving all over the place. Gary yelled go and we were off, I tried to stay calm and just breathe nice and slowly. I started on the edge of the crowd, pretty happy with my choice, and then it all went downhill… I was hyperventilating, coughing, panicking, and then…..breaststroking (i never breaststroke, especially in a race).  I was trying to do everything in my power to calm myself down, think positively, and get through the 2 loop swim course. About half way through the first loop after lots and lots of people passed me I definitely was planning my escape route. I didn’t think my body was recovered and able to complete the race. I was hooped. I eventually made it to the beach after the first lap, flipped up my goggles, WALKED (also a never for me in a race) around the marker on the beach and as I was deciding how to end my suffering, I saw Andrea standing on the edge of the beach, yelling GO LINA! At that moment I knew I was getting back in the water for the second lap. THANK YOU for being there Andrea, I am so glad I didn’t quit. So I managed to just get through the swim, in last place of solo women. It was a little embarrassing and tough getting out of the water and running down the log to the kayak but when I saw all the support I had I started getting fired up again. I wasn’t too far behind the others.

The water was still mighty choppy on the kayak. I put on my tweaker Ryders sunglasses and jumped onto my surfski. I was paddling the Fenn XT surfski (thanks Stu). I actually felt super stable and ready to tackle the cross chop and whatever else the waters had in store for me. I managed to pass one girl and a bunch of other boats on the paddle. Feeling much better.

Off the kayak Jen D helped me clean my feet and I put on my running shoes and off I was on the run. I wasn’t feeling too bad, but obviously not my strongest. I just kept a good steady pace on the run. The run took us around Jericho Park. It was a really fun there and back course, all on trails! I managed to again pass some folk on the run. I was telling myself throughout the run to just keep a good pace and that SUP was next and that was my thing…. no worries!

By the time it was time for the SUP the waters calmed down a bit (which I was pretty happy about as I was on my 23.5 inch wide Starboard New). I felt totally stable and got to punch through the SUP section. I almost had a major screw up missing a buoy but Dale caught me just in time to let me know. I turned around and still managed to re catch the guys who passed me while I fixed my mistake.

I managed to come in 3rd for the solo female category but most importantly,…… I didn’t quit and finished. I am proud of me and my mind!

Following the race there was a delicious salmon bbq, with beers, and pie, and lots of draw prizes!

Check here for more info!

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Vancouver SUP Race

Pretty tired and sore from the previous day of racing the Oceanman, I lazily got on my bike and made the 45min ride back to Jericho sailing club. Again the wind was up and the waters ultra choppy. I was tired but also excited as I love racing on the SUP. I managed to get on a 25inch Starboard New, which for me was perfect. The 23.5inch was just a little too unstable for the conditions and that extra 1.5inches gave me the confidence and stability I needed.

4km Race

The first race was a 4km course. At first all of us endurance junkies were annoyed by the shortness of the long course. With the chop and headwinds and side chop….. it felt a lot longer and ended up being a really fun length… Good call Gary! I can never get a really good start on the SUP (I need to work on this) but I managed to get a better start than most. I stayed upright on my board. The start of the race was tough, really tough…. the waves were coming in sideways, and all over really and they were big… Rounding the first bouy Shannon was right on my tail… I just kept concentrating on the water and what I needed to do though, as I was still on a pretty tippy board and one moment of loss of concetration would mean I would be in the water… The head wind heading out to the far bouy was tough. You really needed to power through each stroke (totally what I love). Coming in from the far bouy it was a fun downwinder and I was trying to experiment with riding some waves. I haven’t had much chance to practice downwinders but would like too… they was fun! I came in as the 2nd 12’6 rider and the 1st female overall! I was pleased.

Relay Race

Mike D, Kimo, and I were a team for the relay. The relay was a 1km course that we each did. Mike started us off. He was in a tight battle with Gary P. They were both on the 14 foot Ace. Mike came in about 5 seconds before Gary and then it was my turn. I was head to head with Shannon. About a minute into the paddle I fell off. I am not sure exactly what happened but it caught me totally off guard. Funny enough I was telling friends that I never fall off in a race… hahaha…. Anyways, I got myself back on the board but Shannon pulled ahead during my faff. I managed to sort of catch her on the first turn and then caught some little waves before heading out on the second loop of the 1km course. Again, going out in the headwind is kind of my thing, and managed to pull ahead and stay ahead on the downwind section. Next up was Kimo. He was battling it out with Kelvin on the other team. They both battle different kinds of boards and so had some trouble staying up right. This caused some excitement for the relay race. In the end Kimo pulled through and managed to have one less slip into the water than Kelvin. 1st place in the relay race.

Sprint Race

This was a mighty fun gongshow. We were all on the surf style boards (12 foot and under). It was an all out mass sprint to a bouy about 25meters away and then back. Mike D caused some chaos by going the other way around the buoy and Kelvin managed to squeeze through for the win.

Deep Cove SUP racers hit up the podium

Mike D winner male 4km
Me winner female 4km
Mike and I win the relay
Kelvin H win the sprint

Again, another fun day of racing. I love racing but am totally excited to take a break and relax at the cottage.

live, love, laugh,…DREAM!
lina

Paddling a Starboard K-15 AST with a Kialoa Methane paddle Lina, along with kayak support from Andrew Dye, completed the 740km journey in six days, and was the very first time that an SUP travelled this stretch of river.

Nice work guys Lina and Andrew!

Check out the video here:

Yukon River SUP Expedition 2011 from Andrew Dye on Vimeo.

For more information:

• http://linaaugaitis.blogspot.com/
• www.andrew-in-bc.blogspot.com
• Flickr Photo Account
• Vimeo Video Account

JULY 5th, 2011 (Vancouver, British Columbia) The Ka’iwi Channel, also known as the “channel of bones”, aka Molokai Channel, has a centuries old reputation for being one of the most treacherous bodies of water in the world. Ka’iwi has claimed the lives of many, from ancient canoe fleets, to fisherman and watermen including the tragic loss of Hawaiian big-wave surfer Eddie Aikau.

On July 31st, 2011, Norm Hann and Bodie Shandro of British Columbia aspire to add their names to the list of those watermen and women that have successfully crossed the channel in the 15th Annual Molokai 2 Oahu Race. Unofficially recognized as the “World Championships” of paddleboarding, stand up paddle boarding is a relatively new category in the elite race. Hann and Shandro will be competing in the 2-man division.

Both men are considered “Canadian pioneers” in the sport of stand up paddleboarding, and are proud of their surf roots. Considered race veterans, adventurers and highly regarded certified SUP instructors, Hann owns and operates Squamish based Mountain Surf Adventures,  and Shandro, Kamloops based Paddle Surf Fitness.

Join them in the race of their lives by pledging in support for the www.Standup4Greatbear.ca organization. Norm’s Standup4Greatbear began as a 400km standup paddleboard expedition to keep oil tankers off the North Coast of British Columbia. The goal was to highlight the traditional food harvesting areas of the First Nations and the wildlife of the Greatbear Rainforest. All funds donated will go to promoting awareness, education and understanding of the significance of the Great Bear Rainforest and the culture of Coastal First Nation’s while preserving its unique status as a pristine example of human respect for and coexistence with the environment.

Partial proceeds raised will also be shared with Hawaii’s Na Kama Kai Youth Organization. Na Kama Kai’s mission is to empower youth by creating, conducting and supporting ocean-based programs, specifically targeting ocean awareness & safety in order to increase the capacity of youth in the community through cultural & environmental education. You may donate to STANDUP4GREATBEAR at: https://www.2mevents.com/basic-pledge/550 TEAM CANADA TO COMPETE IN THE 32 MILE MOLOKAI TO OAHU PADDLEBOARD
RACE IN SUPPORT OF STANDUP4GREATBEAR

ABOUT THE MOLOKAI TO OAHU PADDLEBOARD RACE

• Regarded as the world championship of paddleboard racing.
• Traverses 32 miles of rough, shark infested waters from the North Shore of Molokai, to the South Shore of Oahu.
• Covers a depth of 2,300 feet and is subject to open-ocean swells of up to 30 feet.
• Considered one of the roughest ocean channels in the world.
• Ultimate test of endurance – no engines or sails, just a paddler and the propulsion power of his paddle.
• Wildly varying open-ocean conditions challenge a paddler’s surfing skills.
• Top paddlers can ride swells for 100s of yards.
• Capricious currents and tidal effects test a paddler’s ocean navigation skills.

THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING TEAM CANADA AND STANDUP4GREATBEAR.

First off a big THANKS to the organizers Kevin and Michelle from Kalavida Surf Shop for putting on a wonderful event full of events, food, and entertainment.

Last year I attended this race with a mere 28 or so paddlers. Most of us were on all arounder type boards and hadn’t a clue about racing SUP but greatly enjoyed the two events. I managed to come out as Queen of Kalamalka. This year I was back to defend my title but proved to be very different with the sport growing at a rapid speed the field more than doubled. I believe there were about 70 or so paddlers out on the courses. There was a recreational league and a competitive one. The competitive racers were racing with high speeds, with a good set of skills, technique, and strategy. We were all out there having tons of fun and trying to get crowned King and Queen of Kalmalka!

There were three different races, all testing different skills on a SUP and all counted towards the final goal of becoming crowned. I brought the board that I have been racing the Tuesday Night Deep Cove races on this year, my NEW 12’6 X 23.5.. it’s fast but it does come with some consequences if one is not careful as it can also be quite unstable, and harder turn around tight corners due to its narrowness and instability. Thank you Starboard and Trident Sports for the use of this awesome board and the growing support! I must say I was a little nervous to use the board for the short course as there were lots of turns and there could have been some bumps etc. I know I can paddle that board well on my own in flat water but wasnt too confident on my abilities to turn etc on it in a crowd with some bumps.. I do have to say for racing I love this board!

Short Course:

I surprised myself here. I used the cross bow turning method, went out hard to get in front of the crowd, stayed on my board and just felt so strong and confident that I started passing some guys, then some more and without really realizing it finished the course amongst the top males… really it was a good confident booster for me especially heading up to the Yukon this week and paddling the Yukon river… It made me feel like I could do it even more.

Sprint Course:

Here we had to use a 12′ or shorter board…I was scrambling to find a board I liked and then Beau and Dale from WA were kind enough to lend me their 12′ board. It looked like a goodie… and that it was. It was sort of like SUP cross. We had three people at the line, it was a sprint to the buoy. The fun part was you could turn around the buoy in either direction (causing mayhem) and finish with a quick sprint to the beach. Somehow our heat was pretty much the same twice in a row… hmmm but i managed to get out in front quick and avoid the chaos of the turn… There was one run where I had a true brain fart and forgot how to turn which in the end saved me. As I was gathering my thoughts about turning I drifted away from the buoy and was found on the outside of the chaos near the buoy, allowing for a quick escape back to the beach. I managed to pull out in front in the final heat for another win!

Long Course:

The long course is what it is all about… This lake is gorgeous and the distance tough but very satisfying! I was back on my starboard New. I won’t lie, when we arrived at the start I was nervous… it was choppy out there… everyone was so excited for the downwinder and I was peeing my pants… hoping I wouldn’t fall off my board too many times…. The start was choppy but Andrew helped me out and told me to stay wide as the rec class got bunched up by the buoy turn.. I managed to stay out of any crashes and up right through the riviera and along the entire lake. It was actually quite fun and the little chop kept me on my toes and made for the time to pass quickly! I spent the first third of the race catching the other 12’6 guys until Beau and I were leading the pack. I think he got tired of me and took off and I couldn’t catch him again… I managed to come in as a the 2nd 12’6 board overall and therefore solidying my overall win as Queen! I felt great throughout the entire paddle down the lake… I used NUUN as my hydration (my fav)

The points were tabulated and Norm and I were crowned! Also a big congrats to Jen D and Kristin T for their awesome performances out there rounding out the top females and Beau and Stu R on the men’s side.

Read more about Lina’s adventures on her blog!

Here are the details so far…

Hey Guys,

We just finalized the dates for our 2nd Annual Standup Paddleboard Race. Last years  Rip Curl’s Rippin Down the Bow was a huge sucess with 41 entrants. 37 actually showed up.

This year we are calling it the ” 2nd Annual Red Nik Rippin Down The Bow”

The date will be Sunday August the 7th and We are expecting upwards of 75 -100 entrants this year.

We will be coming out with a poster and all of our Sponsors and entry form info by Mid April.

Check out RedNik.com for more information and to register.