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On May 17, the City of Encinitas held a SUP (Stand-up Paddle) and paddle board race, starting at Oceanside Pier and finishing at Moonlight Beach – an eleven mile stretch. The race had six divisions:  SUP board rudder/no-rudder, stock-12 ft. and under, 14’, Unlimited, Women- Open class, and Kapuna (45+).

Coming first overall was Chuck Patterson, who crossed the finish line in about 1:50 min on his Hobbie SUP board. Following him, but only slightly behind, SUP and paddle boarders made to the shoreline shoulder-to-shoulder battling to get ahead. In a few cases, the fight was taken all the way to the event's canopy, where the race clerk was recording time and placement.

The surf and wind conditions made the race highly competitive across the SUP and paddle board divisions. With virtually no winds, SUP boarders were able to stay on par with their paddle board counterparts. No single division had a claim on the best performance. Contestants brought the heat of the competition all the way to the beach at Moonlight, whether standing on a board with paddle or not.