New paddleboard sport increasing in popularity

[hookset]

I see these guys all over the place now.







Bob and Melanie Copper of Baltimore head out for an excursion with Delmarva Stand-Up Paddle in Fenwick Island, Del. / THOMAS MELVILLE/OCEAN PINES INDEPENDENT


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Written by

Ethan Rothstein


FENWICK ISLAND -- There's a sport that's been growing exponentially on the Shore that combines aspects of surfing, kayaking and canoeing, takes about five minutes to learn and, best of all, doesn't require waves.
The sport is stand-up paddleboarding, SUP for short, and it's grown by about 400 percent since 2008, according to DelMarVa Board Sport Adventures co-owner Janis Markopoulos.
"Women are digging it," she said. "It lets us be a little adventurous, but it's so safe at the same time. We women have a lower center of gravity, so our balance is actually a little bit better than the guys."
SUP involves the participant standing upright on a long, lightweight board -- usually 11 feet or longer -- and propelling the board with a paddle that extends from the ground to the boarder's wrist.
Once the boarder is out on the water, the board is exceptionally stable and easy to control. Markopoulos said 90 percent of participants don't fall down, even on their first attempt. After only a few minutes, the boarder can comfortably paddle along.
According to Jamie Young, assistant manager of East of Maui Surf Shop, after 20 to 30 minutes of practicing the paddling technique, boarders can go out and enjoy themselves. For those looking for a good workout, ramping up the intensity works the core, thighs, calves and arms.
East of Maui and DelMarVa Board Sport Adventures are just two of the shops in the area that sell and rent boards and paddles in addition to providing customers with lessons. Young said East of Maui began carrying them about three or four years ago after the staff had seen them on surfing videos and given them a try.
"We were all interested in it," he said. "We just wanted to get involved, so we started doing it ourselves. Whenever we went out, people would ask 'What is that? What are you doing?' It started out with a lot of interest."
Markopoulos and her husband, George, opened their shop last year. She said they anticipate tripling or quadrupling their revenue this year.
"Anybody can do it," Markopoulos said. "This has brought all the communities together. Kayakers, surfers, windsurfers, kiteboarders -- everybody loves paddleboarding."
Amy Shields just started paddleboarding last year, but bought a board, paddle and leash from Markopoulos this spring for about $1,600. She said she kayaks, but was "getting a little bit bored with it."
Shields often paddle-boards with her dog, Cherry, who she said enjoys "the wind in her ears," dipping her paws in the water, and sleeping on the board.
"Her personality is very mellow and lazy," Shields said. "I knew she would immediately take to getting on the board. I bought her a doggie life jacket, and she'll walk around on the board while I'm paddling."
Bob Copper, who lives in Harford County, Md., with his wife, Melanie, won a guided tour with DelMarVa Board Sport Adventures during a silent auction at a charity event at Seacrets. He said he likes to surf and that interest drew him to paddleboarding.
"I like being in the water," Copper said. "This just seems like another step. It's the perfect East Coast sport. This week, the waves haven't been that good, but you can always get on the paddleboard."
Paddling on flat water can be "an exhilarating Zen," one of Markopoulos' customers said, but paddling in the surf is where the really tough workouts come from.
"I didn't even realize how difficult it was to get past the breaking point with all the swells out there," Shields said. "It took me about 15 minutes of falling off consistently. I found that when I go out surfing, I come back and I'm much more exhausted."
Since SUP is such a new sport, Markopoulos said all of the surf shops that offer it are working together to promote it, not sabotaging each other.
"We're all sharing a great sport with a lot of people," she said. "In this sport, I think there's enough business to go around for all of us."


[URL]http://www.delmarvanow.com/article/20110712/OPI06/107120345/New-paddleboard-sport-increasing-in-popularity?odyssey=mod|newswell|text|Ocean

[stormchaser]

Here is another one, these folks are from Maine. I heard the water there never gets above 55 degrees, cold!


July 17

Taking a stand (http://www.pressherald.com/life/taking-a-stand_2011-07-17.html)

Stand-up paddle boarding is exploding in popularity, and the sport already has plenty of fans in Maine.

By Deirdre Fleming (http://www.pressherald.com/contact/Deirdre_Fleming.html) dfleming@mainetoday.com
Staff Writer

CAPE ELIZABETH - Kayak guide David Legere thinks the coastal waters around Bar Harbor are too cold for the latest sports trend to make inroads Down East.

http://media.pressherald.com/images/300*216/portland-press-herald_3559232.jpg click image to enlarge

Rafael Adams, owner of Soposup in South Portland, gives Tonya DiMillo of Cumberland some on-land paddle board pointers before taking her out on Kettle Cove in Cape Elizabeth last week. The sport, which is growing in popularity around the country, is just catching on in Maine, Adams said. Gabe Souza/Staff Photographer
http://media.pressherald.com/images/300*186/portland-press-herald_3559228.jpg click image to enlarge

Rafael Adams guides Tonya DiMillo around Kettle Cove during a paddle board lesson last week. Gabe Souza/Staff Photographer
NOTE: Many shops deliver boards to nearby locations.



But in southern Maine, Rafael Adams is so completely confident, he started a business dedicated to the newest outdoor sport to hit the East Coast.
For years, stand-up paddle boards, or SUPs, have dotted the enormous warm waves of Hawaii and California. But only in recent years has this next-generation surf sport come to New England.
Not until this summer did SUPs really take off at one of Boston's biggest kayak operations. Now the guys at Charles River Canoe & Kayak can't keep them on the shelves.
"It took a season to catch on. There is huge demand this season. We recently certified five guides for stand-up paddle boarding," said Chris Tapper, the company's assistant manager in Newton, Mass.
At Soposup in South Portland, Adams said it doesn't take long for first-time paddlers to want more. And he's a good example of this new addiction.
A furniture maker for 16 years, Adams only tried stand-up paddle boarding a year ago. He used it for fishing and found that the stability and lightness of the oversized surf board allowed him to get towed when he hooked into a big striper.
Then he tried exploring on his new board without the fishing rod.
Pretty soon, Adams was hooked.
Now his shop on the road to Portland Head Light, which used to house furniture, is chock full of stand-up paddle boards. It's the only New England surf shop dedicated to the sport, Adams said.
The faith Adams has in the sport's impending rise seems widespread.
Stand-up paddle boarding has been offered at several surf shops in southern Maine in recent years. Now it's also at surf and sailing shops in Rockland and on Mount Desert Island.
National Park Canoe Rental on Long Pond is the only paddle outfit on Mount Desert Island that offers self-guided SUPs, said manager Michelle Merchant. But Merchant thinks the sport will grow on lakes and ponds.
"It's becoming such a popular sport, especially among women. Paddle board yoga is incredible," Merchant said.
Legere of Aquaterra Adventures in Bar Harbor doubts SUPs will grab hold along the Down East coast but said it could spread on warmer inland waters.
"I would not hesitate myself. But as far as commercial use, I don't think it's appropriate on the ocean (here). Too many times people don't look at the safety side of things," Legere said.
But on flat water, there is no denying how easy the sport is to learn.
Foot placement and stance are important, as is the grip on the paddle. But once they have the basics down, paddlers of all ages and athletic abilities can enjoy a paddle board. And go everywhere.
Last Tuesday, Adams gave Tonya DiMillo of Cumberland just 10 minutes of instruction, and within a half-hour she was paddling around Kettle Cove by herself.
After the first lesson, DiMillo wanted to purchase the board she paddled.
"I saw it in Maine last year in Scarborough. Then last year, (my family was) in the Caribbean, and we saw just a few. Pretty soon I think you'll see them all over," DiMillo said. "It's another way to enjoy Maine."
To Adams, the full-out convert, it's the only way.
The owner of Soposup thinks paddle boards will replace kayaks in Maine and maybe even recruit a few surfers.
"You can paddle for hours with no waves," he said. "We can get on a swell before it's breaking. It's so hard to leave the paddle board (for the surfboard) when we'll get 30 waves instead of seven or eight."

[porgy75]

I took some pics of paddleboarders and surfers, check it out.