PPG

[ffchadbo]

I really enjoyed the PPG online. Looked like a great event, sorry couldn't make it.
The women's race was exciting a great back and forth battle.
The men's  was also an exciting race for second. Mo was unstoppable!
Anyways great coverage thanks for allowing me to enjoy from a far.

[TallDude]

I was there taking pictures Friday and Saturday. I was on the fence as to enter the Open distance Sunday or take my son to his club basketball game. When I went to the onsite registration they told me it was $200. for the 6-mile open and no more sandals! I just surfed Sunday morning instead $0 cost. Took my son to his basketball games and watched the PPG streamed with 'Hook' app on my phone. The coverage was top notch and a better perspective than standing on the beach. I didn't miss anything. Swell is still holding, so I'll get more free surf today:)

[mastman]

I loved the Pacific Paddle Games! 

I came to the event in the physical shape of your typical attorney with a head cold who had just worked two 80-hour work weeks in a row.  My expectations for my performance could not have been lower and I still did worse than I ever thought possible.

We arrived at the beach super early and snagged a great parking spot.  The people parked near me were super friendly and you could tell everyone had the same apprehensions about the swell I had.  Huge sets were rolling in and we all knew we were going to get worked at some point.  A lot of people were talking about sitting out, but I saw all those same people out on the water, so I think everyone tackled their fears.

The open race was early, so as soon as I had the wife and kid situated, I headed out to get acclimated with the conditions.  My heart rate monitor went off almost immediately – beeping and warning me that I was pushing too hard.  That is a bad sign so I knew I was in for a rough race.  Damn head cold and lack of training.

I surfed in at about 8:20 for the 8:30 start (which ended up being closer to 8:45) and grabbed a spot as far north as I could (less wave action over there).  The people around me were super nice and relaxed.  I had a great conversation with a charming kid named Alianna as we waited – you could tell she was going to charge it, and she did.   

My one bummer was that the starters told us all we had to move south to start in between the starter flags.  I begrudgingly obliged but once I did, the starters just moved their flags north – well beyond were I had originally set up.  That was weak sauce.

Still, I got a great start, made it out clean, and then just cruised around the course trying to keep my heart rate below 110% of my theoretical “maximum.”  My favorite part (aside from the beautiful ladies on their 12'6"s passing me like I was at anchor) was when I heard a loud siren on shore and told the guy next to me that the sound was my ambulance – called to meet me at shore to address my obvious cardiac distress.  It was funny at the time.  Maybe not.  Strike that, my favorite part was the beautiful ladies on their 12'6"s passing me like I was at anchor.  Young Alianna (much too young for me to be considering a beautiful lady--I’m no sicko), was the first female to pass me just as I finished the first lap.  She is fast.  Go girl!

After the race, wife reported she was over-heating and kid was getting close to his nap time, so we unfortunately had to pack up and go (hated to leave that parking spot).  I watched the rest of the racing on-line from the comfort of my brother-in-law’s couch in San Clemente with a beer in my hand.

This was a great event for this particular “also ran.”  I vote that everyone needs to do this race next year.

[starman]

Watched the some of the race from the comfort of my couch. I was very impressed with the event and the live coverage. Loved the format and the course layout. Eliminating the beach run until the finish made the event far more interesting. Plus combining the results of the long distance with the short course for an overall winner was a GREAT idea. It balanced the results making each race important. Much better then just crowning the "lucky" short course winner with the event title.

Creating the BOP was a great idea. Sparky and Gerry did a lot for the sport creating the event. Very happy to see that the PPG organizers make it an even better. Looked like a lot of work to pull off.

Only suggestion would be to have more then one inside the surf buoy. Yea it was fun to watch the pileup at the turn but it did make the race a bit of a circus. Having two or three buoy choices on the inside would help spread out the field at that turn and make it a more competitive race.

[kayadogg]

Outstanding event, especially considering the limited time window they had to pull it together. I raced both days and had a blast. Hats off to SUP the Mag, The Enthusiast Network and Salt Life. Hope they can sustain this event for years to come.

starman, the finals for the technical race had 3 inside buoys. Even one of the outer buoys had sets breaking outside of it. Really fun course to watch, only 1 longer outer leg that didn't deal with the surf, otherwise almost the entire course was inside the surf line with that type of swell.

[gladwell4]

Watched it online Saturday, live in Dana on Sunday. Terrific coverage both ways. Having Jamie Mitchell do commentary was brilliant. Need more weight on the inside bouys as they were moving during the races.
Great organization and a wonderful, positive, event,
The manufacturer's Cup is genius

[SlatchJim]

I was up surfing in my friend Bulky's backyard while he was down here in mine.  Looks like he had a respectable first race.  The web coverage was first rate.  My only problem is that last weekend will give the complete wrong impression of Doho which is really just a picnic area and parking lot around Lake Capistrano for most of the year.

[stoneaxe]

Blown away....great coverage. It felt to me like the old Wide World of Sports.

[southwesterly]

Kudos to the organizers and everybody involved. What an exciting and quality webcast, from the overall race coverage down to the announcers and beach staff.

If this going to be the standard of SUP racing, the future looks bright.

[kayadogg]

Blown away....great coverage. It felt to me like the old Wide World of Sports.

Yeah, I was thinking the coverage was going to be similar to the SUWT which can be spotty with lots of dead air and issues. The PPG webcast was pretty incredible with seamless switches from the cameras on the beach to Chuck Patterson in the boat to drone footage to live interviews. Really amazing and the 2-day format for the pros was a perfect choice in my opinion.

[southwesterly]

 What a 180 degree difference from The Stand Up World Tour's poor coverage.

[Tom]

Saw a lot of it on the web Saturday and race the 3 mile 14 footer on Sunday (placed first & only). I hung out at the South Coast Paddle Sports tent which was next to the Starboard race team tent. That was fun. The event was very well run, especially considering it was their first try.

I really think that its kind of odd for West Marine to be the main sponsor, not sure they got their money's worth. I know they sell a lot of cruiser  SUPs to the yacht set, but don't think there were many of them their.

[TallDude]

Along those lines, what sponsors do you think would benefit the most from investing in an event like the PPG? I heard the owner of Salt Life being interviewed along side Chuck Patterson. Nice guy from Texas, who has recently got into paddle boarding himself. He talked about his Salt Life branding encompassing all activities salt water related.
We appreciate all the sponsors, but will they be around after the balance sheets hit the fan?

[SlatchJim]

Along those lines, what sponsors do you think would benefit the most from investing in an event like the PPG?

in order of bang for buck...
Wetsuit and paddle clothing manufacturers
Sunscreen makers
Board and paddle makers
Beach gear and accessories
Car accessories (racks, pads, portable showers)
Food and beverage companies.
and...lastly
Shark cage tour guides. 

West Marine sells most of this stuff as it is, so for them it's a logical event to get behind.

[SUP CPA]

I like it better than the BOP.  More variety for us weekend warriors in race choice as well as the awesome live stream coverage.

I'm curious, though: I raced the 3 mile open technical on Saturday and it seemed quite a bit longer than 3 miles.  Based on my typical 3 mile training time and the fact that they moved all buoys farther out due to the surf conditions I believe this to be the case.  Did any of you have a GPS while competing in this race actually measure the distance?