The First Ever Rainbow Sandals Event Called Battle Of The Paddle
I couldn't sleep the night before the biggest stand up paddle event to date because all I could think of was how amazing this would be!
Small shorepound today, with more on the way tomorrow. Rainbow Sandals event organizers Barrett Tester and Pat Huber and their crew have the beach dressed like a rock concert. Met young Slater Trout, got some shots of him, very unique paddle style. He is fired up; gonna give the big boys a run for the money.
Every one seems so focused checking each others gear out. Chuck Patterson is exceptionally focused because this is his home town, he either needs to go big or deal with the disappointment of facing them the next day. Meanwhile Ekolu Kalam shows up with his board inside of his Hummer.
Patterson uses all the latest tech advantages he can get his hands on from Extreme Clean, which makes the underside extremely slippery, to Monster Paint which is used add traction to the top. He has lost at least ten pounds for this event and is super fit. His new Hobie carbon fiber race board is ready to go.
Chuck took one look at some of the lighter weight guys showing up,like Slater and Odie Sumi"and got a bit worried. In this race, board size is limited, so all things being equal in the typically calm conditions, a lighter guy should have an advantage.
Chuck need some crazy wave conditions to make it a fare fight and he ended up getting his wish. He earned every penny of his prize money!
On the eve before the big race, most competitors were either practicing well after dark or psyching up long into the night. But Chuck Patterson just did what he does most every evening: take the dog for a walk, then go home and dream about winning. His dream came true the next day.