Steve and Davis Combs along with Wes Stolp traveled to the SUP Splash St. Pete Race in Florida for the week of July 16. Wes finished third in the 6-mile, 14″ SUP division. Steve maximized his time on the 6-mile course prior to his finish. Davis was moral support, held down the fort on the beach, and played Justin Bieber’s “Never Say Never” at least eight times on the drive down. “When I rounded that last downwind buoy, JB’s lyrics gave me that extra push I needed,” said Stolp regarding his strong showing.

On Sunday morning the three paddled with a manatee that came right up to the board and poked his snout out of the water. Stay tuned for the next SUP Splash Race at Skidaway Island near Savannah.

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For the first year, UC Riverkeeper had a stand up paddle division at the UC River Keeper Race and Festival. Paddle Anywhere and Surfrider Foundation Atlanta Chapter were there in force. Check out the photos here.

Caught a great swell in Destin, Florida while Atlanta was getting all the rain. Photo Credit: VCross.

Had a great paddle while visiting with the Surfrider DC chapter and friends.

Atlanta stand up paddlers, mark you calendars. Dates for the Santa Rosa Beach YOLO Board Race Series have been announced for 2011. The local 4-race/4-man team relays will be held on May 26, June 23, July 14, and Aug. 11, at the Watercolor Boat House in Santa Rosa Beach, FL.

A new Distance Builder Solo race series will be added this year with the dates of May 28, June 24, July 23, and Aug. 12. The Distance Builder races will be held at the Sandestin Golf and Beach Resort Marina in Miramar Beach, FL.

Entry fees and further details TBA.

Pics from a recent trip to the Gulf Coast. Found a new sandbar (not telling where) and saw a few sharks.

I had a great stand up paddle trip to Mexico Beach, Florida. Images and a short video are below. I met up with Surfrider Foundation Emerald Coast Chapter Chairperson Mike Sturdivant. Surfed some small ones on Saturday and went for a long paddle on Sunday. I have yet to see a dolphin since the oil spill. Check out the mention Mike got in Surfrider CEO’s blog here.

Steve, Beau and Dean from the Atlanta Surf Posse met up with Mike and John from Surfrider Emerald Coast in St. Augustine, Florida on 11/14 and 11/15/2010.

All pics at full resolution can be downloaded here (.zip; 793MB).

I had another great trip with the Georgia Canoe Association on October 30, 2010. We paddled the miner’s tunnel on the Etowah River. It’s a quarter-mile underground trip. A wild ride.