Ekolu Kalama has won the Oxbow Distance Race that was part of the famous Paddle Round the Pier Beach Festival in Brighton, England.

Ekolu flew in to the UK especially to compete in the event. Using the Point 14'8" he paddled strong in blustery conditions to take the top spot. Right from the off Starboard team members Ekolu and John Hibbard were right in the thick of the action. By the half way stage Ekolu had stretched out a lead and John was in 2nd place.

The rough water conditions meant that the original race distance of 10 miles had been shortened to 5 miles and the choppy seas made the paddling conditions tough. Ekolu used his experience to catch a few long glides on the 14'8" to dominate the race and take victory. John Hibbard, using the Cruiser 12'6", had been off the water for 2 weeks due to injury slipped down to 4th position by the time he crossed the finish line, which was still a good effort considering is drop in fitness and paddling power during his two week lay off. John should be back to full fitness come the next event.

The rest of the day saw bright sunshine and a packed event village. Ekolu and John spent the day passing on their experiences of SUP to visitors to the Starboard display stand as well as riding on the Brush Boarding Surfing simulator that was in attendance at the event.

The evening party saw the paddlers and public come together for some live music. Ekolu rocked the capacity crowd with his guitar, playing a mixed set of Hawaiian songs and modern classics. Playing for over an hour Ekolu showed that he is not just an awesome paddler, but he can entertain the crowds after dark too.

A big thank you to all the of the event organisers and helpers including event director Dave Samuel and Oxbow for staging the race.

Ekolu and John now continue their travels along the south coast of the UK visiting some different spots and attending a meeting at the British Surfing Association HQ to discuss the UK SUP scene.

Watch this space for more news from the Starboard SUP crew......