Paddling round the pier - and to work (in London)

I don't know about the weather in Brighton but here on the far western front it's starting to gust at around Force 7 to 8. It's dark, dank and miserable, with rain sheeting down, and it looks as if the inclemency is here for a few days. Here's hoping it'll be a little more benign on the south coast, for this weekend sees the return of the Paddle Round The Pier Beach Festival in Brighton. This year's event is double the size of last year's and I have a feeling that despite the weather it'll still make for a good weekend. The press release appears below, but meanwhile, talking about paddling, did anyone see this story from the London Evening Standard yesterday? The Standard doesn't reach these parts but a kindly soul alerted me to the tale of two dudes who paddle-surf to work along The Thames each day. Sounds bonkers to me but then again, it's got to be better than the tube.

Sponsored by the Custom Group, Paddle Round The Pier is hoping to raise more money than ever for its three chosen charities - the RNLI, the Chestnut Tree House Children’s Hospice and SurfAid International. Over the coming weekend visitors will be able to watch and take part in a whole host of activities both in the water and on the land, centred around a massive ‘paddle village’ on Hove Lawns.

Saturday is ‘Hardcore Day’ and kicks off with the Oxbow Stand Up Paddle Race, which will see competitors paddle their Stand Up boards from Worthing pier to the West Pier. Other races on the day include the Pure Vacations Pier to Pier race and the Perception Kayaks Pier to Pier to Pier race.

Sunday is ‘Family Day’, with a much more laid-back vibe to it and main events include the Paddle Something Unusual and the main ‘Paddle Round The Pier’.

The paddle village is twice as big as last year and includes a large shopping area, children’s entertainments, the Chilled Turtle Ukulele Festival and the main music stage. This main stage plays host to a number of bands and musicians throughout the weekend, including the Railing Stains, Los Albertos and Ukulele legends the Rinky Dinks.

David Somerville from the organising team said: “The popularity of the event from the last couple of years has meant that it just keeps growing. It’s a great opportunity to bring watersports enthusiasts together to have fun and raise thousands of pounds for three really worthwhile charities. As the largest event of its kind in the UK and is also completely free to visit.

“Being a charity event we rely heavily on the kindness of our sponsors, local businesses and individual volunteers, so make sure you come down on the weekend and do your bit to help too by donating some money. There is so much going on across the weekend that people should check out www.paddleroundthepier.com to get all of the latest info.”

Comments

[Davo]

We have got everything crossed at the moment that the weather will be kind, but there's so much to do anyway we'll still be raising money come rain or shine. Get yourselves down here!
Aloha

[Davo]

We have got everything crossed at the moment that the weather will be kind, but there's so much to do anyway we'll still be raising money come rain or shine. Get yourselves down here!
Aloha

[Izzy]

Just to let you know, the weather in Scarborough has been sunny and 25 degress plus today. Flat as a pancake mind you.

[Matt]

It was a great day saturday, the SUP paddlers raised over £2,000 for the RNLI, Surfaid and Chestnut Tree House.

Some pictures and a write up here :

http://www.supuk.org

[underwaterimage]

I took plenty photos of the SUP race and also the malibu race. Visit the link if you want a look.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/underwaterimage/sets/72157606025590850/

Aloha

UWI