Paddleboard enthusiasts took part in Waterborn’s Stand Up Paddleboarding (SUP) Creek course on the weekend, which saw  150 paddleboarders from across the UK and Europe travelling to Kingsbridge and Salcombe for the race.

Crispin Jones, who founded Waterborn SUP in 2015, said of the races: “The two-day event covers both distance style and technical style racing and showcases the beautiful area we so luckily call home.”

On Saturday, the distance races took place, where participants could choose between three courses: 1km, aimed at beginners; 6km, for those wanting to challenge themselves, or a 12km route for those wanting to see the estuary.

In the Men’s 14ft, Blue Ewer from Plymouth took first place, Hector Jessel from Truro came in second and Lucus Buyom from Sweden, took third. In the Women’s14ft, Ginnie Betts from Penzance came in first, Marie Buchanan from Salcombe in Second and Holly Pye from Plymouth in third.

Sunday saw the technical races occur, which came with “a new set of challenges” due to changeable weathe. Organisers had to be flexible with the logistics of the race to ensure that the course was safe, with support from St Johns Ambulance and Coast to Coast Water Safety.

In the Men’s 14 Blue Ewer once again took first place, Hector Jessel came in second and Kingsbridge Local, Will Keetley, in third. In the Women’s 14ft, Ginnie Betts took first place, Marie Buchanan came in second and Emily Evans from South Wales came in third.

The race has not taken place for three years due to COVID-19 restrictions. Mr Jones said: “It has been fantastic to be able to host SUP The Creek again after a 3-year absence… Feedback from the SUP community for SUP The Creek has been outstanding, and we eagerly wait to see if it will be also awarded the top UK based SUP event in the 2022 SUP World Rankings!”

The event aimed to focus on supporting local communities as well as encouraging healthy competition from paddleboarders. Mr Jones said: “My vision... was to also promote some of the fantastic businesses that thrive in the area.” He explained that “growing up the main ‘season’ was July and August” and he wanted to show that all year round “the area is still fantastic for paddling as well as being able to see and do lots of other activities”. Mr Jones thanked all the “wonderful businesses who helped support the event” and said, “Sure, the weather can get more challenging in October, (but) this helps us grow into better and more rounded paddlers.”

Mr Jones explained that winning isn’t what the race is about, saying: “People forget that just signing up for an event for the first time or overcoming the nerves on a start line... requires so much courage”. He said, “what really stands out... is the sense of achievement and comradery of the ‘everyday’ paddler and the challenges they undertook to get round the course.”