Pure Light Racing Canoe Club

Three female and three male adaptive paddlers were recruited by coaches Aka Hemmings and Michi Wong to race the Queen Lili'uokalani 18 mile distance canoe race in Hawaii. As part of an initiative supported by their church ministry, project Pure Light reaches out to the disabled community using the outrigger canoe as an instrument of strength and recovery.

They finished the demanding race in 2:43:57. Their time ranked them among the top 60 finishers out of more than 100 crews.

"I've had good days in my life," says Coach Hemmings. "But that weekend was probably the most rewarding thing I've ever done. It touched my soul."

Read more about this amazing crew at Mixed Plate Special and the Honolulu Star-Bulletin.

New Favorite Links

Check out a couple of our new favorite places to catch up on SUP news.

Stand Up Paddle Surfing Magazine is a fun and informative site with great pictures and videos. I recommend the Australian video.

StandUpPADDLEBend.com is our local surfing community in the High Desert! Surfing in Bend Oregon might sound a bit crazy to some, but hey! We got Gerry out there too!

Check out the FREE!! "Ladies First" CLINIC & DEMO DAY for SUP on Sept 29th down on the Deschutes.