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WORD ON THE WATERIS SUP COOL?

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1. ROBERT LOVEHOMETOWN: JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDAOCCUPATION: DEPUTY, CLAY COUNTY SHERIFF’S OFFICE

It is awesome. It’s the best workout, it’s the best drug, the nicest people I’ve ever met in my whole life and I’m serious. I just started, I have less than 12 months experience, I’ve not met one person with a bad attitude. This is my first race. This is the American dream for me.

2. WILLIAM LEEHOMETOWN: WILMINGTON, NORTH CAROLINAOCCUPATION: KINDERGARTEN STUDENT

Because it’s fun.

3. WENDELL MARTINHOMETOWN: CHICAGO, ILLINOISOCCUPATION: SELF-EMPLOYED

Standup paddling is cool because, well, look who we get to paddle with. These guys, they don’t forget about us. We get to paddle with Michael Jordan we get to golf with Arnold Palmer. It’s still kind of pure, you know? It didn’t get messed up yet.

4. FIONA WYLDEHOMETOWN: HOOD RIVER, OREGONOCCUPATION: STANDUP PADDLER, WINDSURFER, HIGH SCHOOLER

Standup paddling is definitely cool. Think about it: you get to be out on the water no matter what the conditions, paddle around, have fun, catch waves, paddle crazy distances, you’re basically snorkeling but out of the water. You can paddle anywhere you want in the world, it doesn’t matter if it’s a lake, a river, an ocean, anything.

5. ROCH FREYHOMETOWN: ENCINITAS, CALIFORNIAOCCUPATION: EVENT PRODUCER/COACH

Of course standup paddling’s cool. You can walk on water. What’s cooler than walking on water?

6. MEREDITH BRANDTHOMETOWN: WASHINGTON D.C.OCCUPATION: NON-PROFIT WORKER

It’s very cool and it’s cool because it’s such an accessible sport for everybody. No matter who you are, no matter what ability you are, everybody can do it and that’s why it’s so awesome.

FRONTS I D E | | TA L K I N G S U PASKED AT THE 2015 CAROLINA CUP // WRIGHTSVILLE BEACH, NORTH CAROLINA

PHOTOS: GREG PANAS

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1. Race Board. SIC X 12’6” Pro Lite. It was designed

by Mark Raaphorst, who is an amazing shaper, and it’s

my go-to race board for flatwater and small chop.

2. Fin. The SUP Gladiator fin designed and built by

Larry Allison. Great in all conditions, and it’s my lucky

fin.

3. Bed. My husband built a bed by taking out the

back seats and welding in a custom frame. Underneath

is just the right height to fit milk crates for storage

and above is just enough room to sit up comfortably.

Perfect.

4. Skis. These are my backcountry touring skis with

Dynafit bindings, which is what I normally use. In the

winter, skiing is my main outdoor sport. Around here,

especially in the spring, you can ski tour, mountain

bike and paddleboard all in one day.

5. iSUP. Inflatable SIC X 12’6”. This is the best for

traveling. It’s perfect for planes or car trips where I don’t

want to put boards on the roof. It hangs out in the car

a lot.

6. Paddle. The Werner Grand Prix is my go-to race

paddle. I like Werner because they’re a family organiza-

tion, they’re well-built paddles and they make their

products in the U.S.

7. Drysuit . My Supskin drysuit saves me in the

winter. It’s super lightweight and has little booties and

a hood attached for the many cold, rainy days we have

here.

8. Running Gear . I used to be a big adventure

racer, and I still really enjoy trail running.

9. Mountain Bike . This is my favorite mountain

bike for North Vancouver, which is known for having

really technical trails. It’s a Titus, but my husband put it

together from a bunch of different parts. And I love the

color. Orange makes me look hardcore.

10. Bike Rack. This is called the North Shore rack,

and it was created and made by a couple from North

Vancouver. They were annoyed with how complicated

and cumbersome most racks are, so they made a

simple, tough rack that’s easy to use. All it takes is one

rope to secure the bikes, and you can put up to four

bikes on it.

PHOTO: DAN BARHAM

FRONTS I D E

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Lina Augaitis is an outdoor

renaissance woman. The

Canadian’s path includes

time as an adventure racer,

skier, mountain biker,

wilderness guide and, more

recently, one of the world’s

top female SUP racers. With

a custom, built-in bed, a

locally designed bike rack

and all the amenities she

needs, Lina’s ride is almost as

versatile as she is.

—Mike Fields

Inside the Ride

Lina AugaitisWITH

AGE: 34HOMETOWN: Vancouver, British Columbia

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—Will Taylor

FRONTS I D E | | C O R E C O M M E NTA RY

Sorry we missed each other yesterday. I had to cover someone and it was a nightmare 24-hour shift

but it’s just part of my crazy life. I’m lucky I live right on the

water so I just got out for a surf. It takes a lot of bullshit out

of the equation. It’s a small village with one pub, one church,

one shop. And everyone surfs. I moved here from Galway,

where I grew up, a year-and-a-half ago and it’s littered with

the best waves imaginable.

What are the seasons like?The waves are best during the Caribbean hurricane season.

Fall is the perfect time, while summer heats up and is more

inconsistent. But the days are long, it’s bright until 11 o’clock

at night so we get lots and lots of water time. We keep going

all through winter, just suit up and wear hoods and gloves.

Your accent is pretty easy to understand. I’ve really learned how to tone it down. Wherever I go on the

AWT people can understand me. I just know my audience.

How long have you been a doctor for?I graduated in 2011. In 2008-9 I took a sabbatical from

school. I just really, really wanted to push it on the AWT,

in Australia, Maui, etc. I started standup paddling then.

Windsurfing really embraced SUP and they have many

dual events. That was always fun. I burnt a major hole in my

school loan.

You seem to have different SUP goals than other women. I’ve won the Irish national title the last three years and even

won the ladies racing last year. I got into Sayulita (for ISA

Worlds) but I can’t swing it with work. Really though, I’m

addicted to massive waves. That’s my plan for next winter:

Jaws, Aileen’s, Mullaghmore. I windsurfed Jaws two years

ago and I think I’m ready (for SUP) now. It’s easy to say it’s a

guy’s world but you have to stop listening to nay and go for it.

What’s it like to be a paddler there? My mom grew up in a small seaside village and everyone

was in awe of the ocean. A great amount of fisherman don’t

know how to swim. It’s taken people a long time for the sea

change toward water sports. SUP has given them access

like they haven’t had before. Most people can just stand on

a board on any waterway. That’s the reason it’s taken off in

Ireland. It’s a really happy scene.

Katie McAnena

age:28

Katie McAnena

doesn’t just paddle

standup boards.

She competes

on the American

Windsurfing Tour, surfs

big waves and is a

practicing doctor.

She’s also very Irish.

Strandhill, County Sligo, Ireland

PHOTO: FINN MULLEN

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FRONTS I D E

PHOTO: ANDRES QUIROS52

T E E M I N G

T O R T U G U E R O

B Y

E U G E N E

B U C H A N A N

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The main differences between caimans and crocodiles are caimans’ smaller size, rounder snout and upper jaw covering the bottom teeth. But that’s hard to tell from a paddleboard when all you see are menacing, beady eyes. It’s even harder to explain that to your kids wobbling next to you.

We’re on the Rio Mora in Costa Rica’s Tortuguero National Park and while caimans are commonplace, SUPs aren’t. According to our guide Reinaldo Vargas, who works for my friend Rafael Gallo’s company, Rios Tropicales, these are the first SUPs the seem-ingly soulless, reptilian eyes have ever seen.

“It’s okay,” he says to my daughters, Casey, 12, and Brooke, 16. “We’re bigger than they are so they’re afraid of us.”

“Yeah, and I’m bigger than you,” Brooke chides Casey.If nothing else, this fuels them both to

paddle harder. We continue upstream, tak-ing a tiny fork to the right. Howler monkeys screech overhead and a white-face monkey leaps branches. Slaloming through dangling vines and ducking under giant frond leaves, we continue until our path is blocked by a 250-year-old mountain almond tree. It fell, says Rey, just two months ago and its wood alone is worth $30,000.

It’s these and other over-lumbered indigenous hardwoods, as well as the largest green sea turtle nesting area in the world that led to the region being preserved as a national park in 1978. With 25 percent of its land in its national park system, Costa Rica is a shining star of the world’s preservation movement, for good reason. It’s home to more than 500,000 species, four percent of the world’s total. Located in a freshwater maze dumping nutrients in the Caribbean, Tortuguero is one of its crown jewels. And it was the perfect place, I reasoned, to instill an environmental ethos in my kids. What better way to see its tannin-filled waterways than from a paddleboard?

FRONTS I D E

WITH 25 PERCENT OF ITS LAND IN

ITS NATIONAL PARK SYSTEM, COSTA

RICA IS A SHINING STAR OF THE

WORLD’S PRESERVATION MOVEMENT.

PHOTOS: ANDRES QUIROS

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Arriving two days earlier in San Jose, we rose at 5 a.m. to drive over the Continental Divide’s cloud forest before descending 6,000 vertical feet in 30 miles to the Caribbean wetlands. At our put-in on the Rio Suerte, we unloaded a mix of SUPs and

kayaks and began our paddle to Mawamba Lodge on the outskirts of the park.

It didn’t take long for the jungle’s charm to take hold. Spider monkeys, the second fastest tree monkey in the world, launched from tree to tree and yel-low trumpet flowers and vibrant orange heliconias illuminated the green river banks.

Two hours later we entered a canal parallel-ing the Caribbean from Nicaragua, comprising the heart of the park. Here, we loaded our boards onto a motorboat and shuttled to lunch on the bank. While Rey flipped a SUP upside down as a table, we took a boardwalk hike through the selva. The setting prompted Casey to whis-tle the bird song from the Hunger Games.

Two steps in, we spot-ted a hand-sized, female golden orb weaver spider glistening in the strongest web in the world, one whose protein researchers synthetically emulated to make bulletproof vests. A tiny male the size of a watermelon seed sat off to the side fixing the web; it was clear who wore the pants in the relationship. A viper, toucan and poisonous red dart frog later, we emerged back at the river where we hopped on the boards for the final push to the lodge. At the tiny community of Tortugeuro, where the canal makes an abrupt U-turn, we turned north and soon saw the green roofs of Mawamba, our home for the next few days. A covered dock housed a fleet of motorboats used by guests arriving by more conventional means.

Built in 1985 by entrepreneur Maurizio Dada, the 40-acre, 56-room lodge was one of the first established in the area and is as well appointed as our jungle environs. An open-air bar, pool with bridge and waterfall, large open-walled dining area and hammocks swinging from every porch quickly sent the kids scrambling. But its best feature is its location, sandwiched on a jungle spit between the freshwater estuary and the crashing waves of the Caribbean. It was a mango pit’s throw to each.

It’s clear that Maurizio follows his government’s conservation ethos. That afternoon, we toured the lodge’s bio-digester, which heats the rooms’ hot water with human waste. Next, we visited his “ranarium,” or frog farm, and a but-terfly pavilion filled with the fluttering wings of blue morphos and zebra long-wings. The country has 10 percent of the world’s total butterfly species, and Maurizio is bent on keep-ing it that way.

Walking back through a well-kept forest of pa-prika, avocado, lime, coco-nut, guava and other trees, we saw a three-toed sloth lounging high in a tree,

prompting Brooke to ask for one as a pet. Yeah, litter box upkeep might be a snap–they poop only once a week—but our dog and two cats will remain our home’s only animals.

At the bar, the kids basked in virgin piña coladas while we settled for soda and cacique, a local, triple-distilled sugar cane liquor. With the witching hour upon us, we loaded the boards on the motorboat and shuttled out to the river mouth for sunset. When the sun radiated a wall of green under a flock of white egrets, we paddled over for photos and then continued on to the river mouth. We heard the crashing waves of the Caribbean before we saw them, protected on our perch in the freshwater bay by the final finger of land.

FRONTS I D E

IT DIDN’T TAKE LONG FOR THE JUNGLE’S CHARM TO TAKE HOLD.

QUIROS QUIROS

QUIROSJIMMY NIXON

Waking to a cacophony of bird calls, the next morning we find local critters having breakfast before us. No sooner than we sit down,

the kids run off to see the mouth of a green vine snake wrapped around the head of a clay-colored

robin, Costa Rica’s national bird, and an iguana the size of Casey’s leg placidly gnawing a leaf.

Fueled by thick Costa Rican coffee, we motor to the park office for our 8:30 entrance time slot. Heading south toward Panama, we turn up a tribu-tary bordered by towering walls of foliage. A caiman submerges with a flop of its tail in the same water we set the boards in. “Dad!” my daughters yell in unison.

Floating down the Agua Fria, we witness a log standoff between a caiman and or-ange-eared slider turtle. It’s not Mayweather vs. Pacquiao, but here everything is competi-tive, whether it’s plants vying for precious sunlight or animals practicing one-upmanship. Casey startles a Jesus Christ lizard, so named for its ability to run on water, using its tail as a rudder. Humans, says Rey, would have to reach 80 mph to accomplish such a feat.

Plunging in where we dare cool off and exploring a myriad of other rivers wending like blood vessels through the most pristine jungle in the world, we eventually turn and make our way back to the lodge. With the sun going down over water matching the color of the sky and as smooth as the inside of a seashell, Rey and I paddle 15 minutes to the Tortuguero community. My wife and kids will hike over and meet us for what Casey’s had her eye on all trip: A coconut with a straw.

Pulling up to a throng of kids at the dock beneath two gi-ant, colorful toucan sculptures, we stash our boards and watch a pick-up soccer game on a palm-lined field, the yells eclipsed by crashing waves. Since the town has no roads or cars, we stroll down a pedestrian-friendly walkway, taking in its “Don’t worry, be happy” Caribbean vibe. Locals play cards at a park table, kids zing around on rusted bikes and dreadlocked rastas mill around in Bob Marley shirts.

We find Casey her coconut, which she sips while watching the sky turn blaze pink. We toast Tortuguero and the unique ex-perience of seeing it from a SUP. When I ask Casey what could possibly be better, she thinks for a second, emits a caiman smile and replies, “Maybe if I had this coconut on a paddleboard.”

If You Go: The trip will likely require overnighting in

San Jose. Try the Hotel Oro de Grano (Hotelgranode-oro.com), a restored mansion in the heart of downtown.

For paddleboards, either BYO inflatable or hook up with

30-year outfitter Rios Tropicales (Riostropicales.com),

which can also book your stay at the Mawamba Lodge

(Mawambalodge.com), which can handle everything

from meals to motorboat shuttles.

58 PHOTO: RAFAEL GALLO

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IPhoto: GREG PANAS

In case you missed it at SUPthemag.com, we’re in the midst of building the world’s largest online paddling resource, The Urban Paddle Guide. Presented by SUP ATX, The Urban Paddle Guide is an exhaustive resource to paddling cities all over the country, filled with info on local paddle shops, SUP options like water trails, river runs and access points, along with apres options. We need your help.

Simply go to SUPthemag.com, hover over features and click Urban Paddle Guide. Then, enter your hometown in the correct fields including paddling information, a picture, YouTube links and other important information to paddling in your berg. In September, we’ll pick the best write-up in the guide and the winner earns a free trip to the SUP Awards in October, one of the sport’s greatest showcases.

Need an idea of what we’re looking for? Check out this example from San Juan, Puerto Rico:

San Juan couldn’t be a cooler place to paddle. Puerto Rico is a US territory so it’s easy to get there; there’s water everywhere from surf spots to placid lagoons to downwind runs; and the culture is a vibrant blend of island life with Spanish flair.

Start your paddle in Condado Lagoon, a beautiful piece of water set amidst San Juan’s bustling beachside landscape. On weekends

the lagoon’s shores are filled with Puerto Ricans barbecuing, jug-gling soccer balls and relaxing in the shade of palm trees. Its calm waters are perfect for flatwater training or cruising with the family.

If you want to keep paddling in protected waters but cover some distance, head along the San Antonio Channel toward the Port of San Juan and historical Old San Juan, with its colonial walls, colorful architecture and brick-paved streets. Be careful for boat traffic and increasing winds. The weather here can be fickle.

Advanced paddlers can get a serious workout by circling the entire San Juan Island, with wind at your back at least halfway. Be careful for reefs, rogue waves and, again, that wind. Highlights include views of La Perla, a local neighborhood painted in a mosaic of pastels and the Castillo San Felipe del Morro, an old Spanish fort from which they once controlled access to the Caribbean.

Tropical setting, fascinating history, great paddling and rich cul-ture. What else do you need?

Shop and Eat: If you’re hungry—and you will be—check out Pi-rilo Pizza Rustica in Old San Juan. Great wood-fire pies with Puerto Rican flavor, excellent sangria and a killer beer selection. Check out Velauno for board rentals or purchases. On weekends they set up a tent on Condado’s shore, making rentals a breeze.

E n t e r y o u r t o w n @ S U P t h e m a g . c o m

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