Werner Blog

Part Two. 3 Werner-migos Stand Up in Puerto Rico

It has been a crazy two weeks for the team at Werner Paddles and it created a slow down in getting all the photos from the 3 Werner-migos stand up trip to Puerto Rico.  Fresh off the plane we met up with the crew for the Surf Expo show in Orlando and it has just been go, go, go.  Here are some more pics we just pulled together from Bruce's camera.

Jobos is reef break but plenty deep with plenty of  sand mixed in, real mellow.  There are so many places to take off you can leave the main point the "heavies" and still get tons of waves.  Hard to tell from the deck but it was chest to head high this day, you can see how clean it was!

 This rental car was SO bad!  So we just beat it down, the roof was just a bit tweaked.  (If any of you work for a rental car place keep it zipped!)

Jim was so afraid we were gonna ditch his ass , he stayed close to the boards at all times.

Jet Blue was so SICK!  Best airline I ever flew, way easy and cheap to fly with boards.  Thanks to Dakine for making killer SUP bags. 

It's hard to shoot surf unless you have the killer lens, plus we were having to much fun to even take the cameras out.  One of two shots of us paddling, Danny heading back out at Little Malibus.  The board is a Surftech, Gerry Lopex "Surf Music" and it was the goods!  78" Werner Nitro paddle.

Hope you all enjoyed, now get out there and have your own tropical stand up adventure.

3 Werner-migos Stand up in Puerto Rico.

(words by Danny Mongno. Photos by Jim Miller.)

Far and away the best part of my job is that I work with my friends and that says a lot considering how many great things there are about working at Werner Paddles.  So when the plans to stand up paddle in Puerto Rico this winter with Bruce Furrer and Jim Miller were finally laid down, when the boards were loaded on the plane and the first cocktail was ordered, I knew it was going to be a great trip.

We certainly wanted some good surf, no doubt, but the last thing we wanted was to be stressing on vacation.  One of the Atlantic's surf meccas, the North Coast of PR can dish up whatever you are looking for, need a gut check they got plenty of that trust me.  Luckily with the help of the best surf/SUP shops on the Island, Beach Cats, Aquatica Dive and Surf and Mar Azul, we found what we wanted, perfect stomach to head high glass.  We stayed at The Ocean Front at Jobos Beach and surfed some there and depending on the wind and swell directions also travelled to Wilderness, about 15 minutes and down to Little Malibus in Rincon, about 45.  (Check out the map provided by Mar Azul to get a lay of the land.)

 
We all agreed the key to good SUP surf trip is to avoid the heavily surfed, localized spots and Jobos is great for that and really consistent.  The folks at the Ocean Front were awesome, the rooms were clean and affordable and the food was authentic.  Thank you to all the friendly staff, especially Javier and Leo, our drinking and life advisors at the open air bar.  Now if you want to be closer to the surf city of Rincon, Bunger Surf Shop on Long Island NY has a sick hotel walking distance to Sandy Beach, Antonios and Marias and a short drive to Tres Palmas and our favorite Little Malibus.  A right hand point break with an easy paddle out through the harbor it was a great place to hide from the wind and catch some killer waves.  The water was crystal clear and super warm, however we all at one time or another had wished there was a bit more of it between our fins and the razor sharp reef.

If you are just looking to get some sun and see the gorgeous coral reefs and abundant aquatic life from your stand up board, both Bobby at Mar Azul and Jose at Aquatica had some killer touring options as well.  In the end we all felt Puerto Rico was a really easy, laid back winter vacation spot.  You know we have Dan Gavere, Nikki Gregg and Kainoa Beaupre on our team to charge the big stuff.  The 3 Werner-migos however were just looking to take in the Island vibe, catch some fun waves and enjoy stand up for what it is.  So if you are looking to get out of the cold for a bit there are plenty of SUP opportunities with the dealers we mentioned, from San Juan to Rincon and some great places to paddle.  Sadly I will report the rum reserves took a serious hit but I am sure they will be back at full strength when you arrive! 

 

Please send a comment to this Blog, attention Jim, and tell him why you should be our staff photographer on our next trip, we had too much fun to even take the cameras out!

Palapas Ventana to Host SUP Paddle Royal Race

Palapas Ventana is the newest and most unique resort in La Ventana Bay in the Sea of Cortez, Baja Mexico. Located just 35 minutes southeast of La Paz between La Ventana and El Sargento you will find why Tim and Karon Hatler, the owners, chose this beautiful spot with incredible turquoise water, amazing sunrises and sunsets, and perfect temperatures. Join them to experience the natural beauty of the Sea of Cortez, friendly Mexican culture, foods with unforgettable flavors, and a time to just “be in the moment”.

Palapas Ventana is hosting the Paddle Royale Race January 17-24, 2010. It is part of a larger event called the La Ventana Kite & SUP Expo. With a chance to win a new 10'10" GMAC SUP board from Isle Surfboards. The SUP race consists of an island crossing; 11 miles on stock boards 12'6" or less - all competitors must ride race pangas with their one board of choice to Cerralvo Island - no rudders or keels, or dagger boards, kites, sails or motors.  Or you can choose the 2 mile race classes for under 12'6" inches and over 12'6"  or the 1 mile race classes for under 12'6" inches and over 12'6." Register now for this great event.

Get Out & Enjoy Beautiful Fall Paddling

As many parts of the county are waking to cooler temperatures, there is still plenty of warm weather paddling to be had.  Werner's SE Rep, Mette Begrvall got out to enjoy some time over the weekend at Sumersville Lake in West Virginia. Remember to get out and enjoy that perfect paddling weather while it lasts. Check back here for tips on dressing for cooler weather paddling in the next few weeks.

Photo courtesy of Joe Mosquera, Surf Tech Rep

SUPMIKE of Empire Kayaks, NY. "The calm before the storm."

With Hurricane Bill approaching Long Island NY this past August, Mike from Empire Kayaks in Island Park NY, headed out on his paddle board, armed with his Werner Paddles Spanker.  Thing is, it is not what you would think at all.  Check out this short video on the almost scary quiet before the storm.

Mike and his wife Gabrielle will certainly be glad to outfit you with all your stand up paddling and kayaking needs, but their real passion has always been getting out on the water.  With a long list of events every year, that includes this October 10th's "Great Pumpkin Kayak and Stand Up Race," their is never a shortage of ways to get on the water with old freinds and new.  Check out Empire Kayaks and enjoy some time with them yourself.

Werner supports, Coastal Urge's "South East SUP Championships" 9/26

September 26th...9:00am...Willmington, NC...it's time to Stand Up and go fast!  Join Coast Urge and Werner Paddles at the 2009 South East SUP Championships.

If you are not ready to come out and race be sure to come out and support Surf Rider Foundation and enjoy a day on the beach.  Demo boards will be available from Surf Tech and paddles from Werner so you can get out and see what everybody is talking about with this great new touring and fitness sport.  See you on the water.

Pono Bill Blogs On

Bill Babcock AKA Pono Bill wrote up a short blog post about a recent trip he took with Dan Gavere and Nikki Gregg on the White Salmon river in Washington.  Bill is the guy in red (photo courtesy of kenalu.com) he has a great love for life and is game to play.  He put together a really cool animated photo album of their trip  Check it out.

Werner Paddle's Danny Mongno, Stand up paddling with Cinnamon Rainbows

The stand up paddling scene is taking off in the North East and one of the hot spots is Cinnamon Rainbows Surf Shop in Hampton, NH. 

The crystal clear water and rocky shoreline makes for some killer paddling and yesterday's gentle winds and sunny skies made for a glassy ocean with just a mild pulse of a swell running under my feet.  Over the rocks it was awesome to see the sea life, including a huge stripe bass I saw swim right under me.  If stand up paddling is new to you it needs to be on your short list of things to try this summer.  The perspective from touring standing up combined with the amazing work out you get is awesome, plus it is so easy to do for anybody.  Don't believe me?  Check out Cinnamon Rainbows stand up demo every Tuesday and Thursday from 6-8pm, weather permitting.  The staff is quick to help people of any ability get the hang of it on super stable boards and allow you to give it a whirl in a protected clear water cove.  Once you get the hang of it you are going to be dying to catch some waves and the beauty of stand up paddle surfing is you can avoid the crowds, since any wave is super fun to surf on.  As dusk turned to dark and I rode my last perfect little wave of the night, I looked down the beach to see the pack of surfers waiting it out to get their wave.  I looked around my little patch of ocean and saw nobody else out...not even that bass?  Hope you make it down to the shop next week to give it a whirl yourself, don't live near Hampton, NH?  Check out our dealer locator and look for the stand up paddle icon,

then call to set up a demo.  Happy SUP to you.

Beau Whitehead on SUPing in the PNW

  Here is a post from Werner's friend Beau Whitehead on SUPing in the Pacific Northwest...

SUPing in Puget Sound can mean different things; cruising flat water, surfing boat and freighter wakes or surfing the rare swell-driven wave.  There are so few surf spots inside Puget Sound that surfers tend to be very protective of them... but if you draw a straight line down the Strait of Juan de Fuca and follow a NW swell direction, you can pretty much tell where the waves might end up.

SUPing is not as cold as regular surfing, since you are out of the water more. You can wear a much thinner wet suit than you would regular surfing.  And standing up on a SUP board allows you to see down into the water and see fish and jellyfish (and sharp rocks) lurking just below you.  SUPing is probably the coolest thing to happen to northwest water sports in decades!

Family SUPing Over the Fourth of July

I went paddling with my to kids over the weekend at Elk Lake which is in the Cascade Range of Oregon.  We set our picnic lunch up next to the Elk Lake Lodge.  It is a very low key affair with a restaurant, general store and marina. 

Stand Up Paddling is a great activity for the whole family.  The kids would play in the sand, swim out to the floating dock, and paddle the stand up board.  They had a great time and could make the board go where they wanted with just a few minutes of practice. 

There were about half a dozen other SUP'ers and twice again as many kayak and canoe paddlers. The lodge rents all of these crafts so if you get to beautiful Bend Oregon be sure to check out all of the beautiful high mountain lakes.