The Carolinas, Georgia & Florida East Coast

Paddling around Wrightsville Beach

Spring boating in the South is wonderful but rising fuel prices just might hinder your enjoyment. Folks around Wilmington, North Carolina, have found a solution: stand up paddle boarding (SUP). The nautical sport has become so popular that several regattas have emerged.

The 2^nd Annual Carolina Cup will take place April 27-29 at Wrightsville Beach on three race courses. The Harbor Island Loop is a recreational fun race of 3.5 miles, while the Money Island Loop is 6.5 miles. Both cover a range of flat-water conditions, strong winds, currents and tides. The dauntingly named Elite Graveyard race is a 12.5-mile circumnavigation of Wrightsville Beach, including two inlets and an open ocean stretch. Two SUP clinics will be held on Friday and Sunday. The regatta headquarters are at the Blockade Runner Hotel, (910) 256-2252. Register online at: carolinacup-sup.com.

Last year’s Carolina Cup drew 170 entries from as far away as Puerto Rico and Hawaii. It is one of two East Coast qualifier races for the World SUP Championships. The other is in Key West. Proceeds from the race benefit Surfers Healing, the Karen Beasley Turtle Rescue & Rehabilitation Center, and Athletes for Cancer.

The 4^th annual Cold Stroke Classic preceded the Carolina Cup in January. Organized by Coastal Urge, a local watersports outfitter, this was not a race for the timid. The Classic started in the Intracoastal Waterway across from the Blockade Runner Hotel and consisted of a recreational 3.5-mile course and an Elite 7-mile course. The Coast Guard recorded 38-mph sustained winds at mid-day. Coastal Urge owner, Jeoffrey Nathan, reported that 130 people participated although many did not finish. For more information, see coldstrokeclassic.com.

This race benefits Standup For A Clean Ocean, an organization formed in Wrightsville Beach by volunteers who clean up trash on the local beaches on weekends. There are now 25 chapters around the world. (info@coastalurge.com)

To keep abreast of SUP news and regattas in other areas, check out John Beausang’s Distressed Mullet website at distressedmullet.com

Charleston Race Week growth

Still looking for fuel saving alternatives? Sail in the Sperry Top-Sider Charleston Race Week April 19-22. Registration had reached 202 boats as of mid-February with more expected to join. The race normally includes two inshore race courses in Charleston Harbor for the smaller one-design classes, plus offshore courses for the larger boats. A new cruising class this year is a pursuit race. Competitors leave from Charleston Harbor Resort & Marina and head out through the jetties to an offshore mark then return to the start line, about a 25 nautical mile run.

Management of this year’s race has reverted to the Charleston Ocean Racing Association from the South Carolina Maritime Foundation. Applications for entries are open until April 13^th at charlestonracing.org.