2nd Marianas Paddlefest on Aug. 29 and 30

With the success of its first event last June, OceanSoul Society, in collaboration with Windsurfing Saipan and Hyatt Regency Saipan, will hold the Marianas Paddlefest—Race #2 on Aug. 29 and 30 at the Hyatt Regency beachside.

The first day of the two-day event will involve stand-up paddling clinics conducted by former Olympian and accomplished paddler Sean Pangelinan

The first session is scheduled from 10am to 12pm and will be focusing on youth paddlers 16 years and under. The second clinic will take place from 1pm to 3pm and is for paddlers 17 years and older. The cost for the adult clinic is $10 per person. Space for the clinic is limited and contact oceansoulunlimited@gmail.com to sign up.

The actual race will then be held on Day 2 of the second edition of the Marianas Paddlefest. It will involve the men’s triangle course, women’s triangle course, youth triangle course, and mixed three-person relay.

Participants of the Marianas Paddlefest last June await the signal for the start of their race in the waters off Hyatt Regency Saipan. (Contributed Photo)

The competition will have a total of seven divisions—youth 8-12, 12 under, 14 under, 16 under, open 17 and over, masters 50 and over, and relay.

Registration for race day starts at 10am followed by a pre-race briefing at 11am. The kids SUP race commences at 11:15am followed by the adults SUP race at 11:45am. The kids relay kicks off after lunch at 1pm followed by adult relay at 2pm and awards at 3pm.

Boards will be available for use on race day through Windsurfing Saipan for $5 and maximum board length for racers is 12 feet.

Adult and youth courses will be set up and all events will include a running beach finish of approximately 40-50 meters.

Relay teams will be required to have at least one female or one 14-and-under racer on the team.

Race shirts with assigned numbers will be provided at the check in tent on the morning of the race (included in registration fee)

Similar to the June event, participants can register at Windsurfing Saipan, which is located on the north side of the Hyatt Regency beachside. Registration is $15 for youth (8-16 years old) and $25 for adults (17 and over) with a registration deadline of Aug. 26.

In addition, a practice course will be set up every Sunday from 2pm to 4pm up until race day at the Hyatt beachside for anyone interested in coming out to give it a go and prepare for race day.

These practice sessions started last Sunday, Aug. 2, and will take place through Aug. 23.

Proceeds from Marianas Paddlefest—Race #2 will go to future events geared toward keeping our youth active through paddlesports.

Feel free to send a message to oceansoulunlimited@gmail.com or windspn@me.com for any inquiries on this event. You can also get info and updates on the event by checking out the OceanSoul Society Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/OceansoulUnlimited.

Marianas Paddlefest—Race #2 is being made possible by Northern Marianas College-Cooperative Research, Extension and Education Service, Bank of Hawaii, Hyatt Regency Saipan, Windsurfing Saipan, JET Holdings, Triple J Enterprises, Tan Siu Lin Foundation, and KKMP RADIO 92.1.