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The northeasterly wind had continued since the previous day, leaving swells at Isshiki Beach in Hayama Town, Kanagawa Prefecture.
On Sunday, May 15th, the TRUMP PADDLE SESSION @One-Color Beach was held.
While many SUP races have been postponed due to the spread of the coronavirus, approximately 130 paddlers who were looking forward to this race participated.
Team KOKUA was represented by Nariakira Shimazu, Kenny Kaneko, and Natsumi Baba.
It was mid-May and the temperature was rising, making it a pleasant climate for paddling, but the weather on the day was cloudy and the wind was still there, making it a bit chilly.
After the opening ceremony, participants loosened up with yoga, and then the 12km Distance Class started slightly behind schedule, followed five minutes later by the 6km class.
The course was set out in an arrowhead shape from the first mark, about 700m offshore from Isshiki Beach. It was a down leg to the second mark, about 2.5km offshore. At the third and fourth marks, the wind blew in from the side, making it difficult to decide which course to take. Many of the runners got too wide and lost time here, or were unable to take advantage of the swell and wind, and were at the mercy of the choppy sea surface. From the fifth mark to the second lap, it was an up leg after rowing out of the side wind. The course was set up so that there was almost no time to stop.
In addition, it was a spring tide that day. The wind was strong, and the marks seemed to have been washed away. The 12km class runners ended up rowing about 16km, 4km longer than expected.
This time, Team KOKUA used the KOKUA FLY PRO. The FLY PRO's well-balanced design makes it suitable for all conditions and covers a wide range of ocean surfaces. It's a board that you can trust without being distracted by its characteristics.
The following is a report by KOKUA Rider Shigeaki Shimazu
M's 12km Raceboard class under 14.0ft
4th place (1h 50m 47s)
Board: KOKUA FLY PRO 21
Paddle: KK HIGH ASPECT
Fin: WIZARD
Taking advantage of the board's ability to withstand slowdown, I was able to get off to a good start on the beach. Although I did lose speed afterwards, the board's smooth extension and unique tail shape helped me finish in 4th place. The conditions this time were swells from various directions, but the race once again made me realize the strengths of the FLY PRO, namely its stability and controllability.
Report by Kenny Kaneko
M's 12km Raceboard class under 14.0ft
2nd place (1h 44m 26s)
Board: KOKUA FLY PRO 22.5
Paddle: KK HIGH ASPECT
Fin: FIA
It was my first race in a while, so the distance was longer than I had planned, but it was fun being able to paddle with so many people again. I hadn't practiced SUP for a while, so I chose the 22.5, which I could paddle with confidence. The high-performance board really helped me.
Natsumi Baba, who came in second in the women's division, is using the FLY PRO 24.
Just having a sense of stability under your feet will allow you to paddle more steadily, which will ultimately lead to speed. Depending on the conditions, it may be wiser to choose a stable board that allows you to paddle in your own way, rather than riding a narrow board because you are light or small.
The following is a report by Natsumi Baba
W's 12km Raceboard class under 14.0ft
2nd place(2h 08m 28s)
Board: KOKUA FLY PRO 24
Paddle: KK HIGH ASPECT
Fin: FIA
He started practicing about three weeks ago. He chose a wide 24" board, which allows him to more easily express his paddling style rather than focusing on the speed of the board itself. This allowed him to focus solely on gliding the board without being distracted by the turbulent water surface caused by the undertow after the start, or the wind and waves from the side.
Although we are still in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2022, the number of races being held is steadily increasing. We are excited to see how KOKUA boards will perform in the upcoming race scene.
