On Saturday, more than 30 standup paddlers competed in the Painkiller Thriller and Mini-Painkiller Cup.
The 14-mile standup paddleboard race started at Trellis Bay, Beef Island and finished at White Bay, Jost Van Dyke at the Soggy Dollar Bar.
More than $11,000 was awarded to the top five teams, with first place taking home $5,000.
Teams consisted of three paddlers with a minimum one female. Only one paddler from the team was in the water at a time, while the other two competitors followed the race aboard a chase boat. Paddlers rotated every 30 minutes.
First place went to Team Tired consisting of Lori Park, Noa Ginelli and Kody Kerbox, of Hawaii, who finished in 2 hours, 30 minutes and 30 seconds. The team also won a $750 bonus for reaching Guana Island first.
“It was great to see such strong teams in the hunt,” organiser Andy Morrell said. “While the Hawaiians ran away with the event, it was so good to see a commanding second-place finish from Team BOGA featuring two Cruzans and a St. John racer.”
Mitchell Leonard served as the tactician for the winning team, who has been a boat captain for more than 20 years in the VI.
“I picked the route for them,” Mr. Leonard said. “It was easier and less wavy for them. They didn’t really know the area, so I tried to keep them on a straight line. They stuck to it and it was a great game plan. ”
America’s Cup sailors Jimmy Spithill and Shannon Falcone also competed in the event. They finished in fourth place.
“It was really cool. I had a ball,” Mr. Spithill said. “Every time you got on the board, it was different.”
Although he has competed in other paddleboard events, mainly in California, he said the Painkiller Cup was unique.
“There is no question the finish is the best here,” Mr. Spithill said. “I have never done an event as beautiful as it is here.”
Two teams from the Virgin Islands competed in the event — BVI All-Stars and Team Riviera.
Lee Donovan, 53, of Team Riviera started paddleboarding 10 years ago. He was competing with Brian Duff and Brazilian professional paddler Helga Goebal. The team finished in fifth place.
“It is awesome to see an event like this being held in Tortola — my hometown,” Mr. Donovan said, who has competed in several international events, like Battle of the Paddle in California.
Mike Hirst, Mark Cochran and Kim Takeuchi formed team BVI All-Stars. Mr. Hirst, who is known for sailing and kite boarding, said he does not limit himself to one sport.
“When you do things in the water, you have to try to do everything — you can’t just do one thing,” Mr. Hirst said. “The conditions dictate the activity, you can’t go kiting or sailing all the time.”
The BVI All-Stars finished in last place. However, Mr. Hirst said it was nice to see top paddlers and sailors competing in the event.
“It is great to see these guys coming down and spending time with guys like us,” he said.
Six individual racers took part in the Mini-Painkiller Cup, a three-mile race that started at Sandy Cay and finished at White Bay, JVD. The start of that race got under way once the fleet of Painkiller Cup competitors reached Sandy Cay.
Next year, the organiser is considering a few changes and additions to the event, which could include kite boarding.
“We are always trying to build the event,” Morrell said. “We have a great concept and format and hope to grow the event to include more people and back into a yacht-based event and visiting multiple islands. SUP is a fast-growing sport, so running a good event like this is fun.”
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