We kicked off the Ohana Paddle Club Launch Party with Race League and a Social Paddle. Race League was led by Ohana Paddle Club founder, Mike Wang, and true to form, he kicked it off “Sugar Cookie” style. What?! “Sugar Cookie” is Mike’s nice way of saying we’re gonna get covered in sand (aka sugar) with various warmups and race starts on the beach at Encinal. We are pretty lucky here at our Alameda site, because we have many launch points — from the beach, a ramp, or even a dock, allowing us to accommodate for tide changes, crowds, wind, etc. I often see new visitors try to launch their paddleboards by climbing over rocks and quickly point out to them the available public put-ins that are much easier to use with their big paddle boards!
But back to Race League with Mike. It may sound intimidating to join a Race League session for paddleboarding, but Mike makes it fun and at the end of the day, ensures that everyone paddles away with a new skill. These skills don’t have to be race specific, they are usually general techniques that will help you paddle more efficiently for any conditions. I have seen huge improvements in paddleboarding skills after a few Race League clinics and that translates to more confident paddling. But if you are still not ready for Race League, we also offer social paddles, just like we did on this day. The Social paddle started after the joint warm up and just went in the area near the beach.
Both sessions concluded with the start of our Club’s launch party at our new clubhouse at Encinal beach. We have a covered pavilion with lots of seating for us to host many more parties and learning sessions to come. Plus, we have a container for board storage for those members that are interested. We were lucky to meet a few new friends that have since joined the club. They include, Heather, Mike, Dean, Felipe, Jennifer, Johanna, and the famous Sam! We hope to see many more of you join us as we paddle the waters around the bay and beyond.