It’s Official! 264 Paddle Boarders break Guinness World Record at the SUP Armada
GUINNESS WORLD RECORDS™ have today officially confirmed that participants at last weekend’s SUP Armada event have set a new World Record! The charity event, held on the 22nd August at Queen Mother Reservoir, brought together SUP boarders from across the country to attempt to break the existing record of 254 paddle boarders, set on Hayling Island last year. After a three hour attempt, 264 participants successfully completed the 1 mile course, beating the previous record by 10 and achieving the GUINNESS World Records title for ‘The Largest Parade of Paddleboarders’. Organiser Dan Charlish said, ‘It was the first time we have tried to bring SUP boarders together for an event like this, and the response has been fantastic. We were lucky that the weather was perfect, and it was great to see so many people of all ages and abilities on the water, enjoying the experience and determined to break the record.’
Check out the quick film of the day courtesy of Blue Juice media!
The event also offered the chance to try a whole range of SUP activities including SUP Polo, Team Races, Fun Sprints, Taster Sessions for beginners, Intermediate Clinics and SUP Yoga classes.
Andy Gratwick, owner of Easy Riders, provided a team of volunteer instructors to run the taster sessions and support the event as a whole. He said, ‘I think one of the most rewarding parts of the day for us was to have so many people trying SUP for the first time. We had 86 people, including 15 kids, complete taster sessions – and then successfully go on to be part of the World Record attempt. It just shows how accessible SUP boarding is, and why it’s such a fast growing sport.’
The SUP Armada event was well supported by the industry, with major brands exhibiting all the latest gear and creating a SUP Village next to the water. 3 charities were also supported on the day, youth charity Snow-Camp, the Andrew Simpson Foundation and The Big Stand – each supporting disadvantaged youth through snowsports, sailing and SUP. So far over £3,500 has been raised and more funds are still coming in. David Tugwell of Datchet Water Sailing Club, who run the reservoir, said ‘It was a real community effort and the atmosphere was fantastic. It was great to see loads of kids involved, and families participating together. We are delighted the event went so well and very pleased to be part of it.’ There were some positive stories too. David Pearce had never SUP boarded before but was convinced by his daughter to come along – he struggled against the wind getting round, but persevered, and dedicated his success to his wife who passed away last year.
Seven year old Laird Dawson was one of the youngest participants, and was proud to have paddled around the whole course alongside his Dad. ‘I really wanted to be a World Record breaker’ he said, ‘and I would love to take the certificate into school to show my friends!’
‘Even my Mum got involved,’ said Dan Charlish ‘and she has never done anything like this before! She nipped off with a friend and got a taster session without telling anybody, and then just went for it. She took a long time to get round, and had to be helped out of the water at the end, but she was over the moon to be a record breaker!’ The SUP Armada will return next year, and organisers may look at developing the event into a weekend SUP festival if there is demand.
To find out more about the SUP Armada go to: www.suparmada.com