Stand up to paralysis... paddle for a Journey Forward
Elite SUP Race, Open, Distance, Kids, Sprints, SUP Relay
The venue... Liberty Wharf, Boston
Custom Bark 12'6
The Boston Tea Paddle is New England's premiere stand up paddle race event to be held June 16-17, 2012 at Liberty Wharf, Boston.
in association with CRESSET DEVELOPMENT
EAST COAST ASSET MANAGEMENT * HARPOON BREWERY * JOE BARK * MAUI JIM * NAISH * RYAN & WOOD * SURFTECH * TEAM COLLINS * TEAM TOLKAN * XCEL WETSUITS
Charles Riverboat Co. * Dakine * H2O Audio * John Culqui * Jungle * Kialoa * Pro-Lite * Sun Bum * Toes On The Nose * Twin Lights Glassing * Vec Surfboards * Vibram Five Fingers * Werner Paddles
We love to stand up paddle, we love Boston, and we want to help people. So we thought, why not put on a SUP race event on Boston's waterfront to help raise money for a worthy cause?
Journey Forward is a non-profit organization dedicated to bettering the lives of those who have suffered a Spinal Cord Injury through an intense exercise program.
A spinal cord injury is one of the most devastating events that can happen to a person; taking not only their ability to walk, but also their independence and ability to accomplish some of life’s most fundamental tasks. Canton based, Journey Forward, is an exercise based program designed to assist those with Spinal Cord Injuries so they too can achieve some of these most basic lifelong functions and benefits. A Journey Forwards mission is to make this program as accessible, to those who need it, as possible. They are accomplishing this by working to open centers throughout the country and making it affordable to those who so desperately need this program.
www.journey-forward.org
Our main mission is to raise money to help create matching challenge grant scholarships for people who need and really want to go to Journey Forward but can’t afford it.
Insurance after, doesn’t cover the costs of this program. The main mission of the BTP/SUP4L SUP race series is to raise money for a scholarship fund to help those with spinal cord injuries be able to reap the benefits of the program that a Journey Forward offers. This race is also a celebration of stand up paddling, an event that the New England stand up paddle community can be proud to host in their own back yard. The BTP event at Liberty Wharf is also a chance for people to connect with Boston’s historic but under utilized harbor and waterfront. We hope that the Boston Tea Paddle at Liberty Wharf becomes an annual event to connect New Englanders with Boston’s special and historical natural resource through stand up paddling.
After eating fish tacos at Temazcal last October on a family trip into Boston to the Children’s Museum, Christian found Liberty Wharf to be the perfect location for a SUP race.
Sitting in the dining room and staring out through floor to ceiling walls of glass to the open flat water basin and Boston Harbor beyond was illuminating. Within the buildings lining the deck and docks, the four restaurants of Liberty Wharf open up to the outdoors and provide a natural vantage point for diners to view any water bound activities. The ongoing renewal of the Seaport District of Boston’s waterfront has become a great addition to the city. Please come and join us at the Boston Tea Paddle to support Journey Forward, cheer on the racers, try stand up paddling, eat some food at one of the four restaurants, enjoy the view of the water on the deck, or just to see for yourself the changes on Boston’s waterfront.
Mike is a longtime ocean sports enthusiast. He is a passionate surfer and stand up paddle surfer, PADI Master Scuba Diver , and a PFI certified Free Diver. He is also Co-Founder of the Cape Cod Bay Challenge which is New England’s biggest summer SUP series. He has personal experience, through his son, with Journey Forward, and has witnessed the awesome benefits it provides its patients.
Christian is a New England surfer and sailor who began surfing Boston’s North Shore in 1985 and evolved to stand up paddling. After twenty years of Island living (MV, Nantucket, Maui, BVI) Christian is back on the mainland in Manchester by-the-Sea where he and his wife Nicole own Surfari SUP & Surf. Christian has also taught surfing and SUP on Nantucket for the last twelve years. Christian and Nicole have two daughters, Makayla 8 and Raquel 4, who also love the water!
Nicole del Rosario is a lifelong beach lover who was first introduced to stand up paddling on the beaches of Maui by her husband Christian. Five minutes later she lost her favorite pair of Maui Jims to the Pacific Ocean! Growing up surrounded by a family run business, Nicole has taken that experience to start her own. Nicole and a three year old Raquel along with big sissy Makayla posing for a photo under Surfari SUP & Surf shop by-the-Sea.
The BTP has stand up paddle races for elite paddlers, enthusiasts, weekend warriors, newbies, and kids. Come out and play!
The Boston Tea Paddle is a two day stand up paddle race/waterfront festival at Boston’s Liberty Wharf that will benefit Journey Forward. This year it takes place Father's Day weekend, June 16-17th, 2012.
Coming to Boston a few days before the Boston Tea Paddle to check out the sights? There are plenty of things to do in and around the city. Unfortunately the Red Sox are on a road trip the weekend of the race so catching a game at Fenway Park isn’t going to happen. Cape Cod, Rhode Island, New Hampshire and even Maine are all with in a two hour drive away and all offer great places to put in and tour by paddle board if being a normal tourist doesn’t float your boat.
What about waves? There are places to surf right outside of Boston including the North and South Shores of Boston. Unfortunately the middle of June is usually when the ocean turns into Lake Atlantic.
There is a wicked lot of stuff to do in the city including visiting museums, historical and not so historical tourist stops, shopping, and eating. Boston is a great city that is easily accessible by public transportation or even by walking.
Foster the People are playing at the Bank of America Pavilion the night before the race. We’ll be listening on SUPs on the race course or from the third floor deck at Legal Harborside with sushi and drinks.
BTP Day 1 Event Schedule
9:00 Registration Open, SUP Vendor Village Opens, SUP Fit Demo Class
9:45 Racers Meeting Open Race
10:00 Mens Open 3 Mile Race Start
11:00 Womens Open 3 Mile Race Start
12:15 Elite Racers Meeting
12:30 Elite 5 Mile Race Start
1:45 Kids Race Meeting
2:00 Kids Race Start
2:00-6:00 Board Demos
3:30 Sprint Races
4:45 Awards
5:15 Auction
8:00-??? Boston Tea Paddle cruise with Ryan & Wood Distilleries.
BTP Day 2 Event Schedule
7:45 Registration Open, SUP Vendor Village Opens
8:30 Racers Meeting Distance Race
9:00 9 Mile Distance Race Start
9:15-3:00 Board Demos and Father’s Day Free Learn to Paddle Clinics
11:45 SUP Relay Race Meeting
12:00 SUP Relay Race Start
1:00 Awards
…only 49 days until the 25 mile Stand Up 4 Liberty paddle from Liberty Wharf to Manchester by-the-Sea!
The Boston Tea Paddle is a WPA sanctioned event, therefore 2012 WPA rules apply. Competitors who are members of the WPA will get points for both regional and national rankings.
Basic memberships are $15, to join the World Paddle Association please go to the WPA website. To see the full set of rules you can browse the 2012 WPA SUP Racing Rulebook.
Drafting will be allowed at this race. A racer may only draft off another competitor in the same board class and gender. In other words, if you are racing on a SUP 12’6” board and a female competitor you may only draft off another female competitor on a SUP 12’6” board.
Check the Blog for the latest news, updates, and more from the Boston Tea Paddle
Visit our archive
Here are links to the Boston Tea Paddle race results. Please bear with me as I get the race results posted on the website. I apologize for being so slow… I’m trying to tie up things from the race while packing up to move to Nantucket for two months to run our surf school/camp Nantucket [...]
The 9 Mile Distance Race has been moved from 10am to a 9am start. The course has also been changed as can seen below. There will be two laps of this course for a distance of approximately 9 miles. Click on the image below to enlarge the course. You will do two laps of this [...]
One of our main sponsors for the Boston Tea Paddle is Maui Jim. they will also become one of the favorite sponsors because of the prize loot that they have so generously donated to our event. Maui Jim is a favorite of sunglass junkies all over the world with the clarity and quality of their polarized [...]
I know many of you have been asking about the parking situation around Liberty Wharf and the Seaport District for the Boston Tea Paddle. You will be able to pull up and drop off your boards and gear where most of the tents will be set up by Remy’s or the Massport lot on the Fish [...]
Just a quick heads up for all racers on Saturday and Sunday. A Type III PFD is mandatory to race in all races. You can wear an inflatable belt type PFD around your waist. You can wear a normal PFD or strap it, tape it, glue it or somehow secure it to your stand up paddle board. Just [...]
We are live and so is registration! Register for the races on Saturday June 16th or the 9 mile distance or 4 person co-ed relay race on Sunday the 17th. This is going to be a great weekend for stand up paddling in New England for the first time paddler to the experienced racer.
Do you have a question about the race or where to stay in Boston? To send us a message or just say Aloha, please complete the form below or contact us via details listed on the left. We'll get back to you ASAP.
Race Venue
Liberty Wharf
250 Northern Ave
Boston, MA 02210
www.libertywharf.co
Contact info
Mike Brown
Telephone: 617.678.1590
Email: mike@bostonteapaddle.com
Christian del Rosario
Telephone: 508.325.2607
Email: christian@bostonteapaddle.com
Nicole del Rosario
Telephone: 508.364.0214
Email: nicole@bostonteapaddle.com
Surfari Stand Up Paddle & Surf
26 Central St
Manchester, MA 01944
Telephone: 978.704.9051
Email: info@supsurfari.com
