Feeling the Pain

Although our principal ‘beat’ is to report on sailing activities on the West Coast and beyond, we also do our best to keep track of news and trends in the wider watersports industry. One thing that’s become obvious to us in recent years is that the popularity of various watersports seems to be constantly evolving. Take windsurfing, for example. The skyrocketing growth of kiteboarding all but killed windsurfing, as many enthusiasts transitioned to kiting due to the promised thrills, short rig-up time and portability of the gear. An unmistakable indicator that the sailing industry had taken notice was when champion kiter Johnny Heineken was chosen as the 2012 Rolex Yachtsman of the Year. 

Another example of popularity shifts in watersports comes to us from the Eastern Caribbean. For well over a decade our old friend Andy Morrell used to run the HIHO, a weeklong windsurfing regatta, where competitors and their families from around the world were accommodated aboard big charter cats as the event moved through the British Virgin Islands chain. If our memory serves us, at its peak, the fleet swelled to 28 boats.

But because international interest in windsurfing has diminished, Morrell’s focus is now on standup paddleboarding (SUPing). Over the weekend he ran the third annual Painkiller Cup, a 14-mile tag-team paddling race from Tortola’s Trellis Bay to the Soggy Dollar Bar at White Bay, Jost Van Dyke, ‘birthplace’ of the famous painkiller cocktail (now marketed as the Pusser’s Painkiller). Three-person teams came from as far away as Mexico, and each trio had to include at least one female paddler. An abbreviated course called the Mini Painkiller was staged for mere mortals: three miles, from Sandy Cay to the same finish line. Unlike most sailing races, the top team — this year from Mexico — takes home $5,000 in cash, with smaller prizes totaling more than an additional $5,000. Check it out. 

Video courtesy Painkiller Cup

We’ve got to hand it to Morrell. Even though he lives far from the mainstream, he always seems to have his hand on the pulse of what’s hip and what’s ‘trending’ in watersports.