Grand Gremlins and SUP

I’ve found a great use for SUP boards–entertaining grand kids. I attached a carrier to my Starboard 12′6″ recently, planning to use it for fishing and camping, but the grandkids who have been here for a week (God give me strength) took full advantage of it.

I found I can load two grandkids and the dog onto the board and knee paddle it pretty much anywhere. The Grandkids loved it (when they weren’t screaming in terror) and Sam (the dog) liked it pretty well too. He fought the littlest grandkid for the central spot, a tussle that culminated with Owen (3) tossing Sam (6 in human years, 42 in dog years) into the drink.

Tough kid.

He doesn’t look so tough here. What a goober!

Headed out with Ian. It took him about ten minutes to start standing on the nose and moving around so much he knocked me off.

Elvis and Owen. He did a pretty good job paddling, but only with Mom on board.

Max load. I might have room for a couple of chipmunks, but Sam would chase them. As it is, when I catch a wave he runs between my feet to watch it from the back.

It’s all fun and games until a kid gets washed off the deck. Sam is thinking about bailing off. But then he’s always thinking about bailing.

Owen on his own glass-bottomed boogie board.

Cowabunga, dude.

Fun…sort of. To hear him talk after he was being barreled at Pipeline.

This guy likes to charge. Take your eye off him and he’s headed for the big waves. That would be fine if he could swim more than ten feet.

Elvis (Elizabeth) goes for her first wave. Not bad for the second day on a SUP board.

Here’s how, kid.

Bottom line is that SUP is a great family thing, while most surf sports tend to be solitary. I know lots of families surf together, but the ability to travel around together on SUP boards, to stick a couple of kids on the nose, and even take along the dog adds a remarkable dimension to SUP that is one more reason I believe it will become a broadly-practiced sport.

Article by PonoBill

Edited and proofed by Leland Berg