SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico - Puerto Rico - the Paddle Royal came to a dramatic finish last week, combining challenging conditions with tight races, making it one of the most memorable events of 2013. After a serie4s of tight finishes and huge performances, Danny Ching and Lina Augaitis walked away with the events top spots. With the BIC One Design World Champs preceding the event at puerto Rico's stunning Condado Lagoon, it was long weekend filled with great paddle action and good vibes.

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico - The stand up paddle world has its eyes fixed on San Juan at the moment. This last Thursday, December 5, and Friday, December 6, saw the BIC One Design World Champs take place at Candado Lagoon, Puerto Rico’s premierre SUP location.

SAN DIEGO, California - The San Diego Canoe Kayak Team (SDCKT) are hosting the 3rd stop of the SoCal Ocean Racing Series on December 14, 2013. The event is currently open for registration at a cost of $25 per paddler if you sign up before December 8 (afterwards it is $30), as well as one unwrapped toy for the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department's Mobile Santa.

WRIGHTSVILLE BEACH, North Carolina - Under sunny skies with mild temperatures in the mid-60's, over 150 competitors from eight states, the Virgin Islands and Canada participated in the 3rd Annual North Carolina Surf to Sound Challenge on Saturday, Nov. 16.

NARRAGANSETT, Rhode Island - Due to the increasing popularity of stand-up paddleboard racing and surfing, the Easterm Surfing Association and the Town of Narragansett Recreation Department have teamed up to run the first ever Turkey Trot 2/K 5/K Standup Paddleboard Race at the Narragansett Town Beach on Thanksgiving morning. This will be the first time that the ESA has run any type of activity on a holiday. Early indications are that if the weather is good, the turnout could be great.

SAN CLEMENTE , California - In the latest installment of Ocean Minded'swebisode series, 'Inside the Mind', viewers are treated to brand ambassador Chuck Patterson's thoughts on riding (and surviving) big waves. It's a topical issue right now, with the start of winter in the Northern Hemisphere seeing a string of massive swells and storms already.

17-year-old Elite Florida stand up paddler Bailey Rosen is excited to announce the formation of the Florida Junior SUP Team. This team features 13 groms ages 9-15 from all around the state of Florida, from the Panhandle to Miami Beach. All of these kids are not only paddling at a high level, but also showing sportsmanship out of the water.

KORINTHIA, Greece - Last week we reported the results of the third annual Hellenic Cup, which took place at Corinth Canal on October 20. For those of you who read about it and wanted to see more, this great clip and event roundup has just been released by the event organizers, giving us all a better, closer look at the action that went down.

COOLANGATTA, Australia - The inaugural Be the Influence Australian SUP and Paddleboard Titles on the Gold Coast have added a series of dash for cash and team relays to the schedule.

DESTIN, Florida - Meet Matt Wise, the Floridian super-grom who is starting to make a name for himself on the paddle racing circuit. This week Supconnect asked him 10 questions about his training schedule, daily living habits and preferences when it comes to ordinary things. 

The 3rd Hellenic SUP CUP (Stand Up Paddle), organized by FORWARD and sponsored by BIC®, was successfully completed. On October 20th, 2013 - 11:30 am, vessel traffic at the Isthmus of Corinth was halted, for the start of the Final race.

Matt Wise is preparing to race at the next level after garnering big victories in national elite level SUP competition in 2013.