The Annual Hennessey’s Return to the Pier paddleboard race is traditionally a fun, after work race that kicks off the Memorial Day weekend and attracts over 100 paddlers. Not this year. Only 31 paddlers participated in this year in the race from the Hermosa pier to the Manhattan pier and back. Ten- to 20-knot winds, white caps and a swell that had paddlers bobbing in and out of sight of one another and the piers changed the usual character of the race.
Race director Tim Ritter contemplated changing the course, to have paddlers race out two miles so they could surf back in. But after his safety boat was swamped and had to return to King Harbor, Ritter decided the prudent course was the original one because paddlers would stay close to shore.
Los Angeles County lifeguard Anthony Vela took first in the unlimited division and first overall, despite paddling bareback through the wind and 58 degree water. Fellow lifeguard Michael Murphy was first in the stock (under12 feet) division. Cam Merrill won the 14-foot division, Carly Rogers won the wahine division, Mitch Kahn won the 14-foot stand up division and Mike Vaughan won the stock stand up division.
The next local paddleboard race is the Rock to Rock, from the Catalina Isthmus to Palos Verdes, on June 22.
