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SUPJUNKIE REPORTING :
BATTLE OF THE THAMES , SURBITON Host : The Real Blue Chip SUPer Club
Held on a sunny and pretty calm day in early June , the Tenth Anniversary Edition of the iconic Battle of the Thames was a huge success . The cap was 100 due to Covid restrictions , but that smaller number more than made up with their enthusiasm and epic racing , especially from one young man we will mention later !
The adrenalin rises from the moment you arrive at a race , even pulling into the car park at Thames Sailing Club . The Real Blue Chip SUPer Club members on duty that day all did a sterling job , especially in the car park , packing the vans and cars in cheek by jowl – once you were in , you were IN !
THE GBSUP NATIONAL RACE SERIES 2021 Words : Sarah Thornely Photos : Supjunkie , Jade Rogers Photography and RNLI
JUST WOW – what a month it ’ s been for the National Race Series ! Battle of the Thames on the 12th June , BaySUP Flat and Ocean Tech races on the 26th and Carbis Bay on the 4th July – we ’ ve seen some very happy paddlers on the water at all the events but let ’ s start our news with BOTT .
Things were having to be run slightly differently this year , with one-way systems , temperature checks and a pre-recorded race briefing – hugs were few and far between , and those that did felt confident and comfortable doing so within government guidelines . There were plenty of respectful elbow bumps , too – who knew that would become such a thing ?
The excitement levels were high though , racing has been somewhat lacking over the last 18 months and ‘ the Battle ’ would greatly benefit from that feeling of community once again .
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