A Paddling Community - the Charleston Paddle Club

Are you looking to enjoy the Lowcountry waterways from a different perspective, get exercise, make new friends, be a part of a team, and give back? Look no further than the Charleston Paddle Club. They are a local non-profit group (501(c)3) located in Charleston, South Carolina. The organization is passionate about paddle sports, physical fitness, fun, and keeping the waterways clean.

Whether you are a paddling beginner or are an experienced paddler, the Charleston Paddle Club (CPC) encourages you to come out. Located at Brittlebank Park along the Ashley River and next to Bristol Marina, the CPC welcomes members of all ages and skill levels, emphasizes fun, and loves introducing people to new paddle sports while enjoying the beautiful Charleston waterways. It is a wonderful way to get in great shape and make new friends.

CPC has regular events that include weekly dragon boat practices, outrigger canoeing, and different social and volunteer events during the year. The dragon boat team, the Charleston Firebreathers, has competed nationally and internationally. Some club members have competed internationally with Team USA. Club members also compete regionally, nationally, and internationally in outrigger canoe events individually, or as part of a crew. This is truly one of the few team sports where a winning team can include people of all genders, ages and sizes.

If you’re a beginner, CPC will teach you basic paddling form, as well as on-water safety and commands. You can join them for up to 3 paddle sessions (and unlimited social events) before you’ll be asked to pay club dues. These dues help towards operating and maintenance costs, equipment purchases, training opportunities and facilities for the members. Once you’re a CPC member, you can sign up for any team paddle or regular club session that matches your skill level. You’ll get access to all dragon boat practices and six-person outrigger canoe (OC6) outings that match your fitness and skills level, opportunities to race competitively, and invitations to all team social events. As a non-profit, they also participate in keeping the waterways clean.

What is dragon boating? Dragon boats are large canoe-like vessels, manned by up to 20 paddlers (in a standard size boat) that sit in pairs and facing the bow along the length of the boat. The paddlers race the boat various distances using single bladed paddles. Dragon boats are typically fitted with ornate wooden carved dragon heads and tails. The sport originated in southern China over 2,000 years ago.

What is outrigger canoeing? Outrigger canoeing is a sport of the canoeing discipline. The boats have a lateral float called outrigger (also called ama) fastened to the hull with two booms (also called iokos) that provide stability for racing in various water conditions and for surfing ocean swell and waves. Single bladed paddles are used. The type of outrigger canoe is dependent on the number of paddlers. There are typically six-person canoes (OC6), two-person canoes (OC2), and one-person canoes (OC1). OC1’s and OC2’s canoes have rudders. The OC6, which has 6 paddlers, has a manual steersman in seat 6. Outrigger canoeing originated with Polynesian and Austronesian explorers thousands of years ago. It was integral to ancient Hawaiian culture and is popular in the Tahitian and Hawaiian islands.

When was the club founded and by whom? I sat down with club president Steve Connor and club vice-president Billy Lempesis to find out.

CPC was founded in 2010 by Steve Connor, Pete Lempesis, Jamie Muehl, William Dionl, Roger Jones, Billy Lempesis, and Tharin Walker. Its roots began a couple of years earlier with Dragon Boat Charleston, a club that already existed. Dragon Boat Charleston was primarily a cancer survivor group. Billy remarked that “my first coach was Dr. Cindy Carter who went to Canada and attended a study about how paddling was beneficial to women breast cancer survivors. She came back, got a grant through MUSC and started Dragon Boat Charleston. Their first festival was huge and my company put together two corporate teams to compete”

Billy continued “I said this is fun. I’m not surfing any longer but with older age, paddling seems to really be good for you. We competed under Dragon Boat Charleston for a couple of years. We won the Nationals and we qualified for the Worlds. My son Pete Lempesis and Jamie Muehl progressed as paddlers and we decided to form a premiere team and in the next year, became very successful. We had a Canadian coach, named Pat Barker, that had been coaching our Dragon Boat Charleston team. She introduced Pete and I to outrigger paddling. I’d never heard of it. We started researching it and Pete got really excited about it. Pete decided, out of nowhere, to go buy an OC6 (six-person outrigger canoe). That was 2010. We didn’t know how to set the thing up. At that point, we decided we wanted to do multiple types of paddling and be competitive. Thus, Charleston Paddle Company was born.”

I pressed both Steve and Billy about sharing some stories from the early history of the club. Billy recalled “our first OC6 outrigger race was at Treasure Island, outside of Tampa, Florida. We only had five OC paddles and had to use a dragon boat paddle to make it six paddles. The back of the boat was facing forward so we set up the ama on the right side instead of the traditional left side. The other canoe crews on the water were yelling at us and said you might want to change around and head the right direction. So we jumped out of the boat and swapped seats. We were ill equipped. Ran our first race there not knowing what the hell we were doing. And by the way, we got third. It was an evolutionary process. We had no coaching. We had to learn by video how to tie the iakos to the ama with the old-fashioned rope.”

Steve Connor recollected a funny story from that time, “this was Billy’s early days of steering (the dragon boat) and he was also coaching us. He had the boat lined up and we’re ready to go. We push off (the dock) a little bit and he says go! We went about three feet and there was a sudden recoil.” Billy chimed in “I forgot to take the stern line off. Next thing I know, my ass was upside down in the air off the back of the boat. All my crew, instead of being concerned, they all laughed their asses off!”, as both Billy and Steve chuckled at that memory.

Billy said “In 2012, we changed our name from Charleston Paddle Company to Charleston Paddle Club. It became clear that ‘Company’ sounded more like a business. Through the guidance of Roger Jones and Steve Connor the club became a non-profit.”

Billy recalled “Mike Owens had the first outrigger canoes in Charleston. He was actually making OC1s on the local Navy base. He was doing the old technique where you did half molds and put the layered fiberglass down and the gelcoat and pressed them together. He constructed an OC6 from two old canoes. It weighed over 600lbs. This was the first OC6 we used. Then Pete bought a Bradley Lightening from a club in Florida that weighed 350 lbs and we used that OC6 for six years. Currently the club has two new Ultralight Puakea’s (OC6) that weigh only 175lbs each.”

Billy continued, “the competitions are amazing. Our Dragon Boat crew, the Firebreathers, was very successful. For three years, the crew medaled in every race we participated in from Virginia to Florida. Two of those years, we won all Gold medals. Pete, Jamie and I made Team USA in 2012, and competed in the World Championships in Milan, Italy. Our crew member Robert Hess made it two years later. Jess Key has made the National Team several times. Club member Andy McMarlen, a local sports medicine physician and non-surgical orthopedic specialist, was an Olympic Rower qualifier for the Atlanta Olympics. Andy is one of the most decorated Dragon Boat paddlers in the United States. He is also an avid Outrigger and Surf Ski paddler. All the while, the Firebreathers crew continued to be successful.”

Steve remarked that the club used to be more “board driven”, but are “working to be more member driven, so if you want to go do a race in Wilmington, we’ll support you.” Billy added “you can take it as far as you want to take it with our club. You want to make the National team? We have the people here who can show you how to do that. You just want to have fun? That’s even better!”

If you’re looking for something new and different in getting outside and getting close to the water, getting exercise, and being part of a community, go check out Charleston Paddle Club at charlestonpaddleclub.com. You can also help the Charleston Paddle Club by making them the charity of your choice when making purchases on Amazon. They are now on Amazon Smile. They also accept donations through Venmo, PayPal, cash or check, and can also invoice you to pay through credit/debit card.

written by Mac Barnhardt

photos provided by Billy Lempesis

Justin & Sienna's Yukon River Quest Adventure

Justin Schaay is a local Charleston ocean athlete who paddles and surfs our local waters. He owns the Charleston area Epic Kayaks dealership (check out surfskicharleston.com). He can provide invaluable advice, demos, lessons, and get you set up on the right equipment. Justin also organizes group paddles in the area sometimes including a Saturday morning loop around Sullivan's Island and Thursday evenings at the Wappoo Boat Landing. Other paddle craft besides surf skis, such as outrigger canoes and stand up paddle boards, are encouraged to join as well (everyone responsible for their own safety plan). Follow the "Surfski & Paddle Charleston" Facebook Group for group paddle announcements.

Justin also works as an Expedition guide for Quark Expeditions on their Antarctica trips primarily as the SUP guide, also runs paddle support, and is a safety driver. These Quark Antarctica expeditions typically start off in Ushuaia, South America and head across the Drake Channel to the Antarctic peninsula, then move around that area exploring and offering landings, zodiac cruises and paddle adventures.

He has many years of experience in long distance paddle races and events all over the world including participating in the M2O (Molokai to Oahu) downwind race on SUP, the Watertribe Everglades Challenge 300 miles Tampa to Key Largo on SUP and the Watertribe North Carolina Challenge on a Windsurfer, the Devils Isle Challenge on Bermuda, the Dusi Canoe Marathon in South Africa, and the Chattajack31 long distance race event in Chattanooga multiple times on SUP and surfski.

Justin has recently included his teenage daughter, Sienna, on some of these adventures sharing a double kayak with her in the Seventy 48 race in Seattle, the Chattajack 31, and most recently the Yukon River Quest race in Alaska.

The Yukon River Quest race recap below was written by Sienna Schaay. All pictures & captions provided by Justin Schaay, unless where otherwise noted. A big thank you to both Justin and Sienna for their contributions to the Charleston Ocean Athletes Journal:

The Yukon River Quest (YRQ) proved to be quite the race, especially with this years added challenge of high flood waters. There was a debate going on about whether or not the race would run which after the long journey we made would have been very disappointing. The YRQ is a 444 mile/715 kilometer endurance race from Whitehorse to Dawson City down the Yukon River. A variety of solo and teams compete in the race including sups, kayaks, canoes and voyagers. The race takes anywhere from 39 hours (the new race record) to 70 hours to complete. It started the morning of June 22nd in 2 different heats. There are also 10 hours of mandatory rest which racers split between 2 different campgrounds. Due to some of the stormier weather and the added struggles of a high water year 40% of teams did not end up finishing. Although everyone who even attempted deserves lots of praise.

Pre start in Whitehorse - you start in a park and run down to the river.

We arrived in Whitehorse almost a week before the race started to finalize all of our gear and test out the new boat we were to be paddling. Up until the Friday before the race, we actually had no boat due to some major shipping delays. Luckily the shipment came in and we got to test out our race boat. Due to my short legs being unable to reach the foot pedals in the back of the boat, I swapped into the front seat in which I had never sat before. This change required some adjusting, but everything worked out well and I didn’t have my dad's head blocking my beautiful views of the Yukon River.

Sienna & Justin - photo by @Schaienfotografie

The day before the race all of the racers were sat down and given a presentation on the major risks we would face during this race. The major one was this year's high water that made it very hard to find places to stop along the river. Then came Wednesday, the official start day where racers were lined up 400 meters from the start and told to run down to our boats.

Views along the way - a real mix of weather but overall pretty good apart from a couple of storms.

The race itself was quite the adventure. We encountered multiple thunderstorms and even watched a tree get struck by lightning while out on the water. We successfully made it through the ripping Five Finger rapids and the Lake Laberge which seemed to last an eternity. On the first night we were even rewarded with a beautiful sunset, although the Yukon is known for their “Midnight Sun” meaning the sunlight truly never disappears.

Once we had made the first two legs from the start to Carmacks and then from Carmacks to Minto, we were faced with the final leg of the race, which definitely proved to be the hardest. We were warned that due to flood waters there would be little chance of stopping on this last leg from Minto to the finish which was approximately 300 km long and took us roughly 20 hours to complete. We definitely struggled in the early morning hours after leaving at 11:30pm for this final leg. We turned on our speaker and played some music to try keep us awake. We welcomed any passing boat hoping for a chance to chat and even tried “sleep paddling”. The navigation during this part also became quite tricky because of the impressively large size of the river and multiple channels to choose from. My Dad’s favorite question was “Sienna what’s around the corner? Answer: Another corner! Fortunately we had some good company on this last leg and were joined by SUP paddler Lincoln Dews which helps lift one’s spirits.

After what felt like the longest home stretch we finally made it to the finish line in the old fashioned mining town of Dawson City. We congratulated our fellow finishers and had a great awards ceremony.

Scenes around Dawson

My dad and I, known as team SchaayVentures, paddled a double kayak and finished the race in 47 hours and 39 minutes. We placed 1st in the mixed K2, 4th in K2s and 18th overall. I was this year's youngest racer as well. We had quite the adventure and made many new friends along the way.

Sienna's swollen hands and Justin's blisters

At the finish in Dawson

Shoutout to Epic paddlers Chris Lightbound and Stephen Ball for the company and encouragement on the lake and for their brave efforts to help rescue another paddler.

Cheers,

Team SchaayVentures

Welcome to Charleston Ocean Athletes

Whether you are a Charleston local or from somewhere else, thank you for being here. Charleston has an amazing array of outdoor activities to enjoy, most of it centered around the ocean and surrounding waterways. It seems there are a lot of Charleston specific travel and food websites, blogs, and Instagram pages but I don't see anything that showcases and celebrates the local Charleston area ocean athlete and their favorite sports. This website and its corresponding social media channels will help fill that gap by focusing on all disciplines of surf, wind, paddle, and foil sports, with a "ride everything" ethos.

Why the name "Charleston Ocean Athletes"?

Charleston - is no longer a secret. It is a world famous and world class small city visited by thousands daily. Its been named the top city in the world to visit in the Conde Nast Traveler Magazine readers poll for 10 years in a row. The rate of people moving into the Charleston area the last 10 years has grown significantly. People around the world know Charleston. We love Charleston and our focus in this case is the Charleston area.

Ocean - our playground and our backyard. There are different communities and cultures within all these great sports but the ocean is the one common tie that binds us all together. We respect the ocean and have a healthy fear of it. The ocean has a way of humbling us in the best way possible. Everyone here knows you can't defeat the ocean, you can only go with its flow. The ocean heals us and is our sanctuary.

Athletes - I tossed around some different third names, such as "life", "league", and "sports". In the end, I felt those other names would be associated with different meanings. Plus, I felt like not enough credit is given to the people who play in the ocean in these different sports. They are truly athletes in the real sense of the word. It takes guts, discipline, patience, humility, and a lot of practice to be skilled in any of the surf, wind, paddle, and foil sports. There will be a focus on the sports themselves as well as the athletes. This deserves to be celebrated and provide inspiration to others.

Charleston has a thriving community of people who take advantage of the saltwater playground. There has been a long standing sailing community and surfing community in the Holy City and surrounding area. From these two thriving groups, newer sports have emerged over the years - windsurfing, then kitesurfing, with both having recently incorporated foiling into their mix. And now wing foiling is emerging. The paddle sports have grown significantly in the last 15 years with stand up paddling, prone paddle boarding, outrigger canoes, and surf skis. We want to bring all these watermen & waterwomen communities together, share what they're excited about, and inspire others.

Many of these sports aren't familiar to most residents and visitors, so we will also create awareness and educate people on what they're pointing at when they're walking the beaches or watching the harbor. This website is a celebration of all these sports, their offshoots and how their respective athletes play in our local waters.

We'll try not to limit ourselves. Who knows...perhaps there will be some wakeboarding, sailing and swimming content as well. We will showcase everyone from the pro to the weekend warrior, and men/women/kids of all ages. While focusing on local, we may also include a local who travels to interesting places to do their ocean sport (or ways they cross train such as biking, etc). We also want to partner with local photographers, businesses and events that are relevant to local ocean sports and athletes.

I was a part timer in the Charleston area for 7 years and am now a full time resident. All during this time, the people here have been great...friendly and inclusive. I didn't want to create Charleston Ocean Athletes if there wasn't any local interest or local support. I surveyed 42 local Charleston area ocean athletes and asked them what they thought of this vision and would they be supportive of it. The response was a resounding "Yes"! So here we go.

Finally, I want to emphasize the Charleston Ocean Athletes mission: To share experiences, to inspire others, and to celebrate it. So check out the different pages on this site by reviewing the menu at the top, and please follow us on all the social media channels (see icons at upper or lower right side of this page). If you're posting something on social media relevant to our mission and vision, please be sure to tag us on social media and use hashtag #charlestonoceanathletes.

We would love others to submit content by sharing articles and essays, photos, videos, event reports, etc. This includes the talented surf and ocean photographers that are out there...we would love to share your work. I'm open to ideas and suggestions on how to make this site and its associated social media channels better. And if there's a local business out there relevant to this brand and mission, we would love to hear from you about some potential partnership possibilities. Email us your ideas and contributions at waterturtlemedia@gmail.com.

May there always be sand in your shorts and wind in your hair.

See ya' on the water, Mac