Battle on the Bay: Old Event, New Name

Last Sunday, September 28th, the Capitola Beach Festival Paddleboard Race came back with a fresh new name: Battle on the Bay. Same tradition, new courses, and the kind of glassy water you almost hate to paddle on because it looks too perfect to disturb.

The Long Course stretched a shoulder-crushing 8-ish miles out to the Mile Buoy. The “ish” came after the turn, when it was every paddler for themselves. Some tailed the O’Neill Catamaran back to Capitola. Others gambled on the inside track and surfed it home, so that was the faster move if you had the nerve.

The Short Course? Billed as 2 miles, served closer to 4. Consider it a bonus workout.

And the Sprint Race, USLA Nationals style with a twist. It pushed competitors through an “M”-shaped course nearly four miles long, with sand runs carrying 10’6” boards. Nationals board races are usually under a mile. This one didn’t get the memo.

MERGE4 was proud to support every racer out there, especially the lifeguards repping Santa Cruz City, Capitola, Santa Cruz State, Half Moon Bay, and beyond. Proceeds from MERGE4 socks and raffle items are headed straight to the Santa Cruz Surf Lifesaving Association.

Clean water, tough courses, and athletes who showed up ready to push limits. That’s Battle on the Bay.

Battle on the Bay results below. 

LONG COURSE (approx. 8.5 miles)

PRONE
Stock
1 Shane Sawyer, 24, San Luis Obispo, 1:40:46
2 Brendan Donoghue, 36, Ventura, 1:44:03 
3 Aaron Aguilera, 24, Aptos, 1:45:56

Fourteen
1 Ryan Cooley, 31, Salinas, 1:48:09
2 Michael Roberts, 49, Pacific Grove, 1:49:23
3 Roxon Fusari, 14, Santa Cruz, 1:53:03 (Santa City Lifeguard)

UL
1 Brian Peterson, 54, Santa Cruz, 1:38:52
2 Dylan Linde, 25, Ben Lomond, 1:50:39
3 Paul Ludington, 49, Santa Cruz, 2:00:35

SUP
Male
1 Paul Pianowski, 40, Huntington Beach, 1:35:08 
2 Juerg Geser, 55, Oxnard, 1:38:07
3 TJ Barcanic, 46, Oxnard, 1:39:45

Female
1 Rachel Cantore, 40, South Carolina, 1:56:50
2. Eliece Horton, 56, Aptos, 2:24:30

OC1
Male
1 Robby Gibbs, 32, Soquel, 1:12:05
2 Mike Robin, 45, 1:19:49
3 Yohei Rosen, 34, Santa Cruz, 1:21:47

Female
1 Karan Chen, 34, Sunnyvale, 1:34:09
2 Michele Pomroy, 73, Capitola, 1:44:09
3 Anastasia Klick, 40, 1:50:23

Surfski
Male
1 Grant McFadyen, 56, 1:12:31
2 James Keeble, 39, San Jose, 1:13:15
3 Michael McNulty, 65, Brookdale, 1:15:43

Female
1 Teresa Wilson, 64, 1:22:43
2 Stephanie Siaris, 57, South San Francisco, 1:30:49

SPRINT RACE (approx. 3.75 miles)
Male
1 Nico van der Meer, 16, Santa Cruz, 46:47 (Santa Cruz City Lifeguard)
2 Nakai Vazquez-Lazo, 14, Santa Cruz, 47:14
3 Jack Akrop, 34, Capitola, 48:18 (Santa Cruz State Lifeguard)

Female
1 Josie Cruz, 13, Capitola, 50:56
2 Jessie Trybus, 48, Capitola, 1:01:09
3 Ava Leo, 17, Soquel, 1:02:43

SHORT COURSE (approx. 3.5 miles)
Prone
Male
1 Mike McDaniel, 59, Monterey, 56:31

Female
1 Jane Kuhn, 35, Santa Cruz, 56:27
2 Leisl Ludington, 49, 56:28

SUP
Male
1 Jamie Goldstein, 52, Capitola, 48:17 (Capitola City Manager)
2 Steve Drottar, 61, Soquel, 58:33
3 Roderick Eicholz, 70, Santa Cruz, 58:41

Female
1 Chloe Clarke, 38, Capitola, 1:15:35

Canine
1 Rosie Drottar, 5, Soquel, 58:33

Photo Credit: Sam Courtney