By Martin Letourneur, in partnership with VMG Blades, Hobie Cat Europe, Howzit, CT+ and Swell Addiction.
Today is the day of the West Marine Carolina Cup presented by Surftech, the most popular race on the East Coast of the USA and the very first big event of the 2016 International SUP Racing season! Here are 8 things you must know about this year’s edition of the Carolina Cup.
I have had the opportunity to arrive in Wrightsville Beach a week ago and to explore the area with the Hobie crew, the place is awesome, the new board feels great and I’m looking forward to start this racing season the best I can!
The growth of our sport is making the field of racers more and more stacked over the years, the australian website SUPracer recently posted a list of the “dark horses” for the 2016 racing season, most of these guys are competing tomorrow so you’d better keep on eye on them to witness some real upsets.
Wind : glassy conditions in the morning with WEST winds about 5-10mph. Semi-glassy for the afternoon with the wind shifting SW less than 5mph
You can check the forecast here:Â http://www.swellinfo.com/surf-forecast/wrightsville-beach-north-carolina
The tide will play an important part during this year’s edition of the Carolina Cup as it will influence the strength of the current on the inland channel parts of the race. Depending on the direction of the race according to the race directors decision, it can be a fast or a slow race. But there is one thing for sure, the paddlers used to river racing should have an advantage in some technical parts of the race.
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