STAND UP PADDLING with Mark Jackson
Our regular Stand Up Paddling (SUP) contributor is the energetic Mark Jackson, North Shore native and owner of Stand Up South Pacific Ltd, who is helping to introduce SUP to Aotearoa and especially to his Hauraki/Takapuna home town. In this issue he profiles two fellow SUP ‘nuts’ who have caught the wave…
WHO LET THE DOGS OUT?
I’m going to plagiarize! Twice, maybe more! To make a stand for All Stand Up Paddlers and wanna-be paddlers.
We’re Here. We steer. Get used to it! That’s not only my retort to Greeny’s comments from the www.zepher.co.nz cover story in which he ball bashes us baby boomer board riders by saying of Stand Up Paddlers, “Greedy old men who have resorted to riding small cargo ships in the surf propelled by a paddle and captained with less skill than the Exxon Valdez.”
It is also my prediction of how powerful SUP will become as a sport unto itself and as a platform to SUP-port healthy bodies and minds of all ages, for ages!
Who let the dogs out? Well, ok, the cats then! Yep, the cat’s out of the bag… Stand Up Paddling is now pretty much a household word and a household activity done by every man and his dog!
We’re back to dogs again. This is were the Houghton Houndogs come into play, and play they do!
Mark and Gavin Houghton, two Takapuna baby boomer brothers, are such fit and talented Stand Up Paddlers, that their 50-Plus Lifestyles are an inspiration to us all. They are stars on boards. Both are married with kids (just like yours truly). These Blokes along with their respective sheila’s, Rose and Rosie (confuses me too), are as passionate about and as addicted to SUP as I am.
I asked Mark Houghton for his take on SUP. What he says is uplifting enough to get you off the couch and consider having a go. It also highlights our Hauraki Gulf as a playground bigger and better than a golden globe golf course.
“I got into sup because I’m a surfer, and live at Taka… you can pretend to surf on a SUP, with no surf, so it appealed,” said Mark. “I had no idea they raced them, although of course Gav and I were racing each other from day one. First downwinder seemed crazy, Whangaporoa to Takapuna in a north easterly. However, on a 10 foot six inch C4, it was hard going, and when the wind went to the north west, we headed into Campbell’s Bay and called it a day… two and a half hours later. Next time we did that on the big 12 foot six, and made it into Taka in less than two hours.”
“When it became apparent to me that they were going to race these things, I was a starter. Having been a competitive triathlete and a top 20 Ironman finisher in another life… so the endurance side appeals, plus its fun, unlike running marathons. I have done OK at racing, but I only do it because it’s fun. I love it. Looking forward to many more races. Biggest race to date has been the Battle of the Paddle in Hawaii in June this year, where I placed first in the four mile surf race in the over 50 category, and fifth out of 68 paddlers in the 12 foot six inch class, all ages. This didn’t include the elite paddlers though, and there were some over 50’s in that, although none near the front!
“On Sunday, I raced the 10 mile open and was third in the over 50’s on a borrowed 14 foot board. I took the wrong line because Jerry beat me by three minutes, and I know I should of at least been with him given he was on a 12 foot six.
“What it showed me, was that we are right up there with the best paddlers around right now, and I think that comes down to Auckland, with Taka leading the way, being an ideal place to learn the sport. There’s water everywhere, and you can organise a downwinder in almost any wind, and we get plenty of wind. The harbour, because it’s so bumpy from the boats, is an excellent training ground for open ocean racing.
“The sport is popular with all age groups, men and women, sailors, surfers, paddlers, everyone can do it, unlike surfing which is very difficult to learn – SUP is easy! Like riding a bike, and has great fitness benefits while still being low impact on the body.”
Fisherman or Gardener?
