By Donald Wittkowski
Even someone who failed their U.S. geography classes in elementary school probably knows that Colorado is a land-locked state nowhere near an ocean.
That’s why it was so surprising when friends Tonia Williamson and Lorene Nardell, both of Colorado, showed up Sunday in Sea Isle City for an 8-mile paddleboard trek out on the ocean.
Williamson and Nardell both seemed confident in their abilities as they prepared to plunge into the surf at the 35th Street beach for the fourth annual Fish Alley Paddle Fest sponsored by Harbor Outfitters.
Actually, they are hardly paddleboarding novices.
Nardell, who lives in Longmont, Colo., said she paddleboards on Colorado’s lakes to stay in shape. She has also paddleboarded in Hawaii, California and Mexico.
Williamson, of Breckenridge, Colo., competed in a paddleboard race last year at the Jersey Shore. Just last week, she vacationed with her family in Brigantine and decided to stick around at the shore another week to race in the Fish Alley Paddle Fest. She persuaded Nardell to join her.
“Considering it is an 8-mile race, we’re going to pace each other and will probably draft each other,” Williamson explained of their strategy.
About 25 paddleboarders set off in nearly ideal conditions for the journey from Sea Isle City to Corson’s Inlet in Strathmere and back. They turned left at a buoy not far offshore at the 35th Street beach and headed north for what was expected to be about a two-hour roundtrip.
Mike Fithian, an experienced paddleboarder from Rumson, Monmouth County, said his strategy for the 8-mile trip would be to “follow the good guys.”
“This is usually a pretty tough race, depending on the conditions,” said Fithian, who competed in a 25-mile paddleboard race last year around New York City.
Harbor Outfitters, the race organizer, has retained the original Fish Alley Paddle Fest name even though the event has shifted out on the ocean. Originally, paddleboarders raced on the flat waters in the lagoons surrounding the historic Fish Alley district at Park Road and John F. Kennedy Boulevard.
Following the ocean race, an after-party and some lagoon paddleboarding for children were planned Sunday at Fish Alley, said Tricia Piola, owner of Harbor Outfitters.
There are two Harbor Outfitters stores in Sea Isle, one in Ocean City and another in Stone Harbor. The stores specialize in paddleboards, surfboards, kayaks and other outdoor gear.
Piola, who owns the stores with her husband, Chuck, said their company is often involved in charity events at the Jersey Shore. The Fish Alley Paddle Fest, though, is largely a way for the Piolas to say thank you to their regular customers in the paddleboard community, she explained.
“We just wanted to give them a fun day on the beach,” she said. “We really like to create a family-friendly environment here.”
