Hawaiian artist and muralist Sean Yoro (a.k.a. HULA), who stand up paddles to his canvasses, traveled to the arctic waters of Baffin Island, Nunavut, to paint a portrait of a local Inuit woman on the sea ice.

With the backing of Starboard SUP and support from Port Denarau Marina, Tavarua Island Resort and a host of other important local players, the ISA was able to successfully hold a Deep Blue, more “ocean-friendly” event.

Welcome to the Supconnect Weekly Recap, our countdown of the biggest news, reviews, interviews and features surrounding the world of Stand Up Paddle Boarding. This week we’re bringing you another sample of the best stories covered by ourselves and other publications.

On Tuesday the 12th of January, a group of six stand up paddlers, invitee riders of the Paddle Storm Master event including the likes of Eric Terrien and Martin Letourneur, gathered for a crazy downwind in the “Rade de Brest, Brittany”, to try the first course option and the safety facilities before the official event.

Red Paddle Co Racing have set their sights on the Caribbean as the location for their inaugural, revolutionary, team racing concept – the Dragon World Championships. The first ever dedicated paddle board team racing event.

The Waterman League Group, known for its professional paddle surfing racing and surfing league is pleased to announce it has closed a Series A round of financing.

Over the years Standup for the Cure has become one of the biggest charity events in the stand up paddle community raising money and awareness for early Breast Cancer detection while growing our incredible sport. In 2017 there will be three dates and locations where Standup for the Cure will take place.

Who is this for: If you’re looking for a very stable, non-inflatable, all-around board to paddle mid-range distances then the Boardworks Kraken is worth a look. This stand up paddle (SUP) board comes in the EPX-Veneer construction which is durable having both positives and negatives. Due to it’s 33 inches in width the board is very stable. Its construction is moderately heavy coming in at 3.32 lbs per foot weighing 34.08 lbs. Its shape makes the Kraken an all-around board that can be used by all skill levels and is primarily designed for recreational paddling and/or paddle surfing. Its construction and shape combined best fit this board for mid-range distance paddling between 3 - 5 miles max. Retailing at $1,299 the board is in the popular mid-tier market in terms of affordability.

Who is this for: If you’re looking for a very stable, non-inflatable, fishing paddle board to paddle short-range distances then the Tracker from Boardworks is worth a look. This stand up paddle (SUP) board comes in Boardworks’ Innegra Glass Krypto-Mat construction which is highly durable and has its ups and downs. Because the board is 36 inches wide it is incredibly stable which is ideal for fishing where added stability is needed. While extremely durable, it’s construction is very heavy coming in over 4 lbs per foot weighing 47.04 lbs It’s shape makes the Tracker a board that can be used by anyone but was designed primarily for SUP fishing. It’s construction and shape combined best fit this board for short-distance paddling, around the beach and dock. Retailing at $1,999 the Tracker is a high-price point stand up paddle board.