Punta Sayulita Stand Up Paddle Classic

Top Competitors to Compete in the Stand Up Paddle Board Classic on March 12-13, 2011 in Sayulita, Mexico

SAYULITA, Mexico – Punta Sayulita and presenting sponsor, Corona, announce dates for the 2nd Annual Punta Sayulita Longboard & Stand-Up Paddle Classic to be held on March 12 – 13, 2011 in the beautiful surfside village of Sayulita, Mexico, along Mexico’s Riviera Nayarit.

Building on the success of last year’s inaugural Punta Sayulita Classic, where thousands of spectators packed Sayulita’s beach to watch an elite field of international professional and amateur surfers compete in longboard and stand-up paddle (“SUP”) contests as well as in offshore SUP distance races, the 2nd Annual Punta Sayulita Classic is shaping-up to be one of the premier longboard and SUP events on the 2011 surfing event calendar.

“In addition to the return of last year’s defending champions Chuck Patterson of Dana Point, CA, Ikaika Kawai of Maui, Hawaii, Patricio Gonzalez of Sayulita and Mary Osborne of Ventura, CA, the 2nd Annual Punta Sayulita Classic continues to receive commitments from some of the top international longboard and SUP professionals including Ekolu Kalama, Garrett McNamara, Kai Sallas, Jimmy Gamboa, Darren Eudaly, Sean Poynter, Scott Bass and Julie Cox, reported Kevin Roberts of Punta Sayulita. Moreover, in a fantastic effort to spread the ‘aloha spirit’ event sponsor Maui Jim Sunglasses is graciously sponsoring an incredible group of top watermen and women from Hawaii to come over to compete in the Punta Sayulita Surf Classic including surfing legend Gerry Lopez, reigning women's Elite Race champion from the 2010 Battle of the Paddle Hawaii and California events, Candice Appleby, rising stars, Slater Trout, Talia Gangini and Zane Schweitzer, as well as the talented and renown Hawaiian waterman father and son combination of Aaron and Riggs Napoleon.”

“With the addition of the very popular offshore SUP “Elite Race” to the event schedule, where competitors navigate four laps around a 1-mile course in-and-out of the surf break, we expect to receive numerous competitors specializing in this popular race format to make the trip south to the warm waters of Sayulita to compete in this race alongside some of the top paddlers in the world,” according to Roberts.

Funds raised at the 2nd Annual Punta Sayulita Classic will be donated to the Reef Check and Punta Sayulita Foundations. According to Punta Sayulita Classic honorary Ambassador, James Pribram, of the Eco Warrior Project, “last year’s inaugural Punta Sayulita Classic was a great example of an event that was predicated on the good old vibe in surfing known as the ‘aloha spirit’ and with the fantastic support and generosity of the surfing community and the sponsors who share the love for the ocean, the 2011 Punta Sayulita Classic is expecting to outperform the fundraising from last year which, at the end of the day, is a significant financial contribution to support the important environmental and community programs established by the Reef Check and Punta Sayulita Foundations.

The proceeds from the 2010 Punta Sayulita Classic were recently put to work where Reef Check’s Executive Director, Gregor Hodgson, and Mary Luna, Reef Check’s Director of Reef Check Mexico, successfully trained and certified a group of 15 citizen scientists to kick-off the Adopt the Reef Program for the greater Bay of Banderas area where the team of volunteers will periodically survey and collect data regarding the health of the region’s fragile coral and rocky reefs. Reef Check operates similar programs in over 90 countries.

Fox Sports Mexico and Televisa’s Sports Network (TDN) will be among the various media covering the action at the 2011 Punta Sayulita Surf Classic.
Media inquiries and general information regarding the 2nd Annual Punta Sayulita Longboard & SUP Classic can be obtained by visiting www.puntasayulitasurfclassic.com or by contacting Jose Luis Caselin at U.S. Toll Free (866) 947-6017 or +52 (329) 291-3957. For more information about the Punta Sayulita resort community visit www.puntasayulita.com.

About Punta Sayulita

Punta Sayulita is a private oceanfront club and residential community that rests on an extraordinary 33-acre private peninsula adjacent to the quaint seaside village of Sayulita located approximately 35 minutes north of Puerto Vallarta. Punta Sayulita has been carefully designed to be a very intimate, low density community that will embrace only 62 detached homes whereby residents will have access to a full-service private Beach & Surf Club. The tropical design for the beach club and the custom homes at Punta Sayulita are by the boutique architecture firm of de Reus Architects of Hawaii. The developer of Punta Sayulita is Contact Development Company, LLC (CDC) of Sausalito, CA. See www.puntasayulita.com.

About Reef Check & Punta Sayulita Foundations

The Reef Check Foundation is an international non-profit organization dedicated to conservation of two ecosystems: tropical coral reefs and California rocky reefs. With headquarters in Pacific Palisades, California and volunteer teams in more than 80 countries, Reef Check works to create partnerships among community volunteers, government agencies, businesses, universities and other non-profits. Reef Check goals are to: educate the public about the value of reef ecosystems and the current crisis affecting marine life; to create a global network of volunteer teams trained in Reef Check's scientific methods who regularly monitor and report on reef health; to facilitate collaboration that produces ecologically sound and economically sustainable solutions; and to stimulate local community action to protect remaining pristine reefs and rehabilitate damaged reefs worldwide. The proceeds for the Classic will go to directly fund Reef Check’s Adopt the Reef Program for the Sayulita and Bay of Banderas areas.