Our friends from across the ditch have this week achieved a new World Record, recorded in the Guinness Book of World Records is one of Stand Up Paddling's greatest achievements. The most people standing up and paddling on one stand up paddle board.

20m long, 1.4m wide, and build specifically for the record attempt, this inflatable stand up paddle board might not look like anything flash, but it more than did the job. The company who made the board, Lancer Industries is a local company from New Zealand. They designed the inflatable specifically for the record attempt, and say they they will make more if others want to challenge the record! Lancer is more used to designing inflatable power boats, but this might just be the entry they were looking for into the SUP market.

The record was set in Viaduct Harbour, Auckland during the Auckland On Water Boat Show this week. Raising money for the Child Cancer Foundation, a charity which provides support to kids and their families battling Cancer, the world record attempt also showed off what the sport of stand up paddling can do, but like the battle with Cancer, the record wasn’t easy!

“The crew was a mix of experienced paddlers and first timers hence the "gripping on tight with the toes" look, these included a few kids from The Child Cancer Foundation who it raised money for.” Says one of the paddlers.

“The adjudication by the Guinness Book of World Record people was crazily tight, we had to go 100 metres without loosing anyone otherwise it was back to the start. It was blowing 20 knots so that wasn’t easy, and we managed to do it on two successful runs.”

Congratulations to everyone who made the record possible, and hats off to the company, Lancer for designing a board that will take the weight of 3.5 tonne!

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