Join Leslie Kolovich as she talks with Rob Farrow M2O event producer  about this event which is steeped in history including paddleboarding pioneer, George Ramos.  This is the 16th year for the M2O and George Ramos has never missed one, one of only 5 guys to do so.  He was one of the first to cross the Molokai channel on a paddleboard back in 1996.  George is a fixture on the North Shore of Oahu, and truly a great waterman.  They named a race in his honor on the North Shore called the “George Race” that Mahina Chillingsworth and the folks at Da Hui put on this past June…over 400 paddlers came out…

George was diagnosed with cancer last year and the community is rallying to raise money to help offset some of his medical expenses.  If you would like to donate to this cause http://www.active.com/donate/GeorgeRamos    ”Live Like George” is the slogan the community has chosen.  The Paddle Community is part of a larger global family connected by one ocean, and without people like George who share  passion for the sport and for the ocean we’d all be stuck in our little silos in our little part of the world.

In this podcast Rob tells the stories of the 20/30 club in which guys could paddle 30 miles and surf 20 foot waves.  Member, George Ramos.  Rob also talks about the history of the event, the conditions of the channel in which 1.2 billion gallons of water run through per hour.  Making it one of the most perfect venues for the ultimate downwinder.  The M2O is a bucket list paddle for many, but once one completes one, it seems they come back and do it again.  The event started out as traditional paddle boarding.   Rob tells the story of how SUP made it’s way into the event and now is just about a 50/50 split with traditional and sup.

Enjoy this podcast now:>

This session brought to you by the following sponsors, Sup Wheels, and Precision Paddleboards

Click here to learn more about Precision Paddleboards