May 8, 2020 Update

The WBR 2020 Virtual Race will go 5am, Tuesday, June 16th to 5pm, Monday, June 22nd.

- Relay and Non Relay racers must race and submit their times via one google form per team within this window
- Registration will remain open until Monday, June 22nd if you wish to register, race and submit a time all in one day
- Registration and time submission form will close on June 22nd at 5pm and we will not accept any times after 5pm on the 22nd
- You must submit continuous times for each team member
- Non-Relays must submit a 20 mile continuous time
- Relays must submit continuous times for a combined total of 20 miles (E.g. A 2 person relay would submit 2 times - 1 time for each 10 miles raced by each team member)
- Submit team times on this Google form: https://forms.gle/EGNgv1BAaqHTJZBz6
- We will only accept times submitted on this Google form and we only need one form per team submitted
- If you are currently registered, we will send a newsletter out next week with full details. If you are not registered yet, we will link to the newsletter here next week.

Register here: https://paddleguru.com/…/WildBuffaloRacePresentedbyPuakeaDe…

You are probably asking, how does this virtual race thing work?

Who: Anyone can participate as long as they are registered and submit a time. 

When: The Wild Buffalo Relay (2020: Virtual Edition) will open at 5am on June 16th, 2020 and close at 5pm on June 22nd, 2020. Times need to be submitted by 5pm on June 22nd! Submit team times via Google from. You only need to submit one from per team. https://forms.gle/EGNgv1BAaqHTJZBz6

Where: Pick a local spot. Please offer a time for a triangle or Out&Back course offering a variety of conditions. As much fun as we know it is, offering us all a downwind time is not what we are looking for here. Point to point times are not accepted. Do not submit downwind only times. Paddle with small groups and with people you know staying at least 6 feet from others at all times. Large groups are not recommended. If you choose to paddle by yourself make sure that someone knows where you are, that you are wearing a lifejacket, a leash and proper clothing and that you are able to contact someone with a devise if you need help while you are out there.

- Please practice safe paddling! https://paddling.com/learn/paddle-safety/

- Please make sure to wash your hands and prepare properly with these CDC recommendations: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prepare/index.html

What: Each team member will need to race for a continuous time for an accumulative distance of 20 miles per team. For example: If you are a two-person OC1 relay team, each team member will need to produce a 10 mile time. Submit team times on one form via the Google form listed above. Solo (or Non Relay) division paddlers will need to submit a continuous 20 mile time on one form via the Google form listed above. We will only accept times through this form. We only need one form per team.

If you are currently registered and wish to change your division or team you can do so here, on PaddleGuru. If you have any issues, please email kelly@puakeadesigns.com. 

Registration will remain open until Monday, June 22nd if you wish to register, race and submit a time all in one day. Each team member must login to PaddleGuru and register themselves in order to participate.

Registration and time submission form will close on June 22nd at 5pm and we will not accept any times after 5pm on the 22nd. 

Full results will post by 5pm on Wednesday, June 24th, 2020 here on PaddleGuru. 

Why: Our role in this community is to create opportunities to get people out on the water and to live a healthier and happier life. We want to make sure we offering you the opportunity to connect with your team, practice with a purpose and race with like-minded individuals all over the world.

#wbr2020virtual - share your gps tracking, your practice and race photos with us!

If you have any questions, please email us at kelly@puakeadesigns.com.

March 26th, 2020 Update

WBR: 2020 Virtual Edition Update. POSTPONED till May. PLEASE READ. Details below.

We are going to have to postpone the WBR VIRTUAL RACE to a later date...hopefully in May. We will revisit the current COVID-19 status in a few weeks and give you a 2 week window in May to submit a time. We will let you know that 2 week time frame ASAP. We are NOT canceling this virtual race event.

WHY? As most of our racers are in CA, we currently have many of our public beach access, marinas, parking lots and waterways closed down prohibiting folks from their ocean access. A lot of our racers are also in colder climates - the weather will be nicer in May. In general, we hope more paddlers looking to participate will be able to get on the water and train if we push the date back. We apologize for any inconvenience - we are remaining flexible/open during this time to best serve our community.

NOW WHAT? If you can get out and train on the water, please do so while practicing social distancing and following local, state and federal guidelines. If you can't train on the water, we have lots of WOD resources on Puakea Designs page. Once weather and access permits work on your on water training.

If you opted in for a partial refund or bought a jersey with virtual race entry (and still want to race in May) we will be sending all those out to everyone in the next few weeks or so. This way you guys can train and virtually race in them!

Share training, swag, jersey and virtual race photos with us by using tagging us and using the #wbr2020virtual hashtag on FB and IG.

If you have any questions, need a refund or assistance, please email us at Kelly@puakeadesigns.com.

If you are not signed up and now that a May date will be the window to submit a virtual time, maybe you want to join us? Sign up here: https://paddleguru.com/…/WildBuffaloRacePresentedbyPuakeaDe…

Many thanks for all the support! 🤙

March 17th, 2020

Wild Buffalo Relay presented by Puakea Designs Official Announcement

Aloha Racers,

Sending you all some virtual shakas right now as we all navigate these turbulent and uncertain times. Before we jump into logistical things, we want to offer you this quote that has been encouraging us lately:

“In the middle of every difficulty lies opportunity.”

– Albert Einstein

We will be talking about how this season impacts us personally and professionally for years to come. We are experiencing a collective trauma right now and we must give ourselves kindness in the process. Remember to take care of yourself, physically and emotionally. Offer yourself space and time to process things as they come.

Now, onto some important WBR 2020 announcements!

We at Puakea Designs have been watching all public health announcements very closely over the last week and have been impacted by COVID-19 for a few months now. We are taking COVID-19 seriously while reminding ourselves that “panic is not productive.” It’s a delicate balance between taking necessary precautions and remaining calm throughout this uncertain time. We are sure so many of you feel similarly.

A few things about how we're moving forward with WBR 2020:

WILD BUFFALO RELAY GOES VIRTUAL:

We have made the difficult decision to turn our upcoming race into a virtual experience. We see this as the best move for the safety and security
of both our team and race attendees. But, there are so many good opportunities that come with this decision!

Now, more of you can join us as this is a lower price point and available from anywhere in the world!

We want to encourage you all to stay active and healthy during this time! Canceling the race in full didn’t feel right to us as a leader in this community. We appreciate your patience with us in figuring out the options that will best serve our community during this time of need. This is when we come together and support in any way we can! To honor those struggling financially right now, we have decided to offer multiple pricing options and ways to participate in the Wild Buffalo Relay (2020: Virtual Edition) while practicing safe social distancing.

Option #1: Full Refund:

If you or your team member(s), are unable to participate virtually or do not wish to receive any of the swag options we are offering, we totally understand. We have a no questions asked full refund option for you and your team. We thank you for your support in our event and hope to see you back next year!

Option #2: Partial Refund w/ Swag Bag:

To help cover the offset of some cool swag we have bought just for you, receive $35 less than what you paid and have your jersey and the bamboo utensils we had made just for your WBR swag bag mailed to you. This includes shipping. It is okay if you cannot race virtually, but we hope a little something arriving in the mail brings you some joy! We encourage you to still get out on the water at your own pace.

Option #3: Partial Refund w/ Swag Bag and Virtual Race:

To help cover the offset of deposits we have already had to pay, with this option you will receive $65 less than what you paid and receive the $30 digital race fee plus the swag bag option which includes a jersey and the bamboo utensils we had made just for your WBR swag bag mailed to you. This includes shipping. We are stoked you are all in and looking forward to offering you something to work toward during this time!

Option #4: Virtual Race Entry:

We have re-opened registration and you can now register to enter this virtual race on PaddleGuru! This $30 digital race fee option means you can participate in the virtual race. This is the standard fee for all SoCalOceanRacing series races. This will cover PaddleGuru fees, admin fees and the cost of awards and shipping awards to the winners. The cool thing about this option - anyone from anywhere in the world can register and participate. Who is ready to join us?

We are in this together, so we have a few other options for those interested in the Wild Buffalo Relay (2020: Virtual Edition):
- A virtual Wild Buffalo Relay Program offering tips for staying active and good vibes from our sponsors and partners. This will be emailed out to anyone registered the week before race day to the email you have used to register with.

- Awards will still be given to the winners of the divisions listed on the WBR 2020 PaddleGuru page. We will award to all divisions listed, regardless of the amount of craft in a division. We will ship the awards out to the winners the week following the virtual race and once all results have been received and officially posted.

- Tahoe Waterman Speaker Series with Johnny Puakea and other Puakea Ohana on Tahoe Waterman Facebook Live (Dates and times TBA). Replays will be posted on Tahoe Waterman Facebook page after the live event airs. These will be open to the public (paddlers do not need to be registered for the race to participate). More details coming soon.

- Outrigger Zone Puakea Designs OC1 raffle! We are still offering our OC1 raffle in which part of the proceeds goes to Makapo AquaticsProject. You do not to be present to win and you do not need to be registered to participate. If you wish for some of your refundable race fees to go to a raffle ticket(s), we can definitely do that. The winner will be responsible for any taxes, duties, pick up and/or shipping of the canoe. The winner of the OC1 raffle will be announced live at the end of Johnny’s Speaker Series interview with Tahoe Waterman after 5pm on Sunday, April 5th, 2020. We will also announce the winner on Puakea Designs FB and IG stories following Johnny’s interview on FB live. We will also contact the winner directly with the email they used to purchase the tickets online.

https://store.puakeadesigns.com/product/wbr-2020-kahele-raffle-tickets

You are probably asking, how does this virtual race thing work? First of all, you still get to paddle the weekend of April 5th and second of all, you still get to paddle “with” your team!

Who: Anyone can participate as long as they are registered!

When: The Wild Buffalo Relay (2020: Virtual Edition) will open at 5am on April 2nd, 2020 and close at 5pm on April 5th, 2020. Times need to be submitted by 5pm on April 5th! Submit times to Kelly at kelly@puakeadesigns.com.

Where: Pick a local spot. Please offer a time for a triangle or Out&Back course offering a variety of conditions. As much fun as we know it is, offering us all a downwind time is not what we are looking for here. Point to point and downwind only times are not accepted. Do not submit those kinds of times, please. Paddle with small groups and with people you know staying at least 6 feet from others at all times. Large groups are not recommended. If you choose to paddle by yourself make sure that someone knows where you are, that you are wearing a lifejacket, a leash and proper clothing and that you are able to contact someone with a devise if you need help while you are out there.

- Please practice safe paddling! https://paddling.com/learn/paddle-safety/

- Please make sure to wash your hands and prepare properly with these CDC recommendations: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prepare/index.html

What: Each team member will need to submit a continuous time for an accumulative distance of 20 miles total for each team. For example: If you are a two-person OC1 relay team each team member will need to submit a 10 mile time. Solo division paddlers will need to submit a 20 mile time. If you are currently registered and wish to change your division or team you can do so on PaddleGuru. If you have any issues, please email us. Once times are submitted and the event is closed, we will manually enter in the times we receive from all the paddlers into PaddleGuru where everyone can see the results. Awards will be shipped out the week following the race.

Why: Our role in this community is to create opportunities to get people out on the water and to live a healthier and happier life. We want to make sure we offering you the opportunity to connect with your team, practice with a purpose and race with like-minded individuals all over the world.

#wbr2020virtual - share your gps tracking, your practice and race photos with us!

If there is something we did not cover here or if you have any questions, please email us. Again, thank you so much for your continued support in our event and in our community.

Lots of Aloha,

The Puakea Crew

(Kelly, Maddie, Johnny, Jimi and Kasey)

Each Paddler must register for this event. That means every person from every team needs to login and register to race by March 6th, 2020.

Event Dates: April 3 - 5, 2020

The Wild Buffalo Relay is an all small craft relay race within the SoCal Ocean Racing winter series. The race includes all small craft divisions with relay teams of 2-4 people (depending on the craft) or select solo divisions. The race runs from Two Harbors, Catalina Island, CA to Newport Dunes in Newport Beach, CA. This is a 41 mile course.

Early Bird Pricing: August and September use discount code: EarlyBuffalo - $85 race fee

October 1 - Feb 1 use discount code: Buffalo - $110

Late Registration: February 1 - March 13th - $135

Registration Closed: MARCH 13th

All Paddlers are responsible for booking their own accommodation in Two Harbors. You can make reservations for camping for 2020 starting Jan. 1, 20120through the Catalina Island Company at Two Harbors Campground. Banning House Lodge is booked. We will have a group campsite block that paddlers can reserve spots in. https://www.visitcatalinaisland.com/camping-and-boating/two-harbors-camping/two-harbors-campground

All Paddlers are responsible for finding their own escort boat.

The Puakea Team will be giving priority to helping out of country racers first.

All Paddlers are responsible for transporting their craft to Two Harbors. 

Please coordinate with your escort boat driver or team up with another team to transport your craft to Two Harbors.

All Paddlers are responsible for transportation to Two Harbors. Please coordinate with your escort boat driver or team up with another team for transportation. Or there is a Catalina Express that goes out of San Pedro to Two Harbors. https://www.catalinaexpress.com/san-pedro-two-harbo.html (You must coordinate separate transport for your craft if you plan to take the Express).

Get the latest updates here: https://www.facebook.com/WildBuffaloRelay/

Join the group and connect with other attendees: https://www.facebook.com/groups/576804506100299