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Scheduled for January 19th, 2019, the annual Painkiller Cup event is one of the Caribbean’s top stand-up paddle races. The 1-day event features two races. The main draw is the 14-mile downwind team race from Trellis Bay (Beef Island) to White Bay (Jost Van Dyke), with the smaller mini-Painkiller Cup running concurrently from Sandy Cay to the same finish in White Bay.
The Team race portion of the Painkiller Cup offers racers the chance to share a purse of $5,000, with the winning team taking home $2,500. The prize money is shared with the top 5-teams.
One of the Sponsors, InterCaribbean Airways, provides round trip flights to the winners.
Top pro racers competing in the 2019 event include Garret Fletcher from Florida, St Croix paddle phenomenon Bill Kraft and a good Puerto Rican team consisting of Greg Jourdan, Nick Leason & Heather Baus. The top local BVI racer will likely be Bryan Duff, fresh back from competing in the 11-Cities Tour in Holland.
The Painkiller Cup has a unique format. The 14-mile course takes three-person paddlers through the Camanoe passage, past Guana Island and down Tortola’s North Shore before an open water section from Cane Garden Bay to Sandy Cay, then down the South coast of Jost Van Dyke. The finish is on the beach in front of Hendo’s Hideaway.
The Mini-Painkiller Cup event gets underway as the racers in the team portion of the event are abreast of Sandy Cay. The mini-race attracts all levels of paddlers who compete in a solo race downwind to White Bay. Last year a racer from St John competed with her dog!
Racers all finish in beautiful White Bay, Jost Van Dyke where the finish flag is in the sand in front of Hendo’s Hideaway – the coolest bar in the bay. Racers enjoy lunch and drinks all afternoon and cool off swimming in the translucent water in front of the restaurant.
The Painkiller Cup is sponsored by HIHO, InterCaribbean Airways, The Moorings, Lemon + Line, Island Time Boat Rentals & Hendo’s Hideaway.
For more info visit the event website at www.painkillercup.com
Painkiller Cup Fast Facts
Offering $5,000 in prize money the annual Painkiller Cup is the richest pro SUP race in the Caribbean.
Downwind team race from Trellis Bay to White Bay, Jost Van Dyke
A unique format which sees each 3-person teams, which must include at least 1-female paddler. The teams rotate paddlers every 25-minutes as they make their way down the 14-mile course.
The mini-Painkiller Cup from Sandy Cay to White Bay is a 2-mile race that is easy for paddlers of almost any calibre.
