SUP the Coast

Starting March 1, 2011, Will Rich and Mike Simpson will embark from Key West, Florida and head north to paddle the Eastern seaboard on stand-up paddleboards. They are combining two passions, paddling and helping people, while fulfilling a dream of seeing the East coast from the water. In doing this they hope to raise both awareness and money for America's service men and women, and stand up for those who stood up for us.

Will Rich: Will is 27 years old and currently lives in Little Compton, RI.
He grew up in the United States oldest seaport,Gloucester, MA. The ocean has always been a
large part of his life, starting when his mom threw him in at 6 months and he has a hard
time getting out ever since, with his longest time away from the ocean being ten days
while he made a trip to Europe and spent some time exploring England on his way to surf
kayaking in Portugal.
After a quarter life crisis at 25, and searching for more freedom,  Will walked away from his office job and
hopped a boat for the Caribbean working as a deckhand. He now works as a crew chief for Gentle Giant Moving and Storage.
He met Mike while surfing a secret spot that he found by mistake and has now known him for 8 years. He 
started stand-up paddling boarding 2 1/2 years ago after Mike introduced it to him, and he hasn't looked back.

Mike Simpson: Mike realized in 1989 while swimming a surfboard down Gore Canyon of the Colorado River, that a kayak seemed more fun than getting beat up on a surfboard.  Mike followed the snow in the Colorado Rockies and chased the snowmelt down the raging rivers of the West for 12 years.  In 2000, on a Colorado River trip through the Grand Canyon, he met a group of surf kayak crazies.  Mike has been surfing his entire life and when introduced to stand up paddleboarding it was the perfect hybrid of kayaking and surfing for him.  He has paddled countless miles and introduced hundreds of individuals to the sport.  From surfing big waves to paddling any distance in any conditions, stand up paddleboarding has become his life. 

You can follow Will & Mike on this journey on their web site and donate to their cause the Wounded Warrior Project.