Nonprofits join forces for fundraiser

The first “Tom Blake Board Across the Bay Race and Festival” will honor legendary surfing innovator Tom Blake. The event runs July 27-29 on the shores of Lake Superior in Washburn, Wis.

“Tom Blake Board Across the Bay Race and Festival” includes three stand up paddleboard races; a 17-mile race across Chequamegon Bay to the city of Ashland and back, an 8.5 mile race and a one-mile sprint race. Paddlers of all abilities will enjoy equipment demos, instructional clinics, a Saturday evening Hawaiian-themed dinner, and a weekend of prize drawings.

Tom Blake was raised in Washburn on the shores of Lake Superior’s Chequamegon Bay. The icy waters of Lake Superior seem an unlikely connection to the surfing life that Tom pursued. But Tom almost single-handedly transformed surfing from a primitive Polynesian curiosity into a 20th century lifestyle. A record-holding swimmer, Tom moved to Santa Monica, Calif., in the early 1920s. In 1926, Blake started building his own surfboards, and was the inventor of the first hollow surfboard. Then he changed the surfing world forever by inventing the surfboard fin — the skeg. His friendships throughout the surfing world included the legendary Hawaiian surfer Duke Kahanamoku. Tom returned to Washburn in his later life, and passed away at age 92.

“Tom Blake Board Across the Bay Race and Festival” takes place at the same time as Washburn’s annual Brownstone Summerfest Festival. In addition to all of the Board Across the Bay activities, downtown Washburn will host events including a mountain bike race, flea market, trolley tours to historic buildings, live music and many other activities.

Tags: community, travel, food