The 1st Annual Cape Cod Bay Challenge Event, a 22 mile trek on stand-up paddle surfboards from Plymouth to Provincetown, will take place this coming Saturday, August 9. Saturday's forecast shows SW wind at 6 mph. That'll give the paddlers a little push.

In addition to the fun, the event is being run to raise awareness and money to help stop the ever growing problem of pollution in our oceans and along our shores. Trash in the ocean kills more than one million seabirds and 100,000 marine mammals and turtles each year through ingestion and entanglement. All proceeds from the event will benefit the Ocean Conservancy, a non-profit dedicated to promoting healthy and diverse ocean ecosystems. Part of the proceeds of this event will go towards the Ocean Conservancy's International Coastal Clean Up on September 20, 2008. The International Coastal Clean Up is a year-round volunteer effort to keep our oceans and waterways free of trash – and healthier for humans and marine life.

The 2007 International Coast Clean Up Data Findings report was released April 17th. The report provides a global snapshot of the problem of trash in the ocean. It details the Top 10 debris items collected worldwide, as well as the Top 10 Most Dangerous Items and many other compelling statistics. The report is available online at www.oceanconservancy.org/icc.

Stand-up Paddle Surfing is the fastest growing water sport in the world. Originally the sport of Hawaiian royalty, and then popular with the Waikiki beach boys of the 50's, it has recently enjoyed a resurgence world-wide. The beauty, purity and the challenge of this sport make it a wonderful platform to raise awareness about the extremely serious issue of ocean pollution. Our goal is to make this an annual event that will serve as an on-going fundraiser for, and reminder of, our need to be responsible stewards of the ocean.

For more information or to donate please visit us on the web at http://www.capecodbaychallenge.org/