Team Bolke from St. Croix ran away with the 2023 Painkiller Cup event for paddleboarders, held on January 20 in the British Virgin Islands. The team of racers, comprising Bill Kraft, Isabel Picard and Jeremy Vaine, aced the 14-mile downwind course to win in a time of 2:47 and pocket the $1,500 first place prize.
Second was Team Tree A Wee from St. Thomas, USVI, made up of Tristan Herman, Adam Quant and Meg Bosi.
Third place went to Johnny & The Rockette, a team from Tortola made up of Lee Donovan, Johnnie O’Hara and Amanda Baker.
Conditions were nearly idyllic for the downwind team race. A squall at the start at Trellis Bay sent racers from the seven teams scooting downwind through the Caminoe Passage toward Guana Island. Bill Kraft gave Team Bolke an early lead, which they never relinquished.
“We’ve competed in the Painkiller Cup so many times,” said Kraft. “We know what do to get the win.” Kraft and his team won the event in 2020, and finished second four other times.
The annual Painkiller Cup is a unique event in that the teams of three racers must include at least one female paddler. The teams rotate every 25 minutes as they paddle down the north shore of Tortola and across to Jost Van Dyke. The finish is at Hendo’s Hideout at White Bay, Jost Van Dyke.
A second smaller event is run concurrently. The three-mile Mini-Painkiller Cup starts at Sandy Cay and finishes in White Bay.
This year’s mini-winner was Sam Morrell, followed by his father, Andy. Sadiq Khan of Tortola finished third, followed by another father/son team, Derek and Steve Denure from Canada. Moet Boel from St. Thomas was the top women’s finisher, in fifth place.
The Painkiller Cup is sponsored by The Moorings, HIHO, Lemon & Line, Sun Bum & Hendo’s Hideout.
