Paddleboarding at Lake Arrowhead

LAKE ARROWHEAD — Southern California’s waterways are regularly filled with recreational boats and personal watercrafts such as Jet skis, kayaks and standup paddleboards. The co-existence of these crafts and vessels has often created rifts among boaters and personal watercraft users. But the use of standup paddleboards in local waters is not a new phenomenon. In fact the standup paddleboards were a welcome addition to local waterways during the 1930s, according to historical documents published by Lake Arrowhead Yacht Club. The yacht club, during Fourth of July festivities in 1934, featured an inboard speedboat race, outboard racing, aquaplaning, sailboat racing and an exhibition of Hawaiian paddleboards. (Fishing and canoeing events were held a couple days later.) “[The year] 1934 saw the introduction of paddle board races to the LAYC regatta. Hawaiian paddleboards were gaining in popularity in Southern California, and were introduced to Lake Arrowhead in June of 1934,” Lake Arrowhead YC member and historian Phillip Homme wrote in a narrative about the Fourth of July celebrations in 1934. “At the request of LAYC, the paddle board manufacturer sent a group of five experts from Santa Monica and Venice to Lake Arrowhead to give paddling demonstrations and to assist with a paddleboard race...