ThePaddler 100
This November I decided to escape This November I decided to escape the UK’s winter and instead take six months out to explore some of the best paddle locations in the world, travelling to south east Asia, Australia, New Zealand and Canada. The ultimate part of my trip was being invited to the Starboard headquarters in Bangkok; the perfect opportunity to meet founder Svein Rasmussen and his team behind a brand that continues to shape the evolution of SUP and who create the boards I love. Starboard continues to set the pace in the SUP industry, remaining one of the world’s leading trendsetters in producing SUPs. Despite its heritage in windsurfing, it has excelled in bringing Stand Up Paddle Boarding to the world’s attention. Starboard have some of the best team riders out there and has an everexpanding range of boards. Over the last few years SUP has dictated a lot of the decisions I have made, from taking every chance to hit the waves, to setting up Waterborn previously established as KESUP; one of the founding and largest SUP schools in the UK. Waterborn is a BSUPA dedicated SUP school operating on the Kingsbridge and Salcombe Estuary in South Devon and is recognised for its reputation for high quality tuition. The centre relies on the best quality equipment and is proud to be a UK’s Starboard demo centre. Therefore my visit to meet Svein and the Starboard team was a fantastic opportunity to gain a greater insight into a brand that’s vision is to “bring inspiration and innovation to the world of wind and water”. The trip began with just a 40-minute taxi drive east of Bangkok, escaping the crowded chaos of Kao San Road, arriving at Taco Lake; part of the small town of Bangplee and the home of
Starboard. Taco Lake is the ultimate playground. On the east side of the lake is Thailand’s first wakeboard cable park, making it a nice bonus to kick around on a wakeboard after lunch. On the south side lays the Starboard HQ, a collection of buildings all with a view of the lake. Opposite, I found later is Sven’s house, making the commute to work that little bit easier.
As I arrived into the car park, it was clear I was at the right place. A familiar large Tiki sculpture, a prominent flying Starboard flag as well as various Starboard branding greeted me. Being a few minutes early, looking out across the lake, I enjoyed the sensation knowing that some of the best and biggest names in SUP such as Connor Baxtor and Zane Schewitzer had completed their lap time here. Shortly after taking in my surroundings, it was time to meet Svein. Svein welcomed me with genuine enthusiasm and energy that immediately displayed his passion and love of what he does. It was instantly clear that at Starboard nothing had ever got boring, as Svein widely claims that SUP has had a positive engagement on his life and is the most exciting chapter so far. Despite standing in the office of one of the most respected men in the water sports world, Svein is an extremely approachable guy. Svein has a large office with wide windows overlooking the lake, which is filled with various windsurfing and SUP posters and trophies. As you would expect, Svein is not your normal CEO that is confined to a desk, instead he was keen to show me around and meet the team. It was time to explore the HQ. Starboard has around 50-full time employees working at the HQ, all of which are from different backgrounds and nationalities, helping to create a diverse workforce that creates fresh ideas to innovate.