Will and Mike are in the news again on WRAL with SUP the Coast. They are in North Carolina, halfway to Portland, Maine. Their journey has been a good one, the people they have met greet them with open arms. This duo still has half the way to go, show them your support support their causes.

Wounded Warrior Project

SUP Clean UP

Or if you want to help make a difference where you are head down to your beach pick up what isn't supposed to be there.

http://www.wral.com/lifestyles/travel/video/9577353/

Today Mike and Will pushed off from Key West Florida. I saw it through Will's sisters Facebook page. It is not the first time Will decided to cruise down somewhere for  couple of months. He did it working a ship down to the islands. Today, he leaves Key West headed north to Portland aboard a custom made Joe Bark stand-up paddleboard along side Mike for a journey of a lifetime.

Nikki sent me along some pictures of their boards and gear and they are on the water.

Good luck boys!!!

Here is a little short about the guys from SUP the Coast

The entire SUPTheCoast team wishes to thank you so much for stepping up and volunteering. The mission we have laid before us is an enormous undertaking, and without supporters like you, it will be downright impossible.

So, what in the world are we doing? SUP stands for Stand Up Paddle. Mike Simpson and Will Rich have two specially crafted 17-foot stand up boards that they will be paddling from Key West, Florida to Portland, Maine. Unheard of? Maybe. Difficult? That’s the point. Mike and Will are doing this because neither of them can turn down a challenge, and they have figured out a way to do it for two incredible causes.

The first of their causes is the Wounded Warriors Project. This foundation is an amazing cause that works closely with veterans both past and present to ensure their ongoing health and well-being. These fine men and women have given their lives to stand up for what we all believe in, so we are going to stand up for them. The second cause we have added to our mission is the SUP Cleanup Project. SUP Cleanup has chapters up and down the coast of folks who enjoy stand-up paddling and cleaning up the environment around them, including marshlands, beaches and the vast shorelines. For more details on either of these charitable foundations, please visit www.supthecoast.com and click on their respective links.

Mike and Will are planning to get in the water near the Southernmost Point in Key West, Fl, on March 1. We have some close friends who live in the Keys and have graciously stepped up to help us out with their send off. It is our hope that we will be able to build a chain or sorts, of people willing to host them all the way up the coast. An underground railroad, if you will, for two wayward surfers. We have reached out to friends and family and networked through the power of Facebook, to link a few guaranteed volunteers, such as you, so that we know where we stand for support along the way.

The goal is to make it about 20 miles a day. The operative word there is GOAL, as we know that there will be days when weather will play a factor in how far they can make it, or if they can even get out at all. If this optimistic daily goal can be met, then logistically we hope to find a host home at least every 20 miles (give or take). With 2200 miles to cover, mathematically speaking that’s at least 110 volunteers we are hoping to reach out to. While they are fully equipped and prepared to camp on beaches when necessary, it would be great to be able to connect with a hot shower and a warm meal at least once or twice a week.

So, what are we asking for from you? I am trying to build a phone/email tree. When we know they are coming within stopping range of your place, we will try to give you about a 12- 24-hour heads up. For this we will need your address, so we can use GPS to match where they are to where you are. If you live RIGHT on the water, awesome. If not, they will probably need a ride, and that includes two 17-foot boards and all their equipment. If all you are able to offer is a backyard to camp in, excellent. If you are willing to offer them a hot shower and maybe a meal, even better. Again, this is purely volunteer. If you feel you are not able to offer what we are looking for, we still thank you anyways for offering. If you not only are still willing to help out but also know someone else, living right on the coast, who might be interested in helping our cause as well, terrific! Like I said, we are looking for people every 20 miles, or closer, spanning the ENTIRE eastern seaboard.

If after reading this, you are still interested in helping out, get in touch with us: email us as supthecoast@gmail.com, visit us on the web at www.supthecoast.com or on Facebook under SUPtheCoast or give our media rep, Alana, a call at 978-335-8475. As mentioned before, we will need a good way to contact you, we need to know where to place you on our map (and we can give you a very tentative idea of when they might possibly be passing your area), and we will need to know how you are able to help. Also let us know if you would be willing to receive packages for them, such as food and supplies that they can take with them when they leave, as we will be arranging to send them supplies along the way. If you know of anyone else who would be interested in helping us along the way, please forward them this letter and have them contact us. The more pre-volunteered stops we can accumulate, the smoother this will go. If you know someone 20 miles north of you, and they know someone 20 miles north of them, and they know someone… you see how quickly this could become a long chain of do-gooders who would come away with a sense of charitable honor and a great story of the two new paddling friends they made.

Again, we thank you for even reaching out enough to have received this letter, and we thank you in advance for any help you may be able to offer and for passing this message to others who are able to support us as well.

Graciously and Sincerely,
The SUPtheCoast Team