Ben Squire is crowned 2013 Fish SUP champion

It was the battle of the seafood restaurants as Mitch Tonks of RockFish and Ben Squire of The Boathouse Cafe took part in the inaugural Ecover Blue Mile Fish SUPper Challenge in Plymouth to raise money for the Marine Conservation Society.

Ben and Mitch raced over a 100m sprint course in front of the Mayflower Steps in a best of three contest. And the Champion for 2013 is Ben, who came from behind to win 2-1!

Hundreds of people lined the waterfront to cheer on the restaurateurs, as the SUP race kicked off Plymouth’s Seafood Festival on the Barbican on 20 September.

Inevitably, both Mitch and Ben ended up in the water more than once!

Afterwards, they both admitted this was the first time they’d ever tried stand up paddle (SUP) boarding.

“It was absolutely fabulous,” said Ben, who also runs Plymouth Boat Trips. “Tonksy went off like a little tuna in the first race but I lost that one on a technicality because I didn’t cross the finish line in the right place.

“We had a little incident in the last race because I lost my balance going around the final turn and I tried to hang on to Mitch but he was slippery as a conger eel and we both ended up in the drink!

“It was great fun and I’ll definitely be defending my title next year.”

Mitch was gracious in defeat: “Ben was the best paddler on the day, so congratulations to him. A lot of people turned up to watch as well, which was great.

“I really enjoyed it and it has brought people together. We’re usually so busy in our restaurants that we don’t get time to meet up like this.

“I’ll be back next year to challenge for the title,” vowed Mitch.

Ben and Mitch were racing for the Ecover Blue Mile’s partner charity, the Marine Conservation Society. You can give your support by donating to their fundraising page.