Rainy weather helped drown out the competition at Sunday's Attack of Danger Bay longboarding races in Pender Harbour.
Racer Douglas Daula from Brazil was a strong contender for the men's title in this world-renowned race, but the wet weather took its toll.
"He was the defending champion this year, but there was a lot of rain. In Brazil if it rains, they cancel the races, but we don't do that here," said race organizer Bricin Lyons.
That left the title of Attack of Danger Bay champion up for grabs, and Zak Maytum from the U.S. managed the win. Zen Shikaze took second place, and Andrew Chapman took the third spot in the men's division.
In the women's races, Gibsons' resident Charlie Daigneault proved she could longboard with the best in the world, taking third place. Christine Gregerse took second, and undefeated champion Brianne Davies once again claimed the title of top female racer.
Dozens of longboard racers flooded into Pender Harbour on the weekend from the Coast, B.C. and beyond.
"In this year's race, we had five racers from Puerto Rico, five from Brazil, five from Australia, five from the Philippines and three from Hawaii," Lyons said.
Racer Duncan Kay came out from England to take part this year.
"I wanted to come here to race on the best hills and race against the best riders. There's just nowhere better than B.C.," Kay said.
His friend Jackson Shap-iera made the trek out from Australia for the third year in a row to compete in the Attack of Danger Bay race.
"I'm basically out here for a one month tour of world cup racing, and the Attack of Danger Bay is a must have. There's a really good atmosphere here and the course is good. It sucks that it was raining but it makes it interesting," he said.
The race had its share of crashes due to the slippery conditions, but everyone managed to walk away without serious injury.
This year's Attack of Danger Bay marked the 43rd longboarding race Lyons has co-ordinated in the past nine years.
"The first race I put on was here and since then I've been all over the place, to Australia, all over B.C., Alberta and America. And to think it all started out of Pender Harbour Secondary School," Lyons said.
Rumour has it Lyons and his group of friends were known for their mischievous and sometimes illegal behaviour while living in Pender Harbour as teenagers. It's said that once Lyons decided to focus his efforts on longboarding, the crime rate in the area dropped dramatically.
He doesn't deny the rumour.
"I was a problem kid, but longboarding gives kids something to aspire to, something to compete in and something to focus on," Lyons said.
A second longboarding event ran on Wednesday in Halfmoon Bay. Check Coast Reporter's sports section next week for coverage of that event.
