Hi Friends On September 19, 2026 I will join a group of prone paddle boarders as we paddle from Catalina to Newport Beach. This is a distance of 30 miles. Prone paddle boarding means you paddle on your stomach or knees using your arms only. This event is called the Ben Did Go 11.0 because this is the 11th year the event has been held. Our goal is to raise money for a charity, the Ben Carlson Foundation (infobencarlsonfoundation.org). By way of background,, my son, Nathan got me into the sport about five years ago. We started paddling together and completed a number of ocean races averaging between 11 and 15 miles. I am now taking on a new challenge. The Ben Did Go Foundation is named after lifeguard Ben Carlson, who died rescuing a swimmer in distress in high surf. Ben was a 32 year old veteran Newport Beach lifeguard. This foundation is 100% volunteer. Every dollar that we raise goes towards funding their programs.They teach lifeguarding ,rescue and lifesaving techniques both locally, nationally and internationally. This year alone they have trained lifeguards in Mexico and Central America. They provide free swim lessons to underprivileged youth. They also provide scholarships to academically achieving lifeguards. Newport Beach lifeguards work in some of the most challenging surf conditions. The Newport Beach Wedge is one of their areas of responsibility. This summer alone this location has seen multiple days with over 20 foot waves. These lifeguards have made literally hundreds of ocean rescues. In the period of June 6-15 they rescued 516 people in distress due to high surf and rip current conditions. On July 20 they made roughly 100 rescues in one day due to heavy surf from a tropical storm. These are just a couple of examples of their hard work. Please help me help these first responders so that they can continue their great work.