Game On for Rincon Classic

With the surf and weather forecasts properly aligned, the fabled Rincon Classic surf contest will be held this weekend at the world-famous break, known to surfers everywhere as the “Queen of the Coast.” For the first time since 2009, the annual waveriding competition is getting the green light to go on its very first waiting weekend, whereas in past years, the competition has waited weeks for a decent enough swell.

Chris Keet, longtime Classic director and honcho of the Surf Happens program, made the official call just before midnight on Wednesday. “The charts are showing better than contestable surf on Saturday with the possibility of waist- to head-high waves and Sunday is looking really really tasty,” beamed Keet. “We could be seeing sets up to 8 feet. If both days do it, then it really will be Classic squared!”

This year marks the 31st annual Rincon Classic, which features exclusively surf sliders of all ages from the Santa Barbara area. Free and open to the public to watch, the event gets under way at 8 a.m. this Saturday, January 18, with heats popping off all day long. The action resumes at 7 a.m. on Sunday, January 19, and concludes with the Men’s Pro Division Final at 4:50 p.m. that same day. Winners will be awarded and some serious fun will be had on Sunday night at the Santa Barbara Maritime Museum, starting at 6:30 p.m.

For more info, see rinconclassic.com.