Soaking wet Santa-themed paddleboarders hit the Willamette River

A Kringle’s dozen of stand-up paddleboarders gathered Sunday morning in the rain at Sellwood Riverfront Park on the Willamette River for the fourth annual Holiday Paddle.

Paddleboarders wore goofy Christmas-themed attire, including one dressed as a Christmas sloth and another as a Christmas tree.

The event, also known as the Santa Paddle, asked all attendees to bring a toy for donation.

Despite nonstop pouring rain and temperatures in the high 30s, the group hit the river with support from another dozen onlookers. Their initial goal was to travel several miles towards downtown. But because of the foul weather, paddlers stuck close to where they started and spent under two hours on the river.

The Holiday Paddle isn’t the only costumed standup paddleboard event in Portland. The city also has gained notoriety for its Stand Up Paddleboard Witch Paddle, which occurs each year in late October.

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