Manhattan Beach in Los Angeles County, California — The American West (Pacific Coastal)

Catalina Classic

Commemorative Statue

Photographed by Tom Bosse, September 8, 2026

1. Catalina Classic Marker

Inscription. The Catalina Classic 32-mile Open Ocean Prone Paddleboard Race traces its roots back to 1955, when visionary Bob Hogan and Cliff Webster, Executive Director of the Manhattan Beach Chamber of Commerce, joined forces to create a legendary race designed to test endurance and celebrate ocean athleticism. Known then as the International Paddleboard Race, the course began, just as it still does today, at Two Harbors on Catalina Island, and ends on the south side of the Manhattan Beach Pier. In its earliest years, the race drew immense crowds, with up to 50,000 spectators lining the Manhattan Beach Pier and shoreline to cheer on the finishers. The growing excitement sparked the creation of a three-day festival featuring volleyball, swimming, rowing, and other ocean competitions, evolving into what is now celebrated as the International Surf Festival. Following treacherous ocean conditions in 1960, pier reconstruction in 1961, and the tragic loss of Cliff Webster, the race fell into hiatus for two decades, awaiting someone to once again champion its cause.

That moment came in 1982, when lifeguards Buddy Bohn and Gibby Gibson

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breathed new life into the Classic. Reviving the original race format and spirit, they ushered in a new era of ocean endurance. Today, the Catalina Classic stands proudly as the “granddaddy” of prone paddleboard races worldwide, attracting elite paddlers from across the United States and beyond, all drawn to the allure and challenge of crossing the formidable Catalina Channel. The Catalina Classic Commemorative Statue, envisioned by Tim Ritter and built by the South Bay Boardriders Club, celebrates this extraordinary legacy, honoring the competitors who have shaped the story of one of the most iconic prone paddleboard races in the world. The statue stands as a tribute to the Catalina Classic’s enduring legacy and is intended to inspire future generations of ocean athletes.

Start: Two Harbors. Finish: Manhattan Beach, CA

Erected by South Bay Boardriders Club.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Entertainment • Sports. A significant historical year for this entry is 1955.

Location. 33° 53.02′ N, 118° 24.685′ W. Marker is in Manhattan Beach, California, in Los Angeles County. It is at the intersection

Photographed by Tom Bosse, September 8, 2026

2. Catalina Classic Marker

of North The Strand and 11th Street, on the right when traveling south on North The Strand. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Manhattan Beach CA 90266, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Greater Los Angeles

and in the Transverse Ranges.

It is also on the American Pacific Coast.

Globally, it is in North America,

on the Ring of Fire,

in the Pacific Rim,

in the Western Hemisphere,

in the Western World,

and in the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain

and also Mexico’s Alta California.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 2 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Manhattan Beach Pier (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Former Site Of The La Mar Theatre (about 600 feet away); The History of Bruce’s Beach (approx. ¾ mile away); Bruce’s Beach Park (approx. 0.8 miles away); Francis Miyosaku Uyematsu (approx. 1.4 miles away); Beach Cottage (approx. 1.6 miles away); The Metropolitan Theater (approx. 1.6 miles away); Site of The Courthouse, City Jail, Police and Fire Station (approx. 1.6 miles

Photographed by Tom Bosse, September 8, 2026

3. Catalina Classic Marker

away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Manhattan Beach.

Also see . . . Catalina Classic. (Submitted on September 12, 2026, by Tom Bosse of Jefferson City, Tennessee.)

Catalina Classic Commemorative Statue image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Tom Bosse, September 8, 2026

4. Catalina Classic Commemorative Statue

Photographed by Tom Bosse, September 8, 2026

5. Catalina Classic Marker

Credits. This page was last revised on September 12, 2026. It was originally submitted on September 12, 2026, by Tom Bosse of Jefferson City, Tennessee. This page has been viewed 8 times since then. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. submitted on September 12, 2026, by Tom Bosse of Jefferson City, Tennessee. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.