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don_kiesling_racing_2 [2025/08/07 20:44] pstureavley |
don_kiesling_racing_2 [2025/11/13 15:19] (current) pstureavley |
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| ===== Surfski Racing, part 2 ===== | ===== Surfski Racing, part 2 ===== | ||
| - | (Special blog post from Don Kiesling, Tsunami Rangers officer) | + | (Special blog post from Don Kiesling, former Tsunami Rangers officer, [[:rudders#rudder_sources|maker of DK rudders]]) |
| [[https://tsunamirangers.com/2011/02/01/surfski-racing-part-2/|Original Tsunami Ranger Blog Post with Photos]] | [[https://tsunamirangers.com/2011/02/01/surfski-racing-part-2/|Original Tsunami Ranger Blog Post with Photos]] | ||
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| The US Surfski Championships started in 2003 in San Francisco. Since then it’s grown to become one of the premier races in the US, and the world. The wild waters of San Francisco Bay and the Golden Gate have humbled mariners for centuries, and now surfski racers get to test their mettle there. Although the course has varied, it’s typically 15 to 20 miles, and includes segments both in the Bay and in the open ocean. Interestingly, the most intimidating water can be in the Bay, due to the funnelling of wind and current through the Golden Gate. Due to popular demand, the course has migrated to more and more downwind action, and it can be one of the most challenging downwind courses in the USA. This race is definitely only appropriate for intermediate to advanced surfski racers, but most racers could eventually tackle it through a program of regular training and increasing exposure to rough conditions. In addition, there is a short course (6 to 8 miles) in a more protected area of the Bay, and this is a great stepping stone to the long course. | The US Surfski Championships started in 2003 in San Francisco. Since then it’s grown to become one of the premier races in the US, and the world. The wild waters of San Francisco Bay and the Golden Gate have humbled mariners for centuries, and now surfski racers get to test their mettle there. Although the course has varied, it’s typically 15 to 20 miles, and includes segments both in the Bay and in the open ocean. Interestingly, the most intimidating water can be in the Bay, due to the funnelling of wind and current through the Golden Gate. Due to popular demand, the course has migrated to more and more downwind action, and it can be one of the most challenging downwind courses in the USA. This race is definitely only appropriate for intermediate to advanced surfski racers, but most racers could eventually tackle it through a program of regular training and increasing exposure to rough conditions. In addition, there is a short course (6 to 8 miles) in a more protected area of the Bay, and this is a great stepping stone to the long course. | ||
| - | //(** Editors note - there is an "official" World Championship now - sanctioned by the ICF and run in recent years in various venues such as the Dragon Run in Hong Kong, Quiberon, France 2019, etc. Initially a biannual race it is now run every year**)// | + | //(** Editors note - there is an "official" World Championship now - sanctioned by the ICF and run in recent years in various venues such as the Dragon Run in Hong Kong, Quiberon, France 2019, etc. Initially a biennial race it is now run every year**)// |
| The Molokai World Championships started informally in 1976, but before long was considered by most paddlers to be THE race. It crosses the Kaiwi Channel from Molokai to Oahu, a body of water that can serve up the wildest conditions the ocean has to offer. It can also be flat as a pond, but due to the regularity of the trade winds, it’s usually a screaming downwind sleigh ride! At 32 miles, and with big winds, breaking waves, and even some current, Molokai is not for the faint of heart. (Not to mention heat, sharks, flying fish, and other obstacles!) But it’s these conditions, and the prestige of having crossed “The Channel,” that keeps paddlers coming back year after year. Once you have some races under your belt, you may start to aspire to a Molokai crossing of your own. If this is the case, consider using the US Surfski Championships, and ideally some of the shorter (but still challenging) Hawaiian races as stepping stones. | The Molokai World Championships started informally in 1976, but before long was considered by most paddlers to be THE race. It crosses the Kaiwi Channel from Molokai to Oahu, a body of water that can serve up the wildest conditions the ocean has to offer. It can also be flat as a pond, but due to the regularity of the trade winds, it’s usually a screaming downwind sleigh ride! At 32 miles, and with big winds, breaking waves, and even some current, Molokai is not for the faint of heart. (Not to mention heat, sharks, flying fish, and other obstacles!) But it’s these conditions, and the prestige of having crossed “The Channel,” that keeps paddlers coming back year after year. Once you have some races under your belt, you may start to aspire to a Molokai crossing of your own. If this is the case, consider using the US Surfski Championships, and ideally some of the shorter (but still challenging) Hawaiian races as stepping stones. | ||
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