Surfski Knowledge Base

La Conner Heads up
Reivers Dustin
Jan 31 #25951

Over on FB race director Rod says he is working out alternate routes due to forecast conditions. I'm taking my phat boat and all my best safety stuff. I have never seen this stretch of water when things get large.

One thing Rod says is kinda cool. Don't get locked into race tunnel vision. If you get out there and it looks sketchy, turn it back around early and save your enthusiasm for the soup. That outside leg is exposed and I'm hearing from locals that with counter-flow (ebb current against West wind) it gets real jiggy.

Life is like a box of paddlers.

John Rybczyk
Jan 31 #25952

Also, the rivers are very high (flood watch for the Skagit) and the race starts at about high tide…and it's a high one, + 8.5 feet. I was working down in Padilla Bay today and I think the Samish River and Edison Slough were about as high as I have ever seen them. I don't know what the heck that all means for the race, but be careful out there.

johnr

Duncan Howat
Jan 31 #25953

Remember the year it was like this and it worked to just run it up the slew around a bouy or boat and back. Just like paddling the nooksack . But that was before Reivers was born.D

Reivers Dustin
Jan 31 #25954

Was that the year of the logjam and whirlpools? I was born, but still very young back then. Had to use blocks on the pedals so I could reach.

Nicholas Cryder
Jan 31 #25955

Can we pretty pretty prettttyy please have a race out into the conditions if we have the skills and sign away our life insurance policies??? I’m so sick of races getting neutered.

Also, three of us (Reavley, Klein and myself) did a run in the last hour of the day today as the conditions cranked up and it’s was glorious gun smoke from minute one. Maybe a little sketchy on final approach to the chocolate factory, but hey… enemy at the gates. Not sure why we went so hard, other than it being yet another powder day on the bay.

allipp@…

Feb 1 #25956

“Due to the strong winds forecasted, Saturday’s race course may be modified to stay in the protected waters of the Swinomish Channel.”

Hmm, I'm tempted to stay home and get in a DW before the wind turns too westerly.

Michael Lee
Feb 1 #25957

The race director is responsible for keeping paddlers safe. If a race is run in challenging conditions, inevitably someone will overestimate his/her ability and get into trouble.

If you prefer bumps over flatwater, hit the bay for a downwind run. Just don’t rag on the race director for making the safe call.

allipp@…

Feb 1 #25958

Unless his name is Peter Marcus and he's running the Bellingham Bay rough water race! Just kidding, just kidding.

paul clement
Feb 1 #25959

I will donate awards free of charge to Alan and Nicholas’ upcoming downwind race. Shoot me a date and I’ll get on it.
Paul

David Scherrer

Feb 1 #25960

Sitting here at Marine Park and man the waves are big breaking mixed and from the west. La Conner slew may be a good place to be presently. I imagine there could be plenty of debris. Look forward to race report. Heading for boat launch and the protection of Fairhaven bay. D

David Hooper
Feb 1 #25961

Clearly I waited too long. Looks like a washing machine out there on the Post Point webcam. Have fun and be safe, David S.
iKitesurf shows it's blowing 43 from the West at Fidalgo Island. More protected at La Conner, perhaps, but wow. Maybe Lipp and Cryder should go catch the falling tide at Deception Pass. I'll bet that will get them their ya-yas.

DH

Nicholas Cryder

Feb 1 #25962

I think Wilson and Co. are at Deception Pass and I expect it to be bonkers. Ya-yas for all!

David Hooper

Feb 1 #25963

We need a web cam at Deception Pass. I can't get there today, but I sure would like to watch. I hope they get some good footage - and share it with us!

D

Duncan Howat

Feb 1 #25964

Actually La Conner was a fun race,what with a rather very strong current, forcing you to be a river runner, much like doing the Nooksack at high levels. Wind was a factor both ways, and it was blowing.David you missed it as a chance to use those river skills, and yes I too look forward to the Downwinder put on by Allan and Nick with 30++ wind, anyone can sign up, and maybe one safety boat on the bay.Thanks to Rod for a great race and very good soup. That RD , shamelessly drafting me and ready to pounce at the end,but he was a gentleman and didn“t. But in truth I got a ride from John H. It all made a flat race fun. D

David Scherrer
Feb 1 #25965

Results? looks like there were some fast doubles as well. Sorry I missed it, upstream river conditions add an interesting component. I probably would have tried to hang with you Dunc and ol'Reivers, swapping off color jokes and repeated stories! Heard the soup servings were great!

Big waves off dry dock this morning. Was behind Eric W. and watched him disappear below peaks. Downwind to Woods and back again. Coasties came out and watched us for a bit. Mike G. was out in his Zen and looking fast(er) and solid. Allen and Mike L out on the OC-2 ripping it up as well.
D.

Nicholas Cryder
Feb 1 #25966

We already did the big downwind race, y’all must’ve missed it, which is understandable because the first rule of winter downwind racing is… Nevermind. Promise to let you know next time, afterwards.

La Conner Race….Windy, Calm, Lots of current….
Pmarcus
Feb 1 #25967

Glad Rod got the race off! Thank you Safety Boats and volunteers!!

The Westerly had turned early and was blowing pretty well then it decided that wasn't enough and then “ramped” up even more right before the start, Smith Island just to the West a few miles. was recording puffs close to 50 but in the slough probably gusting to 30 but steady swirling 20 to 25??

…The start…well, the current was going so hard and with the wind that if you turned too early to set up for the start that you were back paddling with all your might to stay even. A bunch of racers actually turned into the current so they could hold still in one place right before the final horn, which got a few people out of position and it was a mad scramble to get going when the gun did go off. Bunch of Skis jumped into the lead with youngsters, but really fast youngsters, Jonas, etc and Double HPK's, Jason and Derek and Elena and Kevin and Igor and his partner leading the way. Followed closely by speedy Mike and Eric in an OC 2 and Peter Hirtle and partner in a 2 MX Shell. The current was rocking and added to 1.5 to 3 knots to your boat speed on the way out. Turn Mark was a Green Buoy about 2.5 miles North on the Slough. The wind tried to dampen and put you in a Dark Mood, one moment it was with you in a gust then 20 seconds later against you in a gust…

Once you turned the fun began..current and more current and then Neptune really was having fun, steady 25 in the face the last mile or so! Strategy was to get over to the West back and be about two feet off the shore and play what little back eddies and slower water was to have. You were weaving in and out of branches sticking out and submerged objects that an hour later would have been high and dry on the Ebb. Then Logs and Log Booms came into play, you could sort of hug behind some of the booms and logs to get a little advantage on the current but then at some point you had to get out into the uphill battle of the elements to get around them or cut inside of them. A few of us choose the latter and got lucky with a back eddy on the inside which made up for our lack of fitness, but also a little Carbon got left behind on a submerged Log Chain :(

The last 1/4 mile was snarly, 2 to 3 knot current and 20 plus wind in the face and strengthening…Kim R even said the quote of the day…her GPS alarm sounded off because it went into “PAUSE MODE!” Yes, the current was moving!! In the end, we all finished and were glad we did it…I think…and Paul C (Elastic Designs) made some STELLAR Awards for First Overall in Men's, Women's and Mixed. Rod and crew and safety boats had the soup machine going and thanked us all for racing and being a little crazy!!! Also a new award was presented to Rod and Peter H for participating in all Sound Rower Races last year….

Next up for SR is March 21 the Bellingham Bay Rough Water Race (can't make any promises Alan L :) )

Cheers!

Kevin Olney
Feb 1 #25972

Results:
https://www.webscorer.com/racedetails?raceid=209331

lori & beau whitehead

Feb 1 #25968

Hopefully no one broke a rudder cable….

Reivers Dustin
Feb 1 #25970

I paid stoopid tax at start (facing the wrong way). So there's Big D 1/4 mile ahead. My GPS showed 9.5 most of the first half and I gradually reeled Duncan in. Did another stupid at the turn - the current blew me right on by it. I measured current at the start sitting quiet watching my GPS: 4.0mph. It was really a trick to find back eddies. Some of the time you would get too shallow and even drag rudder on the mud. I reeled Duncan in, but had no beans left at the end.

Those log rafts were no joke. One time Duncan clipped the side of his boat and I got a little mental movie of how that would play if he fell off. There would be absolutely no way to swim out of that shit. Your boat would probably start rolling and your body would get sucked under. So the scenario would be if you can swim down, hold breath and avoid anchor chains well enough in that muddy water to pop out later. Oh yeah. Can you undo a leash while tumbling underneath logs at four mph current?

When I heard about Lampi getting snarled my little movie played over again. His boat is busted and rescue vessel hauled him and boat out. All those great shots of me coulda got wet.

So you wanna be a race director? I just think about the nice people who make this fun: not the big dogs. not the danger hogs. But the regular guys and gals that have the guts to try this crazy thing and don't have arms like the hulk. They don't do the gorge. They don't have swift water chops. They read my dumb posts and laugh and don't often post anything. OK, ok. I've gone into sheepdog mode and will fuss and fret about everyone getting their eye poked out. me shut up now.

Larry Bussinger
Feb 1 #25971

The log boom scenario reminds me of the Around Manhattan Island (NY) race a while back when the two guys behind me went under the barge at the start in a 4 knot current. They rolled along the bottom and popped up 40 ft later on the downstream side. As they say, there isn't much interesting underneath a barge (or probably a log boom either).
Larry B

La Conner Heads up & Deception Pass
Paul Reavley
Feb 1 #25969

Nice race descriptions. The only reason I caught Denise or stayed with Bob McB. on way back to bridge in La Conner was because I stayed closer to shore and caught more of the micro eddies on the way back to the finish. Michael Lampi apparently did some damage to one of his pontoon amas running into something. Sorry, Michael - but did you document it with photos?

On the tidal race front, initial report is that Deception was not deceiving - it was cranking. Wilson, Tom and Ana S. and DJ braved huge waves with telephone poles floating in the water. Ana says it was the biggest waves she has paddled and Wilson says he would say the same if he hadn't been to South Africa this winter. There should be video to view.

Michael Lampi
Feb 2 #25973

I made the mistake of going inside the last two log booms. The second to last log boom was closed at the upstream end, so after a bit of effort managed to turn around and head back - and lost all that I had gained from going inside the previous log boom. I could see the last log boom exited with enough clearance, but it was too shallow and I managed to completely foul my propeller. I didn't recognize the danger of the current pushing towards the log boom and instead worked to clear the propeller. It was too late, and my boat was jammed against the log boom.

I should have tried to get the attention of the safety boat to have them pull me away from the log boom, but instead I decided to try other things. Meanwhile, several other racers paddled by asking if I needed help, but there was really nothing any of them could do.
With a lot of effort I was able to slowly inch my way to the downstream end, but got stuck with the ama on one side of the piling and the hull on the other. I then tried to rotate the stern of the boat into the current, hoping to do a 180 degree turn. Unfortunately, the bow then got stuck against another log in the boom and the boat was now firmly wedged. Trying to back off eventually overtaxed the aluminum welds of the aka supports, and I now had two boats: the red hulled central boat and the amas. I was sitting with my butt in the water and legs over the front aka and my arm on the seat.

I finally waved my paddle and got the attention of the safety boat, and they came over and were able to pull me (sitting on the boat pieces) away from the log boom. It was a bit later when we tried to simply tow me back to the dock when the current caught the boat and amas and the force was too much for the akas. It's amazing how much those tubes can bend before they break!

Anyway, while I did take some photos of the finish while stuck, the only photos I took after boat disintegration were accidental, and don't show much of anything.

Thanks again to the wonderful Search and Rescue Team!

Kimberly Reeves
Feb 2 #25974

Michael…

I am so sorry that your boat was terribly damaged and relieved it was just the boat. How can Whatcom Paddlers assist you in rebuilding your craft? Would a gofundme account help to mitigate costs? Just say the word…

Kim

Michael Lampi
Feb 2 #25977

Hi Kim,

Thank you for your concern.

While I don't need any monetary support to repair my boat I can definitely use assistance in finding a reliable supplier of fiberglass tubing (1.365” OD by 0.070“ wall or slightly more) in 42” (or thereabouts) lengths. The previous supplier I used (Nimbus Paddles) has gone out of business.

I would like to replace all 4 of my akas even though only one broke. The one aka I saw that was temporarily bent into a U didn't break but is likely to be compromised - and I didn't see how the others fared.

I have plenty of aluminum and did all the welding previously, so repair of the aka supports is not a problem.

Thanks again!

Michael Lampi