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Length of the Lake, “WE HAD WIND”……
Larry Goolsby
09/21/08 #5043
Just got back from an awesome time at the Length of the Lake race on
Lake Okanagan. DJ and I (with his wife Kristen as shuttle bunny) were
a two man relay team and this was a first for both of us. Also from
Bellingham was Jason Stoane's team that included Edoh, Gabe, Lance
and Dan on a tandem outrigger and Veronica's tandem outrigger team
that included Janice, Brad, and Julie (might have been 1 more). The
forecast was for rain and little or no wind. The pre-race meeting was
well set-up and much better than the previous year. We woke up early
on race morning with a slight overhead haze but no real clouds.
Veronica's team opted for a 6 am start in order to complete the
course on time and the other 15 teams started together at 7 am. Jeff
Raymond and Katja had decided to do the whole course (Iron man) in
their new 39 lb Mako XT tandem surfski. Both DJ and I were in our
Specials and DJ started the first leg (10 miles) with his 4“ rudder
(dead calm). Kristen drove ne to the first checkpoint and I barely
had enough time to get ready before the entire pack arrived with the
XT tandem leading and DJ was the only guy left riding on their wash.
Jason's team replacements were late to arrive at this handoff so the
tandem sat idle for 3 minutes while other boats shot ahead. I took
off with a 5-10 knt wind behind me and tried to catch the tandem but
Jeff and Katja would not let me get near them. We were in second
place (15 mile leg) and another surfski pulled up alongside me (A
Greg Barton Black Marlin) so I kicked it up a notch and pulled ahead.
The sun was now hot and I drank over 40 oz. of Gatorade on this leg.
Next, two OC-6's passed me and Black marlin was right behind the lead
OC-6. The waves weren't big enough to surf yet but my speed was good
but I couldn't stay on the wash of the OC-6's very long. So now
coming into the second handoff with us in 5th and Veronica's team was
still out in front. I had an average speed of 7.5+ mph but I was
disappointed in our placment. DJ took off and the wind continued to
build, an although he didn't catch the OC-6's, he did pass the single
surfski that had edged us out (turned out to be a 3 man team and the
Marlin was their fastest guy). Jeff and Katja still had an 8-10
minute lead when I took the handoff. This time I had to traverse
across the lake (13 mile leg) and the traverse back again because of
a bend in the lake. The wind was rockin about 15-20 now and the OC-
6's were going slow with the beam waves. In the 1 mile crossing I
caught one OC-6 and moved close to the other one. Once across the
lake we could turn downwind and the waves quickly grew into some of
the best waves I have ever ridden. Some waves were 3-4 feet and most
others were smaller (1-2 feet) but you could sprint onto the big ones
and shoot out ahead while connecting several more waves. My top speed
was 10.8 and I was having the time of my life. I caught the other OC-
6 and Veronica's tandem and the only thing left in front of me was
Jeff and Katja. Jeff later remarked that those were the best waves he
has ever ridden. Anyway, I pulled into Summerland and handed off to
DJ for the last 10 mile leg. He set off towards the middle of the
lake in pursuit of the Mako tandem but never got close. The wind
started to die and the waves became chop. Jaff and Katja got first
overall and first in Ironman. DJ was second overall and first in
relay with an OC-6 close behind. Jason's team finished 5th in the
tandem Outrigger relay and I didn't see any other results after that
except that a guy named Alex was the first Ironman to finish in a
single boat.
The dinner after the race was great and I think I had the most fun
hanging out with Gabe, DJ, Lance, Dan and Jason. After some heavy
drinking at the awards (where the two top surfskis teams didn't get
anything for finishing), we headed for the bars to further drown the
pain. This was one of my favorite races ever and I plan on doing it
again next year as a tandem relay team.
Larry G.
Re: Length of the Lake, “WE HAD WIND”……
Brad Clements
09/22/08 #5046
Larry, Great recap of the race. It was a fun day.
The other paddler on Veronica's team was Melisa from Vernon who just started paddling two weeks prior to the race. The racer on the Black Marlin was Paul. He is a good friend of Darrell (Think Kayaks) and lives in Vernon. He said he may get a new ski for next year.
Glenn Bond and Bob Woodman, two other surfskiers in Vernon, took the weekend off after just racing La Classique de Canots de la Mauricie - a three-day, three-stage canoe race from La Tuque to Shawinigan, Quebec.
Mark this race on your calendars for next year (September). The Penticton Club puts on a great event and as long as the wind is in the right direction, it is a fun, beautiful paddle.
Brad
