Surfski Knowledge Base

Larry Goolsby 04/03/05 #167

Paddlers….Since we switched over from daylight savings time, the Wednesday night races (6 PM at Bloedel Donavon park, Lake Whatcom) will begin starting with this Wednesday. These races are non-sanctioned and not officiated, they are just a lot of fun and a good way to measure your progress and speed. I have to miss the first two but I should be able to make almost all the rest through the summer.

Now for those of you that had to miss the Lake Whatcom Classic on Saturday, here is my version of what you missed. In case you are interested, the photos and results are posted on the Soundrowers website at www.soundrowers.org . The gods were good to us since it didn't rain during the entire race but a southerly wind was strong enough to chase off most of the marathon canoers. This year a total of 61 boats entered the race. This year was a little unique with 4 double surfskis entered and 24 single surfskis (last year was 1 double and 23 surfskis). There were also a handful of OC-1s and 3 OC-2s. The wind was a big factor for this race since it was head-on for the first six miles and then it gave you a hefty push for the last six. Shaun S. and I were on our double surfski and had paddled this same course in almost the same conditions just the week before and rather enjoyed the downhill ride home. The lake was lower than normal and we had noticed a shallow shelf down by the island that could be an issue for fixed rudders. Sure enough, at least 3 paddlers cut close to the island and touched this rock.

The race was a little tricky at the start with wind swells coming up from the south and echoing off the north bank. Mischa B. did his usual “good luck” swim just before the start in hopes of increasing his odds. The water must have been cold because I could see his nipples through his PFD. Shaun and I found it difficult to try and sit still in the double while waiting for the start. Our other double was loaned the team of Morris and Debbie Arthur while the other double skis were piloted by Ben Fast/Keith Major and Greg and Susan Dutton. As soon as the race started most all of the paddlers formed single lines and drafted directly behind one another. Shaun and I took advantage of this conga line and let someone else break our wind for us for most of the first half of the race. We saw only one other double ski in front of us and stayed within 100 yards of them for 3/4s of the race. The downwind run was made for our 25 foot boat and we pulled away from the single skis and stayed close to the other double. With about half a mile to the finish, we made our move and pulled up alongside the Fast/Major team and raced them to the finish. This was Shaun's first Whatcom Classic, so he wasn't real sure where the finish line was and he was steering. About 50 feet before the finish line, we were almost a boat length ahead of the other double and Shaun quits paddling, stands up in his seat and does some kind of end-zone victory dance. Luckily for us, this maneuver only distracted the other team and they did not use this pause to gain control of the race. We finished 4 seconds ahead of them and got our very first first place finish. After we docked, it was great sitting on the shore at the end and watching all the little battles take place as paddlers tried to improve their positions just before the finish line.

Brian Boatman and Eric Gerstl were the first OC-2 to cross the line (10th overall) with a pretty spectacular time and Randy O./Geoff B. on the other OC-2 at 12th. The top three single skis were Joost, Don Kiesling, and Dean Bumstead in that order. They finished 3rd, 4th, and 5th overall behind two double rowers (that's impressive). Shaun and I had the number 6 spot with Fast and Major coming in 7th. Erik B, we missed your presence this year.

A big thank you to Joost, Rick Lingbloom, and all of the other organizers that made this a great and safe race.

If you want to keep abreast of the paddling scene this spring/summer, go to our local website at http://groups.yahoo.com/group/whatcompaddlers/. If you want to join and be able to interact with the rest of the group, just send me an email and I will reply with an invite to join. There is no fee and no rules. We use this site to stay in touch and to post information about gear and races.

Later
Larry Goolsby

Reivers Dustin 04/04/05 #168

I pushed too much on the way down, but otherwise, a great race for me. When I helped Ry with his boat at end, it was all we could do to lift it. Dang thing leaks badly. I didn't want the kid to have as fast a boat as me, but I'm glad he didn't sink.

I scrounged photo's off of the Soundrowers site and put them in a folder under photo's. Too bad pictures don't show wind very well.

Excellent work by Jost, Janice, Rick L. and other volunteers. That is nasty business when it is that cold. We weekend wariors salute you.

rd