Surfski Knowledge Base

Reivers Dustin
08/09/09 #6794

It would be great to hear something about the other events this weekend. As far as 'Round Shaw it was all the best things about that race that I like. This is one of the grand-daddies of local races and David made sure to honor it's 30th aniversary. It's a bugger to get there and back, but maybe that's why there's a special camaraderie. The support team was great, there was hot food and David Halpern created very special awards: a small plaque with very realistic banana slugs on them.

Winds were forecast to be 10 to 20. So on the way over LG, Rick, Mark and I compared notes with Michael L., Ben and one or two other racers. We didn't have Shane there to tell us how it was actually going to be. (I'm picking on Shane because he got honorable mention for his twentieth appearance at this race.) It was looking like a skinny crew for the race until we got there. Tons of people had camped, boated or even paddled over for this year's race.

As for the race, I really enjoy that currents play a huge part in each racer's outcome. I've seen more energy expended on the beach arguing about which direction to race than during the event. This year I was shocked to see consensus. So I went the other way from almost everyone else. Rainer and Adrian in a double rower were my only company. Once they made the corner near the halfway point I never saw them again. Somewhere in there I was forced off my preferred line by a ferry. Judging by my heart rate I was on-form, but the GPS speeds weren't what they should have been. As I looked at results for the whole group, I don't think this was a very fast year for the course. Dean was the big dog of surfskiers. I'm told he was all over the place chasing favorable lines. Morris & Debbie ruled doubles and their boat speed stayed fairly high. So, by luck or design, they found good lines.

RD

Shaw……..
Larry Goolsby
08/09/09 #6795

At the pre-race meeting, I was a little surprised to hear that this was the 30th anniversary of the Shaw Island race. Some of us went by car and paid a hefty ($125) ferry fee while Mike and Dean took a Boston Whaler and actually got to sleep in. Roger L. was already there when we arrived and the Arthurs had come over from their camping trip on Orcas to be the fastest kayak in the race. The race was different this year with a later start time, and actual entry fee (used to be free), and David Halpern was the host and MC. I was a little taken back by the $8 entry fee but David (and crew) did such a good job of organizing the event, it made it worth it. There were beverages and foods available prior to the race, hot soup and bread after the race, and he was working on making the Shaw Island race a weekend event with a Sunday paddle (race?) around a shorter course. With the 11 am start time, we had plenty of time to get ready and the race actually started a few minutes before 11. This year you were allowed to pick which direction around the island that you wanted to travel and 95% chose counter-clockwise while the Storbs (tandem rower) and Reivers went the other way. Just for keep this story in perspective, the two boats that went clockwise had to endure high volume currents and hurricane conditions while the rest of us had flat water with the current carrying us so quickly that we rarely had to dip our paddles in the water. Had they chosen to race against us, they surely would have whooped our lazy butts. There were no safety boats and we were reminded that we were each others safety boats, but the conditions were pretty mild and there weren't any mishaps. The Arthurs paddled a tortuous course and came in first with Dean close behind (he paddled a straighter line), followed by team 205, John Day and then me. Reivers took 4th place single and had stories of extreme conditions and man-eating kelp beds that explained why he let some of us get to the finish first. The post race soup was awesome and I hope to see it next year again. David made some Special 30 year anniversary awards that increased the anticipation of the awards ceremony and these were given to paddlers/rowers that had done something special on that day. Tragedy almost struck when we were exiting the island. The ferry had almost no room for all of us so it diverted over to Orcas and unloaded some cars before returning to pick us up. As we were loading onto the ferry, Debbie driving the Arthur's Van, tried to do an unsolicited lane change inside the cavernous ferry, but the ferry Nazis caught onto her trickery and did a SWAT style smack-down right in front of everybody. With the Whatcom Paddlers administration watching from a nearby position, I can't help but think that this event will affect the outcome in the annual Whatcom Paddlers 'Mother of the Year' award.
LG

Re: Round Shaw
chiquita_nootka <expeditionpaddlers@…>
08/09/09 #6797

The most hardcore, Sound Rowers members at this years Shaw island race hands down would have to be Steve Bennett and Traci Cole. With runner-ups- Jim Z. & Tyler Peterson (in a rowing shell), who saved on ferry fare and paddled an extra 17 miles from Anacortes across Rosario Strait, through Peavine Pass and landed just after sunset Friday night, on the sandy shores of the Shaw island State Park…Tyler & Jim needing to get home sooner, hitched rides back on the ferry, while Steve & Traci were planning to camp again w/ the hardcore group again Sat. night, race again on Sunday (around Turn island & back to Shaw) AND then paddle another 17 miles back to their cars in Anacortes- over 50 miles & 2 races = WAY TO GO!~ Steve & Traci!!

Also quite impressive to watch arrive at Shaw island Friday evening, a few hours before the Anacortes group, was Race director & support crew, David Halpern & members of the San Juan island, Hui Wa'a O'Puget Sound paddling club, who paddled across San Juan Channel in two brightly painted OC-6s, from their neighboring home island…

While myself & about 10 car/truck/RV loads of fellow racers & supporters arrived on a few different ferries throughout the day on Friday and set up a tent city, race campout in the group area- with several women winning the furthest travelled award- coming from Oregon, plus Vadim & his wife (and dogs), Dan Baharav & his family (and dogs), the Knackals (and dogs), my dad, Roger & Sue, Mike and dog, Tim and lots more smilin' OC, rowing shell, surfski & sea kayakers, enjoying the slower pace island-time offers…and as the night wore on, lots of kids & dogs frollicking about, stories, food & laughs to be shared…

On the injured list & unable to race, I offered to help out instead, so ended up making some new friends w/ awesome folks on David's SJI crew, & timing the race with Dianne. Many of the racers kids, also stepped up to volunteer and were all awesome 'helpers', taking turns blasting the air horn as the racers/ their parents- began coming in…until the horn ran outa gas & extremely talented Susan made a bull horn out of bull kelp, and impressed us all by not only playing taps on the new, naturally made- musical instrument, but also successfully teaching a few other 'students' how to play, who then also took turns blasting the new bull-kelp-horns as the racers crossed the finish line! The kids also formed a relay of 'runners', racing across the chilly, wet beach to the water's edge- to get the racer's #'s, which were impossible to see…so a GIANT THANK YOU, KIDS!!

Pumped up from being so involved supporting the SR's Round Shaw race, the kids got their chance to show off their paddling skills as the Kids Race was bumped up to Sat. afternoon, so not too long after the big kids awards ceremony, the two OC-6's filled up with the young-un's, in a gender show down, Boys vs. Girls…while the boys outnumbered the girls, the girls outsized the boys and hence prevailed, as the Shaw 2009 Kids Race Champs!- nice job girls!!

~ nbz

Shaw Island Photos
Michael Lampi
08/09/09 #6799

It was more fun for me this year as there were more folks in the race who were going close to the same speed. For payback those folks got their pictures taken more frequently.

http://www.soundrowers.org/photography/2009/Round%20Shaw%20Row%202009/index.html