Surfski Knowledge Base

Larry Goolsby
05/16/10 #8411

Reivers…..Since you were unable to attend today's race, I thought it would be polite if someone posted the days events and results. John Rybcyzk rode up with Shaun, Jim Buchanan and myself and along the way he explained how we could help our team score extra points by allowing Morris and Debbie Arthur to beat us in the tandem division and enabling the first of two US females to finish. Plus, this would also mean that the Arthur's tandem would score as the first US tandem to finish and we could dance back to the border as victors once again. It seems that there was a loophole in the rules that does not say that a female has to be in a single surfski, all it says is that she needs to be in a qualifying surfski. So if the Arthur's boat should come in second instead of first among the US tandems, then she couldn't even be counted as part of the team. So Shaun and I decided that our job was to get Debbie across the line first. That was a great idea until Don. K arrived with his tandem and a very fast partner named Gabe and then all bets were off; it was now every man (and woman) for themselves.

So the race was well attended and the weather was great. Just before the start, the wind kicked up and it looked like we might get a taste of that downwind run that Bob P, had teased us with by inscribing it on the online course maps. The race started exactly on time and the usual mayhem began as we are all hugging the first curve on our way to the first turn. Brandon, Ian, DJ and the DK tandem were in the lead with Gareth and Bob P./Reid Carter tandem behind, followed by the Arthurs, our tandem and Kirk. Before the first turn at the bridge, we got spread out with Ian staying with DK and Brandon falling back to Putnam's tandem with DJ and Gareth somewhere in there. The Aurthur's hung onto Putnam's boat long enough to gap us by quite a margin and we found that Ben and John had gained on us in their S2-X. We weren't too worried about the S2-X because we knew that it couldn't handle mixed conditions and we would catch them on the last crossing back to Deep Cove. We were so wrong.

So now we had 3 tandems out in front of us and 3 singles and we were not used to being this far back. To top that off, we came around the second turn and a guy on the shore shoves his Zodiac out in the water right in front of our boat and we had to grab onto his pontoons to keep from going in. I firmly believe that this was failed plot by Putnam to stop the first tandem through that narrow gap, but that this guy just couldn't count and got us instead.

So now we were too far back to even consider a last heroic effort so our new plan was to stay ahead of Daryl Remmler who was doing pretty damn good in his Uno with a hideaway drain system. The course had been pretty bumpy most of the way with some wind waves and plenty of boat wakes but that final crossing put most of the chop on our beam and we just focused on finishing. However, a string of sailboats headed for their berths added a final challenge to our arrival and I was tempted to stop and ask their captains just how much Bob forked out for their assistance in scattering some surfskis. All in all, it was a great race with the DK tandem getting first followed by Ian, Brandon, Putnam/Carter, Gareth, and somewhere between us and Gareth was DJ, the Arthurs, and the Ben/John S2-X. In the short course, John Rybczyk and Jim Buchanan took first and second respectively showing Canada that even our newbies have sharp teeth. I saw some great efforts today and the three that stood out were, Daryl Remmler, John George and Ben Fast, and oh yeah, that Putnam guy getting the locals to run interference.

So Canada out scored the US today mainly because we did not have two qualifying women but the difference wasn't enough to offset the pounding we gave them a couple of weeks ago when we rigged our course with rocks and eel grass. I do have to admit that they did out do us in the food department and I'll need to see if we can remedy that during the 2011 Think Challenge.

Larry G.

Re: Tour de Indian Arm and the Think Challenge
Reivers Dustin
05/17/10 #8412

As the youngsters say: OMG.

This is the first I've heard of any local race where another human powered boat finished ahead of Ian. It's just like last year, such a great venue and good after-party will always cheat the results in the favor of the U.S.

I found myself telling people around here about the challenge and they were fascinated. Pretty cool event. Daryl is getting scary. I'm pretty sure, being the mad inventor; he's rigged that bailer system to hide the old baking soda w/ vinegar propulsion rig. That would explain the steam trail behind the boat.

The thing is, you and Shawn are dang fast, and not easily outfoxed on the water. All those other top dawgs must be robots from outer space or something. This is *not* like the old days anymore.

rd

Re: Tour de Indian Arm and the Think Challenge
Bob Putnam
05/17/10 #8413

How naive I am! Prior to the race Jeff Raymond, had a scheme to put Jodi and Katja in a double and they could score our first double and first two women. I guess you could call it a “double mammy” ha-ha. Emails were flying back and forth. I protested this and enlisted Remmler on my side, saying it wasn't in the spirit of the competition. That women should be paddling singles, and the Team US would be un-prepared for this strategy and protest vigorously. Just goes to show you how gullible I am. Unknown to me Team Scheme in Goolsby's car are dreaming up every trick in the book. Sort of like the America Cup competitors making up rules as they go along. Pretty soon both sides will have a team of lawyers looking for loop-holes in the rules.

Jeff's argument was that women should be able to score “women points” whether they are in a single or in a double with a guy. Thus encouraging women to participate in this male dominated sport. In hindsight, I concede to Jeff's wisdom and the fact that Team Scheme was thinking along the same lines.

Who knows, maybe I blew the race for Team Canada, Jodi and Katja are pretty fast in a double. Doh!! Next year….next year!!
Bp

Re: Tour de Indian Arm and the Think Challenge
John Rybczyk
05/17/10 #8414

Bob, Bob, Bob, you Canadians are clever, but you can't keep a secret. We were thinking along the same lines because it was Jeff who gave me and Team USA the idea in the first place! I was sure that Team Canada was going to employ the double woman strategy! In the end neither team did, but oh the intrigue. What will next year bring? Very exciting. I think of it less like the America's cup and more like the Tour de France complete with pelotons and domestiques.

Re: Tour de Indian Arm and the Think Challenge
kathleen petereit
05/17/10 #8415

Hmmmmm….Katja / Jodie in a double….maybe Jonas / Ron in a double to give young Kiesling and his hot shot partner Gabe a run for their money. I'm going to work on this. Stay tuned for next year…

:) Kathleen

Re: Tour de Indian Arm and the Think Challenge
Jeff Hegedus <jhegedus@…>
05/17/10 #8416

NICE racing, Canucks. I felt surrounded by you guys the whole time, and you never let up dangit. Warren, nice and strong; Shane, got knocked off and still caught up(!); Nathan, always on my shoulder, and too fast at the end; Ken, tried, but just couldn't catch ya'; Jeff and Daryl, nice inside lines, sheet; and the rest, you earned it. THANKS for a fun race! Hey Bob, but, um, can we have REAL beer next time?

Re: Tour de Indian Arm and the Think Challenge
Reivers Dustin
05/17/10 #8417

Maybe this is sacrilege, but I'm getting tired of the two party system. I'm thinking of running as an independent next year. Or maybe some of us could start our own country. What was that country in the movie, “The Mouse that Roared”? I got it, The Grand Dutchy of Fenwick.

That's it. I'll be from the Grand Ducky of Fenwick .

rd

Re: Tour de Indian Arm and the Think Challenge
Dean Bumstead
05/17/10 #8418

Reivers - you need to paddle more.

Dean

Re: Tour de Indian Arm and the Think Challenge
Dale McKinnon
05/17/10 #8419

OH how utterly charming… I can't help it RD, I'll always call you Ducky from now on.

Re: Tour de Indian Arm and the Think Challenge
Bob Putnam
05/17/10 #8420

Hey Jeff,
The only thing better than REAL beer is FREE beer, and it was free. The Rickard Red is good! Maybe you can get Boundary Bay to kick in some post race beers, but i guess its tough in the park. But if Reivers establishes his own nation state we can do what we please.
Bob

Deep Cove stern cam……..
Larry Goolsby
05/18/10 #8422

I had placed a video camera on the stern of our tandem during the Tour de Indian Arm race with hopes that its 8 gb chip would catch the first 11 minutes of the race. This turned out to be a magic chip because it recorded 85 minutes of video (don't ask me how). Anyway, it's taken me a couple of days to whittle this 85 minutes into 3 minutes. On the video, take note as to how long it took us to catch up to Daryl Remmler. The video ends with our interaction with the Zodiac on the second turn. The boy on the boat looks suspiciously like one of those Deep Cove pirates that lingers in the shadows waiting for Bob's beck and call.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vUWGEhxv-mQ
Larry G.

Re: Deep Cove stern cam……..
Jim Buchanan <pharm_man001@…>
05/18/10 #8425

If it makes you guys feel any better I can mount a camera on the front of my boat so you can check out how fast you guys are pulling away from many of us.