Connor Who?

Seems like Connor Baxter is winning or placing on the podium at every SUP event he enters. Pretty amazing for a skinny kid. Of course Connor was winning windsurfing events before he was a teen. I remember when he, his sister Ashley, Slater Trout and Zane Schweitzer signed up to do our first SUP board and paddle showcase three years ago. I think he was twelve or thirteen at the time. Diane was very nervous about having such young kids participate, and called his Mom, Karen to make sure an adult was going to sign the waiver and be present to ensure their safety. Karen said “yes, we’ll be there, but you should understand that Connor has been traveling around the world by himself, going to windsurfing events for years.”  We understood better when we saw all of these kids in the water. They were simply astonishing. And they all have achieved all the potential that was so easy to see the first time we met them.

Here’s the story of Connor’s most recent win:

Aloha Everyone!!

What a fun week in Oahu!!

Long Distance Race – finish at Waikiki.

The 2010 Duke’s Ocean Fest was a great event. The purpose of this event is to honor Duke Kahanamoku. This event has swimming, surf polo, surfing, and stand up paddling events throughout the week.

The first event I participated in was the stand up paddle surf race on Thursday the 26th (C4 Waterman SUP Surf Race). It was run quite differently than other SUP events I have participated in – it was run like a surfing contest with heats and the top four would advance. There was one lap that was one mile and then you came into the beach. My first heat I advanced and made it to the semi finals. The next heat there were 12 people and only 6 people advanced. When I rounded the last buoy I was in second place, but racing in the waves anything can happen, which it did to me and I fell on the wave that I caught and four people passed me. This meant only one more person could make it to the finals and I caught the next wave with two other people.

On this wave, out of the three of us – only one of us would make it to the finals. When we got close to the beach I tried to jump early to beat the other two guys to the beach. When I jumped, the other guy jumped too and his board shot out and hit me, which made me crash on to the beach and I sprained my MCL. So the other guys beat me. But the good news was that I made it into the surf part of the contest on Friday the 27th (C4 Waterman SUP Surf-Off). The doctor on the beach said I should not do the surfing part – but I did it anyways and it was a good thing because I made it to the semi finals. I was pleased with my results, because I have not been surfing much this summer.

The next day – Saturday the 28th – was the long distance event from Hawaii Kai to Waikiki – a little over 10 miles (Hawaii Paddleboard Championships – Duke’s Race). The race was suppose to start at 11:00 am. But – there were so many beach entries that we started about 20 minutes late. It was a great turn out – 168 entries (stand up and prone paddlers).

We started in the bay at Hawaii Kai – and headed out and had to go around the outside channel marker. When I rounded the outside buoy I was in 6th place, behind Ekolu Kalama, Aaron Napolean, Sepa Napolean, Livio Menelau. But once we got in the swell, I started to catch up and pass everyone in front of me. During the next several miles I paddled hard and stayed focused to keep in front of everyone. I also knew I had to put a good distance between me and second place, before we got to the flatter section of the race. At about the Outrigger Canoe Club, about 2 miles from Waikiki, the course heads into flatter water – which is not my strongest area – yet. Still working on my muscles!!

When I got to the last mile and I was still in front – I knew I had first place. I rounded the outside buoy off of Waikiki and caught a wave into the finish line.

I did it – I won the prestigious Duke’s Hawaii Paddleboard Championships.

I want to thank my sponsors for all their help and support – Starboard, Nike 6.0, SIC, Dakine, Sunrite Maui, Waterman’s Sunscreen, Ion Wetsuits. Also, my newest sponsors Kaenon Sunglasses, EFX Performance USA and On It Pro!!

And, I want to thank my friends Mark Raaphorst, Livio Menelau, Bart de Zwart, Scott Trudon for all the time and support they have devoted to training with me!!!  Also, Scott Sanchez (MPG) for his wisdom on fitness and training!! And, of course my mom and dad.

Also a big Mahalo to all the event organizers and volunteers. Great Event!

Aloha -
Connor Baxter

My time was 1 hour 26 minutes and 5 seconds.  For complete results: http://pseresults.com/events/45/results

http://www.dukefoundation.org/

Here are a few photos my mom took of the Start & Finish.

Waiting for the Start of the Race:

Start at Hawaii Kai:

Finish at Waikiki:

Interview:

Awards:

Connor’s Maui to Molokai

Connor Baxter was the surprise overall Stand Up Paddleboard winner of the 2010 Sarento’s/Kai Wa’a Maui to Molokai race. Last year he set a record by being the youngest person at 14 years old to ever participate. This year at 15 he won it.

Channel crossing races are big open water challenges, and the Maui to Molokai race can be a really tough one. This year’s race was favored with good wind and swells. Connor’s win was especially surprising since he was paddling solo and the competition included some of the world’s best SUP open ocean paddlers. Here’s Connor’s take on his win:

I just finished the Maui to Molokai event on Saturday April 24th, put on by the Maui Canoe and Kayak Club . The race was really fun and all the people were super nice and helpful. In the event there were a total of 19 SUP racers, and the soloists included Livio Menelau, Alan Cadiz, Thomas Maximus Shahinian, Campbell Farrell, Jack Dyson and myself – to name a few. And there were a few SUP relay teams – including Mark Raaphorst and Jeremy Riggs. The race was 27 miles long from Flemings Beach, Maui to Kaunakakai Harbor, Molokai. The race started at 8:30 and the conditions were favorable with moderate tradewinds. The winds at about 15-20 mph, were coming from the northeast which is excellent for this channel crossing.

Start of the Maui to Molokai Race (27 miles) – Saturday April 24th – 8:30am

After Start: Campbell Farrell, Connor Baxter and Jeremy Riggs – heading out to the Pailolo Channel – The Island of Lana’i in the background

Connor Baxter Stretching, Alan Cadiz to leeward – Maui in the background

Connor, Thomas “Maximus” Shahinian, Alan Cadiz – Maui in the background

Heading to Molokai – Maui in the background

At the start, I was windward of most everyone. And, throughout the race I stayed between my competitors and the Shoreline of Molokai. Jeremy and Livio shot out in front in the beginning of the race. Thomas, Jack, Alan, Campbell and I seemed to be in the second group. Then Campbell and I stayed high and cut across the swells, as most others ran down with the swells towards Lana’i in the middle of the channel.

Connor catching some good glides

In the Pailolo Channel

Still in the Pailolo Channel

Within the first hour into the race, competitors were spread out – and I was up in front with Livio, Mark and Jeremy. And, we stayed this way for the rest of the race. Mark & Jeremy in front and Livio and I right behind. I stayed windward of them, and this tactic proved to be the correct decision.

Connor and Jeremy Riggs – The Island of Moloka’i in the background

Connor and Mark Raaphorst – The Island of Moloka’i in the background

Connor – approaching the town of Kaunakakai

About half way through the race, out of nowhere a whale came up 10 feet in front of me and I had to stop, otherwise I would of hit it. I also saw flying fish and spinner dolphins along the way.

My support boat consisting of my mom, dad and friend Mike, were my source of extra energy giving me packets of hammer gel, hammer perpetuem and “poi”. I had my Dakine waterpak on for hydration.

Passing the town of Kaunakakai

Heading to the Channel Marker for the Kaunakakai Harbor


In the Channel heading to the finish line

Finish line only 500 feet ahead

After hours of paddling towards Kaunakakai, Mark & Jeremy and I were still neck and neck. As we headed towards the harbor entrance, Mark & Jeremy had to head up across the swells and wind and I was on the perfect rhumb line running with the swells and wind. After over 3 hours we were within a few minutes of each other. But they were doing it as a team – and I was solo – so this was the extra boost that made me paddle even harder. Knowing that I could be first overall was a huge encouragement.

So after 3 1/2 hours, I did come in FIRST overall. I was the first SUP racer onto the beach. What a great feeling of accomplishment.

1st place overall – Connor and his dog Leilani

These photos are some my mom took along the way.

I would like to thank all my sponsors for their help and support. Starboard SUP, Nike USA, Dakine, SIC, Sun-Rite Maui, Waterman’s Sunscreen, Smith Sunglasses and Ion Wetsuits.

Aloha -
Connor Baxter

By the way, the overall winners were Junya McGurn and his cousin David Kalama on a Waveblade OC-2 paddling Solo, at a blistering 2.33.55.

Waterman League–Sunset

Mark posted this in the forum section, but the video is so much fun I want to make sure people get to see it: >>

I’d like to share some stoke about the Waterman League and its’ StandUp World Tour – Sunset Pro competition this past winter. I was fortunate to be on Oah’u when it took place. I didn’t know about it until the last minute and tried to enter as an alternate to no avail despite the very helpful and accommodating contest staff.

I did get to SUP great Kammies the first day of the event with some leaders in the sport, and had many great sessions at Sunset that whole week and a wild one at Haleiwa that Wednesday, always with a stoked progressive crew and positive vibes.

As someone who has surfed around the globe over 30 years the thing that really stood out about the event to me was the natural stoke and Aloha. The camaraderie reminded me of the way surfing was long ago before hyper-commercialization kicked in. There was a sense of being a part of something most people didn’t understand. Everyone was sort of figuring things out as they went along. There was a very down to Earth supportive energy. That’s an important element of surfing that often gets overlooked in the mainstream today, to live Aloha. Like the ability to SUP surf itself, I consider the above-mentioned experience as an unexpected gift. I want to say Mahalo to the folks behind the Waterman League and everyone who helped make the event what it was.

I was able to film some footage from the Big Wednesday of the event and some from the final Friday. I’ve finally edited it and would like to share it with anyone who may be interested. Check out the big wave ridden starting at 0:32 in vid.

Aloha
-Mark

Power to Weight

Dave Kalama is a pretty subtle guy. I think he doesn’t like to give bad news, so maybe he cloaks it a little–sometimes so it sounds like a casual question. Unfortunately I’m a little slow on the uptake, so it takes awhile for me to get what he’s talking about. I think he was recently telling me that I can be fat, or I can be fast, but I can’t be both.

There’s a six pack in there somewhere

It started off with him telling me about a study he read on the effects of weight on canoe speed. He followed up by forwarding me an email from a friend on the Livestrong Canoe team:

I found a rowing study where they used a physics ratio of “the percentage loss of speed is one sixth the percentage increase in mass.” From that I compared Molokai Times between Livestrong and Shell and found an interesting correlation. Using a 95kg boat (paddler plus boat) they determined that for every 5kg of additional weight they added 31.68 seconds per hour to their time.

Assuming a race where the only difference between teams was the weight of the combined crew members: Livestrong a 532kg crew (6@195lbs) vs Shell Va’a a 477kg crew (6@175lbs) has a difference of 55kg. Adapting for the difference in weight ratio 55kg/5kg= 11 * 31.68seconds per hour= 348.48seconds per hour or 5.8mins/hour loss in time. So based on crew weight alone Livestrong would be losing 5.8mins/hr raced. Over a 4.66 hour race the heavier crew would have a slower time of: 5.8mins/hr * 4.66hours= 27.028mins

2009 Molokai Hoe result:
Shell vaa 4hr 40min (4.66hr)
Livestrong 5hr 8min (28mins behind)

Heres the link to the physics behind the study. http://www.atm.ox.ac.uk/rowing/physics/weight.html#section7
Heres the link to the 95kg boat study. http://www.fennkayaks.co.nz/weight.htm

So I read the studies and thought I had found a flaw in the reasoning of Dave’s buddy. The assumption in the example above is that both teams have identical strength. In reality the 195 pounds per crew member team should be stronger, and the formulas should include that in a full calculation. For a heavyweight like me comparing my potential to a lighter person that difference is vital. The study provides formulas for strength calculations. Since the constants used in the calculations are not known, the formulas are useful mainly for calculating relative effects. Anerobic strength (sprinting) is directly proportional to muscle mass, so two people of similar physique should have power equivalent to their weight. Aerobic strength (longer haul) is proportional to membranes passing oxygen. Aerobic power to weight ratio is inversely proportional to the cube root of weight. So a lighter athlete has a a power to weight advantage over longer distances.

Tuck all that back into the drag on hulls from weight calculation and you have a slight advantage for lighter paddlers in sprints, and a substantial advantage for lighter paddlers over longer distances. Most of our paddles are about ten miles. Game, Set, Match. See you later, chubster.

The last kicker is the “similar physique” assumption. Blubber is deadweight. The calculation is simple, multiply the fat percentage times weight for two paddlers. A paddler who weighs 180 pounds with a body fat percentage of 6 percent is carrying 11 pounds of deadweight. A 250 pound paddler with 18 percent body fat is carrying 45 pounds–a difference of 34 pounds. All that fat does is add to the hull drag penalty of 31.6 seconds per hour for every 5kg (11 pounds) of added weight, in this case about 1.5 minutes per hour in flatwater. Watching all the lighter, leaner paddlers disappear adds practical knowledge to the calculations. And here I thought I at least had momentum on my side.

Now add to all this the reality that the heavier SUP paddler needs a longer, wider board, that they have to put a lot more steam into catching bumps to accelerate their mass, and they are less likely to link runs since they slow so quickly, and you have an overwhelming advantage for fit over fat.

So okay, Dave, I get it. Shed the flab or get used to being last to the beach.

All is not lost though. Doing some napkin calculations and guesstimates I can see the great degree of improvement available to me. Each pound of fat I lose decreases both my weight and my fat percentage. At the 220 pound target weight I set for myself, assuming I lose only body fat I would be carrying 17 pounds of fat deadweight. A six pound difference from the 180 pound paddler. Better paddling technique, improvements in reading swells and wind, good equipment and general conditioning can overcome most of the remaining advantage.

A Fine Ride

I was kind of dreading the Maui Canoe and Kayak club race this Saturday. Last year the same race was from the Canoe Hale in Kihei to the Maui Price Hotel, just past Makena Landing. It was a nasty bit of torture–light winds, greasy swells that I couldn’t catch and every so often the wind decided to turn head on. The last mile of the race was into a headwind. I remember barely being able to get my board out of the water at the end.

This weekend the race ended at the Kea Lani, about three miles shorter. The MCKC map said eight miles. When I got to Haycraft Park at noon to sign up (the long canoe course started there) the windline was well offshore, but the winds were strong. I made my way back to the Canoe Hale and found Noah Yap hanging out, waiting for the race to start and guarding his borrowed board–Jeremy Rigg’s impossibly narrow (24″) Foote Maliko 14. I had decided to run my F18 so I started rigging it out. I’ve been doing the last few races and a lot of southside runs with my jukebox on the nose: An iHome portable iPod player using my iPhone as the pod. I stuff the whole thing in a big transparent drybag and lash it onto the nose with the volume cranked up. Good music and no headphones. Noah always jokes that he’s going to stick with me to hear the music. I say “you’ve got to catch me first”. I’m not going to be saying that anymore.

I’ve had lots of comments and a few disparaging looks at my sound system. Like I’m not serious if I’m adding weight to my board. If anyone picked up my poor beaten up and waterlogged F18 they’d understand–I bet it weighs fifty pounds. The whole sound system might weigh two pounds. It just won’t matter. Besides, I could skip breakfast and save more weight than that.

People started showing up. Tracy, Travis, Byron, Ron, Bruce, Lee, Jeremy, Konosuke, Sharon, Connor. Damn, Connor’s getting tall. He’s not that little skinny squirt he used to be. Some new guys showed up too, one with a new Production F16 V2. I considered offering to swap for my “much faster” F18 for the race, but decided that would be way too cruel.

There was more than a bit of confusion about where we should start. At first they were talking about a beach start. I went out to warm up as did pretty much everyone else, and I suspect the guy on the jetski thought “OK, let’s do a waterstart”. At first he was motioning us towards the canoe lane wands, but the wind was much stronger outside, so I decided to paddle out to the orange buoy and see if I could start in a better position. Everyone else came to the same conclusion and pretty quickly there was a herd moving towards the orange buoy. I wiggled my way past Jeremy and Connor, turned the board sideways to hold in the wind just as the starter gave up on getting us in any kind of order in the strong wind and blew his whistle. Damn, pointed the wrong way. I got turned a little, but decided to take advantage of my angle and started pumping for the outside. I started getting little bumps right away and used them to run further out where I could see a more intense windline.

Jeremy and Conner were off like a pair of greyhounds. I caught a couple of nice rides and stuck with them for a few minutes, but they kept getting smaller and smaller. I could see they were having a real duel. On the inside I could see Ron St. John slightly ahead, and Noah running parallel to me. With my cigar store Indian flexibility I don’t try to look behind, but I couldn’t see anyone else. I figured Noah would fade. Turns out that Lee was ahead of me too, but he was well inside I guess. I never saw him.

My F18 was working wonderfully. I was making good use of the small swells to hook into the big ones, and once I was in the big guys I was getting very long and fast rides. Super exciting. I expected to pull past Noah and start catching Ron with all the great rides I was getting, but it didn’t happen. Noah was surfing the board every time I looked at him and Ron was pulling slightly away. I was shocked, but I put my head down and worked harder at getting every ride I could. The Tahitian stroke was working incredibly well, popping me into swells that I usually wouldn’t catch. Nickleback was blasting out a nice cadence on the nose. Something uplifting about a guy’s Mom shooting his abusive Dad. Whatever, sounded great and went with the pace just perfectly.

As we neared the Cove I saw one of those big flat rippled sheets to my right that anyone who paddles here knows and loves. They aim downwards to a deep trough, and right behind them is always a big swell. I rode a little money wave over into it and started accelerating across the sheet. When I got to the other side I turned to come back and discovered a trough so deep and sharp it looked like a fold in the ocean. Nothing to do but drop into it, so I did, and immediately turned my board as much to the left as I could to keep the nose out of the wall in front of me. The acceleration was terrific, I nearly staggered backwards on the board, but dropped my front knee instead and stayed with it. The board zoomed along the face, staying in the wave a long, long way, and when I popped out of the far side a little gap in the wall let me swing over and continue the ride. Best swell ride I’ve ever done, anywhere. “So THAT’S how you do it!!” I crowed, and then got knocked off by a little side chop.

Ah well, I got back underway with little fuss, but while I was getting up I saw some SUP racer with a white rashguard closing on me. And Noah, that little weasel, had pulled out a serious lead.

As we passed Sorrentos I decided to draw a bead on the Kea Lani and do a gradual angle that would take me to the finish line, which I knew would be a buoy positioned just off the point we usually turn after to reach public end of the beach. I was catching good rides and moving fast, but the wind was slacking and the swells were getting more confused. I was coming in too early. I started to turn outwards again when a OC-1 went past my knee. Scared the heck out of both of us. The OC-1 was passing on the right and I didn’t see him as I started to turn. He almost had a very heavy and clumsy passenger. On the plus side it was the first canoe that had passed me. Quite a few more went by before the finish, but not as many as a typical race. The SUP folks were all maintaining a pretty rapid pace.

I was still pretty far out and thinking of going further when I was able to see the buoy. It drew me like a magnet. I should have resisted. A hundred yards further out the wind was still howling, but as I moved in towards the buoy the wind slacked, the swells got very confused with all the reflected waves from the rocky shore, and I slowed. I didn’t know where my white-shirted nemesis was, so I started putting the heat back into my paddling, concentrating on doing as solid a Tahitian Stroke as I could manage. I got a few little rides, then a bigger one, then a few more hard strokes and I was over the line.

After the finish line we had to make out way to shore, and up to the public parking, which wasn’t easy with dozens of tourists bobbing clueless-ly. How someone can stand in front of a bunch of sharply pointed 21 foot canoes nearly out of control in shorebreak and not at least be a little on guard is beyond me. I nearly speared a guy who walked in front of my board as a wave swept me towards shore. I had to dive on the nose and get the board stopped before it whacked him right in his goofy smile. He didn’t even put his hands up.

A guy and his girlfriend sat at the edge of the stairs while dozens of people carried long boards and canoes past him in the buffeting wind. I heard him say “we’re okay here” when she expressed some concern. I said to her “you have a 90 percent chance of getting whacked by one of these” so she got up and moved. He eventually followed after my fin wobbled over his head a few times. I was doing my best not to let it hit him, but geez.

I figured I was fifth until I saw Lee walking down the stairs toward me when I was carrying my board up. “Hmmm, where did he come from?”

Fish tacos and cold beer at the finish. What could be better. Byron Yap gave Jeremy and I a ride back to our rigs, and we both returned for the medal ceremony. Tracey Dudley told me that Jeremy and Conner were disqualified for missing the finish buoy. They didn’t know where the finish was, and were far outside, headed for the Maui Prince on the other side of Makenna Landing. Mary–the MCKC starter went out in the boat and asked them “are you in the race? The finish is back there.” I assume she was being serious, though Mary’s sarcasm is well known and appreciated. She was starting us a few races ago when my board drifted ahead of the lineup. She pulled in front of me and said “are you special? Do you get an extra head start?”

So despite carrying a blistering lead and finishing eight miles in well under an hour, they were both DQ’d. Ah, well, said I to Jeremy, look at the bright side, that moves me up two places. Somehow he didn’t see the benefit of that.

Results

24	242	–DQ	Connor Baxter	SIC 14	Stand-up Junior
25	114	–DQ	Jeremy Riggs	Foote 14	Stand-up Men Stock
26	3	–1.04.12	Lee Ishikawa	SIC F16	Stand-up Men Custom
27	40	–1.05.09	Ron St. John	Naish 14	Stand-up Men Stock
28	23	–1.06.52	Noah Yap	Foote 14	Stand-up Men Stock
29	808	–1.09.28	Blair Thorndike	Eleu	Paddle Board Open
30	459	–1.10.33	Bill Babcock	SIC F18	Stand-up Men Custom
31	529	–1.11.17	Konosuke Akao	Naish Glide 14	Stand-up Men Stock
32	100	–1.12.04	Dave Ward	Elua	Paddle Board Open
33	530	–1.13.51	Sharon Look	SIC	Stand-up Women
34	507	–1.14.23	Travis Baptiste	Focus	Stand-up Men Stock
35	38	–1.15.22	Bruce Baptiste	Focus	Stand-up Men Stock
36	497	–1.17.52	Richard Ladera	Eleu	Paddle Board Open
37	463	–1.22.14	Tracy Dudley	Foote 14	Stand-up Women
38	527	–1.23.15	Stephen Ross	Bark	Stand-up Men Stock
39	525	–1.28.29	Weston Leslie	SIC F-16	Stand-up Men Custom

Cape Cod Bay Challenge

This thing just gets bigger every year. The first year I think it was seven of us lunatics and I didn’t think there would be a next year. Last year it was 25. I don’t know how many people they are accepting this year, but if you’re in the area, DO THIS PADDLE. It’s a blast, the after party is (as they say far, far too often in Boston) “Wicked”. And the before party is something to be approached with caution. I say that after doing the first year with a serious red wine and cigar hangover. In fact I wasn’t really hung over, I was still pretty drunk until about mile five. THEN the hangover started.

Your mileage may vary.

Anyway, If I can fly back from Oregon to Boston and do this thing with a hangover, then I need to know what you East Coast sweepers are going to use for an excuse.

Brother Bob did a promo for this years extravaganza. He and his buddy Mike are the loons that put this on. Here you go. Sign up and start training. It’s not a cakewalk.

Create your own video slideshow at animoto.com.

Funky Puffin?

The funky puffins at Funky Puffin sent me a beautifully assembled press package for what sounds like an seriously challenging race. I’m not going to ask what a funky Puffin really is. I’m picturing some kind of dance that includes splaying your fingers out over your butt.

Here’s what they said:

Funky Puffin, the lifestyle brand that’s growing out of Jersey (Channel Islands), is the 2010 sponsor of the Paddle Round The Pier Euro-Enduro stand-up paddleboard (SUP) race, taking place on July 3rd and 4th in Brighton, England.

Funky Puffin, which produces a range of eco-friendly surf and beach products, has chosen Paddle Round The Pier for its first sponsorship deal outside of the Channel Islands because it is Europe’s largest free beach festival and raises thousands of pounds for charity.

The 20 mile charity SUP race in association with SurfAid International is renowned as Europe’s toughest. Competitors will race from Brighton West Pier to Worthing Pier and back in the hope of winning the £1000 prize money for first place in either of the two classes.

Andrew Scott-Miller, Director of Funky Puffin, said: “The Euro-Enduro SUP race is the perfect event for Funky Puffin to sponsor because, as an eco-friendly brand, we know how tough it is to push against the tide.

Paddle Round The Pier is an awesome event attracting thousands of people from across the country and raising tens of thousands of pounds for charity. I wish all the competitors well and look forward to handing out the prizes at the end of the race.”

Dave Samuel, organiser of Paddle Round The Pier, said: “We’re delighted that Funky Puffin is joining Paddle Round The Pier by sponsoring the Euro-Enduro SUP race. We’d like to thank Andrew and his colleagues for choosing PRTP as the launch pad for their brand. It’s going to be a fantastic weekend, with thousands joining in to celebrate the surf lifestyle and raise money for Surfaid International.”

Paddle Round The Pier is Europe’s largest free charity watersports festival and is expected to see visitor numbers of around 40,000+ over the weekend of July 3rd & 4th 2010.
The Funky Puffin Euro-Enduro SUP race is a 20 mile SUP Race in association with SurfAid International.
It takes place on July 3rd & 4th 2010 in Brighton, England and runs from Brighton West Pier to Worthing Pier and back.

12’6” and under = £1000 first prize fund

Unlimited class = £1000 first prize fund

For more information please contact:
Dave Samuel – sandals@paddleroundthepier.com or visit the website www.paddleroundthepier.com for entry forms and details.

For more information about Funkypuffin, please contact Andrew Scott-Miller, andrew@funkypuffin.com or visit www.funkypuffin.com.

SurfAid International – www.surfaidinternational.org

Mickey Mongoose–Sounds Like Fun

The Legendary Mickey Munoz is the luminary behind the new Mickey Munoz Mongoose Cup Stand up paddle board fun paddle and relay race. It sounds like a truly great event. It’s always fun to be in on an inaugural event–here’s your chance. And it is clearly designed for everyone and anyone, not just the serious racers. First there’s a fun paddle, and then a relay race that requires every four person team to have a woman paddler, one over fifty and one under 16. If you don’t have a team they’ll help you put one together from people who sign up at the beach. Sounds like geezers like me might be in demand!!

Mickey is quite a guy. He competed at both of the Battle of the Paddle (BOP) races. The first year he beat me soundly on the last leg. When we turned into the wind he choked way down on his paddle, bent down low like a 20 year old, and pulled away like he had a motor. I could have copied his technique, but I would have had to go straight from the beach to a chiropractor. The results listed me as finishing first, but it was only because someone had registered Mickey as a woman! Maybe they really thought he was Gidget. At 73 he’s full of fun and energy. It’s a pleasure to meet him and spend some time in the water with such a legendary surfer. You’ll enjoy it.

Here’s the release:
Hola Paddler,

Enjoy a great day of paddling fun, camaraderie, get a cool long sleeve event tee and delicious BBQ at Dana Point’s Festival of Whales. The Mickey Muñoz Mongoose Cup will begin at 9:00 a.m. with a Fun Paddle around Dana Point Harbor Island. The Fun Paddle will be launched after a vital “Rules of the Road” paddling safety meeting is conducted by officials from Dana Point Harbor and the Orange County Sherriff Department’s Harbor Patrol.

After loosening up with the Fun Paddle, participants will be organized into SUP Relay teams that will race for the inaugural Mongoose Cup. Each SUP (4) person relay team will be required to have one female paddler, one senior paddler (50 & over) and either one junior paddler (16 & under) or a beginner/intermediate paddler on their respective teams. The start and finish for the flat-water race will be at Baby Beach. To be eligible for the Mongoose Cup teams must race 12’6″ & under SUP boards.

Don’t worry if you do not have a team. We will have a SUP Relay sign-up sheet on the beach for those looking for a team. We want everyone to have a chance to participate.
Event proceeds will benefit the Doheny State Beach Interpretive Association (DSBIA).

Mickey Munoz Mongoose Cup
DATE: March 13, 2010
TIME: 9:00 A.M. Fun Paddle Start
LOCATION: Baby Beach, Dana Point Harbor
MORE: Dana Point Festival of Whales
ENTER: Click here

This is going to be a great event to celebrate & honor our friend Mickey Munoz and kick-off the season. Bring your friends and new paddlers wanting to gain race experience and learn more about the sport of SUP.
Barrett Tester
Event Coordinator
barrett.tester@gmail.com

$5.00 off entry fee with early mail-in: $30.00 for early entry includes commemorative Mongoose Cup event tee, “Rules of the Road” safety decal and delicious BBQ lunch.  Mail-in entries must be submitted/post marked before Monday March 9th, 2010.

Mail to:  DSBIA c/o Mongoose Cup
3240 Michigan Ave.
Coata Mesa, CA  92626

On-site entry fee: $35.00.
Event registration begins at 7:30 a.m. at Baby Beach.

About Mickey Munoz
Mickey Munoz, born in New York City in 1937, is an early pioneer of surfing and well-known surfboard shaper. Once described as the “surfer’s surfer”, Mickey has been riding waves since the 1950s and has been featured in many popular surfing films and documentaries. Winning the first professional surf contest and pioneering big wave surfing at Waimea Bay are a few of Mickey’s surfing accomplishments. Munoz was the stunt double for Sandra Dee in the 1959 teen film Gidget and he developed an iconic surf stance that became known as the “quasimoto”. Mickey currently lives in Capistrano Beach, CA with his wife Peggy and is an avid stand-up paddler (SUP).

Paddle Oregon Invites SUP

Paddle Oregon, the premier canoe and Kayak adventure on the Willamette River is accepting reservations for their annual 90-mile, five-day trip. And for the first time they are accepting Stand Up Paddle surfers. This is a comprehensive excursion, including delicious northwest cuisine, daily baggage shuttle, safety paddlers, camping accommodations, showers where possible,entertainment, t-shirts, reusable lunch bags, ACA insurance coverage and logistical support.

From the website: http://www.paddleoregon.org/
Now in its 9th year, Willamette Riverkeeper™ is proud to present PADDLE OREGON as the premiere canoe and kayak adventure on the Willamette River.

Participants camp together and eat delicious catered meals, enjoy nightly speakers and entertainment, learn about river issues and ecology, and share this one of a kind experience with fellow paddlers. This year’s trip will begin at Marshall Island Access (north of Eugene), and will end at Willamette Mission State Park (north of Salem) for a total of 96 river miles. Your participation supports Willamette Riverkeeper’s work to protect and restore this amazing Oregon River.

Monday August 17th to Friday August 21st, 2009

REGISTRATION & OPTIONAL FEES
Paddle Oregon Registration: $595 (Adults)
Early registration: $570 (postmarked by May 1st)
Paddle Oregon Registration: $500 (Youth)
Registration includes delicious northwest cuisine, daily baggage shuttle, safety paddlers, camping accommodations, showers where possible,entertainment, t-shirts, reusable lunch bags, ACA insurance coverage and logistical support.

SUP Sprint Racing

I beat Dave Kalama at the inaugural Big Winds SUP race in the Columbia River Gorge at Hood River. Finished about five minutes ahead of him–long enough to get off my board, walk up to the deck above the river and take pictures of Dave, Robby Naish, and Michi Schweiger crossing the finsih line. So I’m going to share my simple recipe for how to beat these guys:

1. Good board
2. Lots of practice
3. Short race
4. and most importantly, a ten minute lead.

Here’s a blow-by blow of this very fun event.

I heard about the Hood Sup Series on the last possible day–a press release posted on the Standup Zone (http://www.standupzone.com) said it was June 18th, and that Dave Kalama, Robby Naish, and Michi Schweiger would be there. The prospect of a race sounded great, and it just happened that I didn’t have anything too pressing to do that thursday night. It’s an eight-race series, which sounded even better. Hood River is 72 miles from my house–about an hour and 20 minute drive if traffic is good, but planning to arrive at 6:00 PM could be problematic, the freeway that heads up the gorge gets jammed with traffic at rush hour. So I left at 2:00 PM for a 6:30 race meeting, and arrived way too early. I got signed up, drove down to the Hook where the race was going to start, and just hung out. I should have brought a sail–any sail, and sailed my 12’2″ starboard, which is great fun.

I had plenty of time to look over all elements of the course, which is pretty short–about 2 miles. The prevailing summer wind in the gorge is against the current–west to east–which punches up nice standing swells for jumping with your windsurfer or kite. And the wind is frequently strong enough to blow a dumpster across the parking lot (which I witnessed years ago at Rooster Rock). The race started with a run along the inside of the hook, carrying a buoy on the port side, sheltered from the gale by the large berm of this artificial peninsula, then turned the corner into the face of what felt like at least a 20 knot wind.

The run to the next buoy was also against the wind though it might be buffered slightly by Wells Island just to the west if you took the proper angle, and from my windsurfing experience I knew there are some funny currents close to Wells that might help or hurt. Once the buoy near Wells was rounded it’s a straight downwind run to the event center slot. This is an odd place. Right off the end of the parking lot called the Event Center is a sandbar that kitesurfers use to launch. The sandbar goes well out into the river. Near shore there is a twenty foot gap in the bar that’s about six feet deep at the center. It’s rocky near the shore and shallow near the bar, so you have to go through this section with some caution and precision. It also angles somewhat to the current.

Once through the gap it’s a short spurt to the next buoy which you take on the starboard side, then a sprint crosswise and slightly against the wind to the bouy at the end of the inlet, around another buoy to starboard and a sprint more against the wind to the finish buoys.

I waited around on the hook for a while, then realized I had more than an hour to the race meeting, got bored and cruised up into Hood River. What a lively place Hood River is during the summer. Stuff going on everywhere. There was a skateboard clinic going on, crowds of great-looking active people wandering around. Like a ski town in winter, only in a lot less clothes. I got an ice cream at Mikes–one of those “gotta do it” places. Like eating breakfast at Bette’s in Hood River.

Didn’t really need an ice cream just before racing, but what the heck.

I wandered back to the hook and people started showing up. Soon there was a surprisingly large crowd. I had jersey number 46, and there were a lot more people that signed up after me.

You can see my Starboard Point to the left hand side of the launch area. Most folks were on standard boards, though the Naish crew had what looked like Glides. Looks like I brought a gun to a knife fight, but really, with my weight on it, the Point is no faster than the 12’2″ Starboard that I also brought. The advantage is that it’s a lot more stable and it has steering which is handy upwind and for rounding buoys, so I decided to use it. I also brought my S.I.C. F18, but elected not to use it, both because it would seem like overkill, and because I suspected it’s thick sides and long length would be hell in the crosswinds.

After a brief meeting the ladies and juniors took to the water and were off quickly in surprisingly good order. The Men’s group was starting five minutes later, so I got onto my board and got a good position in the lineup, on the inside of the group. On the horn I started paddling like heck, but a small group of lightweight younger guys (actually, I think everyone was younger) got a fine start and pulled away smartly. I redoubled my efforts, bounced off another determined paddler rounding the buoy, and headed for the hook in about tenth place. As soon as we rounded the end of the hook the wind blasted right into our faces. I crouched down and stroked hard, and was surprised to see most of the guys drop to their knees and continue paddling. I didn’t do that–two reason: 1. It’s called Stand Up paddling, and 2. I wasn’t sure I could get up again. So I pushed on, managing to pass a few people and using my rudder to get a good line to the buoy. When I finally rounded the buoy the leaders were about 50 yards ahead. They popped to their feet and started really moving. I was paddling hard but the long pull had taken a lot of wind out of me. There were some tiny following swells being created by the wind on the outside line, so I paddled out and tried to catch some even though their angle was wrong–they were angled towards the middle of the river. I recalled what Jeremy Riggs told me once about riding swells at an angle making you faster, so I tried it in these ankle-high swells and it worked! I was able to catch quite a few runners that let me catch my breath and helped me haul in the leaders. I passed four people quickly and had just three in front of me. As it happened, I was on a swell when I passed the guy in third, and he yelled “Holy s&@t, you’re leaving a wake! How are you doing that?”

I figured I’d explain later.

We passed quite a few of the women and juniors, but off in the distance I could see that there were some serious contenders that we were not going to catch in such a short race. When we reached the slot I was ten feet behind second and perhaps thirty feet behind first. We rounded the buoy and I started stroking hard in the crosswind. To my surprise the guys in first and second dropped to their knees again and started stroking hard. I thought they would surely be disqualified, but continued to press hard. I didn’t lose any ground, and when we rounded the buoy onto the final upwind leg I gained a few feet and started thinking I might be able to at least take second. I started to close, but the wind picked up, and my progress slowed a little. By the time we went through the finish line buoys the gap was back to ten and thirty feet respectively. I cooled down, paddling a little in the basin, and then decided I should get some pictures of the other finishers, since I was carrying my iPhone in a waterproof bag.

I got up to the deck above the finish line just as Dave Kalama approached the finish line. “How cool is this”, I thought, “Not only did I beat Dave to the beach, but I can get a photo documenting it.” Believe me, it’s not likely to happen again. At Maliko I’d need about an hour head start.

Dave K catches his breath after the finish line while Robbie Naish strokes to beat Michi Schweiger.

Dave Kalama, Robbie Naish and Michi Schweiger

Some of the ladies make their way to the finish

The after party at the Pourhouse was really fun. Lots of nice folks. I talked for quite a while with Dave and Michi as well as some of the other competitors and a delightful couple from Arizona who have a house in Hood River. They even offered me a bed for the night in case I celebrated a bit too much, but I did more talking and eating than drinking, so I was fine for the ride home.

In all, an excellent first effort for Big Winds. I thought the race was going to be too short to be fun, but actually it was very interesting. The upwind legs made it tough and the short length made all-out effort a practical strategy. I certainly didn’t have anything left in reserve. Their organization was excellent too, and the party was a hoot.

For those of you that might be put off by the knee paddling, it won’t be a problem in the future. I sent Big Winds an email suggesting that they either not permit knee paddling beyond five strokes (as most races do to let racers get back up after a fall) or let everyone know that it’s OK. I got an email back immediately from Steve Gates saying: “This was the first SUP race we’ve put on or been in and we never even thought about knee paddling. But we did have a discussion about it earlier today and agreed it will not be allowed in the men’s divisions in future races.” That’s a good approach. While there were plenty of capable women and junior paddlers that didn’t knee paddle, some of them would have had a very tough time in the strong winds.

I’ll be making as many of the remaining seven races as I can manage. If you’re anywhere in the area you should too.

For more info click HERE

Gumby Does Maliko

Maliko Gulch in the early morning is a strange place. Rainwater rushes through the creek from rainstorms up the mountain. The gulch smells of horseshit and squashed green things (there’s a ranch up the gulch). As I parked next to the muddy road in some tall grass I could see a swarm of mosquitoes lifting from the damp ground.  I either disturbed them or they smelled blood. Neither alternative was good.

At the ocean end of the gulch I could see big swells pounding on the rocks at the entrance, but there was no wind and no whitecaps. I was in the gulch to do the Maui Canoe and Kayak Club’s Maliko Gultch race, sponsored by Koho’s restaurant. Looked like it was going to be a long morning.

Kiwi (Mark Jackson) was already there, taking pictures and helping other SUP paddlers with their boards. There were lots of canoes, though not in the kind of numbers that turn up for south shore races, and i didn’t see any surfskis. I went up to register and the lady asked me if I’d done Malko runs before. “I went twice last week” was my reply, leaving out fact that those two were my ONLY Maliko runs. Trusting soul, she accepted my entry and they wrote my number on my arm. Not really so the scorers could see it, but so I could remember it.

The plan was to ride Gumby, my new old downwinder board I’d bought from Bill Foote. The night before I tarted it up with some pad extensions made from scrap, and a freshly painted mascot on the nose–Gumby, in big trouble, sketched using Posca pens.

Gumby, in deep doo-doo. A little reminder to help me stay outside of Spartan’s Reef

A little closer shot. I missed a line on the inside of the right leg. Oh, well.

So I felt completely prepared. The conditions looked suitable for a novice like me, not the “victory at sea” stuff I’d endured in my first run. Gumby is a stable and easy board, I’d been practicing in rough water, and I had a new camelback. What could possibly go wrong. Why, oh why did I say that.

Setting up a SUP board to race consists of attaching a leash, taking it off the car and carrying it close to the entry point. So I had some time to kill. I walked around the gultch talking to people. Ekolu Kalama was there. I’ve met him and his delightful wife two times–at the Starboard dealer meeting in Netarts, Oregon, and at the Battle of the Paddle. He’s a talented and engaging guy–fine guitar player and singer, super waterman, and just to piss everyone off he’s also clearly very bright though he seems to work a bit at hiding that.

I found Randy Royce, Slater and Casey Trout, and Mark Raaphorst in the registration line and caught up with them. Then suddenly it was time to get in the water. We were taking off 30 minutes before the canoes started. I hopped onto Gumby and paddled out with great confidence, until the rollers converging from at least three different directions knocked me off Gumby right next to the entrance rocks. I knee paddled out, expecting the conditions to be far better on the outside. Instead they got bigger, if not quite as confused. Hmmm, I wasn’t expecting this.

Setting up the gear

The victims arrive

No wind! Ugh.

these beautiful twin girls were helping Dad handle his money in the registration line. They’ll be doing a lot more of that in later years.

Canoes set to go

At the horn everyone shot off, with Mark Raaphorst displaying immediate speed on the 18 foot experimental board he was riding. I displayed immediate clumsiness, falling uncerimoniously ten seconds into the race. I then proceeded to fall at least 15 times in short order, until one of the jet skis came by to see if I was OK. “I’m fine, I just need to get my sea legs. I don’t know what’s wrong, I’ve been out in rougher water than this” I said. The jet skier looked dubious, but left me to flounder. Ten more falls and an escort Zodiac pulled up. I repeated my story and she said “OK, but if you can’t get it together in the next five minutes we’ll have to pull you out, we have canoes starting”.

That message somehow got through to the little beast that was screaming somewhere inside my head, and I got up and paddled off. Miraculously not falling until I was out of sight, which isn’t that far when the rollers are overhead. The times between falls extended, until I was actually making some ground. I could see most of the SUP paddlers ahead, and I thought I was catching up to the last of them. He was outside even further than I was, which is remarkable given my dread of being caught inside by a rogue wave. I have to get over that. A few close calls and now I’m phobic about it.

Lonely way out here in last place. Diane shot this from the Ho’okipa lookout. I was already further out than the serious racers

The canoes start 30 minutes later–they’ve almost caught me–it was a rocky start for me.

I slogged on, aiming doggedly for the right corner of Io Valley, off on the horizon. I was trying hard to catch some runners in the wind swell that was going my way, but having very little luck. It became clear to me why people don’t like doing Maliko runs when there’s no wind–the swells and rough water are still there, you just have to plow through them under your own power. Long morning indeed.

I passed Spartan’s reef so far out that I didn’t realize it was behind me. Outer Kahana was a little white line instead of the pounding break that I knew these big swells were tossing up. I was too far out, way too far out. In fact at the end of the race my GPS reported I’d gone 10.0 miles, half a mile further than the course, and I had forgotten to start my GPS until a few minutes after the race started. Just what i needed, a little extra distance.

I caught very few runners, as the GPS trace shows, and those that i caught didn’t last long. No resting on this race. You can also see every fall, except in the beggining when they came so fast and furious that they blend into a big immobile blotch.

By the time I passed kite beach I knew I wasn’t going to have any trouble being out far enough for the harbor mouth. The end of the jetty can be a bit hard to see, and hard to paddle out to if you’re too far inside. I drew a straight line for the end of the breakwall, and still wound up 300 yards outside when I reached the mouth. The only benefit I can see for the “chicken line”. I caught one of the few good runners I’d had all day and got a free ride into the harbor. What a relief.

The jetskier that had checked on me at the beginning of the race whooped me into the harbor: “You made it buddy! Go straight in, don’t do the buoys”. As if i needed him to tell me that. I didn’t care about the official course at that point. I wanted a beer. I straightlined for the beach.

Mark Raaphorst makes the channel entrance solidly in first place. Now you know why Mark’s boards fly.

the first canoe heads for the line. A little bit of muscle on that guy.

First surfski

Mark, finishing

Ekolu Kalama finishes second

Slater Trout digging for the finish with Randy Royce close behind

Slater catches a runner to the beach

Finally, Tail End Charlie makes the harbor

Hey, somebody’s got to be last

Where the hell is the beer

I did a lot of falling, especially at the start

the chicken course–cost me an extra half mile I really didn’t need

The relatively gentle wind didn’t help, at least there weren’t any big gusts

So run three is under my belt, and my first Maliko race. I’m a competitive guy, and coming in last isn’t my favorite thing, but in this case I was pretty pleased to finish under my own steam. It’s a challenging course, and one that I think I’ll get better at. I think the big secrets are taking a decent line that doesn’t add mileage but still uses the best conditions, and knowing how to ride the runners better. I think Jeremy Riggs is among the best guys at doing that. He wants to do a Maliko race on the Penetrator. I suspect he’ll use it well. Maybe I can get a few pointers from him at the same time.

For those who want to do a Maliko race:

You need some rough water experience. Swells along the North shore come from a variety of directions in the open ocean–generally several at the same time. They intermix and produce a confused surface that you need to see to understand. But any experience paddling in 20+ knot winds and big swells will help. You also need to know the route–that means having someone guide you a few times, and it would be nice if they showed you the racing line. You can do what I did and stay way outside any potential huge breaking waves, but it’s the slow way to the harbor.

Some of the fast guys do the race with no safety gear and no leash. That’s nuts. In a 20 knot wind your board can blow away from you in a heartbeat. Yes, you should always catch the board if you fall, but what if you don’t? I wore a small camelback with an inflatable lifejacket stuffed inside, and I carried my cell phone in a soft waterproof case in my board short pocket.

Maui Canoe and Kayak Club holds races all winter long . My next big challenge will be the Maui to Molokai channel crossing. Might have to wait until next year though. I need a lot more time in Maliko. Here’s a gallery of pictures from the race. Special thanks to my wife Diane for shooting the pictures and for being so happy to see me at the finish.

Race/Distance Board Showcase

Well, I’ve done it. I committed to doing another board showcase on Maui, though this time it’s going to be Race/Distance/Downwinder boards and I’m going to try to keep it small and manageable. I’ve sent this letter to all the manufacturers I know of who make race/distance boards:

We are preparing to do a showcase for Distance/Race/downwind SUP boards on Maui at the end of February or early March similar to the general SUP board showcase we did last year. This showcase will not be a direct performance comparison–we don’t have the facilities or the expertise to rate board performance. It will reflect the paddler’s subjective opinions of the boards and provide general specifications. We will also provide some GPS data about general performance in downwind (a Maliko Gulch run), flat-water paddling, and over a Battle Of The Paddle-style closed course with legs in four directions.

Just to set expectations, this will NOT be a big event like last year’s showcase. Because of the nature of this showcase we expect to keep participation fairly small, and we will have only as many paddlers as we have boards.

Boards will be grouped in categories of Stock (12’6″ or less) 14 foot, and open length. All paddlers will try all boards (I hope). The showcase will run over multiple days to accommodate wind and weather as well as deal with the three venues.

If you would like to participate, please let me know as soon as possible. We cannot be responsible for your equipment, and you are responsible for getting the board(s) to us and any shipping cost for return. Please plan on us having your boards for at least a week. I understand this may be cost prohibitive for you, that won’t prevent your boards from appearing in the showcase. Shortly after the showcase is published we will provide a self-rating form that will enable you to add information, update specifications, upload pictures, screenshots of GPS data, or add boards to the showcase. In the event that you are not able to participate I believe you will find this system provides much of the showcase benefit.

If you have paddlers associated with your company that would like to participate, please let us know. We will need contact information for any participants. The participants will need to be available on relatively short notice for the three trial venues from roughly 2/25/2008 to 3/4/2009. We will try our best to complete all three in as short a timeframe as possible, but we’re counting on the cooperation of weather and swells.

The current general SUP board showcase receives about 11,000 visits per month. It’s a worthwhile place to have your boards listed. In the event that some of your boards are not in the general SUP showcase you will find the form for explaining the design aims of your boards, riding impressions, providing specifications and uploading pictures here: http://www.kenalu.com/report/board-showcase-form/ . Listing boards and paddles is completely free.

All the best,

Bill Babcock
Editor
Ke Nalu e-Magazine
Paddlesurfing’s Web Journal

As I said in the letter, this will NOT be an event like the last showcase. It’s going to be low key and mostly in the water. Last year’s showcase was fun, but way too much work and quite a bit of expense. I’m going to do my best to keep the lid on this one. You’ll see it all unfold right here.

Cape Cod Bay Challenge Video – Proud to be a Janitor

I’ll have a story posted soon….until then check out this great video by Lynn Wilson. Thanks Lynn…awesome job.

Cape Cod Bay Challenge

On August 9, 2008, a small group of stand-up paddle surfers will attempt a grueling marathon paddle across Cape Cod Bay from Plymouth to Provincetown to raise awareness and money to help stop the ever growing problem of pollution in our oceans and along our shores.

All proceeds from the event will benefit the Ocean Conservancy, a non-profit dedicated to promoting healthy and diverse ocean ecosystems. Part of the proceeds of this event will go towards the Ocean Conservancy’s International Coastal Clean Up on September 20, 2008.

The beauty, purity and the challenge of paddle surfing make it a great platform to raise awareness about the extremely serious issue of ocean pollution. Our goal is to make this an annual event that will serve as an on-going fundraiser for, and reminder of, our need to be responsible stewards of the ocean.

I had to think about whether I wanted to tell my own story or not. One it’s personal and two, this paddle isn’t about me. But I do want to use this opportunity to not only raise some money for a good cause but also maybe encourage a few folks to join me on the water. Especially if they are dealing with issues similar to my own.

When I first thought of the challenge last fall I didn’t think it was something I would be participating in….just organizing was my original thought. You see, five years ago I was diagnosed with a brain tumor, a vestibular schwannoma, growing on the vestibular nerve. Since then I’ve undergone radio-surgery to kill the tumor. The ongoing side effects of the tumor and radio-surgery caused severe headaches, vertigo, and dizziness, also deafness and tinnitus on my left side. The most disabling issue was loss of balance and vertigo, being unable to trust my body to do things, especially driving, made life planning difficult at best. I wasn’t sure where it would end, what it would mean to my career. Even the simple things like keeping up with the yardwork had become impossible.

4 years of treatments and prescriptions did little to help. Nothing the doctors did helped with the balance/vertigo problems. Then my brother Bill gave me his 12-6 Starboard Cruiser standup paddleboard when he thought it might be good therapy. It has proved to be one of the greatest gifts I’ve ever received.. Ten short months ago I was approaching 50, an overweight, out of shape balance challenged guy on a downward spiral. 5 months later on my 50th birthday, January 24th, I was surfing at Nauset Beach on Cape Cod.

I had already seen a dramatic change by then. I had retrained my system to balance visually. Pushing my need for balance to the extreme on a standup board makes the normal possible. I’ve been driving my car…..freedom. I went from barely being able to stand on a board to going out in 10′ waves in a nor’easter in mid May. Wild wind, heavy chop, and 8-10′ waves and I’m not only standup paddling out into it but catching a few waves as well. Talk about feeling alive.

Here I am 10 months later, 50 lbs lighter, even with all the added muscle, able to live a more normal life all because of a sport that is incredibly fun to do. I hope many of you that read this might be encouraged to give it a try, especially those that might be facing issues like mine. If I can do it almost anyone can. The added benefit, I’m in better shape now than I was at 30.

I’m not saying that this negates the need for medical care. I’ve just been painfully reminded of that. Unfortunately after 4 years of no growth I’ve just found out my little friend may be growing again. You can’t argue the obvious benefits however. The not so obvious may be just as important. I don’t think I’ve ever felt so at peace as while I’m out paddling. I return from every session refreshed in spirit. One thing that standup definitely gives me is a much better outlook on rehab if I need treatment again this time. My 1st question is going to be how long before I can get back on the water?

For additional info and to donate please check our website http://www.capecodbaychallenge.org . You can also download a copy of our poster there.

See you on the water.

Noosa! Big Fun Down Under

Bonga ripping
Michi Schweiger From Naish International attended the Noosa Surf Festival which ran from March 2 to March 9, 2008. He sent us this photojournal story:

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