Cape Cod Bay Challenge – We Made It!

Months of preparation, planning, and training. Hundreds of miles paddled getting our selves ready for a long day on Cape Cod Bay. Mike has been reminding us all to hydrate well and eat right. The mandatory carb loading pasta feast the night before. We were ready…….then Bill, Mike, and I finished off 5 bottles of wine along with some good cigars…….I don’t think that’s typical marathon preparation wisdom.

OMG!…..it’s time to get up already! Down a bottle of Gatorade and a handful of aspirin. Drive to the hotel to pick up Mike and Bill…Oh well…at least I don’t feel as bad as Mike looks….mint julep comes to mind. Bill makes me angry…he’s actually kind of chipper…I feel like smacking him.

6:00….Hey…we made it to the beach! It’s a start. Shawn and Jody are there already looking fit and very competent. I don’t think they drank any wine last night…..smart guys. Heavy fog….real heavy…where’s David, where’s the boat? Start making phone calls….OK…the boat’s on it’s way. Should be here in 20 minutes or so. I get David’s voicemail….I hope he got another plane last night after the 1st was cancelled. Mike is making funny noises. My head is swimming but I can tell I feel better than he does.

6:20…we wanted to launch at 6:30…..we call the boat again. Capt. Paul says he’s getting close….coming in slow because of the fog. David shows up looking like a Hollywood star…oh wait…that’s right he is! Who’s friggin idea was it to have all these young fit guys around?

6:40…We call again…GPS puts the boat 1000 yards off the beach….we can’t see a thing….Capt. says he can’t tell where the house sized boulders are that are out there just below the surface and doesn’t want to risk coming closer, I can’t blame him, it’s like a mine field out there. I’m beginning to think we should have launched from inside the harbor. It wouldn’t have mattered except that we have Jerry and Paul and a board for Bill on the boat. Looks like you guys will have to ferry that board in….start paddling.

6:50…We call the boat again….they say we should be able to see Jerry by now….nothing…..are you folks SURE you’re off Plymouth beach?

7:00….still nothing….wait!, what’s that coming out of the fog….looks like something from a Stephen King movie walking on water coming to eat the tourists. It’s Jerry, I feel like cheering and we haven’t even left yet. Still no sign of Paul though. We decide to paddle out to meet him halfway.

7:15….we’ve geared up…said good bye to friends and family that showed up to see us off and paddle out in search of Paul. Somehow this isn’t the start I was hoping for but at least we’re on the water……and Mike has stopped chumming.

The water is like glass, the fog pea soup, not a breath of wind, the only sound our paddles and boards on the water. We find Paul still a long way from shore. Finally we’re underway….look…there actually is a boat! We stop to talk for few and give instructions for signals.

Uh Oh!….my head isn’t cooperating at all. The fog is blending the sky into the sea and I have no horizon to help my balance. (If you’re interested you can read some of the background of why I need a horizon for balance here: http://www.capecodbaychallenge.org/Standup/standup.html )I fall for the 1st time…..this is going to be a long day!

I don’t think Bill was really running away from Jerry and his floaties…

On second thought….:)

The fog starts to lift about 4 miles offshore…..don’t look back….the cliffs at Plymouth still look close. Finally some horizon…but I think the damage is done….my head is taking lefts while the board is going straight….I get wet a lot. I don’t think my share of the 5 bottles of wine last night is helping either. I’m feeling bad about slowing us down but the guys are very cool about it. Making it seem like it was their idea to take a break when I was struggling. Thanks guys…:). I’m happy to see Mike looks like he’s feeling better. There’s actually some flesh tones showing through the green.

Hehe…I just noticed that you two look like twins, sorry David…:)

Hhhmmm….I guess Bill and I did too….LOL

The fog is finally behind us

What happened to our forecast? As of Friday night we were supposed to have 10-14 kt tailwinds and calm seas. Instead we have maybe a 2-4 kt WNW and once we got out further into the bay 2 ft side swell from the north and confused chop. At least there isn’t a headwind.

Fast forward…..we take a break at the halfway point. Jody has picked up a mylar ballon that was floating 10 miles out….reminds us why we are doing this. Shawn and Jody are having no problem keeping up on their 10-6 Vec’s. A combination of Shawn’s shaping skills and the fact that they are the most fit amongst us no doubt. The boards look like they have motor’s when they want to make them move.

15 miles in. Everyone is making it look easy. I’m feeling awkward, old, and slow. My head is still swimming occasionally. I pull my hat back….having the brim in my field of vision is bugging me….I don’t usually wear a hat. 5 minutes later my head is clear…or close anyway. Can it be that simple? I know that vision and balance are closely tied together. I can only guess that having an artificial horizon of a hat brim moving around was causing me problems. I don’t think I’ll wear a hat on the water anymore. Maybe a bandana and a cutlass….I’ll be the 1st SUPirate.

20 miles….We’ve had Provincetown in sight for awhile. We also get leeward of Race Point and the water flattens nicely. The hardest part is behind us. Still 8 miles to go but no question of making it now. As we get closer the boat traffic gets heavier….Capt. Paul is like a pit bull mother with her puppy’s….any boat approaching us finds a 50’ sport fisher aimed at it….making it very obvious to stay clear.

We had to be quite a site to the folks on the beach at Race Point. 8 guys coming in from the open ocean walking on water. Just so long as they didn’t want any wine….I’d had my fill of wine for awhile.

I couldn’t believe how excited I was to make the last turn into the harbor. Folks on boats taking pictures. The Capt of one of the big whale watch boats getting ready to go out announced our arrival over the loudspeaker and the passengers lined the rails watching and waving as we went by. Family and friends were on the dock, there were boat horns blaring. It made me want to hold back a bit and savor the moment. WE MADE IT! Let the record show that Jerry Issel was the 1st man to paddle across Cape Cod Bay, Plymouth to Provincetown, shore to shore. The rest of us all landed within the minute.

It felt good to feel solid ground again. We had a great lunch at the Surf Club Restaurant (how appropriate) and then parted ways. It felt strange to break it up, like it should last longer somehow. The best thing about this whole experience is the great friends we’ve made. This is a great crew of guys and I’m proud to have shared this with all of you. I know we’ll all get on the water together again.

L to R: Shawn, Jody, Bob, Bill, David, Jerry, Mike, and Paul

Beyond the sense of accomplishment of making it across we raised money and awareness for a good cause. The final numbers aren’t in yet but I think it’s safe to say that we will have raised somewhere between $11,000 and $12,000 for the Ocean Conservancy and their International Coastal Cleanup. We also raised awareness of the sport itself and on a personal note I hope I’ve inspired some others that are facing health issues to try something different as therapy. Get out there and live…..this isn’t a dress rehearsal.

Start training for next year guys….
Aloha.

Photo Credits: From the water:
Lynn Wilson
From the dock/beach in Provincetown:
Betsy Brown

I’ve included the previous video by Lynn Wilson here as well. Thanks Lynn…awesome job.

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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.

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Pony Up, Ya Big Sissy

Part of doing the paddle from Plymouth to Provincetown is supposed to be getting your friends to pledge contributions. I can’t do that for a number of reasons–one reason is that I’m a big sissy: I’ve never been even the least bit comfortable bugging people for money, even for a good cause. So I’m just going to write a check and call it a Ke Nalu sponsorship. Of course it’s a bit far fetched for a business that generates no revenue to provide sponsorship, but as I said long ago, if Ke Nalu ever does make some money I’ll donate the lion’s share to the Ocean Conservancy, so I guess this is just a pre-payment.

If you’d like to make a donation in support of the paddle please visit http://www.capecodbaychallenge.org/Donations/donations.html , and tell them that big sissy PonoBill sent you.

Paddling Plymouth to Provincetown

My brother Bob is organizing a distance paddle event to go from Plymouth Massachusetts across Cape Cod Bay to Provincetown on the tip of the cape–22 miles. In a moment of weakness I said I’d participate. I’m kind of looking forward to it, but I need to train and there isn’t much time left–it’s August 9th. I haven’t done much paddling or surfing lately–I’ve been working feverishly on my race car–Peyote–that was damaged heavily at a race in Watkins Glen, NY last year. I’ve gained about ten pounds since I stopped surfing or windsurfing every day. I’m not quite as worried about the weight (though it sure would be good to shed it) as I am about general condition.

So last Monday I decided to do a long paddle just to see what it’s like. I did seventeen miles on the Willamette river, from Cathedral Park under the Saint John’s bridge to the dock at Tom McCall Park in downtown Portland, and then paddled back. The first leg I had a mild tailwind but I was paddling against the current. On the return I was going with the current but the wind picked up and I was struggling into a headwind. the last few miles were very tough.

Yesterday was a layoff day, I spent it working on my race car getting ready for the Portland Historic Races this weekend. Today I did 18 miles, from Fred’s Marina at the top of the multnomah channel to Rocky Point Marina and back. the trip downriver was into growing wind, with the last mile being very hard, paddling into at least a ten knot wind, with gusts to fifteen. Enough wind to make rollers and whitecaps in the middle of the river. On the way back I was paddling against a strong current with favorable wind. The rollers were big enough to surf, and I had a really good time.

I’m pretty sure I’ll be okay for the Cape Cod paddle. But I plan to train up until I get on the plane. Probably some shorter run–it takes a long time to do 18 miles.

Future Standup Hot Spots…or Paddling in the Land of the Pilgrims

Glassy knee highs

How often do you get to be the first at anything?

I don’t believe anyone has ever surfed the shoal 2 miles off of Plymouth beach. Why would you? Only a few have bothered to surf the beach itself and the shoal is a 3 mile paddle from the parking lot. A long way for a prone surfer but a nice cruise with a paddle. I know some kayaker’s have been out there but no surf boards that I’ve heard. That was part of the reason I was having so much fun riding and connecting section after section on this beautiful glassy day small though it was. Just the thought that maybe, just maybe, I could be the first was pretty interesting.

Me the newb! [Read more]