Catalina Crossing - 9/12 - 9/13...I'M IN!!!!

It's official....I got a spot on SOCC's co-ed crew for the 50th annual Catalina Crossing. It's a 27-mile race that starts from Newport Beach, CA and a one way paddle out to Catalina Island. Because of the length of the race, we'll be doing change-outs with people swapping seats during the race I think every 45 minutes or so. I'm guessing it will take us anywhere between 4.5 - 6 hours to complete the race. I am so excited!!!! We'll spend the night on the island and the men will race the following morning. Just one baby-step closer to my ultimate goal - the Na Wahine O Ke Kai race from Molokai to Oahu which is approximately 40 miles. Imua!!

More pics from the Gorge Distance Race '09

Photo courtesy: S. Woody (Kikaha OCC)

Last night was an awesome night for paddling - temps in the upper 80s and the lake felt so great during our practice. As expected, we set out for a long paddle with power & stroke intervals to prep for the rest of the season. At our mid-way point, we took a break to learn change-outs and practice getting back into the boat - I knew that was going to happen. I did it a few times w/out seriously bruising myself so it was a good start. I just wanted to get into the lake - it was so dang hot! THEN, Sabine (who is always pushing me) put me in the steersman seat....what?? Once again, she gave me that look like "you have no choice" so I complied and steered....the novice way (zig a little here, zag a little there). But, I did it...now that I am out of seats to try, maybe she'll tie me up to be the ama :-)

Anyway, here is a link to some pics from the Gorge distance race (http://tinyurl.com/l5ywp5) - the pics really don't show how topsy-turvy it was out there because they were all taken from the shore and the conditions were "calmer" closer to shore. However, the shot of a canoe and a kite-surfer (above) kind of gives you an indication of how strong the winds were blowing. Thanks to S. Woody (Kikaha) and N. Pacheco (SOCC) for some of the pics. Aloha and Imua!

Paddles Up!

I just had to post this pic - taken at the Silverdale Sprints (I think we won this race - 500m sprint). I love the starts....it's so intense to hold that pose and be ready to dig and paddle like hell when the starter goes from yellow flag to red and then Sabine yells "Imua!!"

Gorge Distance Race - July 18, 2009

Last distance race for this month - thank goodness, because this was a doozy of a race to get through. I'm going to need some time to recover - it was a sufferfest! The Gorge Distance Race was another race down on the Columbia River - starting line located in Stevenson, WA - a 2-lap course for a total of approximately 10 miles. Last month, we were further out west at Rooster Rock for our last distance race which I thoroughly enjoyed. But, compared to this race, those conditions were downright placid and tame.

For this race, we faced wind gusts up to 35+ mph and swells at about 3 feet....these swells were spaced so close and just constantly pounded us as we battled upwind. I swear, no matter how hard we dug in to grab water and pull, we felt like we were going nowhere (if, not backwards!). Downwind wasn't much better - we had to keep up the pace in order to try and not only catch a wave, but to keep us moving through those lulls in between waves so we weren't dead in the water. Yeah, it was rough and one of the most grueling things (physically and mentally) I've ever done - both upwind and the downwind.

Sabine, as always, did an excellent job steering and keeping our boat in line preventing us from a huli (flipping over and capsizing). We had a lot of close calls though - I admit my strokes on my right were very tentative as I kept my eye on the ama. When it would catch air, I would shift my weight to my left cheek to help keep the ama down but at the same time, reach out on my right side to maintain my stroke. I tried to make up on my left side where I was leaning into the ama side. We saw 3 hulies and I'm sure there were more. Other boats were constantly bailing b/c their spray skirt wasn't keeping out all the water. Crazy, insane conditions!! On top of that, there was a sailing regatta to contend with, along with the wind and kitesurfers. We collided with one of the sailboats (dumb-ass didn't see us until it was too late), and had quite a few close calls with the wind and kite surfers. I tried not to pay attention to it, but there were a lot of distractions during the race, for sure.

So, we survived....and, yes, it's a race I want to do again! We finished in the middle (6 out of 13) with the top 3 teams from Jericho and False Creek, BC - some of the top teams out there! So, overall, we were pleased - we finished, we didn't huli, and we gave it our all. Our final time was 2:06 - the winning boat came in at 1:51. We ate and drank well after the race!!

Our men's boat didn't fare as well and DNF due to a huli after the first turn. They paddled right after us and the conditions were howling. I felt so bad for Rob, Mike, and Paul and the disappointment on their faces were obvious. But, most important, everyone is safe and they sacrified enough items to keep the river goddess at bay (sunglasses, gel seat, wood paddle, and a couple of pairs of slippers). Thanks to the 2 guys from Canada for filling in the last seats of the men's boat.

Time for a rest - but, looking forward to some leisurely paddles this week, though, I have a feeling that Sabine is going to want us to start practicing change-outs. Well, at least the weather outlook is HOT so it will be nice to jump into the water. Imua Seattle Outrigger!

Twist - Reach - Pull

Yesterday was the final day of sprint races for the season: The PNW - ORCA (Pacific Northwest Outrigger Racing Association (Ohana) which was held at the waterfront park at Dyes Inlet in Silverdale, WA. Home of my paddling bruddah, Rob, which he gleefully showed off (took all of 30 seconds :-)). It was a LONG day but in the end, glad to be there because it was the last set of sprint races and the rest of the season will be distance (10+ miles). Sprint races are so different because there are so many races all day - 500m, 1000m, 1500m; co-ed, women, men; novice, open, masters, etc.... So, it's a chance to paddle with a bunch of different people (from within our club and other clubs) and an excellent opportunity to try out different seats in the boat. My coach, Sabine, threw me into the #1 seat for a couple of our races which has so much responsibility (eek!!!). I've NEVER stroked in the #1 seat - but, basically, you set the tempo for the boat, pull the hardest, and have specific duties during the turn. Haha....I was hesitant but I really had no choice. Thanks so much to Melissa who was sitting in the #2 seat for coaching me on pacing and reminding me what to do during the turns - in the end, I had so much fun and want to do the #1 seat again!! I did it twice - once for a 500m sprint (1 turn), and then a 1000m sprint (3 turns) - the latter was the first time the statement "paddle 'til you puke" felt so true to me.

In any case - I only had 5 races that day. I was happy to give up my novice seat to the "oh-so- effervescent" Loryn (her first sprint races). I went home with another fistful of ribbons thanks to my awesome teammates who paddled their hearts out. And, it was the first race where I got to use my new paddle - luvin' it. The rest of the season will be single distance races - that will definitely free up some time ;-) I do like the frenetic pace of sprints but it makes for an incredibly long day to get through all the races (up at 4:30 am and got home at 10:00 pm). Today, my back doesn't hurt at all so I like to think I did the 'Twist-Reach-Pull' and my technique is getting better. And, my hybrid paddle is also much lighter than the wood paddles I've been using.

Next up - 10-mile paddle in The Gorge. I'll be in the women's boat and we're coming home with a trophy!! Imua Outrigger Seattle - I heart you all. Good energy....good Ohana. Aloha! Now, off to give the legs a little workout on my bike.

(Pre-race stretching: Back-off kids and I'll show you how it's done!)

Rooster Rock Distance Race - June 28, 2009

(Click on images for larger versions or click here to view my photo gallery. More shots of the race available www.verycunning.com.)

I heart paddling. More than I thought I would. At the end of June was my first distance race. Saturday morning, I met Sabine and Diane in the Tukwila P&R and we drove down to Rooster Rock State Park in Oregon (30 mins east of Portland) for a 10-mile paddle. About a week before the race, we practiced a 'huli' drill - i.e., wtf do we do in the event we capsize? We had to go through that practice because the Columbia River, particularly around Hood River is known for for its winds. We will be further into the river later on this month for The Gorge distance race. Can't wait....

SOCC had 2 oc-6s representing the club at the Rooster Rock race: womens (Kristi, Meg, Melissa, Bethany, me, and Sabine), and; co-ed (Janelle, Karissa, Rob, Mike, Diane, Murray). Our co-ed boat totally rocked it out there finishing 2nd in the co-ed division and 3rd overall finishing the course at 1:21. Our womens boat also did pretty well....we placed fourth in our division finishing in 1:27 and 8th overall (including both womens and co-ed boats - 26 boats total?). But, it was a great victory for us b/c we were battling with 2 other canoes for most of the race for the fourth place finish. Thanks to Sabine's excellent steering, we maneuvered tightly around the rock and then later around the last buoy and then she screamed at us to do 4-power 10s....(it seemed like) one right after the other. She pushed us hard and we pushed each other even harder. I think I only got 2 sips of water during the race and polished off the contents of my bladder AFTER the race. I felt great after the race but, surprisingly, the most sore part of my body were my glutes! Sabine (who is also our coach) said that's good b/c that meant I was using my legs in part of my stroke to push the boat forward. But, I must admit that I had a *little* trouble walking there for a while. Big CONGRATS to the bad-ass co-ed boat!

The following Sunday, we watched videotapes of our strokes and Sabine and Doug critique our style. I *thought* I was twisting and reaching with my paddle...HA! Not even close. So, from now on, it's "TITS TO THE GUNNEL." That's the only way I will be able to reach out far enough with my BRAND SPANKING NEW HYBRID PADDLE - A 48" KIALOA AXEL II. Then, twist my torso and pull the paddle straight back to mid-thigh all the while keeping both my arms straight (got it with my top arm but still bend my lower). I'm going to head out and try to hit all 3 practices this week so I can play with my new toy. Imua Seattle Outrigger!