OC1 NAC 07

Good Morning Paddlers

As we sat impatiently on the lineup, the surf skis, took off, followed by each division accordingly.  A gentle outgoing tide nudged us forward as Willie Reichenstein scolded us on the megaphone.  Our hearts beat in anticipation of the expected horn.  In the blur of the moment, I sensed a ripple of commotion from the crowd around me and the race was on.  Like a school of fish, we turned and shot out as one.  On shore Willie watched, proud as a papa at the result of his creation.

There must have been a lot more entries this year, because it was freeway crowded as we weaved in and out of the pack vying for position.  In about 200 yards we had to maneuver a 90-degree turn without banging or losing ground.  It’s funny how sharp and clear the mind becomes as you approach a turn.  It felt like a regatta turn coming up.  For a steersman, there is the experience of adjusting for the best radius around the turn. Once out of the turn, the mind switches back to eking out as much hull speed as possible. 

NAC’s race is 11.1 miles long and most of it is flat harbor, which means you spend a lot of time thinking.  Thoughts range from the guy in front of you to the guy behind you, to your stroke, and to the universe of all things between. You don’t want to be passed; yet you want to pass others.  Yes it sounds selfish, but that’s the nature of the beast in your mind.  There are acceptable situations and there are unacceptable situations.  For instance if you get passed quickly, (crushed) then it’s okay, because if he’s that fast, the guy is out of your league anyway.  But if you’re passed very slowly, that’s unacceptable, because you think you shouldn’t have let him pass without a better effort, what should you have done to prevent that?  Therein lays a whole science in itself. Heck people think about it forever, or at least until the next race. 

One of the joys of racing is when you are catching up to someone.  You feel like a predator stalking your victim. As every stroke draws you closer and the distance closes, it’s a feeling of invincibility.  You just can’t wait to pull up along side and pass him.  And when you do, you savor it for the rest of the week.  But wait there’s more.  Sometimes you expend so much energy in the chase that when you finally close the gap, you’re winded.  The prey discovers you and pulls away leaving you to lick your wounds.  “Wouldah, couldah, shouldah”, could very well be the three most prominent words in every racer’s mind. 

Winning the OC1 race was 20 year old Tyson Poplar in his first victory overall.  He and Steve Sinckus battled each other for the lead, with Steve leading the way going out and Tyson leading coming back.  At one point going out Steve yelled, “Hey get up here.”  Tyson eventually got up there and the race was on.  One significant note is that Tyson and buddy Danny Ching returned several weeks ago from Hawaii.  They surfed and paddled everyday for about 10 days and put in a lot of time on the water.  Upon their return Tyson stepped up a notch and did much better in races culminating in yesterday’s win.   Congratulations Tyson.  “You go boy.”   Eva Mauck won the women’s OC1 division in a strong showing posting a time faster than many of the guys.  Eva has always been a strong competitor and continues to get faster as the seasons go by.  Utilizing her tall frame she has a powerful long stroke.  Congratulations Eva.

Meanwhile Danny Ching has been training at Chula Vista Olympic Training Center for nearly two weeks.  He said they train twice a day, do weights twice a week and he was really tired.  As the new kid on the block, he is on the developmental squad, which means if he improves can move onto the Olympic Kayak team.   He said, “My heart rate was soaring during workouts at first, but I noticed it has dropped lately and I’m doing a little better at the kayak stroke.”  He noticed that, he has a slight asymmetrical stroke, because of a habit of leaning away from the ama on the OC1 and is working to correct that.  Several teammates from Hawaii and California are on the team including Brandon Wood and Patrick Dolan.

While the OC1 race was going on, the U.S. teammates raced about a 40-minute race around Lido Island.  Challenging them was two of Italy’s best and a few of Germany’s kayakers, many of whom are Olympic Gold, Silver and Bronze medalists.   The Italians and Germans were very good and finished ahead of the U.S. made up of Rami Zuri, Tim Hornsby, Brandon Woods, Patrick Dolan, Eric Abbott, Danny Ching and several others.  My apologies if I left out any of your names. The Italians and Germans pulled away as the race lengthened and in general looked very strong.  Looks like we have a lot of work to do. 

Winning overall and first in the Surfski division was Brendon Denos.  I believe this was Brendon’s first overall Surfski win.  Grreat job Brendon.   The results of the surf skis were Brendo Denos 1^st, followed by Tyler Morgan 2^nd and Mark Nickolson 3^rd.  In the women’s OC1 the winner was Eva Mauck 1^st, Cathy Weinberg 2^nd and Tanya Muhle 3^rd.  Congratulations everyone. 

Mahalo to the friends and members of N. A. C. for hosting the race. 

In other news, the wind has been blowing steadily all week and surfing bumps has been terrific.  Sunday morning was big, so several of us paddled out of Redondo and surfed some big stuff at “In and Outs” a favorite local spot. We paddled to a sailboat pole about a mile straight out and surf back.  It’s become fairly popular.  After hearing the report of good waves, 12 guys got together and decided to take it up a notch.  They drove to Cabrillo Beach and surfed along the Long Beach breakwater for ten miles.  Cabrillo starts with a coast of high cliffs.  It funnels the wind towards the breakwater and pushes the swells parallel to the breakwater.  By Wednesday the winds were occasionally gusting up to 30 knots and it became too hairy to go outside.  Never the less, Jay Griffin returned saying his cable snapped at the pedal leaving him unable to control his boat. The wind blew him towards the breakwater, where the big surf was very dangerous.   Luckily he brought along several pieces of nylon shoestring about 12 inches long and retied his cable just in the nick of time.  He said he was about to use his small waterproof radio to call for help. Luckily, Jay was one the guys that discussed the issue of OC1 safety on big days.  We discussed what to bring and how to repair cables on big days.  For a reference please go back a few issues on this site.

This weekend several of the Southern Californian will be traveling to San Francisco to race.  They should return with some good stories. 

Next weekend we will be racing at Redondo Beach out of King Harbor hosted by Lanakila.  Danny Ching will be determining the race- course.  He has decided that it is of the utmost importance to be flexible and prepare two courses.  The wind will be the determining factor as to which course will be chosen on the morning of the race.  After all, half the fun of OC1 racing is riding swells.  The divisions will include paddle boarders, standup paddling, surf skis and OC1 single and doubles.  There will be a short course.  Also there will be a father son, mother daughter or any combination division with awards. 

Hope to see you there. 

And finally before we leave you.  The next time you complain about the awards or officiating please take note of the following no frills race to be held at Madison Wisconsin.

Entry Fee: None.

However, please note that you get what you pay for.

All we are providing is a course and somebody to shout, "GO!"

There are no classes, no door prizes, no awards, no safety support, no bathrooms and no t-shirts. 

The list of what this race does not provide goes on and on.

Timing and scoring will be somewhere between casual and non-existent.

Disclaimer: It is very important that you understand the risks of racing on nearly frozen water.

The casual nature of this race means that nobody is going to take any steps to ensure your safety.

You are completely on your own.

You should only participate in this race if you have sufficient paddling experience, understand what you are getting into; and lack common sense.

Mahalo  AL