Surfski Knowledge Base

Kevin Olney
08/29/18 #23724

Season Finale for the Hot 5!

It’s been an exciting series. Thanks to everyone who has participated and especially those who have helped with registration, timing, food, etc. it will conclude Thursday. Everyone who races in the finale will get +5 points towards their series total!

The course will be from Wildcat Cove to Marine Park. This will (hopefully) be a downwind race. Meet at Marine Park at 5:00 to register and shuttles will be provided to the start. Shuttles will leave promptly at 5:45

Leashes and PFDs are MANDATORY!!

After the race there will be an awards ceremony dinner at Fat Pie Pizza in Fairhaven. We have space on the 2nd floor balcony reserved. We’ve got a pile of prizes to hand out so make sure to attend. There is gear from Ocean Paddlesports, Brandon Nelson Partners, Faster Farther, Chuckanut Brewery and more! Also get your awesome awards from Paul Clement’s Elastic Laser.

I am looking for one or two folks to help out on the safety boats. Let me know if you can lend a hand. Thanks,

KO

David Hooper
08/29/18 #23726

Looking forward to it, and hoping the wind comes up at least a bit like today. One request: can you get more of that unexploded ordinance to take care of some of the weed patches out there? Just be careful - I saw a boy with a tiger and some monkeys on one of them.

Dave H.

Duncan Howat

08/30/18 #23727

Ahh but the weeds add another element into the plotting and planning. Do you use your little tiny weed rudder and risk no control and broaching every 3 rd wave, but getting through natures surfskiiers frustraters, or stay with the clam digger and risk letting your buddy blow by when your dragging the bay with you. However, this makes for a un questioned excuse for lack of blinding speed. Looks like we could see 10 or a little more on the wind at this point. Kevin are you still holding to each paddlers best 4 races? So I think to be fair thats a good deal as the top 3 or so in the standings are only there because they just showed up, you know, cause their not very fast compared to the rest of us. Wait, maybe thats not entirely true about them being very fast. See you at MP with trailer 4:45 hopefully ready to do damage to the old guys.. Big Wave

David Hooper
08/30/18 #23728

I think Duncan's weed/rudder strategizing will have interesting interactions with strategizing about how to handle all the fishing boats steaming determinedly south about the time we're paddling determinedly north, right around the Wall. Do you play chicken with the weed patch, the fishing boat, or the Wall? How likely do you think it is that any of them will alter course for you?

Dave H.

Kevin Olney

08/30/18 #23731

It was a great finale! I’ll detail the event and post results tomorrow but I just want to check if anyone ended up with my Ski to Sea sweatshirt after dinner. If you thought it was an award I’m happy to trade for another item. It’s the purple one from a few years back

KO

Toby Cooper

08/31/18 #23732

I was privileged to meet, up-close-and-personal, a giant weed mat the size of a parking lot. No way to avoid it. Stopped me cold. But I found it eerily peaceful in the middle of it, almost comforting – a sudden sanctuary in an otherwise wide and tumultuous ocean. Perhaps we could name them, these larger ones; plant flags and claim them as possessions of Whatcom Paddlers and then file with Notices to Mariners.

Toby

joanandthom

08/31/18 #23733

I would like to thank Keven, Amber, and their crew for putting on the Great Hot 5 paddling series. It was a Blast. I am already starting my training for next year.
Thom P

allipp@…
08/31/18 #23734

If only yesterday was like today!

John Rybczyk
08/31/18 #23736

Yeah, turns out that a nine-inch surfing rudder was not such a good idea last night, but it's the only rudder I have for the Huki-R presently. I was so traumatized after the race that I went home after the awards party and immediately ordered a 4 inch weedless from Huki. Everyone knows I love the my Huki, but I've never been impressed with their “weedless” rudder technology. It seems like those Epic weedless rudders with the big weed guard in front were doing the trick last night. Folks also seemed to be grooving on the Kiesling weedless rudders. Thanks Kevin for a very fun series.

See you on the water,

johnr

David Hooper
08/31/18 #23737

John,
My similar trauma from last year's Hot 5 Finale is what motivated my small weedless rudder purchase, too! And I'm guessing Sue is on the same trajectory for her OC-1 after last night. We can thank Kevin not only for a super-fun, creative, mix-it-up race series, but also for some quality “learnable moments”.

Dave H.

Paul Reavley
09/01/18 #23748

Kevin,

Thanks and great job! You did such a good job, in fact, what about a Frozen 5? (or 3?) to keep us motivated through the winter?

Too soon?

(Hot drinks at the finishes?)

Kevin Olney
09/02/18 #23749

Winter series is a possibility…

Jonas Ecker

09/02/18 #23750

I think thy would have at least one more constant competitor… given sprint is on break…

MARC ROBERTA WHITLOCK

09/03/18 #23751

Just don't have a remount-swim race….

but the summer series is becoming a paddling highlight. Thanks, Kevin

Marc

Hot 5 Season Wrap
Kevin Olney
08/31/18 #23738

It was a memorable scene at Marine Park last evening. A group of around 20 cyclists completed their ride from Portland and commenced to celebrate right about the time 30-some paddlers showed up to shuttle for the downwind race. The old folks and dog walkers seemed bewildered by the park takeover.

Race conditions were favorable, though underwhelming wind-wise. Still, the sun was out and everyone kept their nose pointed downhill for the most part. Nicholas Cryder put a hurtin’ on the field and finished the Wildcat run in a blazing 37 minutes. Heather Nelson surged on an inside line to claim second place just ahead of Tom Swetish. Alan Lipp heard “downwind race” and showed up to clock a solid 4th place finish in his Nelo ski while Peter Marcus rounded out the top 5.

There were appearances by Gwen Howat and her friend Ellen in a double ski, as well as the classic duo of Brian Boatman and Mike Lee in OC-2. Julie VanDooren claimed the top spot in the OC-1 field and Dean Bumstead bested his rivals in the 65+ division. It should be noted that Dean paddled from Marine Park to the start at Larabee before the race just to get some extra miles in.

The awards party was raucous and fun. The overall winner of the 2018 Hot 5 Race Series was… drumroll… Heather Nelson!!! Besides being just a superb paddler, Heather embodies the spirit of the series: excited to race in any conditions, willing to step outside her comfort zone and just having FUN! Rising star Wilson Reavley was second in the overall standings and the top men’s finisher. Thanks to Paul Clement, our top men’s and women’s champions were awarded awesome lighted medals.

I want to thank everyone who participated in the series (52 racers!) and our sponsors who stacked the prize table and all of the volunteers who donated their time and effort to building a great racing community. If you want to get some new gear or boat, or need some top-notch engraving or maybe a new house, or just a pint of pilsner these are your guys right here:

DJ/OceanPaddlesports

Brandon Nelson Partners

Paul Clement/Elastic Laser

Nicholas Cryder/Faster Farther

Chuckanut Brewery

If anyone has input on new challenges for next year I’m open to suggestions. As for this year, the results may not be accurate but they are official.

Happy Paddling,

KO

allipp@…
09/01/18 #23739

Thanks Kevin for putting on a great series. For clarification, my new ski is a Carbonology Vault.

Dennis Mowry
09/01/18 #23740

Great races Kevin and all.

One awards division which was missing in the last race was the 70+ division. Especially since there were at least 3 in the category, Duncan, Bob Mc B and Tom P, maybe a few more.

:D'Mow

Denise Weeks

09/01/18 #23741

Thanks Kevin and everyone who helped put this together. It was a great learning experience for me and super fun. Thanks, everyone, for being so welcoming to new paddlers.

Ideas for next year . . .
Hot 10?
Some kind of team relay, but all on water
Fashion night
More doubles events (thanks John!)
More orcas!

Toby Cooper
09/01/18 #23744

Thank you Kevin and team for the super summer series. It is about a 10 hour deal and a $50 ferry to make the round trip from Orcas, but it’s a no-brainer because I so-look forward to hanging with great and friendly paddle-phreaks and the well-organized event. All the more amazing that KO still has time to go out and win his own 70 mile races.

Toby