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Length of the Lake, “WE HAD WIND”……
Larry Goolsby
09/21/08 #5043
Just got back from an awesome time at the Length of the Lake race on Lake Okanagan. DJ and I (with his wife Kristen as shuttle bunny) were a two man relay team and this was a first for both of us. Also from Bellingham was Jason Stoane's team that included Edoh, Gabe, Lance and Dan on a tandem outrigger and Veronica's tandem outrigger team that included Janice, Brad, and Julie (might have been 1 more). The forecast was for rain and little or no wind. The pre-race meeting was well set-up and much better than the previous year. We woke up early on race morning with a slight overhead haze but no real clouds. Veronica's team opted for a 6 am start in order to complete the course on time and the other 15 teams started together at 7 am. Jeff Raymond and Katja had decided to do the whole course (Iron man) in their new 39 lb Mako XT tandem surfski. Both DJ and I were in our Specials and DJ started the first leg (10 miles) with his 4“ rudder (dead calm). Kristen drove ne to the first checkpoint and I barely had enough time to get ready before the entire pack arrived with the XT tandem leading and DJ was the only guy left riding on their wash. Jason's team replacements were late to arrive at this handoff so the tandem sat idle for 3 minutes while other boats shot ahead. I took off with a 5-10 knt wind behind me and tried to catch the tandem but Jeff and Katja would not let me get near them. We were in second place (15 mile leg) and another surfski pulled up alongside me (A Greg Barton Black Marlin) so I kicked it up a notch and pulled ahead. The sun was now hot and I drank over 40 oz. of Gatorade on this leg. Next, two OC-6's passed me and Black marlin was right behind the lead OC-6. The waves weren't big enough to surf yet but my speed was good but I couldn't stay on the wash of the OC-6's very long. So now coming into the second handoff with us in 5th and Veronica's team was still out in front.
I had an average speed of 7.5+ mph but I was disappointed in our placment. DJ took off and the wind continued to build, an although he didn't catch the OC-6's, he did pass the single surfski that had edged us out (turned out to be a 3 man team and the Marlin was their fastest guy). Jeff and Katja still had an 8-10 minute lead when I took the handoff. This time I had to traverse across the lake (13 mile leg) and the traverse back again because of a bend in the lake. The wind was rockin about 15-20 now and the OC-6's were going slow with the beam waves. In the 1 mile crossing I caught one OC-6 and moved close to the other one. Once across the lake we could turn downwind and the waves quickly grew into some of the best waves I have ever ridden. Some waves were 3-4 feet and most others were smaller (1-2 feet) but you could sprint onto the big ones and shoot out ahead while connecting several more waves. My top speed was 10.8 and I was having the time of my life. I caught the other OC-6 and Veronica's tandem and the only thing left in front of me was Jeff and Katja. Jeff later remarked that those were the best waves he has ever ridden. Anyway, I pulled into Summerland and handed off to DJ for the last 10 mile leg. He set off towards the middle of the lake in pursuit of the Mako tandem but never got close. The wind started to die and the waves became chop. Jaff and Katja got first overall and first in Ironman. DJ was second overall and first in relay with an OC-6 close behind. Jason's team finished 5th in the tandem Outrigger relay and I didn't see any other results after that except that a guy named Alex was the first Ironman to finish in a single boat.
The dinner after the race was great and I think I had the most fun hanging out with Gabe, DJ, Lance, Dan and Jason. After some heavy drinking at the awards (where the two top surfskis teams didn't get anything for finishing), we headed for the bars to further drown the pain. This was one of my favorite races ever and I plan on doing it again next year as a tandem relay team.
Larry G.
Re: Length of the Lake, “WE HAD WIND”……
Brad Clements
09/22/08 #5046
Larry, Great recap of the race. It was a fun day.
The other paddler on Veronica's team was Melisa from Vernon who just started paddling two weeks prior to the race. The racer on the Black Marlin was Paul. He is a good friend of Darrell (Think Kayaks) and lives in Vernon. He said he may get a new ski for next year.
Glenn Bond and Bob Woodman, two other surfskiers in Vernon, took the weekend off after just racing La Classique de Canots de la Mauricie - a three-day, three-stage canoe race from La Tuque to Shawinigan, Quebec.
Mark this race on your calendars for next year (September). The Penticton Club puts on a great event and as long as the wind is in the right direction, it is a fun, beautiful paddle.
Brad
