Surfski Knowledge Base

Nicholas Cryder
05/28/16 #19384

To everyone racing tomorrow, paddle hard and make Bellingham proud! And if you think our race can be a bit hectic at the start, check this out…

The International descent of the River Sella is an annual canoeing event that takes place around the first weeke…

bboats2
05/30/16 #19389

Hey we did it Whatcom paddlers…Party at the Boatman's , starts at 2, potluck, we have the fish and beer, and lawn for LG to lay on. Hope to see everyone here to celebrate with us.

Brian

dnjacobson79
05/30/16 #19394

Great racing everyone, good clean fun - awesome to see our community come out strong!

Cryder - after race question for the peanut gallery (we all know you are fast on flatwater) - how did a couple minutes get taken off your split time after the race? Please share - we'll all try this next year.

Great win the locals - GO BEAVERS!

-DJ

Nicholas Cryder

05/30/16 #19395

Eh? I don't think a couple of minutes were taken off my split time, they added a few seconds at the finish because my chip didn't work and they lost me in the crowd when I ran through. Did you hear something else? And who told you I'm fast on flatwater… that's silly.

Brandon Nelson
05/30/16 #19396

Hmmmm. DJ, you might have gotten some time-adjustment new/rumors mixed up with MY result. Cryder's time and the others in the top 10 look pretty accurate to me. I “didn't get the memo” about going out around the green piling at the start, and so I got a 1-minute penalty tacked on my time. Worse for me – and for the passengers on the support boat who were the recipients of tirade that would've made SEAL Team 6 blush – was the Outfall buoy balloon not actually being on the outfall buoy. I zeroed in on that balloon the second I rounded the jetty leaving Squalicum. Not for one second did I see or look elsewhere for the outfall buoy. As I approached the balloon, I thought, “Well how rude of this boat to park right in front of the buoy!” As I rounded it, they yelled to me that, “The buoy's way over there, man!” It was F-bomb city. I love our volunteers and treasure their service, but….. alright. Enough said.

I personally think Cryder's time and abilities match up in the results. What I'd like to know is who among the top 10 or 20 boats went around the balloon boat instead of just the outfall buoy. That would be a 30 to 40-second add-on in my estimation.
Thoughts?

B

paul clement

05/30/16 #19397

I'm pretty sure I went around that boat at least twice. So I'm good for something like a minute.

Brandon Nelson

05/30/16 #19398

There is no question that the balloon-on-a-boat fiasco was entirely my fault. I take full responsibility. And I apologize to the volunteers for the shell-shocking.

If it would've changed the outcome of the race for Beavers I would've never forgiven myself.

I will tell you that it is a whole new level of “hard” to be out front, with everything to lose, with no boats to zero in on and follow, with 13 years of history (read: programming) of running the same exact course the same exact way, to have it subtly but significantly changed.

I was in “lizard brain” mode. I knew from the past 13 years EXACTLY where the buoy was. It was on the end of the string of flags, under the big red helium balloon. It never for one second occurred to me to “scan the horizon” in case the buoy was somewhere else. Reptile brain: “It's under the balloon.”

What was so confusing was why a boat would think to park smack in front of it, and conceal it. As I started to round the boat, somewhat angry as to why they were hiding the buoy, I would've waged my life on the fact that the buoy would come into view. Remember: out in front, 160 beats per minute, everything to lose, reptile brain….

Pause here: if you think that written rules or logic or a subtle mention in a pre-race speech could overcome the level of certainty that over a decade of programming and the reptile brain knew was life-or-death fact… then you're super-human in my book. Or you've never experienced reptile-brain racing.

And Gareth, behind me, with one boat out in front of him to follow… guess where he went? Exactly where his reptile racer brain told him to go.

Yes, I was wrong. Completely my fault. The fact that it was written down and those rules were available to everyone to read puts all the responsibility on me.

And believe me I won't make that mistake again.

But if you're setting a race course, or more importantly – if you're CHANGING a historically consistent race course just ever so slightly – what is happening in the racers' reptile brains is a very, very important thing to consider.
But again, MY FAULT. My responsibility. My apologies for the profanities. (It was that damn lizard!)

duncanhowat

05/30/16 #19400

Brandon, Reivers and I were yelling at you well before the ballon with a yacht attached to it , to turn over to the outfall buoy,“ your off course”. Well you seemed intent on hitting that boat, and actually looked like you knew what you were doing,and the guy behind you was doing the same thing, so we didn't ram you. 5 total did the same thing before we got it changed. Which just goes to show you, front leaders don't always know the best way,but wherever their going, their getting there fast. Good form by the way at that point.D

For real: S2S 2016
Reivers Dustin
05/30/16 #19402

I can't swallow this. Two decades of balloon on the buoy, straight shot from launch to outfall buoy. Brandon, not your bad. Also, as Duncan and I watched, the small safety boat actively directed traffic to the boat with the balloon and away from the buoy. He motored near, yelled and pointed to the boat. You may have not noticed that stuff, it was clear you had laser focus going on.

I don't know about the green navigation pylons. Except that it is what you might call a “quibble”. I would have ignored this direction as a racer. Many conventions of navigation are suspended for open water racing. The rules of the race are intended to test the athletic ability, not the IQ. …. or personality or mood.

Duncan was all over the Outfall Buoy issue as soon as possible. Repeated radio and cell phone calls to any available authority. He asked the committee boat to please move closer to the buoy. We asked them what their directive was, we asked the small safety boat what their directive was. LB acted with sound judgement as soon as he understood the problem. Thank goodness we were finally able to reach him by cell. It was a great call to redirect everyone to the buoy as soon as the gap in racers was large enough to be certain that no overall team results would be ruined. We clearly explained to the balloon safety boat and the small rescue safety boat what the course really was.

Five lead kayak leg racers were made to paddle at my rough guess, an extra 30 seconds of distance. No team places were effected. Those five splits were effected. I bet the race officials really did not want this to happen. However, I bet next year some crazy crap goes down. IMHO, the race is still way above average. Dealing with the public in an event with this many moving parts - it is a flat miracle things go this well.

That year I did the STP, some ass kept throwing furniture tacks on the road in front of all the bike racers. Don't know why I brought that in. I guess I'm saying S2S has amazing support from the public. It would be cheap to talk trash about some of these things to the wider world. Either way, no one will think less of the work done by Beavers Tree team. Epic.

rd

Larry Bussinger
05/31/16 #19409

This is just people being people! Sue and I have been married for 45 years and to this day, when I say something, she'll hear something else. And visa-versa. However when the routine/pattern is changed its much harder to hear something different than what you expect to hear. I probably should have posted the changes on this site, but I thought them minor changes. Wasn't thinking about old programming and the reptilian brain. However, the changes to the course needed to be made and with this discussion, probably fewer people will get it wrong next year. Certainly Brandon won't get it wrong.
Larry B

Nicholas Cryder
05/31/16 #19411

Team Bellingham, lest we forget these invaluable lessons…. I present this handy guide for you to use in next year's Ski to Sea. Read it. Forget it. Read it again. (Editor's note - link was lost?)

duncanhowat

05/31/16 #19413

Two things: First, Nick, that is funny, and quite right on. I really like the swimming for cross training. Second, Big RD, your claim for being mid pack at the Gorge in the solo race is quite impressive.
Out of that entry group of say 130 surf ski's to be in the top 65 is impressive indeed. Onward to the Gorge.

Reivers Dustin
05/31/16 #19415

hmmm. good point Dunc. Gorge is shaping up to be the all star big dog parade. my bulldog mouth might be overloading my canary bird ass.

I hadn't really looked at kayaking for dummies. that right there IS funny. is there a chapter on use of latex buttocks for old guys with sharp bones and loss of glutes? or “Explain those weeping butt sores to your loved ones”. or how to answer, “daddy why is your thumb growing another thumb?” or “what to say when she says, 'you're too salty to kiss'. ”

rd

David Scherrer
05/31/16 #19416

“Too salty to kiss” I know that one, alas.

David