Surfski Knowledge Base

Kevin Olney

6:02am #29284

It was hot and flat at the gorge all weekend so the course was changed to a double triangle around Wells Island, about 10km. Wilson and Ana proved they are not just downwind specialists and left the rest of the pack gasping for air as they cruised to 1st and 2nd place respectively.

Whatcom county was well represented in OC as well. The Rikkole Cree crew, along with Peter Marcus took five of the top six men’s spots and Julie was the top female

Also in attendance were Paul R and Denise W and Brian F. Marc B and Tom S handled the finish line and timing. Bellingham rules!

Results:
Pacific MultiSports Vortex #2 2021

Paul Reavley
Jun 1 #29286

Thanks Kevin,

I would like to add a couple of notes about the race.

For whatever reason, Carter Johnson has been concerned about losing interest for these races due to Covid among other things and has offered (with the help of Epic Kayak sponsorship) all 3 races (Vortex #3 coming up on Sunday, June 20) with no entry fee. You can donate at registration if you want, but Carter is not charging for entry and he is providing good food to boot for all of the races.

Props again to all of the volunteers who helped make the race come off without a hitch and to Marc Blake/Pacific Multisports and Tom Swetish for the timing and record keeping.

This was the first Vortex out of 5 in the 2 years it has run that did not have decent to excellent downwind conditions - not the norm.

I have to rely on others for what actually happened in the race, because I was just appreciating the view from the tail end. But my understanding is that Kevin managed to make a race of it for the youngsters for a good part of the 1st of 2 laps with the help of some crafty course navigation, before Wilson and Ana took complete control, with Kevin still being the only paddler within shouting distance of them at the finish.

Peter Marcus and Brian Flannelly had fine races finishing 1-2 in their OC1 age group, with Peter 2nd overall in OC.

And a shout-out to my surfskiing spouse - Denise Weeks - who was second woman overall after Ana and first in her age group.

Kevin Olney
Jun 1 #29289

Thanks for filling in the details Paul. My post was a little rushed as I was getting ready for work this morning. I may have honked on Bham a lot but the race was really about the amazing scene that’s growing in the gorge these days.

Carter is in for the long haul and will continue to put on world-class events as long as there is support. Jeff and Van have been leading a charge that’s exciting tons of new paddlers every year. Brian, Larry, Karen, Mary, Stacy, Dave, and all the other folks I haven’t had the chance know yet are inspiring some serious stoke all around the gorge. We haven’t even talked about the insane level of SUP talent! It’s an awesome scene and I want to thank everyone who is on the water making it happen!

KO