Its been ages since I've written in my blog and re entry into California after 3 weeks in Africa wasn't easy. After paddling Millers Run with Dawid Mocke, racing around the lighthouse up and back in shark alley, grinding 50KM around Cape Point and relaxing at a game reserve 20 feet from lions,I was lazy to get on the computer.

But some paddling thoughts now that I'm back to the grind in Newport Harbor in the flat bay...

Day 2 in Cape Town, I got my very first Millers Run 12 km of downwind from Millers Point to Fish Hoek.

This day was mild for there, ok for me, not my mild, but awesome.. if you can stop thinking about the sharks.

But hold on, back up to Day 1..probably blowing harder..and as we sat in the Golden Spur(hamburgers at their best) overlooking Fish Hoek beach, we saw Dawid come in on a doubleski....then later that day as we walked around the beach in Jet lag delirum, we saw Dawid come in with some gals on singles...after chatting with him later, he mentioned he had done 3 Millers runs actually and grinning from ear to ear..not bad for a day job. He takes these "clients" for the run and I believe he is booked solid when the wind is blowing.

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On the weekend there was the Peter Creese Lighthouse race...out around and back about 12km. maybe 150 paddlers, I think 6 or 7 girls and a super fun day. You start on the beach, in the surf ready go and hammer the whole way. Wake riding tactics and just a blast for a "little" local race.

Ok,the big race,Cape Point. We were fitter than last time we did it and really wanted to claim the mixed doubles. Another crew of Matt Bowman and his girl friend (sorry not sure of her name) were the stiff competition.
They batch or seed the groups so that on the grind to the point you are with crews your speed. All mixed doubles were batch together. Well we wanted to be batched with the fastest mens crews. In 2006,we were 4th overall in the doubles so know we can hang with most average mens doubles read more here...

All smiles the day before the grueling 4 hour paddle. We love Natchez and the race organizers Keith and Melissa do an incredible job of making everyone welcome and stoked on the race. We had a great race plan to start easy this year and build into it saving something for hour number 4 and finish strong, record or not. This year there was another competitive double with Joe Glickman and Eric Mims. My greatest worry was Philippe was racing single and he would kill us in the beginning and then out sprint us at the end. Not that it matters when he is in single and we are double and different catagories, but anyone that is competitive never wants to come second..to a single or not. So Pat and I planned to let him go out fast and we would start easy, not die as much and then be strong at the end. We never even considered that the other double would take off at a flat sprint and so when they did we cracked up, sure they would stop sprinting after 10 minutes...so we just let them go. PB stayed with us. He didn't sprint off either.



After hour 1 the other double was about 500 meters ahead..lets go..No lets still go 70%. Ok hour 2, 1000 meters ahead, lets go, no Pat says, they will die, we will pass them easy.
Hour 3, they aren't slowing we aren't gaining and I'm pretty sure its too late. What about me blowing? Well not really, but not enough in the tank to play hammer down and catch up..not at hour 3, not me. The only good thing about starting slow and building into it is that we didn't feel quite so crappy when we finished and packed up to go home.....but heck, I'd take feeling really terrible for first place...anyday.

I want to say great job to Joe and Eric. They raced smart, hung on to the lead, extended it and finished first. congratulations.
I hate to lose, it sucks. We were out paddled and out stratigized. Love it, please come back next year..come Joe, please.
Fun weekend catching up to paddling friends and seeing new things. This is a race everyone should try....its unique, its challenging, it's Phatwater.

Dawid Mocke makes is look easy..cruising to his 5th title. We all have a story to tell and this one is mine.

Patrick and Reece spent the whole week in San Fran..goofing around with kites and downwind runs. I flew in on Thursday with Danica our 4 year old and Eva, the best Swedish Nanny:), and friend you could ask for..if not for her help driving and watching the kidlets, this weekend would not have been possible...from the Demo day starting at 10 till 5, then the dinner and then more sales till well after 10pm the night before the race..all great business but not great race prep.

Race day the wind was blowing..not very hard, but some. The outgoing current was supposed to be mild and we were all set for the race. Prep was good not perfect, lots of days off after Molokai with illness and then tendonitis that I couldn't shake off. .The best in the world ski paddler gal type, Michele Eray, was racing and you have to believe you have a chance, but even Patrick was hoping she wouldn't beat him. Ha, makes me think I don't really have a chance. Ok, the race is off..not sure if there was a good spot to grab as everyone scratched for position.


The race into the wind out to Point Bonita was uneventful. I was alone, not on the wake, for about 10 minutes until Kenny Howell and John Dye came along on the inside and I was thankful to sneak in behind them for a pull into the wind to the bouy. The potato patch was nothing. I needed big messes for my swordfish to take off, but the water was very mild there..similar to Newport Harbor on a small day..darn. Ok, turned the mark and headed for the runs..no runs..just a serious grind back to the golden gate bridge..not a bump or a boat wake or much to do but paddle hard.

At this point I'm getting tired...come under the bridge for a blast of cold gusting wind. Had to grip hard to not blow away..heres the Fenn Hot spot...ready for runs..where are they?





read more here...

With much excitement I lined up to race Sunday in "my" new ski the Fenn Swordfish. I say my ski because as much as I love the XT and train in flat Newport in the Elite.....I,along with many other paddlers, have been begging for something in between. So my hope was that it lived up to the billilng it was getting in South Africa. My opinion is just that, and I love Fenn skis so take what I say knowing that and I am also a Fenn dealer. Totally biased...and totally blown away by the performance of this ski. It is comfortable with the lowered hump under the knee..not a deep seat like the Elilte, and not the roomy seat like the XT, but something, well..in between. The speed in the flat is no where as sluggish as the XT..and not the effortless glide of the elite, but rather again, in between. I find it rides the wake surprisingly well..lifts you right up from the tail and puts the nose right smack down and your on....makes for splendid into the wind behind a big strong guy..that was you Austin I was bumping ever so gentle on Sunday...nice pull out to the turn around..thanks.

And the surfing..well all I can say is I forgot to paddle cause I was always on a wave...surfing left and right and then when I wanted to go more...boom, boom 2 strokes and up and over to the next one...with the elite its the same,but sometimes my stoke is interupted by a wiggle in my hips and a little unbalance on the top of the wave. Never, not once did this happen with the Fish...The XT is similar that way, but the Fish glides faster..speedier in the trough so less effort to pick the next go...

Never spun out, never flooded, never shouted a cus word out loud..But to be fair it was pretty mild on Sunday and it gets way bigger and windier and the potato patch is something else..but I can say with confidence that this ski will handle it all for those of us who want the security of a ski we can control....25 years of experience or not..I know what I can handle....and I am lucky to have the Swordfish.

Did a solo downwind from Huntington Beach (Hayden at Junior lifeguards) to Newport coast guard beach. Awesome...wind was about 11 knots and the swell small and the water 68...so warm. Max speed 19km/hour and average for the 1 hour was 13km with first 5 km heading side on the wind to get the better angle...all alone woo hooing.

Now that I have had 9 hours of sleep after the 4 hour grind in Hawaii, after loading the trailer, after flying the red eye home..time to reflect and re live what was by far the hardest Molokai.

I have done 4 channel crossings, Sunday made 5, the 3rd one in double. I thought I had it down, even giving advice to new comer and training partner Sean. Do this,don't do that..escort boat wash messes you up, the wall is a defining moment, the water changes, and blah blah blah. Well here is my story....I don't have any advice anymore except I guess you have to do this race to understand....and even then you don't get it and you come back again and again.

Ok, all smiles the day before the race.

We prepared well, had the right juice mixed, the water chilling in the tripper, the hammer gell in squeeze bottles. Wind was prediced at 6 knots on wind guru. Patrick and I kept looking at other web sites and news broadcasts to find the prediction we wanted more. 15-20 knots. We (I) was convinced that if the wind was blowing we would beat Carter and Robin in the other double. There were 2 other double crews..both from Italy that we knew would be fast, probably not skilled in the waves.

Race morning was uneventful until the Island Air flight starting leaking fluid and instead of flying toward Molokai we were in the airport wondering if the next flight would leave us just on the beach as the race went without us. I should learn to handle adversity like late flights better..but intead I paced the airport in my bright orange paddling shirt and lycra shorts (all our stuff was on Noahs escort boat..on Molokai). Since there is no cell phone reception on Molokai we never knew that race organizer Shelley Oates-Wilding was going to hold the race for us.... Sean Lupton-Smith, Kala Judd, Bill Mehula and a few other escort crews. So anxious and pacing, using precious engery that I most defintely needed later, we made it with time to spare..wheeew.

read more here...

Patricks been hammering hard in the wind after his Urban Search and Rescue class...I kinda tweeked my back so rested up over the weekend, but sometimes this is a good thing and had a great workout this am with Sean and PB. Time not to get injured or sick..and lots of talking to the winds gods....blow blow blow on May 15...East!

Another non conflict kid day, so thanks to Eva we all headed to the race. Pat and I went double to check fitness for Molokai. On track....flatish ocean again, but a little movement,so it was ok. Averaged 12.7km/hour and did the the 25km in 1:59. We pushed hard for about an hour and then when we hit the harbor, just held steady to make sure no one was coming. All three kids had a blast and now Hayden can say he surfed Malibu...but he wasn't impressed..wondering why it is a famous surf spot....

Had to share this special paddle...Sean and I were doing a loop...slight south wind out the harbor and North to Newport Pier. We were joined by a pod of dolphins..maybe 5 or 6. They swam next to us, underneath and right at our bows as we paddled on swells, hung around for about 5 minutes at least...Seemed as if they were having a great time playing with us....this is why we paddle hey?

Lots of fun today with our first race of the season for me and Patrick. It was the first weekend with no kid event conflicts. We were hoping for a bumpy downwind ,but once again it was a flat, long slog. The wind came up, but actually made the water glassey around the corner of the rocks. No bumps,no downwind......but we were both pretty happy with our results. The top guys are training for the Olympic team as are the girls. They put in mega miles every day...so for Pat to be 4th was a good finish. I was very pleased with about 1 minute behind the first girl who happens to be a 4 time world sprint champion. I thought she would have paddled away from me, but it was my mistake to take a different route(looking for any bump) with about 5km to go that proved to be the difference.
Best part was finishing the race and my 3 great kids were there to meet both me and Pat. They are getting easier every day, so taking them to races shouldn't be as hard as when they were little. Thanks to Eva for her help and support, get well soon so you can be out there too.

Been some cold weather here,but getting some good ocean time. Mondays are always 4-6 x 2000m and 2-4 1000 meters. Nice to do some in the ocean with wind. Hard to train for Molokai in May, but it will be here before we know it.

German 1000 meter champions having some fun in the ocean off Newport Beach with Patrick and Philippe. See photos.

Training for Molokai has started and the sun has come out as well. A few good interval paddles... today in double..1 x 5, 2 x4, 3 x 3, 4 x 2, 5 x 1 and 6 x 30"...nice and steady and each one getting faster. The ocean is still flat, but the training group is hitting it hard. Heavy weights are taking its toll on the overall speed, but once we stop and shift to lighter, things will improve in the water.
Sean leaves for South Africa and the Duzi at the end of the month. Heard the German sprint kayak team will be here in Feb..Philippe will be happy.

I know that 50 degrees isn't cold for most of the country, so I can't really complain...but I will anyway. Lots of rain and run off makes the bay and ocean a dirty weedy mess. Lots of jackets and booties and hats....but I read the whatcom paddlers blogs and see the news about the East coast and can't help to smile a little when at least we can paddle and if we get wet we won't die in 5 minutes.

We had a hectic holiday season with Pats mom and dad here from South Africa for 6 weeks and his sister and family from New Zealand here for 10 days as well. Lots of eating and drinking and thankfully paddling too. Hope everyone had as much quality time with the ones they love over the season too.
Heres to a Happy New Year and a terrific 2011!

Count your blessings and be thankful for them everyday!