Paddle Surf Northwest: July 2010

Saturday, July 31, 2010

Bellingham Paddle Grand Prix Points Series Race #1

The first Tuesday night points race of the "Pre-Grand Prix" series had a great turn-out last Tuesday night (July 27th). We had 17 racers competing for free-entry fee into the September 5th race and other shwag like Mount Baker lift tickets.

Event organizers like myself & Brandon & Heather Nelson are not eligible for prizes, so I chose to stay on-shift and start the race with a blast from Engine 3's siren.

A great grass-roots crew, proud to be a part of it....

Next series race is August 10th.

Pictures by Brandon Nelson & Lance Romo.

Firing-off the starting siren...

Alan Lipp off to a great start...

Eric, Alan, Dale & Tom...

The Engine 3 crew checking out my "loaner"

Some of the gang...

Sunday, July 25, 2010

Danny Ching Video

If you ever get a chance to paddle with this guy... do it.

http://www.vimeo.com/7858938

Thursday, July 22, 2010

Urban Surf/Naish Race Series Race #1

Results...

RACE # PLACE NAME NUMBER TIME
1 1ST BEAU WHITEHEAD 2 25.5
1 2ND RUSSEL D'CARD 1 27.39
1 3RD JEFF UNDERWOOD 16 28.14
1 4TH BRANDON HEISER 5 29.05
1 5TH TYLER HESSE 7 29.42
1 6TH LEE MURRAY 13 29.53
1 7TH JEFF BIGLER 18 31.03
1 8TH BOB MCDERMOTT 3 31.21
1 9TH MARK BENTLEY 9 31.53
1 10TH JOSH 19 32.25
1 11TH ERIC SCHULER 10 33.5
1 12TH JOSHUA THOMPSON 6 33.57
1 13TH DUSTIN SOUSLEY 14 35.24
1 14TH KATIE HILL 15 36.13
1 15TH MAX EFFGEN 4 36.45
1 16TH TATIANA 17 37.01
1 17TH JOE SCHENCK 12 39.85
1 18TH HEIDI H 8 43.56
1 19TH VICKI GEZON 11 55.22

2010 Gorge Outrigger Races

Several local folks headed down for the 2010 Gorge Downwind race last weekend. The weekend involved OC1, OC2, OC6, Surf ski & SUP downwind races. Alan L. & Brian B. both competed in OC as well as the SUP races.

On Sunday they plus Paul H. did the 5 mile SUP race in 4-6 foot Hood River waves. It was a very new experience for these guys & even the locals said the conditions were epic.

Local Hood River waterman Rod Parmenter won on his 18 foot S.I.C.

Complete results here...

http://www.nwoutrigger.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/2010-Results-All.pdf

Friday, July 16, 2010

Naish/Urban Surf Race #1

Great turn-out for week #1. Around 20 folks. Lot's of race boards compared to last year (last year I believe there were 1 or 2). Wed. night there were 2 SIC's, 2 Ron House, 1 Hobie & a couple of Naish's. We did a 2.27 mile course in heavy motor boat traffic... a little dicey at times.

The Urban Surf guys do a good job of organizing this low-key race series. Fun was had by both beginners and seasoned folks alike.

Naish 12'6" Catalina

Was lucky enough to get one of the 3 Catalina's delivered to the mainland. It was used at the Hawaii Battle of the paddle, but with a little tlc, cleaned up nicely. It is a stock race board designed to do well on flat water, but with enough rocker to catch rides on small waves too.

It is 12'6" (stock) by 27 5/8" wide. It has a 2" lowered standing area and massive drain holes to let water out of the cockpit.

Compared to the 14' Javelin, it is a bit slower, but much more stable in choppy water. Lowering the deck on these race boards makes a huge difference in stability.

I haven't weighed it yet, but it is light! Under 25 lbs I would have to guess. It did well the other night at the first Naish Seattle race in light wind and chaotic boat chop. It averaged 5.2 mph over the 2.3 mile course.

Fletcher Burton Goin' Big

385 Kilometers Standing Up...

Fellow racer and all-around good guy Norm Hann of Squamish B.C. recently paddled 385 kilometers to raise awareness about a proposed oil tanker route through the Great Bear Rainforest. This was re-printed from the Kialoa Paddles Blog.

385KM STAND UP PADDLEBOARD EXPEDITION COMPLETED SUCCESSFULLY

StandUp4GreatBear Expedition from Kitimat to Bella Bella Welcomed by Hundreds
of Supporters

Bella Bella, B.C.– May 19th 2010 - Squamish resident Norm Hann has completed what many thought was impossible. His 385km Stand Up Paddleboard expedition through Canada’s Great Bear Rainforest started in the Haisla Village of Kitimat, B.C on May 8th, and ended yesterday in the Heiltsuk village of Bella Bella, where he was greeted by a large gathering of local residents, including school children, hereditary chiefs, elders and other community leaders. With stops in Hartley Bay, Klemtu and as far west as the Moore Islands, the expedition helped bring awareness to the environmental threat the proposed Enbridge oil pipeline and tanker traffic will have on the Great Bear Rainforest, its people and wildlife. Hann also visited a number of vital food harvesting sites for First Nations, which are at risk from potential oil spills. The expedition served to galvanize support amongst coastal residents in opposition to the proposed oil tanker route.

“It was an incredible journey. The weather allowed us to visit wild and remote places rich in wildlife and traditional foods. This expedition confirmed how special and rare this coastal environment really is. First Nations from Kitimat to Bella Bella expressed how valuable their natural resources are to their livelihood and sense of place. They were in full 100% support of not having oil tankers on our coast. Our team was honoured to be welcomed into their communities and we were fortunate to have their guidance throughout our trip.”

Hann runs Mountain Surf Adventures in Squamish and has been a professional outdoor guide in the Great Bear Rainforest for ten years and is very connected to the land and its people. As a fishing, kayaking, wildlife and bear viewing guide he has introduced people from all over the world to the Great Bear Rainforest.

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Laird

In the presence of greatness...

Photo: Rob Casey

Sunday, July 11, 2010

REI Surftech/Naish Demo Day

July 10th, Magnuson Park, Seattle...

Laird signing autographs...

Dave Kalama sizing a paddle...

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Puget Sound Surf Video

This is a great video of Tom Swetish, a kayak designer for Johnson Outdoors. He is SUP surfing at an undisclosed location.... Tom is ripping it on a board he shaped and glassed...

http://vimeo.com/13144088