Canoeing & standup paddleboarding in Belgrade Lakes Maine

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Posts in 2013
ACA SUP Instructors Certification Workshop

What a fun weekend on San Francisco Bay! Cindy & Steve Scherrer came down from WA to help me run an American Canoe Association Level 1/2 SUP Instructors Certification Workshop for 6 potential candidates. We had a great team of paddlers with a ton of learning going on and super support from all. In the end, we certified four new Level 1 Instructors and two new Level 2 Instructors - success!

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Relaxing in Loreto

As many trips do, this one had a goal. It wasn't clear, but it clearly involved spending time on myself & resetting for a major change. I recently left my job in search of something more meaningful and more fulfilling, and a trip to Baja seemed a good starting point. So far I'm feeling way more 'in touch' with myself and am taking the time to listen to my body.

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Starboard All Star SUP

Today, I launched from Tidewater Boathouse in Oakland just before 11am for a lap around Alameda island. The course is 15.5 miles long and offers a balanced circuit of upwind & downwind. I caught the very end of the ebb and was able to ride that almost to the north tip of the island. Paddling against the very start of the flood, the wind threatened to pick up some, reaching maybe 10 kts at times.

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California 100 SUP Race

On Saturday I participated in the inaugural California 100 paddling race from Redding to Chico on the Sacramento river. 100 miles of continuous paddling is a challenge for anyone in any discipline and I opted to do the course on a standup board. I anticipated a conservative, consistent pace down the river and was shooting for a time under 14 hours 24 minutes.

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Davenport Downwinder SUP

The Davenport race last saturday, put on by the Ghostryders Watermans Club, was one of my toughest days on water ever.. I've paddled sea kayaks in some very challenging conditions and this was right up there. 20-25 knot sustained winds created some good sized swells a bit mixed up. The route is a 14-mile downwind shot from Davenport Landing to the wharf in Santa Cruz.

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San Fran SUP Downwinder & Artemis Racing

Sean Morley & I got out recently for a nice downwind crossing of San Francisco Bay from Horseshoe Cove, beneath the north tower of the Golden Gate Bridge, to Berkeley. We had to get an early start in order to be back in time for other responsibilities, which meant we were a bit too early for the wind. But, no worries, the wind made an appearance halfway into the trip just as we were getting near Point Blunt.

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Sea Otter Classic 2013

Sea Otter is one of my favorite events of the year. It's a ton of work that involves long hours but in a strange way it's one of the easiest events I've ever worked on, mainly because I had so much fun I forgot I was working. There was an overwhelming amount of teamwork between departments this year and everyone was working towards one end goal.

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Great Russian River Race

1 trashed fin, 2 holes in my board and a 3rd place finish. What a fun event! This was my first time running the section of river from Alexander Valley campground to Veterans Memorial Beach Park in Healdsburg. The fifteen mile route started out shallow and rocky and continued for most of the race. Some fast moving water in places moved over shallow rapids and around overgrown bends.

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Baja Kayak Fest

Baja Kayak Fest was a blast. Even though I had to jet out on Sunday morning and missed a day on the water, it was well worth the trip and was just an overall good time. Jennifer Kleck of Aqua Adventures and Victor Leon of Baja Aquatics did a fantastic job organizing the event in a worry-free and safe manner for students & coaches.

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ACA SUP ICW - Long Beach, CA

I recently assisted Steve Scherrer on an ACA Level 1/2 SUP ICW in Long Beach with ten SoCal instructor candidates. We spent the first 30 minutes of the course on the 2nd floor balcony at Bayshore Park, just a short paddle from Marine Stadium Park, rowing site of the 1932 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. In the foreground we watched locals enjoying the heat wave on the beach and in the water, in the background we stared at the snow-covered Mount San Antonio, tallest point in Los Angeles county standing at over 10k feet.

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BCU 5 Star Sea Leader Training

I finally got a chance to paddle at GGSKS this year, but it wasn't until Monday morning during the 3-day 5 star training with Steve Maynard & John Carmody. We had quite the group with Jen Kleck & Roger Schumann joining the coaching team. Santiago, Victor, Andrea, Kim, David, Lee, Richard & myself had a full 3 days of BCU that was fun, mellow and complete with broaching whales underneath the Golden Gate. We saw mysterious 6-ft breakers rolling into the bay and we had strong representation from the Mexican Canoe Union (MCU). It was just fun.

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New Years at Baldface Lodge

Powder skiing is my favorite thing in the world. A few days after xmas, Haley and I flew to Spokane, rented a pickup truck and drove into Canada. We arrived at the airfield in Nelson, British Columbia around 2pm, organized our gear, squeezed into the helicopter and ascended into the hills. Barely 10 minutes later we were scurrying across the helipad through a frigid downdraft surrounded by winter at Baldface Lodge.

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