Surf Ski Racing Part 2

(Special blog post from Don Kiesling, Tsunami Rangers officer)

Once you’ve decided to get your feet wet with surfski racing, you’ll need more info about training and races to achieve maximum fun and success. Many paddlers choose a specific race that’s convenient, or suits their athletic aspirations, and make it their goal to finish said race, or to achieve a certain time or placing. This is a great way to start. If the goal race is very challenging due to length, rough conditions, or depth of field, it would be wise to pick some less challenging races to build up your experience and conditioning. Few runners enter a marathon as their first race, and surfski racing is no different. Later I’ll describe two of the races that serve as the ultimate goal for many U.S. racers.

start-chaos — Doubles and singles mix it up

If you’re lucky enough to live in a place with other active paddlers, you may be able to join or start a club or training group. Paddling with a group on a regular basis is an ideal way to prepare for the demands of racing. Training partners motivate and push each other, ask and answer questions about gear, technique, and racing, and provide race-simulation opportunities. If you aren’t the fastest paddler in your group, you’re in luck! Chasing a faster paddler is sure to increase your speed. If you happen to be the fastest, you may have to build in some extra challenges, such as giving your partners a head start on intervals.

Some paddling groups, clubs, and businesses host a weekly race series. Weekly races are often an informal short time trial in protected waters, and the focus is speed! Regardless of format, cranking out a few hard miles on a regular basis will quickly build your racing chops. You will become more relaxed with racing and the associated exertion, and relaxation is one of the keys to successful racing. This point was made clear to me during the 1984 Olympics, watching Carl Lewis run the 100 meter dash in slow motion replay. Even with the incredible explosion of power needed to win the gold medal, his cheeks were flapping! Kayak racing demands effort from most of the body’s muscles, but there is plenty of opportunity to relax and gain efficiency. This relaxation doesn’t come immediately to most, but it does eventually with time on the water.

Although you will probably start training and racing in flat water, surfskis are competent craft in all conditions. Experienced paddlers know that they really shine going downwind. Their ultra-low drag, shape, and steering characteristics allow competent paddlers to catch waves and travel at speeds not possible through hard paddling alone. The rush of catching and riding waves is one of the highlights of surfski racing! If you’re lucky enough to live in a place with regular wind over water, you should take advantage and practice as much as possible. If not, then build your skills by chasing whatever waves are at your disposal (from other paddlers, bigger boats, swell), and plan to travel to a good downwind location whenever you can.

We’re fortunate on the west coast of the USA in having dozens and dozens of kayak races to attend. One could race nearly every weekend of the year, and on many weekends twice, but that’s too much for most of us! You’d be wise to pick a local race as your first. (Travelling to a distant race can be more stressful than the race itself!) As you gain experience, you may want to experience bigger fields and more challenging conditions. Two of the best races to aim for are the US Surfski Championships, and the Molokai World Championships. Although both races are championships in name only (but part of a World Series points ranking), they are considered by many experienced racers to be the best races around. Both offer stacked fields, challenging conditions, and prize money for the contenders. Most important, finishing these races is an accomplishment in itself, and a worthy goal of any racer.

The US Surfski Championships started in 2003 in San Francisco. Since then it’s grown to become one of the premier races in the US, and the world. The wild waters of San Francisco Bay and the Golden Gate have humbled mariners for centuries, and now surfski racers get to test their mettle there. Although the course has varied, it’s typically 15 to 20 miles, and includes segments both in the Bay and in the open ocean. Interestingly, the most intimidating water can be in the Bay, due to the funnelling of wind and current through the Golden Gate. Due to popular demand, the course has migrated to more and more downwind action, and it can be one of the most challenging downwind courses in the USA. This race is definitely only appropriate for intermediate to advanced surfski racers, but most racers could eventually tackle it through a program of regular training and increasing exposure to rough conditions. In addition, there is a short course (6 to 8 miles) in a more protected area of the Bay, and this is a great stepping stone to the long course.

molokai-exchange — Don refuels during the Molokai World Championships

The Molokai World Championships started informally in 1976, but before long was considered by most paddlers to be THE race. It crosses the Kaiwi Channel from Molokai to Oahu, a body of water that can serve up the wildest conditions the ocean has to offer. It can also be flat as a pond, but due to the regularity of the trade winds, it’s usually a screaming downwind sleigh ride! At 32 miles, and with big winds, breaking waves, and even some current, Molokai is not for the faint of heart. (Not to mention heat, sharks, flying fish, and other obstacles!) But it’s these conditions, and the prestige of having crossed “The Channel,” that keeps paddlers coming back year after year. Once you have some races under your belt, you may start to aspire to a Molokai crossing of your own. If this is the case, consider using the US Surfski Championships, and ideally some of the shorter (but still challenging) Hawaiian races as stepping stones.

blackburn — A race start is a hectic scramble after months of training and planning

A final note about surfski races: They don’t happen without the tireless energy and dedication of race directors! The amount of time and dedication to run a small local race, much less a big international championship, is staggering. Many directors spend the whole year planning and organizing an event that may take just a few hours to stage. Be sure to thank your race director for putting on such a cool event, and consider volunteering to help organize or stage a race in your area.

Please offer Don your comments and questions on surfski racing by clicking on the comment line directly below this post.

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Comments

rambo says
February 2, 2011 at 4:26 am
Nice followup Part 2 Don, Molokai is indeed an awesome race and a must do “once in your life” for any serious paddler. Many other new events springing up around the world now too, the sport is indeed growing quickly as other countries embrace it. Cool.
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John Soares says
February 2, 2011 at 8:04 am
Don, this is the second time in 12 hours Molokai has popped into my consciousness. Thanks for sharing your experiences and expertise with us, and now I’m gonna look at flights/packages for visiting Molokai!
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Eric Soares says
February 2, 2011 at 9:26 am
Thank you, Don, for contributing these two posts on surfski racing. And please thank your photographers for providing appealing pictures to accompany your essays.
From what I can tell, surfskiing has been exploding in popularity among kayakers who want speed, distance, perfection in paddling technique, and the thrill of paddling downwind in ocean swells. As in sailing, the competitive challenge of sursfski races provides all paddle powered people with subtle and sometimes drastic changes in boat and paddle design, forward stroke, and what the human body can do. This is good.
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- Kenny Howell says
  February 2, 2011 at 10:05 pm
  Great “special guest” blogger! Thanks again for getting Don on your blog, Eric. As for racing every weekend, that’s certainly the case in California, even in the dead of winter. We had the typical 100 paddler turnout at the Wavechaser event last month. This weekend is the annual Cow Patty Pageant race on Estero Americano (border of Marin/Sonoma counties) – flatwater, but with a theme and cause. CCK hosts the next Wavechaser later this month, and it’s a double-header weekend of racing over 2 days! There is no off-season, only off days. As paddling grows ever more popular, so goes surfski paddling.
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rambo says
February 2, 2011 at 10:15 pm
Once again WaveChaser leading the charge for Ocean Paddling growth in US. Awesome people, get behind and support the organizations moving forwards. Kenny, have you got Carter back paddling?
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- Kenny Howell says
  February 2, 2011 at 10:43 pm
  Rambo, Carter keeps paddling even in his sleep I think. He won the last Wavechaser, of course – narrowly beating a double ski. It was satisfying to beat Carter finally back in December – but I was in a K4, and he was nipping at our heels for 10 miles! The man has a tolerance for pain.
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rambo says
February 2, 2011 at 10:49 pm
I thought i heard he had break from paddling with an injury, probably wrong, can’t believe everything you read on the net or was it he finally bought a new laptop?
How about the Doctor next year Kenny, you in?
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- Kenny Howell says
  February 2, 2011 at 10:54 pm
  The Doctor looks like my kind of race. 2012 will be a Molokai year for me again, hopefully.
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rambo says
February 2, 2011 at 11:23 pm
Actually just doing some work to try do Molokai this year, about time it produced the goods again and i wanna be there to shoot it when i goes off. Got some great 6 man stuff in Oct last year at the ‘Hoe, biggest since 1996, will be releasing it soon as a doco. Some big ski stuff would be nice though.
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Tony Hansen says
February 3, 2011 at 12:44 pm
With Eric’s blessing, I would like to notify you all of a great race that we will be launching in May. I hope that you can join us as all proceeds go to the Russian Riverkeeper, protecting the river for all.
2011 Great Russian River Race
Deep in the heart of Sonoma, the Russian River winds its way through breath-taking scenery from Lake Mendocino to the Pacific Ocean. In the spring of 2011, the inaugural Great Russian River Race (GR3) will attract some of the world’s top canoeing and kayaking athletes, local adventurers and social paddlers to race in two separate events. Key details:
Date: May 7th, 2011
Venue: Russian River, Healdsburg
Events: 15-mile Bridge-to-Bridge Race & 5-mile Rio Lindo Race
Classes: Single or Double (Kayak/Canoe/Surfski) or Open Canoe
Prizes: $5000 in cash and prizes
Entries: http://www.greatrussianriverrace.com
Note: Entries are limited and will be on a first-come-first-serve
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Reivers Dustin says
February 3, 2011 at 1:03 pm
How could I know those years ago sitting next to Eric at a Port Townsend Sea Kayak Symposium session that I would have such a fulfilling passion today? The next day I sat through Eric’s T-Ranger presentation and then sat on a double-ski with my girlfriend.
Today I’ve done three U.S. Champs and had many hours of exploding onto waves since then. This would be enough by itself, but I find the camaraderie and sportsmanship just as exhilarating. It seems the upper class in this sport are such wonderful people. Don’s inviting and informative brief are more proof of that. From the middle of the pack: thank you Eric, Don, Rambo, Kenny, … everyone.
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Eric Soares says
February 3, 2011 at 4:35 pm
Like a river, life has many twists and turns. I’m glad you really went for it Reivers, and followed your passion.
BTW, I’ll be speaking at the Golden Gate Sea Kayaking Symposium on February 19th in San Francisco, then doing a rock garden class the next morning. If you or any reader is interested in the symposium, go to http://www.ggsks.com and check it out. I’ll be doing a post on the symposium in 2 weeks.
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- Kenny Howell says
  February 3, 2011 at 6:40 pm
  Eric, you’re comment reminded me that I will also be at the GGSK – teaching (what else?) a forward stroke clinic on Friday the 18th! We have at least 8 participants booked for it, but I think they’ll take a couple more. Enrollment closes next week for the symposium. The clinic includes video analysis of your stroke technique – a “before and after” concept. We’ll see you at your evening presentation on the 19th!
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Dan says
August 25, 2012 at 1:08 pm
Hey nice article. It’s good to see interest in the sport growing. You mentioned that there are so many surfski races in So Cal, that one could race almost every weekend. Where is that info to be found? I’ve only found 2 races in the past year….I live in Long Beach.
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Kenny Howell says
August 25, 2012 at 10:23 pm
Dan, I can answer that for you. It’s more like once a month in SoCal for racing – depending on the season. You can find more races, but you’ll often be with mostly outrigger canoes, or sometimes the SUP races allow surfskis. I would say there is a canoe/kayak race almost every weekend somewhere in California from March through November. To get that info, you have belong to some of the Yahoo groups devoted to racing, such as the Yahoo surfski site. Here are 2 websites devoted to SoCal racing; you will notice they are seasonal, partly due to the outrigger canoe racing season that dominates a lot of paddlers lives in the summer, and national races that take place elsewhere in summer:
http://www.eteamz.com/SoCalOceanRacing/
http://www.sdckt.net/socal-winter-race-series.html
The best surfski races are downwind courses, and SoCal just doesn’t have much of that. So, consider traveling north to San Fran next summer for our monthly Wavechaser downwind surfski races, and the US Surfski Championships (which just took place on Aug. 4). Also, the Columbia River Gorge near Hood River Oregon has mind-boggling downwind runs, you can surf your brains out there all summer, day after day.
Aloha,
-Kenny
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