Latest News
On Training: Chain of Fools
The stroke catches and the boat runs. There is a feeling to it, a brief firmness in the water that holds long enough for the body to push through, and the boat moves with more economy than it did on the stroke before. Paddlers sometimes describe a boat as "running" on [...]
Nationals: Meet the (Blackburn) Challenge
Every local racing community has a structure. You know who the fast paddlers are, roughly how you stack up against them, and what a good day on the water looks like for you. That knowledge shapes your training, your expectations, and your sense of progress over a season. It also has [...]
18th Sakonnet River Race 2026
The 18th Sakonnet River Race went off without a hitch with a small group of New England surfski paddlers. Conditions were ideal for the 9.4 mile course. It was not the total grind up to the 1st turn buoy at Black Point as the wind died just a little from the [...]
On Racing: Current, Tide, and Timing
Current is the quiet architect of many races. Unlike wind, it rarely announces itself. There is no sound, no visible force—just the subtle difference between working hard and going nowhere, or moving efficiently with effort that suddenly feels justified. Paddlers who ignore current tend to misinterpret both. Tide charts offer certainty [...]
On Downwinding: Decision Scope
Around the ninety-minute mark, a bump builds ahead and gets left alone. Not because of anything physical. The opportunity was real. But a sprint that reads as obvious on a twenty-minute run reads differently when the landing beach is still forty minutes away. The conditions haven't changed. The calculation about what [...]
On Training: Recovery and Adaptation
The main concept behind "training" of any sort is that damage accumulates when work occurs, and adaptation happens during recovery. There's a well-established process at this point for optimizing our adaptation mechanism to quickly achieve substantial gains, particularly in younger people, but it works for everyone. Arriving at the next session [...]
Surfski Reviews
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Stellar Introduces New 18S Surfski, 18R Performance Sea Kayak
Review Update of 18R by Joe Zellner, Winner of the Dakota 72 Mile Race. June 1, 2012 Here are my thoughts on the S18R in Excel layup. When I first saw the boat all I could think was “Wow, what a fast, pretty boat. I always liked the color orange. [...]
Epic V10 Sport Performance Review – by Wesley Echols
The Epic V10S( Sport) is one of a group of more stable surfskis along with the Think Evo, Mako XT, and Huki S1R. The Sport, along with the other Epic skis, is offered in several different layups. I have personally owned the Ultra(24 lbs) and the Performance (32lbs). Like all [...]
Wesley’s Next Surf Ski Review:Think Uno 2G
The video by Chris Chappell, above, is me demoing the Think Uno 1G on the Charles River in 2009. I bought that boat knowing I could only paddle it on flat water or calm ocean conditions. Although I paddled it once on part of the Ride the Bull Course, one [...]
The New Innovative Stellar 18S Surfski, Review 2012
The New Innovative Stellar 18S Surfski is Here!! Read On! 2 Hatches w/2 bulkheads Nice shaped cockpit, drink holder, leash attachment Nice lines Handles, 4 inch rudder McCorrie Beach w/Good Boy Kayak Racks Profile [...]
Epic V12 Ultra Review – by Wesley Echols
April 2009 - First Impression My curiosity (re: obsession/compulsion/enjoyment) got the best of me once again courtesy of my friends from The Kayak Centre in Wickford, Rhode Island, who asked me if I might possibly have any interest whatsoever in the new Epic V12 (Note: slight tongue in cheek reference [...]