Latest News
On Racing: Finishing Strong
Finishing well has little to do with who is most tired. Everyone is tired. What separates paddlers at the end of a race is not how much they have left, but how clearly they can still act with what remains. The finish is rarely a single effort. It is a sequence [...]
Stability in the Boat-Do you need more?
By Wesley Echols I have paddled a wide range of skis over the years from advanced to beginner in all types of conditions. Below are some helpful hints on becoming more stable in your ski. Boat Choice: think about the conditions that you will be paddling in the 75% of the [...]
On Racing: Expecting the Unexpected
The forecast you checked the night before is completely different when you wake up. The wind has increased, the swell period has changed, and there's a conversation happening near the water's edge about which direction the gusts are going to come from and when. Of course, nobody really knows, at least [...]
On Downwinding: Reading Lines
The line appears before the decision to take it is fully formed. A shift in the water texture, maybe forty meters ahead, something about the way a long roller is organizing at an angle to the dominant swell, and the bow is already moving in that direction. A few strokes in [...]
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 [...]
Surfski Reviews
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Think UNO Review – by Wesley Echols
Special thanks to Mark Ceconi who has edited all my reviews. First Impressions: I first paddled the Uno on the ultra flat Charles River back in April 2009 (see clip), thinking to myself; “There is no way I will be able to paddle this in the ocean.” I did not [...]
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 [...]
Surf Ski Review, Stellar SES, Fenn Spark, Epic V10L
Over the past year I have bought or paddled many skis: Epic V10 Ultra, Epic V14 Ultra, Fenn Glide Elite, Think Uno Max(2), Evo II(2), Think Ion, Think Big Eze, Huki S1X Special, and the Huki S1XL. Included in this long list is the Epic V10L Ultra and the Fenn [...]
Think Evo Fiberglass Review – by Wesley Echols
My first paddling experience with my Evo was a 37 mile circumnavigation of Aquidneck Island with my partner in crime, Tim Dwyer. I had purchased the glass Evo the previous day and was excited to try out my latest acquisition. Tim paddled my Huki S1R. So, in comparable boats, we [...]
Fenn Elite Tandem: A “Very Cool” First Paddle with Cliff – by Susan Williams
Cliff Roach and I set out to paddle Mark Ceconi’s brand new Fenn Elite tandem surfski for the purposes of writing a review for surfskiracing.com. Clearly, Mark has been hanging out with his eternally optimistic elementary school students for too long, the poor trusting soul had no idea what we [...]