Cape Cod Downwind Surfski Race, Great Venue!

A few years I met oceanographer, Chris Sherwood who was then paddling a red Eddy Line sea kayak. Chris came over to my place to demo a few skis and see what all the excitement was in paddling a ski. After that day Chris was hooked. Fast forward a few years and Chris, his wife, Patty, and college bound daughter Sarah, hosted the first Cape Cod Surfski Race. Chris saw a space in the the current New England race schedule and invited all of us to come. Chris and his family did a wonderful job of organizing the point to point downwind race complete with charts, directions, shuttle, burgers and of course a great venue. I have only paddled on the Cape a few times but it has a different feel than our usual venues. By that I mean picturesque sandy beaches that you get there by way of tree lined narrow roads with beach houses ranging from the million dollars homes to the nestled bugalow all pointing out to Buzzard Bay,Vinyard Sound, Cape Cod Bay or the Atlantic. This venue is warm, inviting and the conditions are milder than some of our other races which leads to a more relaxed feel. It also is only 70 minutes from my house, a nice convenience too.

Start of Race

The start of the race was in Woods Hole, Falmouth, Massachusetts, home of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution is a private, nonprofit research and higher education facility dedicated to the study of all aspects of marine science and engineering and to the education of marine researchers. Established in 1930, it is the largest independent oceanographic research institution in the U.S., with staff and students numbering about 1,000. If you ever needed help with currents or tides, yesterday’s race was the place to be. Three oceanograghers lined up in their surfskis, Chris Sherwood who works for the U.S. Geological Survey, Tim Rocky Geyer of the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution and a Fellow of the American Geophysical Union and a world expert on coastal oceanography and Tim Milligan of Halifax who works for Bedford Institute of Oceanography. We were hoping these guys with all their combined knowledge could muster up some more wind. The winds typically are stronger than yesterday’s of 10-12 but nevertheless with a slight push from the tide, I averaged 7 mph for the 10 mile race. Twenty paddlers including two women, Mary Beth and Leslie Chappell launched from the tropical waters off Woods Hole.

Leslie Chappell

The course was simple, head 8 miles downwind watching for a point of land that identified the entrance to Megansett Harbor. Then paddled two miles around the jetty and finish at the docks. Some took a very outside line like Greg Lesher whose line I was following while keeping eye on my GPS to ensure Greg did not pull a “Boris”, and miss the turn. Greg and I were trying to get an extra push from the winds and tide by being further out. It should be noted I was well behind Greg but keeping an eye on his orange PFD. I did notice a couple of course corrections as Greg chuckled about after the race. Greg placed first while Mike McDonough took the opposite tactic and took the straight line approach placing second.

Ken and Abby Cooper.

Just before the turn, “Surfin” Dave Grainger who picks a few races to attend, passed me at this point and never looked back. Dave had the best race of his long career placing 3rd. Age does not hold Dave back. At 70, Dave is known for his surfing videos, his boat fabrications, his excellent balancing skills, and his kurt email opinions. I met Dave many, many years ago. One distinct memory is one I had in the Jamestown Harbor as Dave was contemplating converting to a surfski. He tried one of mine and while on the water, I asked him what he thought? He replied in his kurt, clipped style of speaking, ” Don’t like the pedals, I like a tiller bar”. I assured him he would get used to it. It took Dave a few more years to get used to it. He converted my first Mohican I sold to him to pedal steering vice a tiller bar years ago. Later I sold him my Mako 6 that he cut the hump down to a manageable height and has not looked back. I mention Dave’s balancing skills which are excellent. He paddled K1’s for years. On one drysuit winter day on the Sakonnet, Dave paddled his K1. Not the best idea, but Dave beats to a different drummer sometimes. Dave also tried to paddled his Mohican out to Cormorant Rock in Rhode Island Sound with a group of us years ago. I was curious to see how far he got. He turned around half way out. Nevertheless, Dave can be found most often paddling with his sea kayak buddies showing off his surfing skills off the shores of Connecticut. Congrats to Dave for showing us a thing or two on how to use those pedals correctly!

Dana, Dave Grainger, Wesley, Tim Milligan at Finish

I hope Chris and Patty will be putting on this race next year. We all had a great time and this is a true downwind course not just in name. The conditions reminded me of the Sakonnet River where I live, consistent, well formed, straight forward waves that makes you want to come back for more, NEXT YEAR!!

Results below on Greg’s Surfski America along with the specifics of the course. Click on the Calendar for September 20, Cape Cod Surfski Race.

https://surfskiracing.org/surfskiamerica/

A few more Pics.

https://plus.google.com/photos/111670948231605580163/albums/6061624593975831441