I’ve heard it said that “the best laid plans of mice and men often go astray.” For most of 2014, I have looked forward to and planned to line up for the Tybee Island race in Georgia. Unfortunately, events conspired to thwart my attendance.
All dressed up and nowhere to go; and, as fate would have it, that’s when I found out about the Gator Bait Race on Lake Pelahatchie just outside of Jackson, Mississippi.
Are there really gators?
About a five and half hour drive from my mountain top home outside of Chattanooga, Tennessee, I decide to make a one day event of it by taking a “vampire drive” and striking out at around three am.
As per my usual, I arrive at the race just in the nick-of-the-9:30 am-start time. At this point, I’m getting used to the last minute pulling-a-rabbit-out-of-the-hat gambits that I take. I’ve even come to subscribe to the superstition that if I arrive early, I will invariably have bad luck in the race.
Upon arriving I am greeted by Race Director Michelle Blair, who brings a great deal of infectious enthusiasm to the event since taking over two years ago.
When asked about her reason for taking on the difficult task of coordinating a paddle race, she states that she comes from a family of paddlers and wants to help promote the family friendly activity in her area.
So what’s with the name? Are gators in the area? According to Ms. Blair, they are; and that’s all the incentive I’ll need to stay right side up and be swift of paddle. Banjos playing don’t worry me nearly as much as the splash of a big gator plunging out of the reeds and into the same body of water I temporarily occupy.
Start
As I line up at the start of the 5.5 mile route with the other paddlers I decide to take a last minute drink of water from the bottle on my rear deck. It is at this exact moment that the frenzied splashing of eighty kayaker’s paddles begin to slash, pull and generally penetrate the water with bad intentions.
Start
Good start-Check.
I push hard to get to the leaders and somehow find myself alongside a four person boat in third position going into the first turn about a mile in. I decide to tuck in to fourth position behind the K4 in order to enjoy a little wash riding from the twenty foot plus boat. This turns out to be a good idea as we head into about a mile long stretch of off the beaten path paddling through gardens of ginormous lily pads.
Suddenly, I feel as though I’ve dropped anchor and am going backwards. I lose my wash and am immediately passed by the boat behind me. I’ve hung an elephant ear on my rudder and I’m taking it for a ride. I eventually work it off and try in vain to dig back to the leaders with no success.
We clear the back forty and take it to the open water for the remaining two to three miles. With just a day or so of summer remaining, the hot Mississippi sun starts to make its presence known as we all bear down hard towards the finish.
Rick Carter piloting his Epic V12 from Eutawville, South Carolina finished first overall, a feat made more impressive given that he had to turn and double back after missing the first buoy and then took a short coffee break after coming out of the Lily pad gardens before spotting the correct path to the buoy across the lake. At this point I would ordinarily see fit to chide him about pre-race meetings, etc., except for the fact that I spent the entire meeting in the bathroom (I lost my keys…really).
Top finishers
Phil Capel, paddling a Stellar SEI from Sherwood, Arkansas, finished 54 seconds back in second place. Randy Hargroder, from Opelousas, Louisiana, on a Stellar SR rounded out the top three overall.
I end up fifth, behind Andre Pellerin and his crew of three from Breaux Bridge, Louisiana, in the K4; good enough for first in K1 long category.
Joseph 5th
David Dupree from Rayville, Louisiana – Stellar S18S came in first in K1 fast, while Susan Orgeron, Breaux Bridge, Louisiana – Epic 18X was the first solo female finisher.
Afterwards, participants were treated to vendors, music, great food, awards and a raffle. The vibe was pure family friendly fun. Great turnout, especially considering other events were occurring simultaneously in the region. Although this event wasn’t initially on my radar, I’ll likely be back in the “hospitality state” next year to enjoy this event and support Ms. Blair and Co. Thanks to bruceaulrich.com for the pics.
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