Battle of the Bayou

Battle of the Bayou by Joseph Di Chiacchio

Winter— a time to slow down, rest, recover, and rejuvenate for the upcoming year. It’s also about eleven weeks too long. I’ve been counting the days before the arrival of warmer weather, mentally logging indicators that serve as evidence of cold’s withdrawal.I targeted The Battle on the Bayou as my first race of the year based in part on the enjoyable experience I had at another Gulf Coast event last year—The Gator Bait race.

It seemed to me then that the Gulf Coast tribe were a unique lot; festive and passionate about their paddling. But there was something else, something I couldn’t quite put my finger on. I wanted to have another go to validate this perspective and maybe see if I could sort it out. Coinciding with an early season start, Battle on the Bayou (BOB) started to take on the feel of a coming out party for spring and just like clockwork, around the third week of March, the Dogwoods started to bloom as the weather gave way to warmer days.

I arrived at the Gulf Hills Hotel Friday night for the packet pick up. I was soon sorry I’d chosen to stop on the way down to eat as I found the conference room catered with an array of free food, beer and drinks with a large crowd of racers congregated.After a good night sleep I migrated down to the staging area to prep my boat and gear. Afterwards, as this was a one way event, I drove to the finish, left my car and was shuttled back to the start area via provided bus.Scanning my surroundings, it soon became apparent what it was about the Gulf Coast crowd that I hadn’t previously determined; these people bring their A-game of fun for sure.

Good vibe!

I witness a tandem crew dressed as crawdads (they won in their category), a woman holding what appeared to be a severed foot, a man in drag and at least three Vikings. There were equal parts heavy hitters, bubbas, grandmas, kids, and a hard charging crew of triplets. Many with boats adorned in all manner of loathsome battle imagery. There were several skis out there, but I got the distinct impression that if there was a bathtub category in the race, there would have been some takers. And I mean that in a good way. It makes for an interesting diversity and a great vibe.

The race begins in Old Fort Bayou outside of Ocean Springs Mississippi and travels 9.5 miles up the Bayou through twists and turns, finishing at the eclectic barbecue compound aptly named “The Shed”. I would generally call a barbecue restaurant a “joint”, but The Shed can only be described as a compound. It is huge, has a stage for live music, backs directly up to the bayou, and has an endless supply of Americana memorabilia as far as the eye can see. The boat divisions are designated as follows: K1 Race- the fastest boat class, with K1 Fast following, then K1 Long all the way down to the hotly contested K1 Pool Toy.

Finish line by the “Shed”

My strategy was to try and latch onto Katalin Dismukes and follow her as long and as best as I could. Dismukes, a Hungarian national currently residing in Memphis, Tennessee has spent the better part of her life training in sprint kayak before switching to the surf ski about three years ago. She hasn’t looked back, she’s been tearing it up here in the southeast ever since.
When the starting horn went off I chased Kata down and grabbed side wash. It seemed that I wasn’t the only one who had this idea as Memphis paddler Elmore Holmes took the other side and Jeb Barry took Elmore’s wash.

Joseph in the mix (v8) far Right as Kata leads it out

It didn’t take long to realize that this was a serious mistake of judgment on my part. Maybe I was a bit overzealous for the early season or maybe Kata was just entirely too strong, but I soon lost the slipstream and began to fall back while Kata, Holmes, Barry and Richard Carter formed a kayak train and began to leave the rest of us behind.
I was soon joined by Randy Hargroder, but quickly faded behind him as well and was left alone in no-man land for a few miles. I was eventually caught by the next group down which included: Richard Savoie, William Wolfe, Laurence Cohen and a young duo on a C-2. At this point I was more than happy to grab stern and try and regain some strength that I pilfered at the start. The first to pass was the C-2 . I locked in behind them with Cohen pulling in behind me. I was happy to catch a break, but what was a relief in one way was exceptionally difficult in another. Following these guys proved to be an exercise in intense concentration as their zig-zagging path and off tempo side switching required the need for extreme attention. Around mile seven, Cohen made his move and broke right for the pass. My C-2 engine was fading and I knew I had to latch on to the attack if I intended to have any chance at winning the category.

Cohen

I grabbed hold and followed for a tense couple of miles of much boat grinding as we both marked each other for the finish. I tried to gauge when to make my move as the cagey Cohen ramped up his pace to rebuff attempts to come around. About a quarter mile before the finish the racers go under a freeway overpass. I felt that most of the competitors would use the overpass as a mark to go full out for the line. I decided that waiting for this marker would be too late and opted to make a move shortly before arriving. The tension grew as the sound of the cars on the overpass in the otherwise serene bayou drew near. I was convinced Cohen anticipated my move and was just waiting for me. I could wait no longer. I swung left around a corner and put in a dig to come around. As we approached a left turn I drew almost nose to nose. Closing in on the corner he edged his bow towards the bank, effectively cutting off the path and shutting the door on my effort. This was likely my last match and it was thoroughly burned. I pulled in behind and held on in the hope that I could recover and create another opportunity to pass. As we crossed under the over pass it wasn’t meant to be as Cohen found another gear and put me deep in the hurt locker. After a tense final portion of the course we finished bow to stern. It was exhilarating to be playing out these tactics on the boat. It was reminiscent of road cycling criteriums. Cohen played out his tactics perfectly. Good on him. William Wolfe and Jimmy Guidry rounded out the top three and four in K1 fast coming in shortly behind.

In front of us, Dismukes faded slightly near the end allowing Hargroder to edge past, coming in a solid fourth with Kata in fifth overall while finishing first among females.The top three of Barry, Holmes and Carter broke away completely and marked each other through the last several miles. With Holmes pulling, Carter made a push to go around and was able to get enough real estate between him and the others for a gap. Holmes and Barry were unable to respond to the attack, finishing just a few seconds back for second and third respectively.Myrlene Marsa, in only her second race, showed that South African heritage apparently does matter on a surf ski, finishing as the second overall female in spite of competing two categories down in K1 long. Denise D’abundo, rounded out the top three overall females as Susan Orgeron finished first in the K1 fast.

Top 3 Holmes, Barry, Carter

4th Place Hargroder

Myrlene, 2nd place female

Afterwards at the awards ceremony, racers were treated to delicious free barbecue and beer at The Shed compound while a raucous band played on the adjacent stage.

BarQ at the Shed!

Afterwards I pulled up to the hotel and ambled to my room. Near the door sat two men observing us as they drank their stouts. One of them proclaimed that I would need to move my car. Taken aback, I asked why. I was promptly told that I had parked in front of the kayak that was perched on top of his truck. He subsequently was unable to stare admiringly at his boat.
These Gulf Coast people . . .
http://www.webscorer.com/race?raceid=39455