We had 20 men's unlimited boats, 4 women's unlimited, and 129 overall a course record. (For some perspective, in 2003 there were only 54 boats and 6 skis total - even as recently as 2007, we had only 77 boats and 14 skis). Great representation from the New England ski [...]
The unlimited kayak class lined up for the start so I took a spot that gave me a good line for the hole shot. Although the Essex is a wide tidal creek, the deep water channel at the start/ finish is just a few boats wide and the tight curves [...]
Five and one half miles is what the Essex River race is supposed to be. So why does my stroke coach say over 10k (6.2 miles)? There are more twists and turns in the Essex Race then 10 HOC races. (HOC for Head of the Charles). There are 9 foot [...]
No matter how many times I row or paddle Essex River, I can never seem to get the steering just right (can anyone?!)-- And 2009 was no different. After an admittedly overzealous start in the Fast Touring Class, I had a bit of a lead coming out of the early [...]
1996 I was a sea kayak enthusiast looking for a new challenge. So on a hot summer day I heard an ad on the radio for a kayak race in north-eastern Québec, 7 hours away from my home. The race was La Grande Traversée, a 55km crossing of the St-Lawrence [...]
