I fell into the same mindset that many paddlers are guilty of when it comes to buying skis. We ask ourselves how different can all these surfskis really be? Well certainly, I know the differences, the major, minor, nuances of most skis, but I put off trying the Swordfish S(SFS) [...]
As a surfski race, many people find the Blackburn Challenge aggravating. There's seldom any significant downwind, but there's always confused chop. It's nearly 20 miles long. At various points you'll have to contend with suck water, weeds, aggressive tidal currents, heavy traffic, fishing lines, lobstermen hauling traps, and a heart-breaking [...]
By Kata Dismukes, Alessia Faverio, Lisa Malick, April O’Gorman, and Salli O’Donnell. Edited by Lisa Malick, original art by Sophie Dismukes. Go to a surfski race on the East Coast of the United States and ask the paddlers how they got involved in surfski. Chances are, you will get some [...]
I was pleasantly surprised when Bob Blair, Race Director of the Blackburn Challenge asked the racers to show hands of the first timers. It seemed like half of the crowd eagerly raised their hands. Blackburn Finish I knew a few these folks like Jean Kostelich who I met years ago [...]
Update June 2019. Since my January post about the Zen I have much more bucket time. I even raced the Zen in the June 2019, Ride the Bull Race on a 20 mph day in mixed conditions that included some downwind, quarter beam seas at 25mph, mega big boat chop, [...]
