Many paddlers assume that the most efficient way downwind is to point the bow directly toward the finish and take whatever the ocean offers along that line. The logic is simple. Shortest distance, maximum assistance from the wind, minimal wasted movement. Yet in real downwind conditions, this approach often leads [...]
Most paddlers learn to think about downwind paddling in terms of waves. You catch a wave, you ride the wave, and you look for the next wave. Wash, rinse, repeat. That model works well enough at first, but it starts to fall apart as conditions get more complex. Many of [...]
It is common to hear paddlers describe a downwind run as having “good conditions” or “bad conditions,” as if the ocean environment were a consistent entity. That shorthand is convenient, but it hides away so much context. Anyone who has paddled the same route on different days knows that it [...]
Downwind paddling is often described in terms of sensation: speed, lift, control, and moments when the boat seems to move on its own. What’s discussed less often is why those moments happen, or how to recognize the conditions that make them possible. This Downwinding series is about exploring that underlying [...]
My training this season beginning in February, is focused on the Blackburn Challenge, July 19th. The Blackburn consist of 19.4 miles with a mixture of 3 miles of flat water before you hit the ocean. Miles 13-17 are where your training or lack of training gets magnified in the rolling [...]
