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 [...]
Nothing in training happens without stress. In the absence of a stressor, our system remains exactly as it is. But stress alone is not improvement, and in an ocean environment, misunderstanding that difference is one of the most common ways capable paddlers stall or break down. Stress is simply load [...]
Most races are decided long before the first buoy or the first run. They begin in the final minutes before the start, when paddlers are already spending physical, mental, and emotional energy, whether they realize it or not. The start line is not a pause before the race. It is [...]
The American Canoe Association has selected the Cape Ann Rowing Club's Blackburn Challenge as the host venue for the 2026 USA Canoe Ocean Racing National Championships, placing one of America’s most iconic open-water races at the center of next year’s ocean racing calendar. Long known as the “Boston Marathon” of [...]
The 2025 ICF Canoe Ocean Racing (COR) World Championships were held in Durban, South Africa this past October. Worlds is the pinnacle international competition for surfski paddlers all over the world, in addition to World Cups and (for us) Pan American Continental Championships. The venues for these international competitions are fantastic [...]
