On Training: Attention and Its Limits
The paddler to your right has been pushing the pace for the last few minutes, and you've been tracking them. Watching their rhythm, watching the gap, watching whether they're going to open it further. Somewhere [...]
On Training: Seeing the Water
The first time something catches your eye before you understand what it means, you almost dismiss it. A change in texture fifty meters ahead, a slight darkening of the surface, the way another paddler two [...]

National Series Notebook: A Loaded July
Patrick Dolan flew 5,000 miles from Hawaii to Massachusetts and won the 2026 USA COR National Championships on a grueling open water course against a stacked field of athletes. Five days later, Austin Kieffer won [...]

On Training: Physical Integration
The race was two-thirds over and the aerobic system was still running cleanly. Breathing had stayed in control, the stroke hadn't collapsed, and the pace was within the range that should have been sustainable. But [...]
On Downwinding: Leveraging Energy
The difference between flatwater paddling and downwinding isn't subtle. Grinding a flat stretch is the opposite: all work and no rest, every foot of distance earned stroke by stroke with nothing free about it. Catching [...]
On Training: Efficiency and Friction
During any long session or race, most of each stroke converts cleanly into forward motion. A small fraction gets diverted into correction, stabilization, and adjustment. Some of that cost comes from outside: the ocean pushes, [...]
On Racing: Finishing Strong
Finishing well has little to do with who is most tired. Everyone is tired. What separates paddlers at the end of a race is not how much they have left, but how clearly they can [...]
On Racing: Expecting the Unexpected
The forecast you checked the night before is completely different when you wake up. The wind has increased, the swell period has changed, and there's a conversation happening near the water's edge about which direction [...]
On Downwinding: Reading Lines
The line appears before the decision to take it is fully formed. A shift in the water texture, maybe forty meters ahead, something about the way a long roller is organizing at an angle to [...]
On Training: Chain of Fools
The stroke catches and the boat runs. There is a feeling to it, a brief firmness in the water that holds long enough for the body to push through, and the boat moves with more [...]
Latest News
Sakonnet River Race 2019
Fast, Flat and Furious The largest crowd ever assembled(verifiable) for this race since its inception 11 years ago, were treated to the 2nd fastest times ever. Greg Lesher made his way quickly through the field and never looked back over a fast course due to outgoing tide, little wind, only heightened [...]
Essex River Race: Winner to Swimmer
I hold the Essex River Race responsible for getting me in a surfski. When I first wondered "what is that?" while racing in a sea kayak in the early aughts, who knew that I'd end up spending my final years obsessing over loggerhead shrikes and red-winged scrub jays! I'm assuming that I'll [...]
Run of the Charles: Course Adjustment
For many New England paddlers, the Run of the Charles is the first race of the season that is commonly referred to by acronym. Besides that important distinction, the 6 mile ROTC is also one of the largest flatwater races in the area, drawing 20-some skis in the past few years. [...]
A Race to Remember, Austin Kieffer
April, 2019 Maui to Molokai What a race!? The conditions were about as good as any surfski race could ask for. The wind was lined up perfectly and blowing 25 knots, the weather was mild for Maui and a merciful layer of cloud cover had rolled in to shield racers from [...]
Carolina Cup 2019
Racing Alone, Not Really. by Lisa Malick The simplicity of the name alone suggests the elite nature of the event, which draws top competitors from around the world. According to their event page on Paddle Guru, the race became the largest and most competitive SUP races in the world. Even though [...]
Narrow River: Sweet Release of Depth
As all locals are aware, Rhode Island is the epicenter of surfski racing in New England. As inexorable as gravity, the wee state draws in paddlers from hundreds of miles away. Mary Beth and I took advantage of this mysterious attractive force to grab a couple of extra hours of sleep [...]
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Surfski Reviews
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Huki S1R Review – by Wesley Echols
Let me begin by saying I have owned three S1R’s over the years in different layups. As the chart indicates it is in the stable class of surfskis. It has excellent initial stability. I have seen experienced sea kayakers demo my S1R’s and feel relative comfortable just sitting in this [...]
Nelo 550, Think Evo 3, Stellar SEI, Surfski Time Trials
In my garage and basement I have my favorite skis. As usual it is a mix of advanced skis (Think Uno 2g, Ion 3G, Epic V12 2g, Stellar SEL 2G, Nelo 560M and intermediate skis( Nelo 550, Stellar SR 2G, SEI 2G, Think Evo 2, Evo 3). Of the advanced [...]
Fenn Swordfish S Review
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) [...]
Long time sea kayak company,Current Designs, develops Recreational Surfski
Check this out. I often wondered how long it would take a sea kayak manufacturer to finally "GET IT". It has taken a very long time. Surf Skis are more FUN, lighter, faster, and enjoyable at any skill level. Interesting to read the verbiage and hear the promo. We can [...]
Stellar SEI 2G (Excel) Surfski Review
Stellar Kayaks and Surfskis Stellar Kayaks and Surfskis was established in 2009 and launched its first surfski models in 2010 of which I was a part of. The USA distribution is located in Northfield, Massachusetts, has grown dramatically since then, becoming one of the premier brands of kayaks and surfskis in [...]






















