On Downwinding: You’re Not Surfing
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 [...]
On Training: Stress and Adaptation
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 [...]
On Racing: Starting Right
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 [...]
Blackburn Challenge to host 2026 National Championships
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 [...]
USA Surfski Paddlers @ 2025 ICF COR World Championships
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 [...]
Latest News
Double Beaver, Bring Your “A” Game!
Normally I save the "thank you's" for the last paragraph but with so much support for yesterday's race I thought the recognition should be stated first. So thanks to the Dwyer Family; Alyce,Tim,Finn, and Gaelyn for hosting the race. They provided the post race gathering in their home, the chase boat [...]
Blackburn Challenge 2014 – by Mark Ceconi
Blackburn Challenge 2014: Racing, Records, and Reflections July 19, 2014, Gloucester, MA It escapes me how many Blackburn notches I’ve accrued in my belt to date…eight? Nine? This strikes me as somewhat ironic, given the fact that as the years progress, I’m rapidly running out of notches in my actual belt. [...]
Blackburn Challenge: Reporting from the Sidelines
I wasn't sure about the protocol for writing a race summary when you technically didn't paddle in the race. So I consulted the handbook. And as stated clearly in the Surfski Blogger Union (Local 214) Bylaws, Section 5, Subsection B, Paragraph 6: "Members may only write about races in which they [...]
Personal Records at 2014 Blackburn Challenge
Almost 300 paddlers (298) in various water craft made the trek around Cape Ann for the 2014 Blackburn Challenge. The combined surfski classes were the biggest overall class with 60 that included the singles, doubles, and the plus 20 class. No complaining this year about the temperature. It was a super [...]
Casco Bay Challenge: This Time with Color and Depth
As you may recall, last year's inaugural Casco Bay Challenge was more like a chapter from the Odyssey than a ski race. We wandered aimlessly through a boundless oblivion, arriving an eternity later on the other side of the bay, astounded to find that only a few hours had passed in [...]
Ride the Bull: Exciting and New by Greg Lesher
Last year's inaugural Ride the Bull race was a great success, combining challenging conditions with just the right level of tom foolery (Jan's playful attempts at drowning, Borys' random wanderings, Tim H's exuberant/deranged appearances on every outcropping along the course, etc.). Leading up to this year's race, it looked like we [...]
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