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National Series Notebook: A Red-Hot October
The USA Surfski leaderboard grew to 203 paddlers this week, with seven new names added in five days. Kieffer now sits just ahead of Wilson Reavley (A26), whose 1,959 points represent a full season of [...]
On Downwinding: Crosswind and Mixed Days
From the parking lot the water looks like nothing worth the drive. Wind chop runs in from the southwest, a leftover groundswell rolls in from the southeast, and where the two meet the surface has [...]
2026 Great Stone Dam Race
By Wesley Echols I really enjoyed myself today at the Great Stone Dam Classic, an 8.14 mile race in Lawrence, MA hosted by Shawn Burke, and Francisco. It was a perfect day New England day [...]
On Training: Decision and Commitment
A runner lifts behind you, and for half a second you know exactly what to do. Then the half second passes, and you're still thinking about it. The gap between the boat and the swell [...]
On Training: Orientation and Pattern Recognition
Your nemesis is two kilometers of confused water where the swell from the south meets a cross-chop off the eastern point of land. You've paddled it dozens of times. For most of those sessions it's [...]
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 [...]

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Blackburn Challenge-Cooler Heads Prevail by Greg Lesher
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Blackburn Challenge-Cooler Heads Prevail by Greg Lesher

Blackburn Challenge, Race Reports

Blackburn Challenge-Cooler Heads Prevail by Greg Lesher

Blackburn Challenge: Cooler Heads Prevail I apologize for the delay in posting my Blackburn Challenge race report. I've spent the last week immersed in an ice bath, mainlining chilled Harpoons and listening to the cool, cool vocal stylings of Mr. Lionel Richie. They say that you haven't felt real heat until you've stood [...]

The 2013 Blackburn Challenge: ‘Stick a Fork in Me, and Turn Me Over…’ by Mark Ceconi
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The 2013 Blackburn Challenge: ‘Stick a Fork in Me, and Turn Me Over…’ by Mark Ceconi

Blackburn Challenge, NE US Surfski Race Reports - 2013, Race Reports

The 2013 Blackburn Challenge: ‘Stick a Fork in Me, and Turn Me Over…’ by Mark Ceconi

Quickie Quiz Question: What do the following have in common? a.) habaneros b.) Mount Kilauea c.) the plastic slipcovers on Grandma’s furniture d.) the 2013 Blackburn Challenge Answer: the ability to produce overwhelming, oppressive heat For the 27th running of this infamous east coast event in Gloucester, MA (Say ‘GLAW-stah.’), the cruelest [...]

2013 Blackburn Challenge, Who Turned Up the Heat?
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2013 Blackburn Challenge, Who Turned Up the Heat?

Blackburn Challenge, NE US Surfski Race Reports - 2013, Race Reports

2013 Blackburn Challenge, Who Turned Up the Heat?

The predicted thunder storms did not roll in until late afternoon, nor did the predicted 10-15 mph winds southwest winds. However, the oppressive heat and humidity was with us. Driving to the race on Friday, stuck in the Boston traffic, Betsy, my wife, would call out 109, 115, 122 every ten [...]

The 2009 Blackburn Challenge – by Wesley Echols
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The 2009 Blackburn Challenge – by Wesley Echols

Blackburn Challenge, NE US Surfski Race Reports - 2009, Race Reports

The 2009 Blackburn Challenge – by Wesley Echols

Every ocean race is a unique experience. This is the excitement of ocean racing; there are so many unpredictable factors to take into account. The usual weather conditions; wind, current, tide, water/air temperature, fog and surf, if applicable. This day’s race forecast was initially for a small craft warning with thunderstorms [...]

My First Blackburn by Reid Hyle – Repost from 2012
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My First Blackburn by Reid Hyle – Repost from 2012

NE US Surfski Race Reports - 2012, Race Reports

My First Blackburn by Reid Hyle – Repost from 2012

The Blackburn Challenge has been on my “to do” list of races since I began racing in a sea kayak with the Mid Atlantic Paddler’s Association in Virginia back in 2002. But even with all the racing and travelling I’ve done since then I’d not yet made the trip up to [...]

Casco Bay Challenge? Finding the Finish. by Greg Lesher
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Casco Bay Challenge? Finding the Finish. by Greg Lesher

NE US Surfski Race Reports - 2013

Casco Bay Challenge? Finding the Finish. by Greg Lesher

The Casco Bay Challenge was designed as a rare New England paddling treat - an extended downwind race across the entire bay, amidst dozens of striking Maine islands. While the forecast initially looked good for such a race, a cursèd fog befell us. An elderly salt on the beach warned us [...]