USCA National Championships

This past weekend I raced at the USCA National Championships. It was my first USCA sectioned event and, while I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect in terms of competition or courses, I figured it would be a good opportunity to see how I stacked up to other paddlers. Sprint events took place earlier in the week and since I was low on vacation, I opted to only go up for the marathon events which were Friday – Sunday.

Warren, PA is about a 7 hour drive from DC, so Dave and I left at the crack of dawn on Friday to allow time to find our campsite before heading to registration which opened at 4 pm. I had made reservations at Dew Drop campground which is located right on the Allegheny Reservoir in Allegheny National Forest. It was a beautiful spot with big sites. Ours was steps from the lake which has 91 miles of shoreline. It also has 5 established paddle-in/hike-in backcountry sites and that, along with a dispersed camping policy, would make it a great place for a fall kayak camping trip.

After setting up camp we headed down to Betts Park. All the marathon events end there and that was where awards and registration were as well. We knew we had found the right park by the parking lot jammed with pro-boat canoes. The Nationals include events for canoes, sprint boats, outriggers, unlimited boats and sea kayaks but the emphasis definitely seems to be on canoes. The random kayak or surf ski perched atop a roof looked out of place.

They were announcing the results of the Friday races as we arrived and I took note that for the almost 14 mile course times ranged from 1.5 hours to over 3. The race follows a portion of the Allegheny river running from just below Kinzu dam to Betts Park. There are three sections where you have to turn and paddle up-river against the current. In addition, it has very shallow areas and a minor rapid that produces a rather fun wave train. In short, while a fun course, it really isn’t what I think of when I think of a sea kayak race – there is no open water and the water never got over waist deep! There was some talk about this not being the most appropriate venue for a "sea kayak national championship" so we'll see what comes of that.

Not wanting to crunch my Nemo, I needed to paddle the course at least once before the race to see if I even wanted to attempt it the new boat. Fortunately Rich Libby suggested we paddle a sprint K2 together in Saturday’s race. He raced unlimited on Friday and knew the line down the river. I could scout it as we raced. We got ourselves registered; since there was no mixed K2 class we entered the “men’s” category. Then Dave and I headed back to camp to take a quick paddle on the lake before dinner.

Our original plan for Satruday was to just cruise, but Rich and I don’t seem to capable of that when you put us in the boat together – especially once we saw there were four other mixed boats who were racing in the men’s class also. Now we had competition and we hoped to hang with Holm and Melissa! Yeah right! Anyway, we all lined up and, when the start gun sounded, took off. The lead K2 must have been paddled by two Olympic team members. They shot off the line and disappeared so quickly. Holm and Melissa also proceeded to paddle away in perfect sync. So Rich put us in a pack with three other K2s and off we went.

The river definitely had current and there were times that I would see the GPS hit 10+ MPH. Unfortunately I knew that all too soon we’d be paddling UP that river. Rich picked a good line but even with that I occasionally smacked my paddle into the surrounding rocks and we dragged the rudder a couple of times.

Rich was a little worried about the wave train since this was only our third time paddling a K2 together. I had been hearing all kinds of stories about this “rapid” so I had visions of class 3-4 whitewater! But it turned out to be much tamer – just a jumble of bouncy waves. I laughed at the “rescuers” who were standing in the waist deep water to help put you back in the boat in case you came out. Rich picked a great line and we shot through, avoided the eddy and kept in the fastest part of the river.

Two more slow upriver sections later and nearing the finish line, we made our way to river left for the last of the shallows – and boy were they shallow! We dragged the rudder hard and ended up edging the boat first far left and then far right to avoid any more direct hits. At the bottom, Dave was out on the river in his Outer Island shouting encouragement and snapping pictures – he was definitely the only one around using a Greenland paddle that day! We headed for the finish line and crossed it in a time of 1:43:46 good enough for fifth place in men’s K2 and we would have been second if there was a mixed K2 class.

We hung around until awards were over and then returned to camp to cook dinner and relax. I had another day of racing ahead and needed carbs! Bill W. joined us as we cooked up tortellini and polenta with veggies and sauce. Complemented by wine it was a great dinner. I hit the sleeping bag early but Sunday morning still came around all too quickly. I emerged from the tent stretching my slightly sore back and shoulders. Perhaps racing the two days back to back wasn't the smartest idea.

Coffee and breakfast in hand, we made our way to the start area. I saw more kayaks in the parking lot this morning. Dan M. and his friend Alex were both there already with their prototype Nemos. I put my boat over by theirs – three Nemos in a sea of Epics! Collecting my race number, I saw that there were probably 11 boats in my class. A great treat since this season I’ve mostly been racing alone. From what I had heard this wasn’t going to be a gimme as there were several very fast women in the race.

Once the course review was over I hopped in the boat to warm up. Our start time was 9:10 am and I was feeling a little rushed. As I was fiddling with the GPS the announcer called us to the start line, I paddled up and the next thing I knew the gun sounded. I hadn’t reset the GPS or the heart rate monitor but people were off the line. So I dug in. There would be no electronic feedback for me on this race.

It looked a lot like a typical race. The super speedy guys took off and then a middle pack formed of me, two other women, Bill W and one other guy. I stayed with them until we hit the first shallows and I felt the Nemo bog down. I wasn’t going to sacrifice the boat for the race so I let up some and considered the best line. Once through I hammered again but couldn’t catch the pack. It was me, paddling, alone in the race. Boy isn’t that the story of my racing life!

And so it continued for a couple of miles. When I got to really shallow spots, I’d ease off and then pick it up again once in deeper water. At the first buoy turn I experienced problem number two for the day – my rudder wasn’t tight enough and wasn’t turning me efficiently. I had been fiddling with the foot rest the week before and evidently didn't tighten the rudder cables enough. Fortunately I wore my sprayskirt so I jacked the Nemo up on edge and swept for all I was worth. Not fast, but at least I turned. On the upstream turn I did the same thing but still wound up in the trees!

Next, came the waves, I picked my line and headed through. With the stability of the Nemo that proved no problem. Just below the waves there is a large eddy on river left, I cranked the rudder to try to stay in the deeper, faster water but ended up in that eddy anyway. A little hard edging and sweeps got be back to where I wanted to be but cost me valuable time.

At the second upstream portion I noticed that two guys were gaining on me and drafting entered my mind. I didn’t slow down but just waited. I passed another park and saw Dave there with the camera for some pictures. His first words were “what is wrong” so I guess I didn’t look like a happy camper. I paddled past him toward the next turn buoys when the guys caught up. I jumped on their wakes and stayed there. It made that last upstream so much more doable! Unfortunately they dropped me on the last turn. No matter though, we are almost home.

As I passed under the last bridge I saw Dave again, he had been leap-frogging me the whole race. I asked if there was anyway I could catch the woman in front and he said probably not. I already knew that the next woman was at least five minutes back so I got ready to walk. This last section is the shallowest and was where Rich and I had to really lean the boat to not break the rudder. I took it easy going into the shallows but was happy to find that instead of four inches of water we had on Saturday, we must have had six – and those two inches made all the difference. The Nemo floated through without hitting bottom. With one final sprint I crossed the finish line with a time of 2:06:08 – a bronze medal finish at the US Nationals and an intact boat! In the end I was less than two minutes behind the second woman and four minutes out of first. Something to shoot for next year ...

A Broadkill Weekend

The annual Broadkill Race out in Lewes/Milton Delaware has got to be one of my favorite races of the year. What makes it so great is the combination of great people, a great venue, and great paddling.

This year got off to a perfect start when when my friend Chris invited Dave and I to stay at his place for the weekend -- he lives 10 minutes from the start line. I guess Chris figured if his daughter Chrissy could have sleepovers then he could invite a bunch of his friends to camp in the yard for a sleep over also!

We arrived Friday night to find Chris and Stephen P. already into the beverages. Chris's garage looks like a boat building workshop so Dave, Stephen and Chris were promptly discussing the finer points of wood boat building with Dave grabbing the nearest tape measure to figure out deck and combing heights of the CLC boats that Chris has in various states of completion. Recognizing that Saturday would be an early morning, we cut the conversation short and headed off to bed.

Saturday morning dawned HOT and HUMID as forecast. It must have been 90 degrees at 7:30 am -- it wasn't going to be a comfortable race. Dave, Stephen, Chris and I were among the first to arrive at the launch. Only Charlie was there already. Soon the others began to arrive. Cliff with his Tbolt, Joe with his sprint K1, Bill with his Epic 18X (affectionately referred to as his "rec" boat), John P. in the Capella, Neil in his OC-1 and Vince with the Old Town he makes go surprisingly fast. The usual women though were missing no Susan, Susan or Kathy. I surveyed the field to figure out who I might be up against but didn't see anyone I recognized. I fleetingly thought that I would just "take it easy" in this race, after all it was HOT!

The racing boats only make up a small portion of the field as this is one big race that attracts over 100 boats ranging from plastic OceanKayak tandems to K1 sprint boats. Soon we were all at the starting line. They start all the singles together so that totaled more than 70 boats. Just as we jockeyed for position and the start sounded someone capsized at the front. It was chaos as everyone peeled off from the line and tried to avoid the swimmer at the same time.

I took off at usual speed with the lead pack and watched as, predictably, Joe, Cliff, Bill, Stephen and Charlie gained ground on me. I settled into my pace and, after dropping one last guy, was alone behind the lead men as usual. It looked like if I wanted a race I was going to have to race my time from the previous year -- if only I had remembered to look that up before I left!

A few miles passed. It was HOT but I felt pretty strong. With every turn in the river I could see Stephen, Charlie and one other guy ahead of me. The distance between us stayed constant and I decided it was time for a new goal -- to pick off one of those three guys. I've beat Stephen once in a race but that was last year's Capital Waterways Challenge (see my blog entry from last October or Stephen's report for details). My win was due to his taking a scenic walking tour of DC while I stayed on the river so it probably doesn't really count and Charlie, well, I've never been close to him before.

I started to push, I reached the bridge which was roughly the halfway mark. Roy Todd was there to cheer us on and said I looked good. I felt good, so on I pushed. Charlie had passed Stephen by that point so now it was Stephen in my sights. I put my head down and focused on form. Bit by bit I made ground. I knew that if I pushed hard enough and caught up I could draft to recover. The question was could I push that hard and not bonk? I kept going. With one final sprint I jumped on Stephen's stern and started to draft. He seemed a bit surprised to find me there!

Drafting in kayaks works just like drafting on bikes. I probably took 2 strokes for Stephen's every 3 and they were easy strokes. My heart rate dropped from over 170 back to a comfortable 160. Stephen and I chatted for awhile and after a few minutes I was ready to take the lead. I jumped out in front and let him catch my stern just like Holm taught us during our Lake Anna Clinic. Stephen stayed there until I inadvertently ran us through some weeds which got stuck in his rudder. I didn't mean to Stephen I promise!

I could now see Charlie ahead and began to wonder. I felt good after drafting Stephen so I dug in again. It took awhile but eventually I caught Charlie's stern. I sat there drafting comfortably again. A couple of times I tried to take the lead but Charlie throws a mean wake and I couldn't get up and over his side wave. I knew we were getting close to the end and thought about what Melissa had said during our clinic -- don't start your final sprint from behind, get out beside so that you don't have to climb the wake. I started to move left. All at once I saw the water treatment plant which was my cue to sprint. When I started sprinting so did Charlie. We both gave it all we had. It was down to the wire.

The official race results have Charlie finishing one second ahead of me but I have pictures that say otherwise. Now I must fess up here and say thank you to Stephen for going to Scotland and drinking Scotch for three weeks rather than training and to Charlie for bringing his slower boat and taking it easy. They kept this race interesting for me and I have no doubt they'll both trounce me in next month's Wye Island Race!

With the race over it was time to play. I looked toward shore and saw Dave standing there with a giant Nemo balloon. I was just too perfect given that I paddled the Nemo that day! I also saw Cliff trying to get his very long legs into Joe's K1. Now Joe and I are exactly the same size leg wise so I knew that wasn't going to happen but I really wanted to try the Sino.

So Joe hopped in the Nemo (with balloon attached) and I wiggled into the Sino -- our legs are the same but not our hips! After a few tenuous strokes I got into the feel of the boat. This was by far the most advanced K1 I had paddled. The boat would jump whenever I took a stroke. It felt awesome and incredibly cool to know that I could learn to paddle an elite level K1! Joe and I paddled a ways back up the river and on coming back they even tried to call me the second place women's finisher. That would have been a feat -- number one and number two!

As we waited around for awards in the heat, we discussed whether this year the course was slower or faster than last. The consensus seemed to be that it was a little slower. Finally everyone was in and the awards were announced. There were plenty of battles for placing. Joe beat out Cliff for first by a matter of inches. The third and fourth place was like that as well. I got first in women's with a time of 1:29:56 -- that seemed similar to what I did in the Tbolt last year but I couldn't remember. I would check at Chris's house later.

Our original plan had been to go to Irish Eyes following the race but it was so HOT that we all opted to head back to the pool at Chris's. We spent the next six hours floating, swimming and feasting. After taking a pre-dinner drip to cool off the BBQ commenced. Pam made her fabulous Ziti and a huge salad. We grilled veggie burgers and corn to go with it. Vince brought baked beans and cucumber salad. And there were lots of beverages. We stuffed ourselves until we sufficiently replenished all the carbs we lost and then headed back to the pool.

Lounging in one of Pam's awesome pool floats I thought what a perfect weekend it was turning out to be. Of course there was still the ocean tomorrow ... Only one thing remained and that was to check out last year's times. So off to the computer we went. Chris pulled them up. My time last year 1:29:56 ... Guess you can't say I'm not consistent!

Sunday morning our plan was to head to the ocean to find some rough water. I'm going to paddle the Nemo in the Mayor's Cup in October and have heard that Hell's Gate can get quite sporty so I wanted waves. Waves I got. After stopping by surf bagel to continue the carboloading, Chris, Stephen, Dave, Cliff, Patty and I headed for Cape Henlopen. The forecast was for calm winds but anyone who knows the track record Chris and I have should have expected otherwise. We arrived to 15-20 knot winds kicking out of the east and that combined with an ebbing tide created nice two-three foot rollers.

We headed out around the first breakwater and toward the point. Small choppy waves hit our beams and made for irritating, but good practice, paddling. However once past the breakwater and nearing the second the swell steepened and became more regular first one, then two, then three foot rollers. At one point Cliff came off his ski but he did a fabulous reentry and was back in it. Rather than going out to search for dolphin which would be fruitless in the weaves we opted for some downwind run practice. We'd paddle out in the three footers, spin around and surf them back in.

The Nemo felt great through it all -- head on, beam waves, and tail waves were all no problem. I was stable, in control of the boat, and could turn whenever I wanted to. I stayed "knees center" the whole time and never felt the need to brace. At one point a pilot boat came whipping up the channel and we had four to five footers bouncing from all directions. I'd be sitting in the trough of the waves and be surrounded by towering walls of water only to promptly ride the elevator back up to the top. Bring on Hell's Gate!

Too soon the tide began to turn and the waves flattened. We decided to paddle out to the outer break before calling it a morning. Our progress out was excruciatingly slow against a now incoming tide. At one point Stephen said we were only going 2 MPH. Finally, we got to the break, crossed a freaky whirlpool surrounded by two foot breaking chop and got in the lee of the wall. While snapping photos I thought I saw a body! Turns out there were two guys swimming and spear fishing off the wall. Chris says they are local boys who do it all the time and even had a fish on their spear get pulled off by a shark earlier this summer. I'll stay in the boat thank you!

After the break we turned to head in. Drifting we hit something like five MPH and the lighthouse quickly receded. Rounding the inner wall I check the time it was nearly noon. We'd been on the water for three hours. I turned to Chris to comment that I was having so much fun it felt like we'd only been out for an hour. His reply "I'll agree with half of that statement!"

Everyone had had their fill but we didn't want to head home quite yet. We lingered in the parking lot chatting before deciding to take in one more beach treat -- Dairy Queen!

Many thanks to Chris and Pam for all the hospitality and to the others for making this such a fabulous weekend. I can't wait for next year!