Hi everyone!! You must be bored with my paddle board entries, and, if not? Let me shove another one down your visual throats!! As of a couple of weeks ago I ventured in to the realm of long distance racing, open ocean racing. Actually, racing around a freaking island type racing. It was called the Race around Bowen Island Challenge. Wow! Race and Challenge in one sentence! What a humbling experience. It was not due to lack of training, or the wrong food, or even dehydration. It was the conditions! As most good races are only abruptly stopped by weather. Case in point this time.
As last year, which in my opinion was the wrong choice, we went north around the island. Everything was somewhat groovy as we headed in to the channel except for the fact that I was on the wrong board and I found that out quickly as everyone but a small handful pulled away. Things were not bad yet. It was when we came around the north coast and headed south in the channel that the shit hit the preverbal wall! The first thing that sucked the most was that we had a constant 22 knot wind, aka 35 kmh winds head on. Then, we were privy to 3 to 4 foot swell, side chop, tide and boat wakes. Needless to say it was half way during the race that the support crew came and picked a bunch of us out of the water.
The race was over and I hadn’t even done more than half of the intended distance. What a disappointment. Alas, even getting on the support boat in those conditions was a legendary feat.
I know what I have to do for next year. Drink more beer!
hahaha,
details to come?
the end of the line