Deep Cove Kayak Blog

2012-01-01T07:40:00.000-08:00

2012 PENGUIN PLUNGE the 30th YEAR!

Greetings All...here we go again!

Come join us for the Deep Cove PENGUIN PLUNGE, New Year's Day, January 1st, 2011...
12:30pm to 3:00pm in Panorama Park
Music, Festivities, Refreshments, Costume Prizes (judging at 1:30pm)
PLUNGE at 2pm sharp!

This will be our third year back organizing the annual Deep Cove PENGUIN PLUNGE and this year marks the 30th year of the Penguin Plunge.
It's amazing that this celebratory tradition has been going for this many years in our community so let's take a moment to send out a big THANK YOU to those who started it (thanks Merv and gang), kept it going all these years, (especially the Mount Seymour Lions) and also a big THANK YOU to all of you who come to Deep Cove and take the PLUNGE!

This year we encourage you again to challenge each other to gather PLEDGES for Plunging with all Pledge proceeds raised going to support the Seymour Art Gallery. You can get PLUNGE Pledge forms at LaLa's or Deep Cove Outdoors and we will be your first $5 sponsor or you can download the form online at www.deepcovekayak.com or www.penguinplunge.com

We also encourage you to Share Your Plunge Stories from the past...Who, What, When, Where, WHY??? Please come on to the blog and add your stories too...

Cheers and best wishes for a Happy, Healthy, Holiday from all of us at Deep Cove Canoe and Kayak and Deep Cove Outdoors and we look forward to seeing you this coming New Year's Day for the 2012 Penguin Plunge in Deep Cove.

10 Reasons Why Vancouver Road Weenies should Skate Ski during the Winter

2011-11-30T05:51:00.000-08:00

The cross over benefits from cycling to cross country skiing are well known. Vancouver has a

mild climate which makes it possible to cycle 12 months a year, but you have to be pretty dedicated. Soggy clothing, limited daylight hours, dangerous riding conditions all conspire to keeping you off the bike during the winter months of November to March. Instead of banging your head against the winter brick wall of cycling why not change it this winter and try skate or classic Nordic skiing. In Vancouver we are lucky to have two great facilities for you to cross country ski at. Cypress Cross Country is only 40 minutes from downtown and Whistler Olympic Park Nordic Centre only 90 minutes.

Night Skiing at Cypress Mtn, Its easy to whip up the mountain for a few fun laps. There are lots of cyclist up there skiing in groups and pace lines.
Tuesday Night Toonie Ski Race, get a work out when you would normally be on your trainer, or in the gym. Hey Tuesday is already your UBC race night. Keep it booked!
You don’t have to clean your bike, nor do you need to mount fenders or sacrifice a water bottle to extend the fender. Cycling in the rain sucks and to make it worse, then you have to clean your bike. When its pouring rain in Vancouver it’s a winter wonderland up at Cypress. Why don’t they make fenders longer anyway?
Your fit legs will help you up the hill and your core and upper body will get a work out. XC Ski is well known as being the #1 full-body work out, and you don’t have to buy a new wardrobe, Lycra tights and Bike Jersey’s will do.
This one is for the guys…there is a higher ratio of women xc skiing than cycling.
-5 degree temperature skate skiing is nothing, -5 and cycling at 30kmh….brrrrrr, not fun!
Callaghan Valley, Whistler Olympic Park is a world class Nordic Facility, just up the road at Whistler.
Get fit for the Payak Loppet, 15, 30 and 50 km loppet. 500 participants last year. Last year’s inaugural “Loppet” (Citizen’s Nordic race) had it all, a 30 skier peloton at the lead, grueling uphill’s, gut clenching downhill’s and a whole bunch of fun rolling terrain, big smiles by everybody coming across the finish line.
100 year old Hollyburn Lodge at Cypress, Warm up from your ski with Red Curry Thai Chicken Soup!
Skate Ski packages start at $ 500! Chump change compared to a $5000 Cervelo Frame. Top of the line gear, One Way High Modulus carbon fiber ski poles - $500, Fischer Carbonlite Hole skis- $850,Madshus Nanosonic Boots $475, Xcelerator NIS bindings = $120.
OK one extra.....You get to exercise your trunk and shoulder muscles….that’s the part of your body above your legs. You use them in cycling when you grab a Clif Bar out of your jersey pocket. In Nordic skiing up to 60% of your forward movement comes from trunk and shoulders.

Where to Ski:

Cypress Cross Country

Whistler Olympic Park

Dakota Ridge

Where to Buy:

Deep Cove Outdoors - North Vancouver

604-987-2202

Skate Ski Packages starting at $500

Race Scene:

Loppet is a Norwegian word that translates into “Citizen’s Race”. Participation is the focus. The goal is to complete the distance in a fun manner. At most races there is a fun, family inclusive atmosphere, feed stations and lots of young kids. There are also lots of people who giving it there best shot and going for it too. Cross Country BC is also the Provincial Sport Body for Classic and Skate skiing.

Cypress Tuesday Night Twoonie Race – Starts as soon as night skiing starts. 6:30 check-in, 7 PM race. Each week is as different course.

Sigges Payak – February 25

Cross Country BC Competition Schedule

Bob Putnam is owner of Deep Cove Outdoors and was a bit of a road weenie "back in the day". Now he is just a Weenie.

Team THINK, Canada Heads to San Francisco

2011-08-08T12:05:00.000-07:00

The US Surf Ski Championships is just around the corner and what seems to be a developing tradition, there is a contingent of British Columbians heading down to San Francisco for the competition. For the past 3 years Daryl Remmler, who is THINK Kayaks, has dragged a trailer loaded with surf skis down to the event, organized accommodation and brought in his stable of elite paddlers who gracefully tolerate a group of tag-a-long weekend warriors.

Personally, it is one of the highlights of my year, hanging out in the coffee shops of Chestnut Street, San Fran in the mornings, paddling the tumultuous waters of the SF Bay in the afternoons, and frequenting the pubs and restaurants in the evening.

Here is the list of paddlers from BC who will be heading down this year.

Matt Kelly – Has had an on and off paddling season this year and is not in as good form as he has shown in previous years. Too much work? But Matt relies on his exceptional surfing and rough water skills he has attained from many years of whitewater and downriver paddling.

Ken Stanick – Ken is in top form! I know, I spent many hours in the gym with him this past winter training at Jodi Boates Athletics. He has taken his training very seriously. He has just returned from the Wildside Relay where he was honing his downwind paddling and rough water paddling skills. Expect to see Ken crack the top 30

Sean Gibson –I have just learned that he is injured and won’t be racing but will still come to help with shuttling etc. Thanks Sean! Here is what I was going to write: Sean is taking on all the big races this year. Unlike most people who work their way up to the toughest races, Sean is doing it the opposite way. Tackling the granddaddy of all surf skis races this past spring, The Molokai World Champs. Sean will test himself in the cooler waters of The SF Bay.

Shane Martin – Shane lives the paddling lifestyle and probably logs more miles than anybody else on this list. Lots of power, great surfing skills. Shane had partnered with Ken at Wildside relay. Look for Shane to be top 30 again maybe crack top 20 if he has a good race!!

Gareth Tudor-Jones – Gareth had the best showing of any Canadian at last years race with a 16^th place finish. There is no reason to suspect that Gareth will do any worse this year. He has been on a solid training regime. However, the higher up you get on the ladder, the greater the spacing of the rungs. It will be no easy feat to pick off the likes of Rami Zur, Carter Johnson or Olympian Phillipe Boccara who finished just ahead of Gareth last year.

Warren Bruce – The Veteran of the group. Warren is lways solid in his conditioning, spending half the year in Baja, Mexico. Warren has been working hard on his rough water skills. Warren is my main Canadian Competition in the Senior Masters division (over 50)

Bob Putnam – I’m feeling better this year than last and am hoping to be able to challenge the course whereas last year’s effort was just a matter of survival. I had a good winter of training with Ken and Jodi and it’s made a huge difference for myself. I’m hoping to finish top 5 in Senior Master (blue hair division) I’m looking forward to the big downwind in the last half of the race. My time spent paddling the Ambleside Tide Rip has been awesome to help prepare the rough water paddling skills, cause it doesn’t matter how good your conditioning is, if you can’t paddle in the rough water you won’t do well.

Rob Hansen – Rob hales from Campbell River and like Gareth has South African roots. Paddling is in his blood. Rob had a good spring of paddling in Vancouver while he was doing a stint at UBC’s Sports Med Clinic. This is Rob’s first trip to the USSSC and look for him to put in a good performance. Rob has a superior fitness base and good rough water / downwind paddling skills.

Daryl Remmler – Daryl has been a busy boy not paddling as much as he has in the past years. But more than anybody else Daryl has the ability to draw on his years of racing experience and “pull it out of the bag” on race day.

Sean Rice – Looking for a 1^st place finish, nothing more needs to be said

Linda Warren – Our token female!! Linda is a big promoter of “Girls and Skis” It will be great to have Linda join the group. It’s her 1^st USSSC. Linda has been keenly preparing for the big event and just had a great race at the Jericho Oceanman. Hopefully in future years more women will take part

Thanks to Viv for her great photos. USSSC takes place this Saturda August 13 / 14.

SPRINT RACE EXCITEMENT

2011-03-16T21:41:00.001-07:00

My favorite event is sprint racing. More thrills and spills than any other XC event. More can go wrong and opportunities can be created at any minute. As a racer its important to never give up, even if you are in last place because there can be crashes, broken poles and protests, and it all happened today.

Sprints begin with an interval start time trial. The course for this age was posted at 800 metres, but GPS were showing 1.1 km. The course was fairly flat with the exception of an steep uphill hairpin turn, the point of all the excitement. After the qualifying time trial the top 30 competitors move on to heats. At Midget Champs all the kids qualify but here at Nationals they have to limit it to 30 competitors so as to get all the categories through.

Katie Weaver continued her amazing performances. She is not yet old enough to compete at Nationals, she's not 1 year but 2 years away from being old enough. Despite that she qualified 15th out of 66 competitors!! Jenn Wildi had a slip on the nasty hill and she didn't qualify. A couple of seconds can represent several place positions in this competitive field.

In the Juvenile category, Quinn was still recovering from his sickness didn't qualify but had his best race yet. Zayne Heyes qualified13th and Sam Morris qualified 23 for Juveniles. In the Junior category, Lucas was 6th, Fred 9th, Nic just missed out of top 30 by less than 1 second, but was able stick it to his twin brother in their hotly contested rivalry. Adam and Kalum were mid-field.

I decided to camp out at the hairpin with a few extra poles as I thought this would be the most likely spot for contact. i wasn't terribly excited about this as there was a really great spot where everybody was standing and you could run and see various sections of the course.

As it turned out this was where all the action was going to take place. The fastest two skiers in each heat advance. Katie was a respectable 3rd very much in the chase. Zayne and Sam were in the same heat, which is never good, unless they are #1 and #2. This heat came through very tight with Sam in 3rd and Zayne in 6th but very much in the race, anything could happen and it did when the guy in front of Zayne slipped and Zayne got tangled and that was the end of Zayne's race. Sam finished 3rd in the heat and didn't advance.

Lucas' heat came through and he finished second and advanced. Fred was up next and this is where Fred made his second heads up move of championship. The younger kids were hugging the inside of the corner and having to ski the steepest part of the hill. I had relayed this info to Jake who was at the start and he told Fred and Lucas. Fred entered the corner wide in third place. The first place guy was tight on the inside and the second place guy was wide in front of Fred. Fred spotted the "hole shot" an went for it! With a few quick steps he was in the middle and away like a robber stealing 1st place. It was a thing of beauty!

Lucas's semi-final was a tough one and he finished 4th. Good enough to make the "B" final. In Fred's heat he was charging up the hill in second place when there was the all too familiar crack of carbon fibre. Fred looked like a wounded duck and was screaming "Pole! Pole! Pole!" I had a moment of dyslexia as I tried to figure out left or right pole. I ran across the track and handed him the pole and then almost got ran over by racer #3. When the dust settled the Race Jury Official came over to me and said, "May I have a word with you" It wasn't the cleanest hand off...but it worked, Fred finished second and advanced.

Prior to the awards there was a protest on the final heat and at this moment the race jury is deliberating.

Ezekiel Williams entered the corner in 1st place with Stefan Sander-Green of Kimberly came charging hard on his right and Julian Locke-Hinke, 2010 Canadian Sprint Champ, hard on Stef's heals. Fred was in 5th or 6th. Ezekiel went down, Stef was like a heat seeking missile shooting into the lead, Julian right behind and Fred found his way around the pile up and was in Fourth. That's how it wound up. Stefan is a great kid that puts a huge effort into every race, a great competitor.

This is the same jury that gave a warning to the team sprint Nakkertok team that made a tag outside the exchange zone. So who knows.

Note: Subsequently Stefan Sander-Green was charged with obstruction and moved down to 5th place. The #2,3 & 4 were advanced one place so Fred Weaver ended up with a Bronze medal. Cross Country BC will appeal the decision.

Battle of the Skis

2011-03-15T07:10:00.000-07:00

Today's race should prove to be an interesting one. Junior/Juvenile Boys 7.5 km Classic, Junior/Juvenile Girls 5 Km classic. The boys are doing two laps of a 3.75 km course. Weather forecast for today is a high of 10 degree. Girls start just before 1:00 PM, Nic Foellmer is the first junior boy to start at 1:48!! What will be the snow conditions?? That is the big question. Wax techs were testing everything yesterday. Klister, hairies, Zero skis. Its easy to make skis glide fast, but in warm conditions it is difficult to give skis grip without slowing them down. Making "hairies" is a last resort attempt to get grip when all waxes and klister has failed. Aggressively sanding the grip zone of your skis makes tiny hairs which help the skis grip in the right conditions. Zero skis are a relatively new type of ski that has a rubberized grip zone that helps making hairies easier. Some of the athletes have Zero skis in their quiver of skis and some don't.

Aggregate Points Battle:

Most of our guys are 1st Year Juniors born in 1994, Adam, Seb, Nic, Kalum, Lucas and Fred, this means they are battling against athletes born in 1993 who have a extra of growth, conditioning and experience. A podium finish for these guys would be an excellent achievement, but unlikely in this competitive field. For the past 3 years due to category changes these boys have been the underdogs in their categories. Nationals has Year of Birth (YOB) aggregate points awards. Fred Weaver has done very well in the last two Nationals placing in the top 3 (or better, sorry i need to check this fact).

Based on Monday's Individuals skate race, Currently Lucas is 8th, Fred 16th, Adam 27th and Nic squeaks on the board with 30th. So it will be interesting to see how the race shakes out. Seb is not far off the top 30 positioning and he an his twin brother are always battling back an forth. Typically Seb tends to be the better classic ski but often Nic can show grit and determination. Kalum didn't race on Monday due to a chronic injury which flares up when skating, so he will be excited to show his stuff today. Adam tends to excel in classic races too. Fred is a talented classic skier, which is ironic, because as kids he loathed classic skiing. Fred has been working hard all winter and was clearly not happy with his race on Monday. Lucas see the flat sections of this race course working in his favor he is strong in double poling and he doesn't have the same conditioning as Fred.

In the Juvenile boys, this is a longer distance than Monday's race. Zayne was very happy with his Monday's race and hopefully can carry the positive feeling into today's race. Sam looked solid on Monday and will step it up a bit today.

Jennifer and Katie are looking to gain some more experience in today's classic race.

TECHNOLOGY IN SKI RACING

2011-03-13T16:58:00.000-07:00

The digital world has caught nordic skiing and dragged it into its tentacles. I had recently acquired a timing system that runs on an Iphone. I will be using it to time the Tuesday Night Kayak Races in Deep Cove starting in April. I was very excited about this new toy thinking I was the only kid on the block with it. Today I found out all the big kids have it too, and are running it on cooler devices. Now I have device envy. Dave Woods, former head coach of the Canadian National Team and now BC Team Coach along with Chris Manhard, head coach of the Callaghan Valley Training Centre were running the program on their Ipads.

I found them at the top of the biggest hill on the race course, Jake was calling out race numbers and Dave and Chris were tapping the corresponding boxes on their Ipads. They were able to give instant feedback to the racers regarding their lap time, placing for that lap or to that point in the race and how many seconds they were behind the racer in front of them. Their heads were buried in the Ipad, popping up to glance at the racers and yell out vital information, maybe TMI?? and they looked like a group of 14 year olds socializing.

I was going to manually enter the start list into my program, but then Dave tells me to download the race template. With a few taps of the touch screen much to my amazement, I had the start list on the Iphone. Unfortunately my little Iphone wasn't as big and grand as the big kids so I couldn't play the game the same way they were. Ipad 2 here I come!! Ya wonder why kids are hooked.

Juveniles Boys and Girls and Junior girls did the 2 x 2.5 km course and the Junior boys did 3 x 3.3 km course. The courses were challenging with quite a few short uphill with sharp turns and rolling descents. Another beautiful day with clear skies and a few clouds so the snow didn't heat up too much. I think we nailed the wax as Adam said his competitors were cursing him and his fast skis. Lucas said he felt guilty when he blew past people on the downhill.

For the Junior boys most went out too hard on the 1st lap and suffered on the second, and managed to pick up the pace for the last lap. The middle lap is psychologically always the toughest with two thirds of the race left. Zayne had a great 5 km race, pacing himself well and finishing strong.

We utilized some more technology with Chris Haldorson, shooting video which we review after dinner. The athletes were able to see exactly what we were talking about when giving them technique feedback.

A rest day tomorrow. We will ski Tuesday's classic race course and then drive to Banff and Lake Louise for some sight seeing.

Great photos by Vojta

Sam Morris

Seb Foellmer

Sam Morris

Zayne Heyes

Banker Hours in Canmore

2011-03-12T20:50:00.000-08:00

I like my coffee and I'm a bit fussy. The supposed best coffee house in Canmore, Communetea, doesn't open before 9 AM and closes at 4 PM! ??? So its Starbucks...which is not my first choice, but it could be worse. That's my only complaint of the day.

It was a good day for the Hollyburn Team today. Team Sprints. There was the Challenge category which is Juvenille/Juniors and the teams are club teams. Each team did 3 laps of 800m. Jenny/Katie had a good result with 9th place. It was Jenny's 1st Nationals and Katie is a year underage. So 6th out of 12 teams is great!

Our boys were all in the same heat. Unfortunately Quinn was still sick and Adam wasn't able to race. Adam wasn't 100% healthy either, but he put 110% effort in cheering the team on and helping out. A great team player!!

The other teams were Zayne/Sam, Nic/Seb Lucas/Fred.

Zayne had some misfortune, crashed in the exchange zone and managed to break his pole into not 3 but 4 pieces. I think that’s a world first. Nic also had a strap come undone which slowed him down a bit. Overall the guys had great races.

Lucas and Fred managed to qualify for the final with a great heads up effort by Fred to sneak into 2nd place and advance. Fred noticed that the Nakertok skier in front of him was starting to fall apart so Fred made the move, closed the gap and nipped him at the finish. They managed to finish 6th. There was some controversy as the second place team was seen making their exchange outside the transition zone. The jury deliberated whether to DSQ the Nakertok team and announced their decision to issue a warning at the coaches meeting. One of our coaches Chris Haldorson said it was the liveliest coaches meeting he has ever attended.

I enjoyed a 10 km ski with Chris and Vojta apparently you can ski all the way to Banff. The views here are spectacular. After the racing, Jake, Vojta and myself decided to go for coffee, we found what looked like a nice coffee house. Guess what, as we walked in we they announced, "We're closing in 10 minutes." It was 4:50!! So we decided to go across the street and support one of the Ski Nationals sponsors, Grizzly Paw Brew Pub. We ran into the Chris and Neil Manhard, National Team wax tech Graham Maclean. It was Chris's Birthday. Our waitress's real job was for CCC as the High Performance Coordinator.

Photos were taken by Vojta Brezini

The Humble Wax Room

Arrived in Canmore

2011-03-12T01:26:00.000-08:00

We arrived in Canmore at about noon and checked into the Rocky Mountain Ski Lodge. It was fun having Vojta in the front passenger seat. He is from the Czech Republic and on a working holiday visa. Vojta raced as an XC Skier through university and has been working in North Vancouver as barista at Brazza Coffee house. That's where he met Jake. Vojta quite his job at Brazza to come on this trip and work as wax support. He has the right idea, life is too short to miss opportunities. It was great to see him with his eyes pressed to the windshield of the van taking in all the glory of the Rocky Mountains as we drove through the vast stretches of wilderness.

We got to the trails and moved into or wax room. There is a whole building dedicated to waxing with 20 – 30 rooms for the various ski teams. A whole slope is set up for glide wax testing.

On this trip, from Hollyburn XC Ski Team. are twins Jenn and Quinn Wildi, Nic and Seb Foellmer, (also twins) 13 y.o. Katie Weaver, who is skiing in a older age category, Sam Morris, Adam Woods, Kalum Utley and Lucas Putnam-Rea. From the club but skiing with the BC Ski Team (BCST) are Zayne Heyes and Fred Weaver. Zayne’s sister is skiing with the Callaghan Valley Training Centre (CVTC). Hope I didn’t miss anybody. Jake is actually coaching with the BCST and all the above groups are working together. All of these young athletes have been skiing at Hollyburn Cross Country Ski Area since a young age.

"An army can't march on an empty stomach", did Napoleon say that?? Well we have Murray Heyes slaving in the kitchen and preparing 3 meals a day for the kids. Murray takes great joy in playfully harassing each one of them during meal time.

The young athletes are excited about tomorrow’s team sprint race. Teams of two will do 4 laps of a 800 metre course.

The Road to XC Ski Nationals

2011-03-10T17:27:00.000-08:00

I have been involved with the Hollyburn Cross Country Ski Club for many years and my two sons, Lucas and Seth, ski race. My eldest son, Lucas, is signed up to compete at the National XC Champs in Canmore Alberta and I am going along as a coach, waxing slave, and driver for the team van. Deep Cove Outdoors has been a big supporter of the club for many years.

We have about 9 athletes between the ages of 13 and 17. Cross-country ski racing is a tough sport and these dedicated young athletes have logged many hours of training through-out the past year and since they were young. During the off season they also participate in other sports such as, track and field, rugby, sprint kayak racing, and basketball. In the summer training consists of running, hiking and sometimes, competitive trail running. In the Fall roller-ski season commences, often in the rain on the pine needle slickened trails of Seymour Demo Forest, or grinding up Cypress in foggy, windy and raining conditions. Amazingly these dedicated athletes do it all with good cheer and enthusiasm!

This is long road to the National XC Ski Champs. The culmination of a years worth of training, an opportunity to test themselves against the best skiers in the nation. Today it took the literal meaning as we got held up in Revelstoke because Hwy 1 was closed through Roger's Pass due to avalanche control work. We drove into Revelstoke which seemed well entrenched in winter with deep piles of snow filling up peoples yards and driveways.

We took lunch at the Modern Cafe and debated the various 10 hr driving options, while consulting locals and some local cross country racers Jake knew. We decided to stay put and wait for the road to open, or stay over night. What do you do in Revelstoke?...heck you go XC skiing. 5 minutes to the local trails, Mt Mackenzie has a beautiful new day lodge. Lucas, Fred and Katie did some intervals and Jake and I bumped into BC XC Ski Legend, Al Fischer and his buddy, Rod Holloway. I am guessing Al is 80, not that he looks it. Al is from Rossland, and has been part of the race scene in BC forever.

My first encounter with Al was about 10 years ago at my 1st Whistler 30 km Loppet. Al, in the 70 + age category, beat me by 10 minutes. Fortunately since then I have gotten a bit faster, and I'm guessing Al might have slowed down....but maybe not.

About 4 PM we got word that the Hwy was going to open at 6 PM, so we decided to push through. Bumper to bumper with semi-trailers trucks and the east side of Roger's Pass was a skating rink. The average speed was 30km/hr. We finally met the backed-up traffic coming from the east. Sleet was flying, headlights were covered in grime and it was all we could do to keep the wind shield clean. Jake, got us safely through to Golden and we decided to stay the night at the beautiful Kicking Horse River Lodge, where they had bunk beds for $35/person. Jake, myself and Vojta our Czech wax technician and had a well deserved Czech pilsner beer. The Lodge has an awesome breakfast cafe. Today its a short drive to Canmore.

SPEEDSTROKE GYM AT DEEP COVE OUTDOORS

2011-02-23T08:27:00.000-08:00

I’ve been using the Speedstroke since Bob and Kim first assembled it at the new DCO last December. I’m now a big fan and I thought I’d share my experience and thoughts so far. If you’ve never heard of the Speedstroke and have no idea of what it is, then it’s the kayaking equivalent of those Concept II rowing machines you’ll have seen in the gym.

The seat is fixed in place, and instead of a small handle you have a paddle shaft. A clever arrangement of ropes and pulleys gives you the same motion and feel as paddling in a kayak (albeit a very, very stable kayak - see later).

The first location - over the office at the end of the shop - was far from ideal as it was baking hot before you even picked up the paddle! It is currently located on the main floor of Deep Cove Outdoors at the cooler end of the shop. We have added a 4’ x 6’ mirror on the wall which helps for technique awareness.

So why was I interested in using the Speedstroke? Three reasons:
1. I want to improve my stroke. I want an efficient and consistent stroke that gives me more power out of each stroke than I’m currently getting. I want a stroke that, combined with the appropriate level of fitness, will see me through a strong Round Bowen race in June. I started working on my stroke last season while I was guiding and playing in a variety of boats (Sirocco, Gulfstream, surf skis, Nomad, Looksha Elite, Epic 18x - I like variety!) and it seemed to get better. It certainly felt like I got better but it’s a difficult thing to judge. I’ve read the books, I’ve watched the DVD’s, I’ve talked to Bob, and I now have a better understanding of stroke mechanics. Using the machine in front of the mirror allows me to see if I’m applying the technique correctly.
2. I’m always up for a good workout! I really enjoy my sessions on the rowing machine at the gym and thought if this could give me as good a workout and throw in a bit of stroke improvement at the same time then I’d be on a winner.
3. I’m starting my prep for a couple of races this year: Tour de Indian Arm (May), Round Bowen (June), and some of the Tuesday Night Races in The Cove. The Speedstroke allows me to do some paddling-specific training whatever the weather’s doing.

So has it worked? Has my stroke improved?
Absolutely. I can see that now. Technically it’s definitely improved; I’m getting more rotation, my power output is staying constant throughout each session. I’m now working less on the style and more on the power.

Is it a good workout?
It’s an awesome workout! At the moment I’ll do one long session of an hour, and a shorter session of thirty minutes with more resistance. I’m starting to do some interval sessions, and I’m aiming for a two-hour session soon. The real-time information allows me to monitor my power output of each stroke. If the output drops I bring it back up. Consistency.

How does it compare to being in a boat?
I went for a paddle after I’d been using the machine for a couple of weeks and I can’t deny I got a bit of a shock. As I dropped back in the seat and pushed away from the beach I almost tipped the boat. I’d forgotten how tippy a kayak can be! It only took a few minutes though and I was away, and feeling the new improved stroke. A couple of weeks after that I took the Epic 18x up to Granite Falls and recorded my best time so far, so it seems to be having a positive effect.

If you want to improve your stroke or just want a different workout that will directly benefit your paddling, I definitely recommend having a go on this machine. We’re currently talking with Burnaby Canoe and Kayak Club as they’re interested in running stroke improvement sessions at DCO. They came in to see the Speedstroke and they’re very excited about the possibilities that it provides.

To encourage other people to give the Speedstroke a go we’re offering a few enticements:
A new rental structure.
Now you can get a ½ hour session for $7 (inc. tax). A one hour session costs $12 (inc. tax). Call the shop, see if the machine is available, come over and train.

More flexible hours
Can’t get here before our closing time of 6:00 pm to train? Too shy to sweat in front of the shoppers or our staff? We’ll be open until 8:30 pm for Speedstroke training. No shoppers, just paddlers. You have to pre-book and pre-pay for these sessions. If you ask nicely we may even open early in the morning.

Stroke Improvement Clinic
Spend an hour on the Speedstroke being coached by Bob Putnam. He’ll give you all the instruction, feedback, and tools you need to improve. Whether you want to improve your racing or your touring, this clinic will definitely yield results!

Information and feedback
We’ve linked the Speedstroke to a computer to provide realtime information:

Distance
Stroke number
Stroke rate
Stroke length
Heart rate (only with a compatible HRM)
Speed
Watts
Avg Watts
Drag
Graphic Power curves

We can start a session with a specific distance or time as the target and the above information will be recorded on a stroke by stroke basis. Each session is recorded and a history is built up that can be used for reference and comparison. You can even have the information emailed to you in an Excel spreadsheet.

Motivation on tap
Somebody has to be there to open/close the building. That same person (i.e me) will be available for you to call on during your session. I will happily supply motivation, helping you to stay at your target pace, monitoring your stroke, power output, speed, calling out your intervals, whatever....it’s up to you. I’ll also make myself scarce and read a book if you’d prefer to be left alone. Just be aware that if you do ask for my input I won’t accept whining about a hard day at work, under the weather...... I’m not a coach and you’re not paying coaching fees, I’m just the best training partner you’ll ever get for free.

Here is a video clip of Dion Maxwell, former US National Sprint Kayak Team member doing a 200 meter interval.

Zero Skis - The Verdict is Out

2011-02-14T22:30:00.000-08:00

Zero Skis – The Verdict is Out – Classic skiers love Zero skis

Well, after a couple of years of people being unsure about the usefulness of Zero skis for classic skiing, and after testing the skis myself and talking to many customers, I am confident that Zero skis are here to stay and are a must have for every serious skier. This is especially true for the Vancouver area where we enjoy a very temperate climate. I truly believe they will help re-vitalize classic skiing on the Wet Coast. Here in the Vancouver area, there are tons of skate skiers because people can’t be bothered with grip waxing and fish scale skis are too slow. Go visit the interior where it is easy to wax and you will see more classic skiers.

I have sold about 12 pairs this past winter and after checking in with the skiers half way through the season they all love their zeros. They provide more on-snow skiing time in those hard-to-wax conditions.

What is a Zero Ski?

Well, contrary to what the name suggest these skis are good in variety of snow conditions and not just zero temperatures. The zero ski has a rubberized material in the grip zone that lends itself to having a fuzzy structure. Now, when I say fuzzy I know you are thinking of fuzzy dice but, this fuzz, is barely noticeable and provides grip during the kick phase. Technically it’s called a “raised texture” and nothing like fishscales.

Back-in-the-day, ski wax technicians would use sandpaper to create “hairies” in the grip zone by aggressively sanding the ski base with coarse sand paper. This would help the ski grip in conditions when most waxes or klisters refused to work. The problem is that soft race bases can only handle so much of this and they can be ruined. Zero skis were widely used at the Canadian Nationals in 2008 and the 2010 Olympics at Callaghan Valley as conditions were warm.

Here in the Vancouver area where we often see -1, 0 degrees or warmer temperatures, zero skis are an excellent option as your main classic ski. The zero ski quickly becomes your “go to” classic ski. When we are busy driving to and from the ski trails, on-snow training time becomes precious. Zero skis will help you maximize your skiing and training time by having to spend less time in the wax hut. There is nothing more frustrating than spending 15 minutes waxing your skis then hitting the trails to find you are slipping or snow is clumping onto the base.

How do they ski?

I find they ski like a nicely waxed pair of classic skis, great glide and enough grip to get the job done. The grip with a Zero ski is a “real world” grip and not the brainless grip that you get from a fish scale ski, where you run the risk of getting lazy and sloppy in your technique. Like with a nicely waxed pair classic skis you still need to be utilizing good weight shift to make the ski work. This is good for developing skiers and young racers who are racing with waxable classic skis where the grip can be variable. As for the glide there is no “brrrrr” noise like a fish scale and that means less friction and better glide.

What’s working against them?

The Name! The term “Zero Skis” sounds very specific. It makes people think that the ski is only good for a specific temperature range. It indicates that these skis will only be good in temperature range around 0 degrees, but nothing can be further from the truth. Zero skis are proving to have great application in a wide range of conditions.

How do I maintain the ski?

As with any waxing question, ask 10 different people and you’ll get 10 different answers. Well, I have spoken to 100 people, many of whom are industry experts and here is what I know.

Obviously glide wax the tip and tail like any classic or skate ski.

The grip area can be prepared with 80 – 100 grit sand paper. Scuff up this area with a circular motion. National team wax techs are using 1 or 2 passes with a random orbital power sander. After you have prepared the grip area you can spray it with a silicone spray, or Swix makes specific Zero spray. This prevents the grip zone from icing up. After this you are good to go, and the grip area will work for several ski sessions. I have at least half a dozen 1 – 2 hour ski sessions since I last sanded my base.

Won’t the grip zone wear out from all that sanding?

First, you don’t need to sand the base every time you ski. Second, you are not really sanding off a layer of base, you are really fluffing up the fuzz. Very little grip material is removed. Third, the grip material is more durable that the glide base so they wear evenly.

While recently attending the Western Canadian Champs in Kelowna I met a coach from Methow Valley in Washington who regularly uses hard wax for grip on his zero skis in colder condition. He treats them like regular waxable classics in cold conditions and doesn’t apply wax in warm conditions. He also felt that a finer 120 grit sand paper actually gave him better grip than a course 80 grit sand paper. (Note of caution: remember the "ask 10 people" rule) I have yet to test his theory.

Check out this base preparation video by Fischer .

Which companies make Zeros

Most skis manufacturers now produce Zeros. Originally they were only available in the top of the line models, which meant they were really expensive. But this year many manufacturers are producing Zero skis in a variety of models at different price points.

To my knowledge Madshus has been on the leading edge of the technology. This year Madshus offers their “Classic IntelliGrip” zero base on 3 different skis in their line up. Rossignol has a good ski which they call the “Rubber” skis (bad marketing) and of course Fischer has a great Zero ski. What I like about the Madshus product is that they offer 2 flexes for every length at the $390 Terrasonic price point and 3 – 4 flexes at every length for their top of the line Nanosonic Zero, $695. Fischer will be offering the Zero in their CR $350 model and their second tier RCS $595 with a soft and medium flex per size.

Aside from getting information about Zero skis from industry experts, the information I really value is the positive feedback from my customers. It has all been positive, and believe me, if my customers didn’t like the Zero skis I would be hearing about it!

BTW Deep Cove Outdoors will be receiving a batch of Madshus Terrasonic Zero Skis. We have purchased 2009 models with old graphic but the same ski as 2010. Great Savings!

If you have any feedback on your Zero skis, please post a comment.

2011 PENGUIN PLUNGE

2010-12-23T14:43:00.000-08:00

2011 PENGUIN PLUNGE

Greetings All...here we go again!

This will be our second year back organizing the annual Deep Cove PENGUIN PLUNGE and this year marks the 29th year of the Penguin Plunge.
It's amazing that this celebratory tradition has been going for this many years in our community so let's take a moment to send out a big THANK YOU to those who started it (thanks Merv and gang), kept it going all these years, (especially the Mount Seymour Lions) and also a big THANK YOU to all of you who come to Deep Cove and take the PLUNGE!

This year we encourage you again to challenge each other to gather PLEDGES for Plunging with all Pledge proceeds raised going to support the Seymour Art Gallery. You can get PLUNGE Pledge forms at LaLa's or Deep Cove Outdoors and we will be your first $5 sponsor or you can download the form online at www.deepcovekayak.com

We also encourage you to Share Your Plunge Stories from the past...Who, What, When, Where, WHY??? Please come on to the blog and add your stories too...

Cheers and best wishes for a Happy, Healthy, Holiday from all of us at Deep Cove Canoe and Kayak and Deep Cove Outdoors and we look forward to seeing you this coming New Year's Day for the 2011 Penguin Plunge in Deep Cove.

EPIC KAYAK'S NEW V8 SURF SKI

2010-11-09T04:23:00.000-08:00

A surf ski for the masses?

I was recently pondering over the recent balstic growth of SUP vs the comparatively slow but steady growth of surf ski paddling. As a long time surf ski paddler and enthusiast I was having feelings of jealousy. I recognized the negative feeling as 'tribalism" and thought more on the reasoning. SUP is easy and fun and pretty much anybody can do it, and....well.. Surf ski paddling is a little bit difficult and takes a commitment to master the sport. Probably one of the reasons why some people are drawn to it and others can't be bothered.

Surf ski paddling is great for fitness, the boats are light to carry and have incredible glide, and paddling with and surfing waves is so much fun. The problem is many surf skis are a bit tippy. Now I can hear many of you saying, "A bit tippy?" Well they are better than they used to be back-in-the-day. Another huge benefit of surf ski over let's say sea kayaking is that once you get your balance you don't need to know how to roll. If you fall off the ski, with practice you can easily remount.

I was thinking that what the surf ski world needed was an entry level ski that most people can paddle. The thought bubble had barely escaped my brain when I opened my computer to see an email from Epic Kayaks announcing their new V8 surf ski. Greg Barton, Epic's CEO and boat designer, had taken Epic's popular "Fast Sea Kayak" the 18X and morphed it into a surf ski. Same stable hull but with a new surf ski cockpit. A stroke of genius.

The Epic V8 surf ski will allow a wider range of paddlers to experience the thrill of downwind paddling or enjoy flat water efficiency with out the fear of imminent capsize.

I haven't actually seen the surf ski in real life but I have put my money where my mouth is. I quickly ordered 6 for Deep Cove Kayak's rental fleet and ordered another 10 for retail. One of which has been pre-sold.

Specs:

Based on the Epic 18X, Epic’s popular sea kayak hull
18ft (5.48m) long x 22in (55.9cm) wide
15kg (Sport) or 17kg (Performance) layups.

Here are a few articles on the Epic V8

Epic's Press Release

Interview with designer and Epic CEO Greg Barton

Photos from Epic's Facebook Page

Order your V8 Today 604-987-22202

BATTLE OF THE PADDLE, SUP Race, California

2010-10-07T03:23:00.000-07:00

Too much fun? If there can be too much fun, my recent trip to California for the Battle of the Paddle (BOP) was dangerously close.

It was a full weekend of hanging out in a cool location, with nice people and all the SUP toys you can imagine. The grand scheme was to make this a weekend of experiencing the SUP culture and industry first hand. Gain skills and knowledge so Deep Cove Outdoors, and DC Canoe & Kayak Centre can be on the cutting edge of SUP stuff. It was also a test of physical stamina and endurance on several different levels. Jam as much activity into one weekend as possible. Late nights, early mornings, schmoozing, surfing, racing and info intake.

I travelled with the instructional team from Deep Cove Canoe & Kayak Centre to Dana Point, CA. Mike Darbyshire and Lina Augaitus. We arrange our flights to maximize the weekend. A 6:30 am departure on Friday (that means getting up at 3:30) and a 9 pm return flight on Sunday. Monday morning was rough!

I have never been south of San Francisco, so I was pretty excited. Dana Point is south of Laguna Beach. We left Interstate 405, and took "Beaches Boulevard" to Huntingdon Beach. All the big name beaches I had heard of all my life were there. Newport, Laguna, Long, just to name a few. Palm trees and strip malls.

We stopped at "Stand Up Paddle Company" in Laguna Beach.

It was definitely "Up Scale". Being a retailer I was ogling some of their roll out display rack that must have been worth a small fortune.

The BOP is more than just a race. It is a gathering of the SUP industry to promote their products and services. Set up on the beach the SUP Circus occupied 500 metres of shoreline. Side by side, 10 x 10 tents promoting every imaginable product that could be related to SUP sport. Jewelry, clothing, storage systems, sun screen, sun glasses, fitness programs, instruction and boards, boards, boards and all the big name paddlers you could possibly squeeze into an area that small. Big names that I didn't even know were big names, and boy do they ever make a big deal of the big names. I could have been standing next to Joe Bark and I wouldn't have even known it. Muscle man SUP paddler, Chuck Patterson could have kicked sand in my face and I wouldn't have even appreciated it. I was pretty naive.....still am!

One huge benefit of this event, is that you can test pretty much any type of SUP board you want. A word of advice, bring your paddle and bring your leash as these were in short supply. On Friday the manufactures were still setting up and the only board I could get my hands on was a 12' Riviera with no-leash. After trying to get my surfing style going, (read no style) I finally had a major wipe out and lost the board. Fortunately the board made it to short in quick order and I swam in like a goober as some 10 year old beach kid rescued the board from damage. Luckily nobody seemed too concerned. Note to self: must find leash. Waves were 2 - 4 feet. It was pretty good for a novice.

Friday Night: party at one of the original Hobie Stores, free beer and burgers, live music and I might have rubbed shoulders with big name SUPers. Tanned big dudes, with big smiles and big laughs. I had a great chat with Jake the owner of the Hobie store. Nice guy and very forthcoming with advice.

Saturday was race day, Lina had bravely signed up for the Elite race. A very challenging course that ran in and out of the surf zone. One of the 180 degree turn marks had 4 foot waves regularly breaking in front of it. Imagine approaching a 180 turn and a wave picks you and your surfing past the mark, now add 10 of your dearest and closest competitors on the same wave. Yes, it was carnage! Lina had a brave face but you could see her questioning her judgement prior to the race start. Although she is very fit and she can grind away for hours at most activities, this course required a high level of technical surfing skills, most of which she is still trying to acquire. She toughed it out and we were proud of her effort.

Mike and I signed up for the Open race. A much less challenging course, once out through the surf, followed by 5 laps of a square course and then back through the surf. Piece of cake, eh? My training had been minimal, and any delusions of success I had prior to the race were mere fantasies as I was soon to learn. Fun? Yep for sure! Mike had a great race placing 3rd in the 19 - 29 category and Deep Cove SUPer Kelvin Humenny also got a 3rd in 40 - 50 surf category. Well done boys!

After that I was feeling pretty done. The gas tank was near empty and I loafed around the beach and entertained thoughts of heading back to the hotel for a snooze. But after a couple hours of hanging out on the beach the lure of surfing dragged me back out. My body was starting to fail me, new surfing and SUP muscles were making their presence known. This late afternoon surf session was the highlight of my weekend. I was paddling a Starboard Whopper 10'6" x 34" in TAC (that's the wood veneer) What a great looking and fun surfing board it is. The crowds were waning, there was a reggae band on the beach and the sun was low in the sky, it was pretty good! On one surf into the beach, Declan from Starboard asked me to tell the other guys to come in as it was time to pack up. Ken, Declan's business partner, was out surfing too and when I relayed the message his was repsonse was, "Tell him to get his ass out here"...or something to that effect. It wasn't long before Declan was out on the water, and we surfed for another hour.

A late night at the Double Tree lounge, an early morning getting Lina to the distance race. I was a hurting unit and all day to surf. I had to visit Bodie Shandro from Surftech. Deep Cove Outdoors will be carrying the SurfTech Brand for 2011, so I had to check out their boards. Its work I tell ya! Laird Hamilton surfers, Joe Bark race boards. They are all awesome. Bodie, Lina, Kelvin and Norm Hann made up Team Canada for the relay race. They all seemed to have great fun in the relay.

On the way home on Mike's suggestion we stopped and Huntingdon Beach and watched the surfers from the famous pier. It was the end to a great weekend.

I have to admit I'm hooked on SUP!

Bob

Don’t miss The Wave.

2010-09-17T08:57:00.000-07:00

It took me a long time to learn how to carve a ski. Back in the day of narrow skinny downhill skis it was very difficult to make your ski arc and slice through the surface fo the snow. I had a pair of long and skinny Rossignol SM giant slalom skis. Then came the “shape skis” revolution and all you needed to do was bank the ski, apply a bit of pressure and whoosh, your skis is carving.You probably remember the shape ski revolution. It came along pretty quick and some people jumped on board right away and were enjoying the benefits of the new easy turning curvy skis. If you were a powder skier the Fat Boys made schredding powder super easy. It was the same for mountain biking and full suspension bikes. Shock absorbers on the front and back smoothed out the bumpy trails and allowed bikers ride faster and jump higher. Mountain biking became more accessible to more people.

In both of these sports, modifications of equipment made it easier perform the activity, allowing new people to come into the sport and allowing accomplished users to push the envelope.

I was left behind on both of those equipment revolutions. Now it is surfing and the “Retro-revolution” of Stand Up Paddle Boarding. I’m not going to miss this one!! I have spent 1 week per year over the last three years trying to learn to surf a regular board. Thrashing my body in the cold seas of Vancouver Island’s West Coast. My accumulated standing up and surfing time over that period could be measured by a 3-minute egg timer.

This past summer I took a 12’ long 30 inch wide Starboard stand up paddle board from Deep Cove Canoe & Kayak and had a blast!! I was catching waves, I was riding waves and I was paddling back out again, faster than all the other regular sit in the water surfers. In the first hour of SUP surfing I had eclipsed the total accumulated surfing time of the previous 3 years.

Being relatively novice to surfing I am sure I was committing multiple surfing faux pas. Had I been in Hawaii, where they take their surfing seriously, I am sure I would have been pounded by the local beach enforcer. But Tofino beaches are populated other cow eyed newbie’s like myself who are just hoping to catch the odd wave and then don’t know what to do when they catch it.

Paddling this aircraft carrier sized board, I, on the other hand was blissfully having a ton of fun catching any wave I chose. I was probably tarnishing the general reputation other good SUP paddlers by jumping the que, or not having much….or any…. control once I caught a wave, but it didn’t matter, I was having fun and getting better with every wave I rode. It was easy to paddle around the beach and pick an empty spot where I wouldn’t leave surfer carnage in my wake.

The fact of the matter SUP paddling is not all that new. SUP has Polynesian roots and in the 1960 surfing locals would paddle out using outrigger paddles to take photos of the tourists. The Hawaiian phrase, Ku Hoe He'e Nalu; can be translated to: to stand, to paddle, to surf, a wave. Big Wave Surfing God, Laird Hamilton, has be SU Paddling since the early 2000s. It’s only recently that people have realized that SUP makes surfing easy. It’s a great core work out on flatwater, and standing up is a great perspective for checking out scenery and ocean life in shallow water.

Regular surfing and windsurfing are sports that are really challenging. Somebody who is accomplished has really put a lot of time and effort into developing their skills. SUP will allows “Joe Average” an opportunity to have some success in catching and riding waves. Understandably the guy who has been working hard honing skills for years could get a bit irked and dorks like myself who are gooning around on these big boards. So when you go, be respectful. SUP can be many thing to many different people. A serene paddle on flatwater at sunset, poking around the intertidal zone checking out the marine life, cruising around an anchorage somewhere on the coast or taking your best buddy for a paddle and not walk-ees.

How to get started:
Firstly you can start on flatwater, A 12’ 30” wide board is pretty darn stable. Many people are impressed at how much easier it is than what they had envisioned. For your first time out you don’t really even need a lesson.
Second, its good to take a lesson if you want to progress. There is a definitely good technique for efficiently forward paddling. A properly performed forward stroke will help you cover more ground and use more muscle groups. There is much more to paddling forward than meets the eye.

If you plan to go surfing it will be good to learn things like how to turn the board really quick, How to get out through the waves, how to catch a wave. These things you can practice on flatwater so you have some skills and conditioning before you hit the surf.

Next you can take your skills into some rougher water. Paddling in the same directions as the wind and waves is pretty fun because you can catch little surfing runs. This will also help your balance.

Once you have the basic skill and some experience you can take it to Tofino or even Hawaii. Be sure to seek lots of local knowledge or even take a lesson at the surfing area. Try not to piss off the local surfers.

Deep Cove Canoe & Kayak rents SUP, and we have a great instructor in Mike Darbyshire. Deep Cove Outdoors sells SUP, Starboard and Werner Paddles, and for 2011 we will carrying SurfTech SUP and Kialoa Paddles

2010-08-24T13:00:00.000-07:00

A bit after the fact but here is the race report from US Surf Ski Champs. I have always had difficulties with deadlines.

Race Day ended up being pretty nice, weather wise. Winds weren’t as strong as they had been earlier in the week and the 1:00 – 1:45 start window was pushed to the latest point to allow for shipping traffic and the wind to build.

The start was from a horseshoe shaped bay at Fort Baker with a right hand turn immediately after leaving. I was following words of wisdom from Tuesday Night Race video guy and former bike racer, Jim Moore, “inside is suicide” So I stayed wide and witnessed the carnage in the corner.

In my small pond of Deep Cove there will be 5 – 10 people ahead of me, here in SF with the Big Fish, there were 60 people ahead of me.

In my mind I had broken the race into 4 sections. 1. Fort Baker to Point Bonita, 2. Point Bonita to the Fenn Hot Spot at Fort Baker, 3. Fort Baker to Point Blunt on the east side of Angel island, 4. Angel Island to Berkely.

We pounded into the wind and waves and made our way to the Point Bonita Buoy. Many paddlers took a wide route to maximize the outflowing current.

As we left the confines of the harbour the seas picked up. Apparently the period between swells was 18 seconds which is substantial. At one point I was on top of a wave, which was on top of a swell. I was gazing down over an expansive valley which seemed to be 300 metres in width. Here I was changing positions with Warren Bruce and a couple of other guys. Daryl R. Ken S. Shane M and Gareth were working hard and pulling away. Falling into my evil plan.

My strategy was to take it easy to the buoy and then to maximize the surfing from the following seas on the way back. This proved not to work out so well. In the 2 section, seas were confused and we were fighting a 1 knot current. Swell was running left to right pushing into the middle of the channel. So you had to work hard to catch waves….harder than I wanted to work at this stage.

Approaching the last side bay before the Golden Gate Bridge, most of the pack decided to follow the shoreline to stay out of the current. Matt Kelly had pulled ahead of me at this point and I decided to take a chance and cut the corner. At last years race we visited The Bay Model, which is a scale model of the entire SF Bay. We had learned that there wasn’t much of a back eddy on the flood tide, so I figured the same would be true and the ebb. This proved to be true as I didn’t lose much speed and I was able to close the gap on Matt.

After rounding the corner of the GG Bridge footing, it was 400 metres of flatwater to the Fenn Hot Spot. I pulled ahead of Matt and made a strong push. The $1000 prize money had already been claimed long before by last year’s USSS Champ, Aussie, Jeremy Cotter.

From here things started to get messy, a cross current shooting out from behind Angel I, messy waves and lots of traffic all added up to make it difficult to get anything going. I am sure the stronger paddlers were able to surf these waves but it took a lot of effort and I didn’t want to burn myself out with half the race left. So it was survival paddling to Point Blunt. Matt was making more of the waves and had pulled ahead. Warren Bruce were exchanging places too.

After passing Point Blunt the relative shelter of Angel Island we hit a nasty tide rip. It was here that many paddlers went for a swim and just past here is where Warren and I had a good scare. I heard a horn sounding and looked south to see a catamaran ferry about 3 km to the south, seemingly a long distance away. These ferries are flying and Warren and I were in its path. It was closing very quickly and we were staring at the void between it’s two hulls. I was paddling like a windmill in a 50 knot wind and if you looked at my heart rate monitor there would have been a substantial spike. Other racers had similar stories, but 4 place finisher Sean Rice had the best, with a close encounter with a freighter going the opposite direction. The Coast Guard had positioned themselves between Sean and the freighter with guns drawn and pointed. This was Sean second enounter with Homeland Security in two weeks. The other had been in NYC on the Hudson River.

Here’s where things started to pick up. Waves were getting bigger and organized. The surfing was great and I was starting to link waves. This is what I had been saving myself for, but it was also the last quarter of the race. Off to my right I could see Matt Kelly. I was making ground. This is a tough part of the race as you need to be lined up with the finish line. There is a clock tower in Berkley that makes a good landmark. The runs were great here and my speed was hovering around 17kph.

As I approached the finish line there was another guy I was trying to pick off but he crossed the line 8 seconds ahead.

Team Think Results – for the local guys
Rod Hope had a good race but a capsize near the finish tacked on about 3 minutes to his time while trying to remount his ski in the washing machine seas. He was gunning for some Bellinghamsters and putting it all out there with a Swim or Win attitude.

This was Paul Hansen’s 1st USSSC in his home built surf ski and after sorting out some issues with his rudder on the training run he had a good race. Warren Bruce was solid. He has been struggling with a tennis elbow and had been icing it everyday after practice. He was solid throughout the race. Matt Kelly was a surfing star and him and I were duking it out. Matt capitalized on his excellent boat handling skills in the confused seas. I was saving myself for the big surf section which didn’t materialize until the last quarter of the race. I managed to scoop Matt when he was looking the other way. Ken Stanick, 36th, pull out a good result, paddling the new THINK Evo II. The added stability in this great new boat helped Ken power through the chaotic seas. Daryl Remmler, 34th, had a good summer of training and it showed. He also paddled the Evo II. Big Shane Martin, 27th, had an excellent 1st time USSSC race as he brought both power and surfing skills to the race. Shane had a great summer of training and had recently had some good surfing practice at the Wild Side Relay in the Gorge. Gareth Tudor Jones moved up in the rankings from last year to 16th place, and was the top Canadian at the event.

What happens on the road stays on the road!

Russian Super Yacht

2010-08-20T22:32:00.001-07:00

Day 3
After spending several hours of shuttling vehicles we were at Fort Baker(at the foot of Golden Gate Bridge) ready to paddle to Berkley. The wind was howling and it was looking like it was going to a good one. Organizing 10 paddlers is no easy task especially in 4 foot seas. We were joined by John Abrahms from Deluth. John is a Think dealer. We did a short push into the wind before we turned. Its amazing the psychological difference as we paddled west into the gloom of sea fog before turning east and paddling into the sunshine.

As we left, “The Gate”, that’s a locals term for the Golden Gate Bridge, we quickly offended some sailors by cutting them off. There were yelling some sailing jargon at us. Something like, “heave to” or “create sea”. It was kind of like cursing at somebody in a language they don’t understand….meaningless. Only the sailors in our group, Paul Hansen and Shane Martin, were able to decipher the meaning. Roughly translated, “ Get the #@$% out of my way!!”

Immediately we were surfing big wave and having a good old time. We re-grouped at Angel Island where there was some discussion about the route. My landmark of the Clock Tower behind the Marina was obscured by a low cloud. The guys were saying we need to go right, and I was fairly certain it wasn’t slightly right, but was starting to second guess myself.

Everybody was working on the art form of catching and riding waves. These ones were very uniform, big and fast. So it was great practice. We had had a great discussion with Ben and Sean about surfing waves and aside from simply surviving we testing some of the theories. Ben was saying it was better to steer by leaning the ski because when you use your rudder its like putting on the break. After trying to lean my ski a couple of times I quickly realized I was pretty happy hitting the breaks.

Parking lot changing room

Paul Hansen has a beautiful wooden strip, home built surf ski and had just installed an equally beautiful surf rudder which he was testing for the first time. Better two days before the race than on race day as it turned out. He had some linkage issues and didn’t have full control, but he toughed it out. But from a group safety perspective we weren’t being as cognizant about members of the group as we could have been. Paddling downwind is like a freight train out of control, and people get left behind. So in the future we need to do more “stop and checks” to make sure we don’t lose anybody, or set up buddy systems.

Upon arriving at Berkley I met local Craig Tanner, who said conditions were “as good as they get” and I felt they were fairly similar to last years race. During the run I was hitting averaging around 15 km/hr and topping out around 20 km/hr, so the speeds are good and fast. Wind speed builds measured at 30 knots at Angel Island.

On a side note, the 300 million dollar superyacht “A” owned by 36 year old, Russian Billionaire, Andrey Melnichenko is moored in the harbour near Sausilito. 394 feet.

Interview with Aussie Paddler Ben Allen.

2010-08-19T22:44:00.000-07:00

I had a chance to sit down with Ben Allen and ask a few questions about his life in paddling.

Ben is a contender for the top spots here at the US Surf Ski Champs. He has a big background in Surf Lifesaving in Australia. Here in Canada the typical response would be, "Oh Yeah" but in Australia Surf Lifesaving is a big deal and like a national sport. For example, at the National competition there were 600 paddlers competing. Ben recently placed 1st at Byron Bay beating favorite, Jeremy Cotter in the 20 km race.

Ken Stannick, Matt Kelly exchanging banter with Ben Allen

So here is the dialogue:

Where is Hometown?
Maroochydore Sunshine Coast, Australia

How do you pay the bills?
i"m a commercial plumber

Family?
Married with a 21/2 year old Son, Jett. Plus a bun in the oven

What type of music do you listen to?
No Time

Read any good books lately?
No Time

Ben said that between work, family training he doesn't have much time for anything else.

Nickname?
"Pitter" I did a photo shoot for a Aussie Beer brand, Emu Bitter. I played a guy, "Chad Pitter" which stuck.

Do you have an item which you have to bring to a race?
My personal paddle. Performance Paddles made on the Sunshine Coast by Scott Paul. Other than that I'm not superstitious. If you place importance on a single item it makes you vulnerable if it goes missing.

How many hours do you train per week?
I paddle about 100 - 130 km per week over 6 - 8 training session about 1.5 - 2 hrs per session.

What time of the day do you like to train?
5:30 in the morning and 4 in the afternoon.

What attributes do you bring to the race that separate you from the field?
My ability to keep grinding away at a steady pace for long periods of time.

What paddling conditions do you excel in?
I seem to do well in headwind conditions, small to medium chop and flatwater. The headwind paddling skills come from spending lots of time paddling in WA (Western Australia)

What other sports do you participate in?
Surf Life Saving, Surfing and anything in the ocean. My hand are too bad for rugby

Will your country affiliations take precedence over your team affiliations. Will you work with Sean? For example, also on Team Think is South African, Sean Rice. Aussie / South African rivalries are famous.
I'm going to work with whoever is around me, until the near the end then its every man for himself. Its difficult to make a plan as you never know how the other guy will be paddling the day of the race.

How do you think you will do on Saturday?
I think the forecasted lighter winds will work well for my style. I'm feeling good about the race.

1st day in San Francisco

2010-08-18T22:06:00.000-07:00

You have to get up pretty early to make a 6 AM flight. Rod Hope was picking everybody up so he was up the earliest. 3:30 am...ouch. We go to the Marina Motel in San Fran and bumped into Ben Allen, Ben is Daryl's sponsored Aussie paddler, and we proceeded to Chestnut St where we met the rest of the guys hanging out at the coffee shop getting ready to go for breakfast. After breakfast we jumped into the cars and crossed the Golden Gate Bridge to Fort Baker for a practice run, where there seemed to be an event with many vintage Bugatti cars. These old time sports cars were pretty impressive with roaring engine. The drivers were dressed in vintage clothing too. There were also some modern Bugattis which Larry G told me were worth a Million Bucks each!!

After getting on the water we paddle to Point Bonita. The wind was pretty strong but the guys who paddle yesterday said the water was much flatter. Ken Stannick, Daryl, Matt Kelly, Sean Rice, Warren Bruce and Shane Martin had all been out yesterday. Still there was some good wind chop and as you left the harbour to the Point Bonita buoy it started to ge rather big. I saw some dorsal fins of what may have been porpoise.

On the way back the waves were good and we were catching plenty of surfing runs. Sean and Ben showed their skills by rocketing off. I thought I might paddle behind Sean and maybe pick up some tips.....this lasted for about 20 seconds and he was gone.

Upon arriving back at Fort Baker we ran into the Belliingham guys who were going to paddle the downwind to Berkley. We headed back to the Motel to dry off our gear, get settled into to our suite and sip some Patron. Dinner was at a great italian restaurant on Chestnut St.

How to Test a Kayak

2010-05-24T12:52:00.000-07:00

Deep Cove Demo Day is an opportunity for you to do an on-water comparison between kayaks that you are thinking of purchasing. So what do you look for, and what tests do you try? Here is the process I go through when checking out kayaks. These are mostly for flatwater conditions:

Consider your needs
There are very few kayaks that do it all. For instance, If the kayak tracks really well it often doesn't turn as well, or a wide kayak is generally stable but slow. Every design feature usually involves a benefit and a compromise of some sort. So it is important to honestly assess your skill level, needs, goals and objectives to help you narrow down your list of desirable kayaks. For instance, the Chatham 16 is a great kayak for surf, current, rock gardens, or moving water, but for touring it’s not so good. It plows through the water, has limited storage capacity, it doesn't track so well and if you are a novice or low intermediate paddler it will feel very tippy. So ask yourself, "What type of paddling will I be doing most of?" Day trips, point A to B, calm water, rough water. Also how often will you be doing the desired type of paddling. Realistically how often will you do the type of paddling where you will need a 17' touring (camping) kayak? Are you more suited to a smaller, lighter day touring kayak? Would you buy a camper van as your main vehicle because you might go camping 3 or 4 weekends during the summer? Would you rather have a skeg kayak or rudder. (That’s a whole other issue for discussion.)

After you have assessed your needs here are the things I look at.

Specs
Read the manufacturers specs. Length over-all, water-line length, wetted surface area, width, rocker, hull shape. These descriptions can give you an idea of how the kayak will perform on the water.

General appearance and finish of the kayak
Is it shiny or dull? Sometimes when you look at the kayak in a certain light you maybe able see flaws, dents, bubbles or other imperfections

Quality of workmanship
Feel under the coaming; is it smooth, rough or is the coaming rim protruding from the underdeck?
Check out the seam; are there air bubbles, rough or smooth?
Bulkhead seams; messy or clean?
End pours and cable routing. Again, stick your head in hatches and have a good look around. Are the rudder/skeg lines neatly organized. You can use a flashlight to inspect the end pours (this is where resin is poured into the bow and stern to strengthen it) and seams of the bow and stern.
These areas give you a general idea of the quality of workmanship. By going through this process you can also check all the functionality of the hatch closures.

Ergonomics
This important aspect is often over-looked or sometimes brushed aside, especially when somebody is "blinded by love" for the looks of the kayak. Paddling efficiency, comfort and boat control are all determined by boat fit. Everybody's body is different and just because your friend loves their kayak doesn't mean it’s right for you. Women's kayaks like Necky's Eliza have become very popular for smaller women because of this. How does the seat feel, do the thigh braces contact your legs in the right spot? Is the cockpit wide enough or long enough? Some fit issues can be solved with padding or modifications like hip pads, but other issues like cockpit size might be costly to change.

On-water
When I get on the water the first thing I check is stability. Rocking the boat side to side I try to feel the Initial and Secondary Stability where the hull moves freely and where I feel resistance. Does the hull not want to move off a flat position (high initial stability) or does it feel a bit loose? (low initial stability) How far over can you lean the boat before you start feeling resistance or feel like you're going to keep going over? (secondary stability)

Next I paddle it around for a bit. I always start with the rudder or skeg up. I like to get a feel for Speed, Glide, and Tracking

Speed
For speed I like to see what the cruising speed is. Sometimes I will have a GPS that can track my speed. If I don't I'll paddle next to shore or a dock. From cruising speed I will test how much faster I can go. I will also do a 0 - 60 test for acceleration. During this test I pay attention to how much resistance, or how "heavy" my paddle feels in the water. If my paddle feels sluggish or difficult to pull it usually indicates a slow kayak. I will try to make note of how much of a bow wave the kayak is making. Is it plowing through the water?

Glide
Next I like to check "glide' by stopping after a sprint, noting how quickly the kayak decelerates. I also take note of how true the kayak tracks when I am not paddling.

Tracking vs Turnability
After a bit I check how the kayak turns. First I use sweep turns while the kayak is sitting flat. I do this while stationary and while moving forward. Next I try it while on edge, both stationary and while moving forward. Compare the radius of the turns between kayaks.

Paddle Backwards
I usually paddle backwards to see how strong the stern keel is. Does it grab or hook? Mostly just for fun though!

Surf?
If there are any waves I will try to get the kayak surfing, noting how it drops into the wave, how it sits on the wave.

Construction Type
This is dictated by your budget. If you can afford it, go for the lightest boat possible. Generally people equate lightness to fragility and in most cases this is untrue. Plastic is inexpensive and tough but heavy, Generally fiberglass and Kevlar (composite construction) are lighter and are suited to paddling in coastal conditions that we see in BC. Rocky shorelines etc. Composite construction kayaks are nicer to paddle, perform better, are lighter to carry, accelerate more quickly, can be re-furbished more easily and look nicer. If your budget is limited choose a plastic boat, you will still be happy. There’s no such thing as a bad day on the water, any kayak that can get you out there is great!

These are the questions we ask our customers when they visit our store. Hopefully it helps you weed your way through the plethora of different kayaks on the market.

Tour de Indian Arm

2010-05-17T09:18:00.000-07:00

Deep Cove Canoe & Kayak Centre's annual weekend race was a big success. The weather cooperated, seas were challenging enough to keep it interesting for the pro but not unsettle the novices too much. We had a great group of volunteers help out with a great post race BBQ. Beer supplied by Molson;s and The Raven Pub.

This was the first year we had a Stand Up Paddle Board category. Man! That has got to be tough. Conditions were choppy and wind was blowing people around like crazy but 7 tough SU Paddlers toughed out the 10 km course. Very impressive.

The TDIA is the second half of the THINK international Surf Ski Challenge. This is a cross border event where racers combine points from the Dan Harris Challenge in Bellingham with the TDIA. USA has done it again and won all 3 of the races since its inauguration. The event saw participation from Bellingham, Seattle, Victoria, Nanaimo and probably other places I don't know about. A big thanks to all the racers who participate and make it a great event. Thanks to the Volunteers and Deep Cove Staff.
Bob

Deep Cove Kayak Featured in Adventure Kayak Magazine

2010-05-12T09:43:00.000-07:00

Paddle to Bedwell Bay
Distance 5.83 Km

Beautiful weather and a great turn out of paddlers in all sorts of boats. Sea Kayaks, Surf Skis, Dug-Out Canoe, Outrigger Canoe, Cedar Strip K1 Sprint boat, ICf Sprint boats and more.

There were lots of people in double surf skis and double sea kayaks. The nice thing about doubles is that you always have somebody to blame. I am sure Jodi would complain about my varying stroke tempo, Rod certainly had grounds for complaining about Micky's steering into rocks. I have it on good word that Cam complains about losing races based on Mikes poor tactical decisions and John could always complain about Ben's grumpy disposition...in or out of the boat.

Usually I can base my race report on viewing the race video at the The Raven Pub, but yours truly forgot the camcorder near the door at home. Chances of getting the other pub patrons to relinquish a TV screen last night during Game 6 of the Canucks "Run to the Cup" would have been not very good. So I can only make the report based on what was going on around me near the front of the pack. Deceit and Dirty Tricks is all I can say....mostlly on my part too. Jodi Boates and I teamed up in a Double Fenn Elite. This is the fastest double surf ski on the market, and its remarkably stable. I suggest you get one! Despite the boat's incredible hull speed we were still trailing behind Micky/Rod in their double ski and Daryl and Jim in singles. Big and Little Fitz together with Ben/John both in double skis weren't far behind.

After crossing Indian Arm Channel and having past Jug Island we were approaching the turn around at the light marker at the entrance to Bedwell Bay. This light also marks a rocky shoal that is exposed at low tide and covered at high. The tide was high-ish and how deep the water was over the shoal was the big question. Daryl and Jim in singles being a gambler or just didn't care took the inside, quick, line. JB and I were on the outside of Rod and Micky and they were going wide, the conservative, safe and longer route. I yelled at Micky, "Go Left, Go Left!" and surprisingly he did. Rod who was a gun-shy after demolishing his rudder on a hidden rock at the Dan Harris Challenge in Bellingham started yelling at Micky, "No!! Go Right, Go Right!!" Micky didn't know what to do, so he went straight. Unfortunately is was one of the more shallower spots. Then there was lots of yelling!!....It was great. Just imagine bumper to bumper traffic where the 1st car slams on the breaks. As Jeff Raymond, laughingly described it, "That was probably one of the worst turns around a mark I have ever seen."

We took advantage of Micky and Rod's misfortune and stepped on the gas. No Tour De France ethics here. We caught up to Jim and Daryl, and slowly Ben/John started to make a move, we jumped on there side wash and started to feel like we were getting a good ride. Then I heard Ben and John talk about "Weeds on the rudder" and they started to slow down. "Oh sure" I thought. They want to get on our wash. So again Jodi and I made a hard push. In fact they did have a stick stuck in their rudder and remarkably stopped while Jeff Raymond kindly pulled it out. They still had enough gas to catch up to the lead group and make a strong push for the finish, towing Jim, Daryl, Bob/Jodi. Jim paddling his K1 made a last minute sprint and nipped Ben and John at the finish.

If somebody would like to post a report from another part of the pack I would love to hear about it, and I am sure others would too.

Upcoming Events:
Tour De Indian Arm...This Weekend May 16 1 PM a 10 km and 19 km course open to all abilities. $20 race fee, BBQ and prizing afterwards

Deep Cove Demo Day....May 29, come down to Deep Cove and test kayaks of all types.

Learn to Surf Ski and Stroke Efficiency courses on alternating Wednesdays. May 12 Stroke Efficiency, May 19 Learn to Surf Ski, etc

Check out the latest You Tube Tuesday Night Race video for the stormy April 27. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l6iJWRXROso

Also Deep Cove Canoe & Kayak was featured in Adventure Kayak Magazine's latest "Fitness Kayaking" Issue Check it out: www.AdventureKayakmag.com

Thanks
Bob

Stand Up Paddle

2010-03-24T21:08:00.001-07:00

So we just received a new shipment of Ocean Kayak Stand Up Paddle Boards (SUP). The Nalu. These are going to fill a great big hole in the market because the are very reasonably priced. Only $689 which includes a 3 piece paddle. The paddle has a "T" handle which can be replaced with a paddle blade turning the SU paddle into a kayak paddle. This allows you to sit down and paddle in case you get caught in a head wind. http://www.deepcoveoutdoors.com/kayakshop/products.php?productID=755

Many people are interested in SUP but when they see the price of a high quality surf style board ($1600) they get turned off. I had the chance to paddle the Nalu SUP last fall and it was great. It had great stability and really good speed. As the sport is still evolving I think there will be some bit changes in boats design and I think Ocean Kayak is going in the right direction. Most SUP boards are surf style and most people paddle them on flat water, which really doesn't make a lot of sense. At our rental facility I see many people taking our rental boards which are Starboard 12' surfing style boards. The usually paddle to the middle of the cove and splash around a bit. Because the Nalu has a displacement style hull it cuts through the water better and you can actually travel at a faster pace making it easier to paddle to, let's say, Jug Island.

This year in our rental fleet will have 1 Starboard K15 SUP. This board is where I think SUP will go. Longer and narrower.

Penguin Plunge

2010-01-04T20:45:00.000-08:00

Well the event went off very well. Weather was.....well what would you expect for Jan 1 in Vancouver. Wet and Cold. But it didn't dampen the spirits of the Plungers. The band, Gary Comeau and the Voodoo All-Stars were excellent. Very tight and played some great tunes. Many people were clad in costumes, Several vikings, vampires, walking Christmas trees, Arnold Schwarznegger and many more. A big thanks goes out to all the volunteers and there were many. We'll get some numbers up on the blog soon.
Bob

Our Penguin Plunge Story

2009-12-30T09:07:00.000-08:00

Well...First...We are honoured that the Mount Seymour Lions thought of asking us at Deep Cove Canoe and Kayak to organize the Penguin Plunge this year. We would like to take this opportunity to thank and acknowledge the Lions for all the years that they organized this great community New Year's Day celebration. THANK YOU ALL!!!

Ironically, the Penguin Plunge was started many years ago, 1983, by Merv Ovesen (RIP) in front of the old Deep Cove Canoe and Kayak rental shop with only four participants: Merv, Tor, Bill, Russ and also Tyler the dog. The next year, 1984, there were 16 Plungers and two dogs. And so on..and so on...

The Penguin Plunge has grown from there to the wonderful community event we enjoy today. I believe that Merv is probably having a pretty good chuckle wherever he is now that we at Deep Cove Canoe and Kayak are once again organizing the event since he was fully aware that what goes around comes around and he would take great delight in how many people come out to the Penguin Plunge now as a celebratory start to their NEW YEAR!

Please come out on New Year's Day 12:30 until 3:00 to enjoy the music and activities and plan to Plunge promptly at 2:00pm. There will be prizes for best costumes with judging at 1:30 prior to the Plunge. Draw prizes from the entries and pledges and you can also get your Penguin Plunge T-shirts!

New this year we are encouraging you all to get Pledges for Plunging with all Pledge proceeds going to support the Seymour Art Gallery. Pledge forms are available at www.deepcovekayak.com

We also encourage you to share your Penguin Plunge Stories....

Cheers and best wishes for your New Year from all of us at Deep Cove Canoe and Kayak and Deep Cove Outdoors!

Penguin Plunge

2009-12-23T12:23:00.000-08:00

Share your Penguin Plunge story.... WHO, WHAT, WHEN, WHY....