I paddled my first race last Saturday, and did really well. It was 6 miles on flatwater and I finished in 57 min with my brand new Wavehopper. (my 3rd time in it) I placed 1st in the Kayak category and 3rd overall. I was beaten by two professional TANDEMs racing Kevlar canoes - the ones with the hips at the midline. The canoes were paddled by an older couple who had just finished a race from Fargo to Winnipeg (700 river miles)and placed second there and also by their son/grandson combination. They were timed at 55 and 57 minutes respectively. I missed second place by 5 feet! A guy who has won in previous years came in 4th place at about 1hr, 4 minutes. BIG NOTE! Next time I race a kayak - I would like to have two engines pushing it. Tip: Thinly insulated Camelbacks work awesome under PFD's, I drank over a liter of really cold Gatorade, without having to stop and reach for a bottle stowed below deck. The tight PFD kept the Camelback pressurized and the cold felt bag felt great against my overheating body. Big Thanks! Goes out to all fellow paddlewisers who indirectly helped me progress to this level. Your input on the use of footpeg pushing and body rotation, really helped make my strokes stronger and more efficient. I would also like to point out how many people snubbed me on my choice of the Wavehopper as my second boat. Arguing that it was stupid to drive an hour to find water that was really suitable for the boat (Downriver racing). A Wavehopper in North Dakota!?! ND is the only state, so flat that if you look West, you can see the back of your head. I never paddled the boat before I bought it, and neither the dealer nor I had ever seen one before I got to unwrap mine off the semitrailer. I simply paid a lot of attention to talks about boat shapes/designs, interviewed some French and English guys who had paddled them (why all in Europe?) and simply decided this was the best boat for me. Tip: I have paddled for 4 years and sold boats for 3. It really pays to look outside your paddling circle for good recommendations. I couldn't buy it from the place I worked, so I bought it from my competition (they still got me a deal, tho). A leap of faith for a boat I knew I would enjoy. Kudo's to Perception, This is the second boat I have of theirs and I'm glad my leap of faith paid off. I beat out several of their boats this weekend, comp. Shadows, and a collection of assorted touring types that probably were more suited to the race, but not to me. It is awesome on lakes, rec paddling and kicking my friend's butts on local rivers. Thanks again paddlewisers, I wouldn't have won w/o your help. Phil Huck thekayaker_at_yahoo.com ...I should mention in hindsight that I did bug out on 2 days with the wife and an inlaw reunion (100miles away) just for this race, because I was sure my priorities were right. Though I did catch up with them three hours after the race. Tip - if you EVER bug out on the wife/inlaws for something like this - you better arrive with flowers in tow. __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Bid and sell for free at http://auctions.yahoo.com *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
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