New England Paddlers: The Great Gerrish Island Race is in Kittery, ME Sunday Sep 26, 12:00 (high tide), 6 nm through salt marsh, up the coast, and into Portsmouth Harbor. Fun and informal, clambake afterwards. More info at: http://www.by-the-sea.com/nerowing.html Tom *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
On Tue, 21 Sep 1999, tompage wrote: > The Great Gerrish Island Race is in Kittery, ME Sunday Sep 26, 12:00 (high > tide), 6 nm through salt marsh, up the coast, and into Portsmouth Harbor. Fun > and informal, clambake afterwards. More info at: I did this race this past weekend and had a great time. I had never done the race before, even worse never kayaked in southern Maine, and I only live an hour away. The race started with about 45 kayaks sprinting across a 150 yard open stretch and then into a twisty section of creek through the salt marsh. The race is put on by a rowing club. In past years they have started the kayaks behind the rowing craft. Because of past bottlenecks they started the kayaks 2 minutes ahead of the rowing craft. A 10 to 15 foot wide creek is a tough place to try and pass a rowing craft. So this year it was the rowers who got the privilege of trying to overtake the slower kayaks. Fortunately it was a full moon tide so we didn't have to follow the creek much and could just paddle over the marsh. After about a mile of going over the marsh the course opened into a shallow bay and passed through a row of pilings. The pilings looked like they might be the remains of a railroad bridge. A hundred yards or so beyond the pilings the race headed south, in open water, along Gerrish Island. The shore line is typical Maine shoreline, lots of rocks and ledges. Some racers stayed offshore, some paddled along the shore. A friend, who lives locally, told me to stay in close, the waves were larger but he feels the shorter distance was worth the added wave excitement. This year he had a little extra excitement as he ran his dory up onto a ledge (so much for local knowledge). After paddling about 3 miles, along the coast, the course turns up the Piscataqua river for the final stretch. We had a nice day for paddling along the coast. The waves were quite small, but with the wind waves it was a rather chaotic paddle. The waves appeared to be coming from at least 3 directions most of the time. The race finished between Fisherman's island and NewCastle (NH). At the finish line there was a nice get together for steamers, corn on the cob, and some Smutty Nose beer (a local brew). The perfect race finish... I think there were about 45 kayaks and 20 different rowing craft in the race. The kayaks covered the full range, from keowees, to homebuilts, at least 1 folder, and a couple of surf skis. My favorite was one named the "Seagoon". There were also at least 2 doubles, one of which looked to me like a CLC. So if you are looking for a nice spot to paddle in southern Maine, you might try starting in pigeon cove on(in?) kittery point, there is a boat ramp behind Frisbee's supermarket, or you can launch from a small bridge about a half mile up Chauncey creek. As I got to the ramp there was a duo who were just getting back from paddling across the piscataqua, down the NH coast to the Wentworth hotel marina and back, which sounds like another nice exploration. There's also a restaurant on a dock on the Cauncey creek that I want to get back to and try. It looked good from the water and was fairly busy at 3pm on a sunday in september... kirk *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Well, Kirk, where did you place in the race? You didn't tell us that. BijiliE *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
On Mon, 27 Sep 1999 BijiliE_at_aol.com wrote: > Well, Kirk, where did you place in the race? You didn't tell us that. I finished first, but the equipment wasn't fair. I was paddling a race surf ski. kirk *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
----- Original Message ----- From: Kirk Olsen <kolsen_at_imagelan.com> To: <paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net> Sent: Monday, September 27, 1999 12:58 PM Subject: Re: [Paddlewise] Gerrish Island Race (recap) > I finished first, but the equipment wasn't fair. I was paddling a race surf > ski. > What kind of ski? I'm shopping. Thanks Bob *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
On Mon, 27 Sep 1999, BaysideBob wrote: > > I finished first, but the equipment wasn't fair. I was paddling a race > surf > > ski. > > > What kind of ski? I'm shopping. Futura Carrera. I bought it third hand and got a great deal. I've also paddled a few others. Futura II, Current Designs Speedster, hayden, VentureSport Shearwater. >From my point of view if I were replacing the carrera I would look at the Futura Blade, the speedster, and the Twogood mako. I really liked the Speedster but I worry about having an underhull rudder. I haven't seen a Blade or the Mako. In this past race I would have torn the rudder off if I had had an underhull rudder, the carrera has a kickup rudder. Also the carrera turns miserably. The turning radius of the carrera is 3 or 4 boat lengths, the Speedster turning radius is about 1 boat length. kirk *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
----- Original Message ----- From: Kirk Olsen <kolsen_at_imagelan.com> To: BaysideBob <vaughan_at_jps.net> Cc: <paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net> Sent: Tuesday, September 28, 1999 7:15 AM Subject: Re: [Paddlewise] Gerrish Island Race (recap) > > What kind of ski? I'm shopping. > > Futura Carrera. I bought it third hand and got a great deal. > > I've also paddled a few others. Futura II, Current Designs Speedster, > hayden, VentureSport Shearwater. > > >From my point of view if I were replacing the carrera I would look at > the Futura Blade, the speedster, and the Twogood mako. I really liked > the Speedster but I worry about having an underhull rudder. I haven't > seen a Blade or the Mako. > > In this past race I would have torn the rudder off if I had had an > underhull rudder, the carrera has a kickup rudder. Also the carrera turns > miserably. The turning radius of the carrera is 3 or 4 boat lengths, the Speedster turning radius is about 1 boat length. > > kirk My present unknown brand ski also has a kickup rudder on the stern. Same thing, slow in turns without sweeps and leaning. It's the geometry. Last weekend I paddled most of what Futura makes at the SF Bay Paddlefest. I am in LOVE. I'm scheduling overtime to buy a Blade. It is perfect for me in this time in this place. I usually don't put much stock in "test paddles" because it takes awhile to know a boat. Not this time. It is a far better boat than I am a paddler. When I do get it, I expect to learn a great deal from it over a long, long time. I tried the Speedster too. Very good boat also, but for me, it just didn't do what the Futura Blade did. Oh yeah, the Blade has a rudder under the hull 40" from the stern. Improves turning greatly but when your paddle comes up with mud on it, better slow down. Bob ICQ#18014475 *************************************************************************** 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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