This was the 13th and final race in the Salem League 8th season. It was a great year. With the addition of some new racers (Matt, Bruce, Ed W) and the doggedness of the veterans, this was the best-attended season since 2008. Matt, Ken, and Mary Beth managed to race every week that weather permitted. And with 13 weeks to work with, rather than the 11 or 12 of a typical season, both the men's and women's point records were broken.
The day before the race, I strained my back slightly at the gym. I had hoped to be able to paddle, but during warm-ups I decided that it'd be foolish to push things. Normally, that realization wouldn't be nearly enough to stop me, but given that I had nothing to gain by racing, I heeded my body's advice and just watched the race from the water while doodling around the harbor. It was actually fun to get a different perspective.
In a last-minute Yankee swap shuffling of boats, Matt took my V10, Bill took Matt's red-tip V8, Bruce snapped up Bill's black-tip V8, and I ended up the proud paddler of Bruce's Evo II. We (well, they) would be running double-header course #5 - and out-and-back to Great Haste followed by an out-and-back to the red nun. Conditions were mild, with a very slight breeze from the south against an ebbing tide.
I positioned myself a few hundred feet off the beach to watch the Le Mans start. Rod McLain, who was joining us on his outrigger for the first time since the opening race of the season, hopped on and started paddling in one fluid motion, taking a huge lead out of the gate. Mike, Matt, Ken, and Kirk all seemed intent on taking the 12 points for the night, pushing hard from the start. It took all my willpower not to just jump in with the pack as they came by.
I followed slowly behind everyone for a half-mile or so, then stopped to wait for their return. I watched as the indistinct racers disappeared behind Great Haste, reappeared on the far side, and turned back in my direction. I couldn't make out individual paddlers until they got quite close. Mike came by first, with Ken only three or four boat lengths behind. Matt was another few lengths behind, but on a worse line. After the first leg, it was Mike, Ken (26 seconds back), Matt (another 11 seconds back), and Kirk (7 more seconds back). It was anyone's ballgame.
The second leg started in much the same way as the first, with Rod launching himself onto the water with abandon. Everyone else seemed a little lethargic off the beach, but quickly recovered to fight for the win. I got off the water to watch the finish from land.
Matt arrived first - several boat lengths ahead of Mike - but it was clear that it wasn't enough of a lead to beat Mike's combined time. Kirk came in just after Mike, barely missing in his bid to slip past Ken into third place for the night. Here are the full results:
Many thanks to Ed for once again sacrificing his Tuesday nights to supervise the League, and to Ken for keeping the New England Surfski site updated with the latest results. Despite the pain of all those desperate sprints against Francisco, I had a blast this season.
The day before the race, I strained my back slightly at the gym. I had hoped to be able to paddle, but during warm-ups I decided that it'd be foolish to push things. Normally, that realization wouldn't be nearly enough to stop me, but given that I had nothing to gain by racing, I heeded my body's advice and just watched the race from the water while doodling around the harbor. It was actually fun to get a different perspective.
In a last-minute Yankee swap shuffling of boats, Matt took my V10, Bill took Matt's red-tip V8, Bruce snapped up Bill's black-tip V8, and I ended up the proud paddler of Bruce's Evo II. We (well, they) would be running double-header course #5 - and out-and-back to Great Haste followed by an out-and-back to the red nun. Conditions were mild, with a very slight breeze from the south against an ebbing tide.
I positioned myself a few hundred feet off the beach to watch the Le Mans start. Rod McLain, who was joining us on his outrigger for the first time since the opening race of the season, hopped on and started paddling in one fluid motion, taking a huge lead out of the gate. Mike, Matt, Ken, and Kirk all seemed intent on taking the 12 points for the night, pushing hard from the start. It took all my willpower not to just jump in with the pack as they came by.
I followed slowly behind everyone for a half-mile or so, then stopped to wait for their return. I watched as the indistinct racers disappeared behind Great Haste, reappeared on the far side, and turned back in my direction. I couldn't make out individual paddlers until they got quite close. Mike came by first, with Ken only three or four boat lengths behind. Matt was another few lengths behind, but on a worse line. After the first leg, it was Mike, Ken (26 seconds back), Matt (another 11 seconds back), and Kirk (7 more seconds back). It was anyone's ballgame.
The second leg started in much the same way as the first, with Rod launching himself onto the water with abandon. Everyone else seemed a little lethargic off the beach, but quickly recovered to fight for the win. I got off the water to watch the finish from land.
Matt arrived first - several boat lengths ahead of Mike - but it was clear that it wasn't enough of a lead to beat Mike's combined time. Kirk came in just after Mike, barely missing in his bid to slip past Ken into third place for the night. Here are the full results:
| Mike McDonough | Huki S1-X | 0:40:05 | 12 |
| Matt Drayer | Epic V10 (New) | 0:40:33 | 11 |
| Ken Cooper | Epic V10 Sport (New) | 0:40:49 | 10 |
| Kirk Olsen | Epic V12 | 0:40:55 | 9 |
| Bruce Deltorchio | Epic V8 | 0:43:35 | 8 |
| Bill Kuklinski | Epic V8 | 0:44:35 | 7 |
| Mary Beth Gangloff | Huki S1-R | 0:51:06 | 12 |
| Sam McDaniel | Huki S1-X | 0:52:00 | 6 |
Many thanks to Ed for once again sacrificing his Tuesday nights to supervise the League, and to Ken for keeping the New England Surfski site updated with the latest results. Despite the pain of all those desperate sprints against Francisco, I had a blast this season.
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