mattdrayer

I'd be interested in helping to devise and possibly deliver some sort of training/fitness/competition-oriented module for this workshop, in whatever format we think might be most palatable (physical/mental training, fitness programming, ocean racing, downwind runs, etc.). A few of us in the NE surfski community are working on a revamp of our atrocious website and exploring a possible collaboration with NECKRA on the ocean racing front, so this could be timely. A couple years ago @Kevin B and I discussed adding a module like this to his symposium concept, which ultimately turned into a demo day with Newbury Kayak, IIRC. It is definitely helpful to line up local outfitters and vendors who are willing to allow people to use/rent their boats + gear for classes and workshops, since a lot of people do not necessarily have their own. I have an extra Epic V8 in my garage, but only one Matt

The 2021 kayak racing season has kicked off with Rhode Island's Narrow River Race. If you just felt a slight tinge of FOMO do not despair! There's plenty more fun on the way. Note that while some of these events are intended for HPK class boats (eg, surfskis), FSK and/or SK class boats can typically enter if prior approval has been granted by the race director. Weekly Racing: May 25 - August 31: "Salem League" Tuesday Night Race Series (Beverly MA) info Regional Racing: 06-05-2021: Sakonnet River Race (Portsmouth RI) info 06-26-2021: Ride The Bull (Jamestown RI) info 07-17-2021: Blackburn Challenge (Gloucester MA) info 09-12-2021: Great Stone Dam Classic (Lawrence MA) info 10-02-2021: Essex River Race (Essex MA) info 10-16-2021: Plum Island Lighthouse Race (North Kingstown RI) info Not currently on the schedule, but possibly being added: * June: Kettle Island Run (Beverly MA) * August: Nahant Bay Race (Swampscott MA) * September: Tinkers Island Run (Marblehead MA) Happy to answer any/all questions about any of these events. Matt

It’s approximately 10k crossing from Odiorne to the Isle of Shoals which in a ski should only take an hour or do, and even faster when you imagine that triangular fin behind you I’ve had this trip on my mind for a while now, maybe this is the year for it we’ll see. Matt

Yep that was us! I was paddling the black Epic surfski -- great day to be on the water! Matt

I’m meeting some surfski friends around 10:30 — maybe I’ll see you all there or on the water depending on when I arrive and what we decide to do. Matt

The New England Surfski "Salem League" Series completed its final race of its 15th season last night with an out-and back course from Lynch Park to Bowditch Ledge (Course #2). With the late-afternoon storm front tracking just far enough north to enable us to race, Greg Lesher once again asserted his dominance over our local crew, finishing the 5.6-mile course in 47:35 -- two minutes ahead of the next competitor and placing a cherry on top of his 7th overall series win in the past 10 years. The 2020 series saw a range of paddlers competing each week, from grizzled veterans to shiny rookies. The introduction of two new courses to provide additional options for downwind legs, as well as a COVID-conscious offset starting procedure were both found to be popular developments that will carry forward to the 2021 season. With racing wrapping up, the focus for the remainder of the year as usual shifts to pursuit of the ultimate downwind run. A community Google Group exists for people located on the North Shore interested in coordinating downwind surfski adventures. For more information about the Google Group, please feel free to PM me. Matt

For loose/wobbly paddle connections I’ve learned that a thin smear of superglue on the male side can increase the purchase required to get a tight fit particularly with “lever lock” style connections — you can apply multiple layers to build up thickness as needed. you just want to make sure the glue is totally dry before you put the paddle back together or you’ll never get it apart again Matt

Nice what is your calculated MaxHR? Does your app provide you with a HR zone breakdown as well? Typically it’s presented as time spent in each zone. Hey find that the more I train and dial into the downwind the more my sessions look like HIIT workouts, with a large percentage of time spent in the upper work zones and a similar amount of time in the lower recovery zones. More importantly who joined you? Member #2 of the South Shore Surfski Center? Matt

Woooo! Have fun Conditions are great on the North Shore, too! Matt

Yep exactly —

I used to wrap tape around my paddle shafts to add some friction for my hands, but I learned quickly that the friction I thought I needed translated more into additional blisters than additional grip, so I took it all off. I do use the self-fusing tape that Nancy referred to, but only as high+low stops on each side to keep my hands in the proper spots, sort of like this: <=--|o|----|o|--=> Aside from the slip-stops the one thing I've done is apply some light scoring with very fine steel wool to the spots where my hands go -- just enough to scuff the finish and take the shine off, you really don't need much. Again you want to avoid creating blisters, because at say, even a slow cadence of 60 strokes per minute at a pace of 10 minutes/mile, that's 600 strokes per mile, times say a 10 mile adventure and you are talking 6000 strokes (3000/side) in 100 minutes -- any form of friction, even a few grains of sand or some loose threads of tape, can really eat away at your palms and fingers. Proper technique dictates that you shouldn't be gripping the paddle shaft too tightly, anyway. If you're gripping too tightly then your forearms lock up, your upper arms lock up, your shoulders lock up, your entire upper body locks up, and with everything seized you can't rotate, you can't balance/adjust, you can't breathe... So yeah, loose is good, loose is efficient, loose is fast, and keep the paddle shaft as clean and clear as you can Matt

w00t! You did great — and we didn’t get eaten by the sharks of Woods Hole — all in all a fun day out. If anyone would ever like to try a surfski in nice calm Nahant Bay I have an Epic V8 in my garage ready and waiting. I’ll be out of town for 10 days starting this Thursday but otherwise I’m happy to meet up anytime. Matt

I agree with @rfolster that bracing is a key skill to cultivate -- however to continue on the angular momentum track I have found that it's often easier to simply take a couple of forward strokes to restore stability versus bracing -- it does require you to conquer your fear of tipping over! Picture yourself riding a bicycle, and you hit a pothole. Your feet come off the pedals and you begin to wobble. You can either continue to slow down or even stop + put your foot down, reset yourself on the seat, and then start pedaling again, or you can put your feet back on the pedals while still moving/wobbling and in just a couple of turns of the crank restore your balance and continue on like nothing happened.

Great discussion thread! I've also been messing around in boats for 20+ years and mainly in boats with <24" beam for the past 10 or so. I transitioned from traditional sea kayaks to surfskis in 2013, starting with an Epic V8 and working through the model line to my present Epic V12. For reference the beam of the V8 is a reasonable 21.25" and the V12 is a real stiletto at 16.9". While hull profiles differ somewhat between surfski manufacturers and even sometimes within their model lines, generally I think they are fairly similar in design -- this is why we like to race with them (it's sort of like NASCAR). What differs more than hull profile are beam and length dimensions, as well as the amount of volume and how the designer distributes it. These characteristics, combined with your weight/volume ratio (including paddler + gear) contribute greatly to your overall speed/stability performance profile. For a visual example check out this great chart developed by Wes Echols of SurfskiRacing.com. Paddling such narrow boats with low primary stability I have learned over the years that remaining upright in any boat is a function of essentially doing exactly that -- remaining upright. By maintaining proper form when you paddle -- no slouching or leaning, placing the blade properly in the water, rotating correctly through your stroke, etc -- you greatly improve your ability to keep dry. I've also learned that even the narrowest boats can be extremely stable when you are moving with good form -- it's when you lose focus or slow down/stop and break that form that you fall in I'm fairly certain this is an angular momentum thing, similar to how bicycles work -- maybe the physics people in the group can comment on that. Speaking of keeping dry -- I agree with what several people have already pointed out in the thread, and that is the importance of NOT being worried about getting wet! If you accept that getting wet is part of the fun of kayaking, then when it happens it's not an emergency in your mind, it's just part of the experience. Whether you are inside of the boat -- as with a traditional sea kayak -- and need to become comfortable rolling and exiting/entering, or you are on top of the boat -- as with a SUP, surfski, or outrigger canoe -- and need to become comfortable remounting, this is a skill that you absolutely MUST learn, practice, and perform on a regular basis to develop expertise. We ALL fall into the water -- as with skiing it's all about converting that fall into a nice recovery. (edit: ...a little more) I'd also like to add that one of the biggest contributors to stability is how well you fit in the boat. Maintaining a solid connection with the hull is extremely important both for power transfer and being able to swivel the boat around its longitudinal axis when needed. It's a bit like riding a mechanical bull -- the people who do very well with stability have a good connection with the boat and have learned to relax their hips. If you are able to shift around in the cockpit enough to cause the boat to tip -- so more than an inch or so side to side -- you probably need to consider adding some foam at your hips to tighten things up. Matt

It certainly has helped me to mentally prepare, although I still have no solution for being a mile or more offshore and having a GWS “test bite” cause catastrophic damage to my ski. I certainly don’t want to be treading water next to my submerged craft when it comes back around to follow up on its work. Maybe I should carry a roll of duct tape with me just in case? I’m hopeful that all of the lion’s mane jellies are keeping the sharks away from surface-based travelers for now — I counted over 50 today in a single 5k leg. Matt

If you’re a mogul skier you might take a look at surfskis — Newbury Kayaks carries the Stellar brand and these boats are designed for speed and having fun in downwind conditions (surprisingly similar to mogul skiing). I suggest taking the S18S and SR models for a spin. Used boats can often be found at SurfSkiRacing.com Matt

I'd really like people to stop referring to surfskis as "the dark side", even if it's tongue-in-cheek. I mean, come on, this is a way to have a ridiculous amount of fun on the water -- especially when the wind is cranking and the ocean is hauling. Why do there have to be "sides" at all? Paddle a surfski, paddle a sea kayak, go fast, play in the rocks, it's all good! When it comes to safety, I really don't think it has much to do with the type of watercraft one chooses. Safety is a personal issue, and everyone has their own perspective on what is "safe" when it comes to surfskis. My idea of "safe" may horrify someone else, and someone else's idea of "safe" may horrify me. I watched this unbelievable video the other day of Sharon Armstrong absolutely kicking arse in Durban. I mean, it's amazing. SHE'S amazing. Watch it right now -- 40kts of wind, 10+mph average speed, wow! And she's out there in these huge seas, with nothing more than a PFD, an unleashed paddle, and one small water bottle tucked under the back bungee. She even goes over at one point -- with no boat leash. Her boat doesn't blow away, although her hat does. Sharon remounts her boat, gets going again, and finishes her course. Was she safe? Was she unsafe? IMHO what is "safe" for Sharon is very different than what is safe for someone new learning to stay upright on flat water. This topic of "what is safe" carries over to other sports/activities as well, such as climbing, which I enjoy very much as well, mainly in the winter. The climbing community constantly debates the topic of safety -- watch Free Solo or read Will Gadd's articles. Ultimately everyone walks away from these discussion shrugging their shoulders -- "Do what works for you." "Operate within your abilities." "YMMV." Philosophy aside, as you've noted there are certainly practical constraints with today's surfski models that limit one's ability to carry additional equipment. Some ski manufacturers do offer models (or offer to outfit their models) with various features -- dayhatches, tie-down anchor points, compass mounts, flip-up rudders, etc. Some crafty people have even customized their skis on their own to have these items. Most ski designs are focused on two specific design characteristics -- stability and speed -- and so the boats generally are very basic and optimized for these traits. This, along with the fact that skis are sealed, self-bailing, sit-on-top watercraft, combined with the competitive racer's desire to weigh as little as possible overall, does tend to lead one down the minimalist path in terms of gear, and that means tradeoffs with respect to carrying safety-related equipment. For example, as someone who has paddled sea kayaks for 20+ years, and logged an average of 110 sessions in a surfski each season over the past six years, my mantra when pulling out of the driveway has been simplified from an initial kitchen-sink gear list to this: "Boat. Paddle. PFD. Phone. VHF. Ok, go." No skirt. No pump. No paddle float. No spare paddle. No drysuit. No tow bag. No extra clothes. No sunglasses. No knife. No chart. No compass. No first aid kit. No picnic basket. No fluid if less than an hour. 1L fluid/hr if more than 1 hour. Calories mixed into fluid if more than 2 hours. Again, different people have different perspectives on what to carry, and these perspectives are mainly based on the conditions people deal with. My perspective is based on the fact that I'm typically on the water for 60-70 minutes per session. I typically cover 10k-15k (6.2mi-9.3mi) of distance during that time. I typically cover a mile in 8--9 minutes -- 7-8 minutes if I'm going with the wind and/or current. I know I can make reasonable progress with a 20mph headwind with oncoming seas and/or current, and expect 4.5-5.5mph of VMG, and I know I can keep that up for two hours or more. I know from experience that I can remount my boat in heavy seas 10-12 times in a single warm-water session before I don't want to swim anymore. I also know from experience that I can only remount 3-4 times in a single cold-water session before I'm equally feeling that way. I know on a 10k downwind course I'll average ~7.5mph and hit 10mph or faster when i get on the waves (a truly transformative experience). I'm not beating my chest, this is what I know I can do, because I've done it many times. So the "safety" determination for me is what to do and/or carry when conditions exceed what I consider to be my normal range. Sessions >15mi either above 7.25mph or breathing hard. Sessions > 2hrs either above 7.25mph or breathing hard. Headwind > 20mph. Tailwind > 30mph. Seas > 6ft. Water temp cold enough to make my face hurt. Air temp hot enough to make my throat hurt. These are all aspects that factor into my decision to 1) go at all, and if yes, then 2) consider carrying additional contingency gear. For a specific tactical example with respect to colder conditions, to manage early-season cold temps I'll wear a 4/3 wetsuit w/ hood+gloves+boots in April and a 3/2 wetsuit+boots + neoprene beanie in May. The 4/3 suit sucks for mobility -- I want to replace my "surf" suit with a nice triathlon suit, which I think would be perfect. By mid-June the wetsuits are hung up to dry, and I'm wearing a pair of jammers and a LS top. The 3/2 wetsuit will come back out in late September for downwinds and surfing in nor'easters, but only really to keep the chill from setting in too soon when there's lots of fun to be had. If I went further into October the 4/3 would come back out as well. By November I'm in the gym training for winter climbing, so i can't really comment on that, but I know several people who do use drysuits for paddling their skis in colder temps and they seem to all say the same thing -- they wear the drysuit because that's what they have available, not necessarily because it's ideal. Most people don't wear wetsuits, because most people are scared of going in the water. The people who wear wetsuits also enjoy surfing and swimming. Being in the water is not an emergency, imnsho, it's part of the experience. Based on this excellent Peak Paddle Performance Podcast episode I've considered tucking a couple pencil flares into the back pocket of my PFD. You know, in case an SAR team is looking for me, because I was paddling in conditions way above my ability (1), and I fell in (2), and I couldn't remount (3), and I got tired (4), and my boat leash broke (5), and my boat blew away (6), and my phone died (7), and my VHF didn't work (8), so yes, carrying pencil flares would be a good 9th level of safety. But would I carry them all the time, or just when there's a good chance I'll get into trouble? Should I carry a PLB (Level 10?)? If there's a good chance I'll get into trouble and will need to activate a PLB, why am I even going in the first place? My goal is to have *fun*, not to have a stare down competition with Death -- after all, staredowns with Death are for young people Is my setup unsafe? Is yours? Is theirs? It's all a matter of perspective. I'm late-night pontificating at this point, yes, but it's fun and hey I'm on vacation Regarding your proposed Elizabeth Islands circumnavigation -- I think it sounds like an excellent trip. Being a ~20-mile course and given that most people can get a surfski moving at 6mph or faster with a reasonable amount of practice, you are looking at 20mi/6mph = 3.33 hours assuming constant speed. This is proven by first-timers year after year at the Blackburn Challenge. My first-timer friend did it this year in an older Epic V8 -- 3:19:56. He beat my SK-class course record time from 2012 by almost a minute, and logged maybe a dozen training sessions before the race. So, you can probably do your trip on a nice Saturday morning and be home in time for lunch. When it comes to managing air + water temps, it's again YMMV and you'll need to decide what safety contingencies make the most sense to include on your trip. If I were doing this trip on a nice day in November (and why pick a suboptimal day, especially in November?) I would wear my 3/2 wetsuit+boots+gloves+beanie, because I personally think this setup is better than a drysuit. The 3/2 offers a reasonable balance between thermal management and mobility, I am going to be wet anyway (sweat + spray + possible immersion), and the wetsuit provides inherent additional flotation. A 3/2 wetsuit will probably knock 0.25-0.5mph off my average speed, with most of that loss coming in the second half of the trip due to the additional resistance. A PFD is certainly a consideration for open ocean sessions imho, although it's important to know how tightly your PFD fits with a suit underneath. Remember you want mobility, because you want to be fast, which means you want to easily move your body. So you might consider a "winter PFD" and a "summer" PFD. And as you may have read in that Valkyrie Downwind article I linked above, sometimes even a PFD can be overkill. What's better -- bobbing for an hour in cold water with your PFD on and waiting for help to arrive, or actively swimming for an hour back to shore in your wetsuit? Assuming one knows one can actually swim for a whole hour in a wetsuit, in cold water. But maybe it's not an hour, maybe you're hugging the islands all the way around, and you're never more than a 10-15 minute swim from shore. If you don't have the PFD over your wetsuit, will you have better mobility and thus finish the trip faster, limiting your overall exposure? Fun things to think about...now I must sleep, because I am planning on paddling my ski 15k before breakfast Matt

I agree thanks everyone for coming out to cheer us on! I’d rate this year’s race as a 6/10 in the fun scale due to opposing current at both ends and lumpy water throughout. However as with Marshall I also notched a new personal best for the course so I guess I can’t complain too much Matt

I use the Endomondo app running on an IPhone in a Lifeproof case. Usually I’ll put it in a basic ziplock bag as a simple splash guard.

Just discovered the Epic article is no longer available on the site (wah) -- I've attached a copy of it here for future reference. Matt EpicLifestyle–CapetoCapeWithMattDrayer.pdf

So disappointing -- Bowditch Ledge is one of the standard courses for our Tuesday night surfski races (Course #2). Just won't be the same this summer to paddle around a pile of rocks...hopefully it can be located at high tide...

Charles Swart is who you would want to get in touch with: https://www.facebook.com/dokchalla

My friend Nate circumnavigated Bermuda in the Spring -- you can read the story at https://www.epickayaks.com/articles/paddling-bermuda -- I can ping him about who to talk to there. Matt

My 11yo daughter and I will be on our way home from backpacking in NH on Monday evening and may possibly join in the fun as well. Matt

They were definitely bigger -- heading upwind it was big enough that I decided to turn downwind after only 1/2 mile beyond the spindle -- I'll normally go up to two miles further to make the run last longer. Still doesn't compare to the waves that Jose brought -- I noted the size of the ones on Friday 9/22 as "Interstellar" in my log