Nelscott Reef Surf Contest

Definition
Dues: fees for membership in an organization
When applied to Nelscott Paddle In Contest: Oh Shit!
The Contest got a early start with tow in heats starting before I got there at about 0900. Mike Kopra and Whitney got there early and saw the first tow in heat. Weather: Haze, visability 1 mile which improved thru the day; Wind, ESE 2-5, Overcast to broken overcast and a slight drizzle about 1630, Swell: 12' to 16' from the W on the bouy report, Tide started at low water and was high about 1530.
Brewer brothers were there and have some good photos Whitney also took photos of Scotts reef(same day) so we should have some photos of that.
As to the paddle in portion of the contest.... that was worth the trip. You could feel the rush a half mile away just watching the take-off's Steep drops with up to 4 guys on a wave. The peak was shifting with the high tide when they ran the paddle portion and the dues....were steep!
gosser
ps The Greg Knoll Gun that didn't want to go.
Watching the waverunners doing the shuttle for the paddle in portion someone had brought a old Greg Knoll gun, green and white with a huge hunk of wood and a black glassed on skeg / this board was heavy and from the 60's. It would have had paddle speed and weight... but it did not want to go out at Nelscott. It was lashed to a ski skeg first and broke loose twice trying to get it out. Just watching that thing wash in reminded me of the danger log warnings on the beach access.

Greg Gosser Reporting

Photos: John Brewer

Battle of the Paddle 2009

Dave Chun of Kialoa Paddle Company (we sell their paddles) sent us his report of the Lopez Battle of the Paddle race:

Day One of the Gerry Lopez Rainbow Sandals Battle of the Paddle:

While some will want to use the clichés “Super Bowl of Stand Up Paddling” to describe the Gerry Lopez Rainbow Sandals Battle of the Paddle, I think “Super X of SUP” is a better description for yesterday’s rough and tumble elite race. Gerry’s motorcycling roots were evident in the winding course laid out by the evil genius.

The course was an in and out affair, taking the racers through the surf zone and into a shallow section referred to by the locals as the Bone Yards. While twisty and technical, a healthy south swell breaking the length of the bay proved to be the triple jumps of the day. I thought the first buoy turn was going to be a cluster f*#k. I was wrong. Mother nature thinned the herd by sending a timely set of waves at the mass. Rider-less 18’ unlimited boards mow a wide path. If the sprint out through the surf didn’t get the heart pumping, I am sure having a carbon fiber missile firing at your legs surely did. Karen Wrenn from Portland, Oregon, had asked my opinion on wearing a lease. I told her a lease would complicate remounting the board if she took a spill. 30 seconds into the race and I’m thinking “man, that was some bad advice”.

Aaron Napoleon and Chuck Patterson had great starts and my fingers were crossed for a 1 and 2 Kialoa finish. My 2010 advertising campaign was quickly smashed as my friends crashed in a pack which included Danny Ching, Slater Trout, and Jamie Mitchell. It was a mad scene as some of the best big wave riders in the world participated in what looked like a surfing lesson at Waikiki. My head was buried in my camera and I didn’t catch the order of finish, but I know Jamie won.

My classic moment of the day was watching Aaron longboard his way to the finish on his last wave. Aaron looked like the Duke as he carved his way “right” though the finish line was to the left.

A side note: Kialoa Paddlers Vicki Mills and Beau Whitehead met for the first time at the local Immediate Care. Vicki needed a few stitches for her head wound; Beau has a new scar on his wrist.

Aloha, Dave

P.S. While the order of finished was definitely “altered” by a rider’s position on the course when the sets came rolling in, Jamie Mitchell was clearly the best this day. If the condition had been dead flat, I believe he still would have powered away from the pack.

www.StandUpPaddleFlatwater.com

Catch a BIG fish on SUP Stand Up Paddle Surfboard

The Gathering Rogue Longboard Results

"The Gathering" Rogue Longboard Classic was interesting, to say the least, with the giant swell rolling through on Saturday. Sunday was smaller and barely manageable but a few of our Bend SUP borders and surfers managed to make it to the podium! Judy Shasek in the SUP womens class, Tom Burke in the SUP mens class and Peter Miller in the grand dukes longboard class. Congratulations to all of our Stand Up Paddlers from Bend, Oregon. Read here for more about the Gathering.
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Here's what Ed Shasek had to say about the 2009 The Gathering event:

"Swells were 14 feet on the face Saturday, frightening. It looked like "Victory at Sea" The waves were crashing all the way over the jetty. Randall and I didn't go out. The SUP guys that did were getting smashed. Tom Burke went out and got at least one good ride inside the big stuff, still overhead, Peter Miller went out and decided to stay out of the big stuff and came back in, although he did get 4th in the Grand Dukes prone surfing class (over 60) with several great rides on Sunday. Tom said it was very difficult to get out and he had to turn-turtle several times. He got a lump on his cheekbone when his paddle clocked him. There were very few rides by SUP on Saturday, I think I saw two, and these guys were good SUP surfers. Tom made the final six for Sunday finals, but did not go out as he was tired and wanted to get back to Bend with his wife to paddle the river and rest. He had just returned from Maui the day before. Randall picked up his 6th place trophy for him. For the Sunday finals, it was overcast and cold on the beach. The swell subsided to about 6-8 face, but it looked like a washing machine. Judy's Saturday heat was postponed to the Sunday finals, as there were only two SUP women. She did great. I was so proud of her. She got all the way out and got one up-and-down ride and one ride across the face on the outside break. The other woman couldn't get out and road the foam a bunch of times to take 1st. This woman was good enough to get 3rd in the woman's prone over 25 class. She was 48 years old from Alaska and thought the weather and water was balmy. Judy got the second place trophy. She was 1st in our minds as she had the strength, steel ovaries and determination to get outside. She is a much better woman than I am a man. If she was a man they would clang when she walked. In fact, I thought I heard them when she was walking up the beach after her session. We all paddled the Bay at Newport on Saturday afternoon and had a beautiful paddle. Had to paddle against a strong wind to get back to the put-in."
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www.StandUpPaddleFlatwater.com