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

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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Click here to view these pictures larger

www.StandUpPaddleFlatwater.com

Laird Hamilton Interview - He's a Genius and His Wife Likes "It"!

A good laugh is the best kind of coffee break. This funny interview with the founder of modern stand up paddle surfing, Laird Hamilton is worth taking a moment out of your workday to watch.

www.StandUpPaddleFlatwater.com
Thank you for buying your SUP gear from us, we appreciate your support.

Stand Up Paddle Magazine is the New Glossy in the Line Up

Growing along with the sport of stand up paddling are the magazines and websites about SUP. Standup Paddle Magazine is the latest gorgeous new glossy in the line-up. A quarterly magazine, it's available at your local surf shop, Barnes and Noble or by subscription on StandUpPaddleMagazine.com .

We met Mike Muir at the Tahoe-Nalu SUP race in August as he was handing out copies of the second issue of the magazine. We read the publisher, Reid Inouye's column, Publisher's Note and think that Reid makes an interesting point about Standup. Here's an excerpt:

"SUP has split into three directions: flat-water, surf and open-ocean. For the flat-water paddler, all it took was the sun to come out and burn off the cloud cover and the harbors were filled with men and women working out and breaking some serious sweat."

We think that Reid is right -- flatwater is a serious form of stand up paddle boarding and a direction the sport is taking that will only grow. We live in a Northwest flat-water mecca of freshwater lakes and rivers in Bend, Oregon. People of all ages and fitness abilities are learning to SUP paddleboard, a key component to nurturing the sport. If women and kids like the sport, it'll REALLY grow!

And that is the kind of growth we support through our efforts. We encourage everyone to try the sport and we also encourage activities that aren't only about muscle and fitness; like down-river paddles that allow the weaker paddlers to socialize and share the adventure with strong paddlers (the river current helps!).

So -- all of you SUP event and race organizers, be sure to include race categories and prizes for all ages and both genders whenever possible in a race or promo event. When you're creating marketing and sales publicity, be sure to have visuals that include women, kids and older people as well as the usual photos of muscular guys with great tans. Inclusion will win the sport converts. Guaranteed!

www.StandUpPaddleFlatwater.com

Bend, Oregon Standup Paddling Subject of Register-Guard Article in Eugene Register Guard

Euegene, Oregon, Register-Guard reporter Mike Stahlberg interviewed Randall for his article, Stand up and Paddle!, on stand up paddle boarding in Oregon. The Pacific Northwest is renowned for water - lakes, rivers and the coastal waters give paddleboarders a choice of adventures every weekend. Thanks to the Register-Guard in Eugene, Oregon for spreading the word about stand up paddle boarding. Here's an excerpt of his article:

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Stand up and paddle!Some Oregonians are getting their feet wet in ‘new’ board sport

BY MIKE STAHLBERG

The Register-Guard

Appeared in print: Tuesday, Jul 7, 2009

Sports: Outdoors: Story

BEND — A spinoff of the world’s oldest board sport is the newest wave to hit the Oregon outdoor recreation scene.

It’s called Stand Up Paddling (SUP), although the Polynesians who invented it thousands of years ago no doubt had a different term for it.

The sport is exactly what the name implies — you stand on an oversized surf board and propel yourself with a long paddle.

Surfers — led by big wave icon Laird Hamilton — began returning to their roots several years ago, using paddles to propel themselves to catch waves rather than lying on their board and “swimming.”

It turns out stand-up paddling is a surf sport that doesn’t require an ocean. Hence, the emergence of flatwater SUP on inland lakes and rivers.

The most visible venue for flatwater SUP in Oregon is in Bend. Here, in view of patrons of riverside eateries in the tony Old Mill District, a dozen stand-up paddlers can be seen plying the Deschutes River between the Bill Healy and Colorado Avenue bridges on a Friday afternoon.

“It was phenomenal! Super fun!” said Kip Roseman of Bend shortly after completing his maiden SUP voyage — with his 3-year-old daughter, Pema, sitting on the board in front of him.

“She’s already asking when we can go again,” said Roseman, who grew up surfing. “It’s a great core workout, but also really mellow.”

Learning to stand up and paddle is simple, said Tom Dean, a Bend yoga instructor who also loves whitewater kayaking.

“If you can stand on one foot, you can do it,” Dean said. “You’re just balancing on your feet. … If you want an easy paddle, it’s easy. If you want a challenge, you can make it challenging. It’s good for everybody.”

Stand-up paddling and kayaking “are complete opposites,” Dean said. “One is full of adrenalin and a rush of excitement and fear. Then the paddle boarding is calming and peaceful and meditative. Both are full of fun.”

Stand-up paddlers make surprisingly good time going upriver, some moving faster than people walking on the riverside paths.

Paddling upriver — or even across a lake — can be quite a workout. Some call it “the best workout on water,” which is part of the appeal. Stand-up paddling is used as a cross-training exercise by some professional athletes, including Lance Armstrong.

Bend’s emergence as a stand-up paddling hot spot can be traced to a trio of former surfers, including Gerry Lopez, who moved his board-manufacturing business from Hawaii to Central Oregon a few years ago to pursue snowboarding. Dave Chun also moved his Kiola Paddles here. Both were among the first stand-up paddlers on the Deschutes.

Most active in promoting stand-up paddling locally, however, has been Randall Barna, an Orthotics maker with a long history in board sports.

Barna was among the pioneer Oregon surfers who braved the cold coastal waters without wetsuits in the 1960s.

He eventually took up the then-new sport of windsurfing and opened the first windsurfing school in Oregon in the 1980s.

He now operates an online SUP business (www.standuppaddleflatwater.com) and spearheads outings, including a weekly 4:30 p.m. Friday paddle that begins at the grassy area near Alder Creek Canoe and Kayak, where rental SUPs are available. . . . 

. . . The sport’s popularity isn’t hurt by the fact that Jennifer Aniston, Tom Hanks and Pierce Brosnan are among those who have been photographed being stand-up celebrities.

Meanwhile, lake marinas are also getting into the SUP act. Resorts at Elk Lake and Floras Lake are among those renting stand-up boards.

Other waters where one can see stand-up paddlers in action include Odell Lake (where a stand-up paddle division is included in the 29th annual Odell Lake Pioneer Cup canoe and kayak races, set for 11 a.m. July 25.)

The boards themselves are thicker, wider and longer than most standard surfboards.

SUPs range from 9 1/2 feet to more than 12 feet in length, and retail for $700 to $2,500. Adjustable-length paddles go for $90 to $500.

The expense is related to the amount of ultralightweight epoxy used, said Tom Werner, another Bend boarder.

“The sport just evolved because of the technology,” Werner said. “They’re able to make them wider and thicker and longer and still keep the weight down.”

Some SUP boards come with a mast-mounting slot that allows them to be used for windsurfing as well.

One controversy involving SUPs is whether they are legally a vessel — and thus subject to life jacket requirements — or a surfboard, for which life preservers are not required.

An article in The Bulletin newspaper of Bend earlier this year quoted a U.S. Coast Guard memorandum that stated SUPs are considered a vessel when “used for transportation” but not when being used inside “the narrow limits of swimming, surfing or bathing area.” . . . READ MORE at the Register Guard

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Buy your stand up paddle boarding paddles, boards and accessories from us at Stand Up Paddle Flatwater. We'll guide you to get the gear that's best for you and the conditions you paddle in.

Whale Watching Up Close!

Dennis Oliphant is one of the founders of our original SUP paddling group in Bend, Oregon (he's 4th from the right and Mike McColms is the guy in the white tank top on our blog header photo). Dennis sent us these photos and story about SUP stand up paddling in Mexico:
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While in San Jose we spent a few days going out and paddling with the whales. A cow and calf had been out most mornings so I paddled out with Mike and Judy McColms to hung out with the pair as the past mornings we seemed to observe without much disturbance.

They were swimming around with us for about 30 minutes when the mom suddenly swam toward me and when just a few feet away she turned and dove. With her tail straight up in the air, she shook it twice (lobtailed) and slapped it just few feet from me. Boom!

The water shot into the air and I bounced around on the board and was totally immersed in water!! Mike got a couple of photos but missed most as he had sat his camera down on his board, still you can see the splash and how close the whitewater ring was to me and my board! I was just a few feet from the epicenter.

It was one of the most exciting experiences EVER! Her tail was about 10 feet across and I was looking right at it maybe 15 feet away. The strange photo with the paddle was when I was
covered/underwater. I tried to take the photo just as she lobtailed but theshutter was slow and I was just hanging on when the photo was taken. You can see the splash and turbulence in the underwater photo. A once in a life time experience!

See you on the water!
Best Regards,
Dennis Oliphant

www.StandUpPaddleFlatwater.com

Winter Paddling on the Potomac River

Winter stand up paddling in the Northern Latitudes is becoming a favorite with hardcore types (like my husband, Randall and his buddies, Ron Thompson and Eddy Miller on the Deschutes River in Bend, Oregon). I've written about water safety in the winter, and Randall has too and as you can see by reading his post and her post, we have different ideas.

Well, Randall and his buddies aren't alone in their hardcore attitude. Suggs Miller in Maryland gets his SUP board on the winter Potomac river and dodges ice slabs. Now that's hardcore!! Here's a note he sent with a photo.

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I have been paddling all winter. The Potomac has become a new river w/water levels rising almost 10 ft plus at times. I can't get to the usual play spots, so I make a paddle workout out of it. It has settled down a bit as of Jan 3rd. I tried to go out the other day, but too much ice made it risky for the Uli Inflatable. Also, huge ice slabs were flowing everywhere.

The kayakers have rolled out the welcome mat and have helped me learn the river. They even put me on the front page of their kayaking website. PotomacPaddlers.com. The attached photo is on Jan 3rd at Maryland Chute on the Potomac. Water temp was 34F and air was 35F.

Hope you are having a fun winter. I was snowboarding at Mt Baker last week and I saw that the Nooksack River has some great features for SUP. I might try to give it a go sometime this summer.

Aloha,

Greg"Suggs"Miller, Director
potomacboardrats.org
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Get your paddle gear -- and a good deal on last season's demo boards. Call Randall 541-389-4547.

www.StandUpPaddleFlatwater.com

Winter Standup Paddling

I broke my rule and went for a paddle in sub-freezing temperatures. I learned my lesson last winter that ice forms on the deck and if you move your feet, its all over. Balancing a standup paddle board is one thing but balancing the board while ice skating is disaster.

Eddy and I couldn't resist, it was the first sunny day in January and I'm sticking to my commitment to paddle in every month, and anyway it was a whopping 34 degrees! We decided to launch at Aspen Camp on the Deschutes River (near Bend, Oregon) and do the Big Eddy Rapids to Dillon Falls stretch. This is one of the "must-do" 5 kilometer paddles when you're on a paddle trip to Bend. The road was finally passable in four-wheel-drive after Decembers two feet of snow. A warm front did a rainy mush-meltdown to the current situation of icy ruts.

There's something special about being on the river in winter. There's snow on the banks and ice chunks floating down the river. The ice sounds a harmless racket on the bottom of your board as it slides underneath. The colors of the water, forest, and lava flow (this stretch is flanked by a lava flow) were dazzled by the sun, and truly amazing!

Winter paddling isn't for everyone so here's some tips:

Confidence - You need to have such a standup paddle skill level that you're confident you won't fall in. Falling is part of the risk that makes it exciting, but you don't take risks here. It's like riding a bike confidence. You know you're not going to fall off your bike yet there's always the risk you could crash.

Standup Paddle Board Stability - You use the most stable, predictable, comfortable cruiser, period. There's no sense being "The Duke" on your 10'3" Gerry Lopez in this situation. I'm paddling a 12'1" Laird soft top this winter and Eddys on a Mistral Pacifico. This emphasizes the point, you don't want to fall in. Only go on smooth water, waves/chop decrease the stability and are caused by wind, wind adds wind-chill and decreased visibility of obstacles just under the surface, you don't want to add these variables to the danger. Know your water!

Clothing To Wear - This depends a bit on your confidence. Eddy, and I were wearing cross country ski wear, including gloves and hats. Outer layers are wind resistant and breathable. Use base layers that are moisture wicking. We often shed our outer layer jackets during the work-out of upstream and put them back on for downstream. We both wear sealed-seam wetsuit booties over wool sox.

If you lack confidence and still want to paddle then an Alaskan Ocean Survival Suit would be a good choice. At minimum a 5 mil wetsuit or dry suit is necessary because if you think you might fall in then you definitely will and these suits keep you safe when wet.

Emergency Plan - Hypothermia is the big risk and it can happen even if you don't fall in. It starts with being cold and un-controllable shivering. It progresses to lack of judgement and drunken-like state so you can't paddle. You could croak and its very serious. Never winter paddle without a partner and an emergency plan. Your partner will know you're in trouble, they can tow you back to the car, crank the heater, give you warm fluids and get you to the emergency room.

We had no problems on our sunny day in January. The water was less clear than usual due to the rains and run-off. Eddy didn't see the rock he hit with his skeg. It gave him a jolt but he caught his balance OK. We were really tempted to play on a small standing-wave that's at the bottom of Dillon Falls, but common sense prevailed. We'll save that for summer and warmer days.

We paddled about an hour and were on our final stretch when we noticed the ice on our decks. The sun was lower in the sky, the hills and trees shadowed the river and the temperature had dropped. We got to the take-out and were stymied on how to get off our ice covered boards without getting in the water. Usually we sprint, paddle the nose up on the bank and walk the board up to the nose, stepping gracefully onto land. Eddy went first and with the nose stabilized on shore he literally ice skated up the board! I slipped off into shallow water and only got my booties wet, so it was OK for a few minutes while we loaded he boards. Our final challenge was stacking our two icy boards on the roof rack. The boards slip around so easily it's comical. This is another reason to have a partner, to hold the boards while you hook the rack straps!

Check out this stretch of the Deschutes River with the Bend Paddle Trail Deschutes River Guide. All 125 miles of the river in Deschutes County are charted in stretches that show every put-in, hazard and difficulty (even potty stops). Order yours at www.StandUpPaddleFlatwater.com and receive a free Lakes Guide too.

www.StandUpPaddleFlatwater.com

Standup Paddle Christmas

I got a Kialoa all-carbon paddle for Christmas two years ago. I hadn't even tried standup paddling but I was obsessed with it. I'd seen the first article about "beach boy paddling" in Surfers Journal and my friend and now the Kialoa Paddle sales rep Peter Miller had shown me his paddle on a surf trip several months earlier. He never got out and used it that weekend but even without seeing the action, I was hooked.

My wife Cristina called Meg at Kialoa and Meg hand delivered it to her studio in time for gifting. Of course there was two feet of snow on the ground, just like there is now, which brings me to the point of this story. The timing of Christmas sucks for standup paddlers. In all the cold- weather parts of the country our sport is forgotten at gift giving time. Its great for skiers and snowboarders, with all the snow, skiing and riding is all people think about at Christmas time. Of course, excepting crazies like me.

I wish we could initiate a gift-giving tradition on fourth of July weekend and then we could surprise our loved ones with SUP gifts. Start planning now and here's a few suggestions:
1. A paddle. (Its the first thing I got, the board came later)
2. A self inflating PFD. (they are small like a fanny pack and it's now the law)
3. A new board. (best gift in the world, makes you feel like a kid again)

Happy Holidays from Randall, Cristina and Isabella at StandupPaddleBend.com

Halloween Costume SUP Paddle

Our local SUP group's first annual Halloween Costume Paddle on the Deschutes River through the Old Mill District in Bend, Oregon was a chilly success. Deschutes River water temperatures in the 40's seemed friendlier when the sun poked through the clouds between squalls, and the winds made for a welcome workout for those of us who had already visited the candy bowl.

Everyone agreed that Lucy Thompson (the Jack Russel Terrier) in her strawberry costume was the cutest. She ran off before the paddle to sneak up on a local cat she regularly chases. Despite her strawberry disguise, the cat saw her coming and the chase was on. Lucy lost her "stem" in the tussle, but none of her attitude. Her "dad" Ron Thompson was a Predatory Lendor -- certainly the most politically appropriate costume of the paddle.

Paddlers from L - R:
Isabella Barna, John Weishaupt, Ron Thompson, Randall Barna and Cristina Acosta

Photos: Ron and Lucy dog are on a Laird 12'1" gloss stand up paddle board.

Thanks to Capt. Sawdust and Kathy Southwick for the photos.

NOTE: Put in at the Central Oregon Outrigger launch
(just south of the Colorado Bridge) to turn around after going under the Healy Bridge to return to the start. About 1 hour.

www.StandUpPaddleFlatwater.com

SUPs and PFDs

This is a follow-up to my post August 12,'08 "Hassled About PFD?"

The US Coast Guard recently made a determination:

"Based on the information available, the Coast Guard has determined that, when beyond the narrow limits of a swimming, surfing or bathing area, the device known as a "paddleboard" is a vessel under 46 U.S.C. 2101, and therefore subject to applicable regulations administered by the U.S. Coast Guard and its Office of Auxiliary and Boating Safety, unless specificallly exempted."

In essence, if the paddleboard is being used for transport on lakes, bays, or rivers, a PFD is required.

I guess we're responsible for national policy on this. I doubt that
anyone making this decision has ever been on a paddleboard (maybe never
even seen one) and certainly didn't get any input from the paddling
community. If so, the paddlers could easily explain that the PFD
requirement will not increase the safety of the sport in most cases.
Granted, a paddler could get struck by lightning or hit-and-run by a
boat and knocked unconscious. But then, the PFD would only save them if
they were wearing it and the rule says it just needs to be on-board.
Paddleboards are unsinkable. A more common sense safety rule is to wear
a tether-leash attaching you to your board and this is widely practiced
without the need of regulation.

Paddleboarding is a healthy, low-impact and environmentally friendly new
sport. The enthusiasts do it because they are so un-encumbered by
standing on top of a board instead of sitting within a boat. The feeling
of freedom and experience of the outing is incomparable. Some paddlers
choose to wear PFD,s and my point is that it should be a choice. The
expectation is that it will not be required to have a PFD because
everybody knows a board is not a boat.

The reactions from the few people that were already warned by marine patrols were brought to my attention immediately, disbelieving, distasteful, even calling it harassment.

I'm requesting that the Board consider rule making and adopt rule
language to exempt "paddle boards" from the PFD requirement. I will be
glad to testify and could provide many others to testify if it would help.

Randall Barna

www.StandUpPaddleFlatwater.com Thank you for purchasing your SUP gear from us. We appreciate your support.
w

Gerry Lopez Interview on SUP Surf Mag

Hometown hero, Gerry Lopez is interviewed about his elite Stand up Paddle event, Rainbow Sandals Battle of the Paddle race. It's a great interview with Barrett Tester and Gerry Lopez on SUP Surf Mag.com Here's the link to the page with the interview.

Gerry has a lot to say about the resurgence of SUP as a exciting sport. He has a lot to say about standup paddling as well as mentioning our local Stand Up Paddle Bend group of river and lake paddlers. Thanks for the mention, Gerry! One thing Gerry said that was news to me was this bit about the history of surfing: "Surfing contests in the beginning were all paddle races and they evolved into what people see now with people riding waves. . ." Lopez explained that this SUP contest is not the average "surf" contest. "We could have a wave contest, but a race would be a lot more fun and easy for the people watching it to understand."

The Battle of the Paddle event includes a $25,000. purse. That's enough to motivate a fitness program! Maybe we'll see some of our local group at a race like this next year!

Randall is ordering 14 foot Joe Bark SUP race boards and getting them in stock. Let him know if you want to order one. 541-389-4547

www.StandUpPaddleBend.com

Riding River Whitewater Standup Paddle Surfing

Greg "Suggs" Miller, the Director of the Potomac Board Rats, a Washington D.C. based SUP group sent us this note:

We now have a video on our potomacboardrats.org site. Check it out and if you want to put it on your site, you can.
We are getting a lot of attention from out kayak friends. We always offer to let them try it. Some do and think it's awesome, even if they struggle at it.
Do you or your SUP pals use leashes for your boards and paddles?
If we fall and loose our boards and paddles, it can be a long and dangerous swim for the gear. I have been lucky so far. Cobra wore a short leash today and got a bit tangled up, but also said it saved him a retrieve ordeal.

Hope all is good out West,

Greg"Suggs"Miller
potomacboardrats.org
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Well, Suggs, members of our local Standup Paddle Bend group have been having discussions about using a leash on whitewater. I got mine caught around a submerged tree branch on calm flat water and with one paddle-stroke sent myself slamming face first into my glossy Takayama board. I'm ambivalent about wearing a leash in the river, and tend not to. Randall said that "telephone cord" style leashes are available now to keep the leash mostly on the deck of the board, rather than dangling. We'd love to hear any reader's ideas and experiences with leashes on rivers.

Hassled About PFD? - ask Randall

Hi, I was paddling on the Nehalem River estuary the other day and imagine my suprise when the Tillamook County Sheriff stopped me and gave me a warning for not having an approved PFD and whistle (like I was a boat)! Do you guys have any experience or advise you'd like to share? I called the director at the State of Oregon for water activities law enforcement and he said there was a policy that seemed vague about requiring a PFD and whistle if I was in flat water, though not requiring them in a surf zone. I'm puzzled and irritated that I was singled out for this application of a silly rule (I don't see any adults wearing PFD's and whistles on your website. Is Dechutes County more enlightened than here on the coast?). I've been surfing in Oregon for 43 years and boating longer than that and this is the first I've heard about any rule or policy like this. Your comments please.
Regards, David, Manzanita, Oregon

Hi David, This subject is like de-ja-vu all over again. We went through the same thing in the 80's with windsurfing. We windsurfed for years without PFDs and then someone decided that they should be required so they started enforcing it. Finally enough windsurfers complained to the marine board and maybe even the legislature and they changed the rule. I believe it states that anything considered a water toy and that you are on top of, opposed to sitting within, is exempt from the PFD rule. In Bend there are thousands of people floating down the Deschutes through downtown and the Old Mill district. City buses shuttle them back to the start. If they're on an air mattress, PFDs aren't required. If they're in a $10 toy raft PFD is required. Inner tubes are another grey area since your butt is in, however, technically you're on top since it has no floor. In the old windsurfing days, the ironic thing with the old PFD law is that you didn't have to actually wear the PFD, you just needed to have one "on board". We would bungee cord a PFD to the nose and be legal, which was absolutely ridiculous!

Real safety is a concern but this PFD requirement gets into a human rights and freedom issue like requiring adults to wear bike helmets. This helmet issue recently came up and was proposed to go to the legislature and was immediately squashed by a huge outcry in objection.

This is my opinion on safety and the PFD issue:

1. PFDs should not be required on standup paddle boards. They should be treated the same as surfboards, windsurfers, air mats, etc.
2. In open water with current or wind use a leash. When wearing a leash you are always tethered to a personal flotation device, the board! Every board has way more flotation than any Coast Guard approved PFD.
3. Respect the elements and water, assume risk, and use good judgment. Regardless of flotation, sh-- happens!
Randall Barna
standuppaddleflatwater.com

Surfing the High Desert - The Source Weekly

All of you ripped hard core surf guys on the Deschutes River are real press magnets. Kevin Grove, a writer for the Source Weekly, the best freebie paper in Bend, Oregon, wrote a piece about our local group of Stand up Paddlers. He interviewed Randall Barna and Peter Miller along with Ron Thompson and Al Paterson. These guys always have something interesting (or funny) to say, and they didn't disappoint.

Our local group is a loose organization of about 45-50 paddlers. We are usually seen in gaggles numbering from around 6 to 15 folks. The variety of local paddle conditions along with the support of SUP industry leaders in the area stokes the passion for SUP on the High Desert.

Dave and Meg Chun (owners of Kialoa Paddles) and Gerry Lopez (our local surf celebrity), built businesses that are key players in the Standup Paddle world. Randall Barna started www.StandupPaddleBend.com last year to stoke the sport both in the Northwest and online. Peter Miller has stepped in to rep gear. Randall is convinced that anybody who has ever surfed or had the dream of standing on a surf board can share in the surf passion as Standup Paddlers on the nearest flat water.

Here is one of my favorite quotes in the article:
"Ron Thompson paddles with his dog Lucie on his board. Living on the river, he saw the group out several times last year, decided it looked like a fun activity and signed on. "It's a really good full-body workout," said Thompson. "That is why we're all incredibly ripped," joked fellow paddler Al Peterson."
READ MORE on the Source Weekly site. The article is titled, Surfing the High Desert, Stand-up paddle surfing. . . page 34. OUTSIDE section.

www.StandupPaddleFlatwater.com

Group Event: Deschutes River, Oregon - Harper Bridge, Sunriver, OR to Benham Falls

Last weekend's paddle was a great time! The sun came out a few times and the company was stellar. Thanks Kay for shuttling us back to our cars. Here's the note Randall sent out that explained the trip. If you have a fun trip in mind, leave comments about what you'd like to try as a group and we can get the event set up. Let's do this again!

This is an easy and beautiful Deschutes downriver ten mile paddle through the Sunriver Resort area. The Harper Bridge launch does not require a U.S. Forest Service permit as it's Highway property. The Benham Falls launch area requires a parking pass. You can get a NW Forest pass for $25.00 at most any sporting goods store or National Forest office. Sometimes the parking area has a paid parking box where you can buy a $5.00 per day parking pass.

Photo credits for the slide show: Kay Jaskolski, Peter & Susie Miller, Pam Stevenson
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Hi Everyone,
Here's the news on the Deschutes downriver paddle. The stretch we'll do is from the bridge just south of Sunriver to the Benham Falls takeout near Lava Lands Visitor center. The stretch is about ten miles and takes around two-three hours on water. We'll stop at the Sunriver Marina lagoon for a break. They have food and nice restrooms and are anxious for us to see their standup paddle operation with rentals, shuttles, lessons etc. The forecast is temps in the mid sixties and partial clouds. We meet at 1:30 at Lava Lands Visitors center just south of the High Desert Museum on Hwy 97. When you pull in you'll see a sign to Benham Falls to the left and immediately a parking lot. We'll meet there to consolidate into fewer cars and leave some cars at the takeout. Leave food and liquid refreshments at the takeout too. Bring your extra rack straps. It's OK to stack boards on top of each other if they're padded. Kay has volunteered to shuttle from the finish, so that will get 4 or 5 of us back to our cars right away. There's no whitewater, the river is similar to our Old Mill stretch but much wilder. Last Sunday we had a deer swim downriver with us right in Sunriver!

Mahalo,
Randall Barna
standuppaddlebend.com

Places to Paddle: Lake McDonald, Glacier National Park, Montana

Our nation's tenth National Park, Glacier in the state of Montana, includes more than a million acres of land. The Salish and Kootenai reservation is southwest of Glacier. The Blackfeet Reservation is on the east side of the park. This entire area holds great spiritual importance to the Blackfeet, Salish, and Kootenai people.

Eddy Miller, a member of our Bend Standup Paddle community sent us these photos of his time spent paddling on Lake McDonald in Glacier National Park. The lake is 10 miles long and 472 feet deep. There is a speed limit, so you won't see any wake-board boating or jet skis. The morning Eddy went out the water was cold and the day was beautiful. He said that the best time to paddle is in the early morning or late evening. Lake McDonald is a high mountain lake and wind and storms can come on quickly, so take precautions and plan for safety. Thanks Eddy for the photos.

The National Parks service has a Webcam so you can see this lake and others in Glacier Park.

Information to help you plan your visit to Glacier National Park is on the official National Parks Service website. There are 13 campgrounds within Glacier Park and several historic lodges, so there are plenty of options for travelers.

Here's how the National Parks website describes Glacier:

Glacier National Park preserves more than a million acres of forests, alpine meadows, lakes, rugged peaks and glacial-carved valleys in the Northern Rocky Mountains. Its diverse habitats are home to over 70 species of mammals including the grizzly bear, wolverine, gray wolf and lynx. Over 260 species of birds visit or reside in the park, including such varied species as harlequin ducks, dippers and golden eagles. The landscape is a hiker's paradise that is traversed by more than 750 miles of maintained trails. Glacier Park's varied climate influences and its location at the headwaters of the Pacific, Atlantic and Hudson Bay drainages have given rise to an incredible variety of plants and animals.

Read about more Places to Paddle on our website.

River, Lake & Ocean Flatwater Circa the Willamette Valley

Michael Carpenter, is a very stoked Standup Paddler. He recently bought a 12' Ron House SUP board and Kialoa Nalu Stand up paddle from us at StandupPaddleFlatwater.com and is exploring the flat water options in the Willamette Valley, Oregon area and the nearby coastal waters of Florence, Oregon. Thanks Michael for your stories and great local knowledge about this part of Oregon. Florence, Oregon is about a 4 hour drive from Bend, Oregon.

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Hi Randall,
Looks like a lot is happening in the SUP world on your side of the Cascades! Despite the wet weather here in the Willamette Valley, Oregon, recently I have been getting out several days a week to the local reservoirs. Last weekend I paddled on both Dexter and Fall Creek Reservoirs in complete glass with absolutely no wind. Talk about glide! I have been scoping the Willamette, but with the high water and strong flows, it feels rather intimidating. I have yet to find a smooth safe section of the river and source a good PFD or wake vest for standup paddling.

Two weeks ago I was on the Oregon coast for three days getting a good feel for my equipment and trying it out in different conditions. Friday morning in Florence, Oregon, the air temp was a clear and very sunny ninety degrees with howling offshore winds! I spent the first half of the day surfing and paddling the mouth of the Siuslaw River between the jetty's. There is a good put in site with a sandy beach in a rocky cove near the crabbing pier on the inside bend of the south jetty. From there it was a short paddle to a mushy but fun left/right peak that was breaking knee to waist high on a shallow sand bar in the middle of the river. I paddled over to the popular left the breaks along inside of the south jetty but as I got closer, it seemed a little bigger than I was ready for. With a lot of water moving around, swells rolling in at all kinds of angles, a offshore wind blowing me toward the ocean and the slack tide beginning to change, all I could manage to do was stay on my board and paddle back to calmer water.

The following day I returned to the Siuslaw to do a little more surfing and cruising around among the many curious harbor seals. The swell and wind had dropped significantly, so it made things a bit more relaxed. Later that day I went back to the my campsite along the Siltcoos River between Siltcoos Lake and the ocean. This is a great stretch of flatwater river paddling, where you can paddle a good distance in the estuary on out to the ocean. There are lots of shore birds and wildlife, the water is calm, somewhat shallow and comfortably warm. The campground is peaceful and there is great hiking and secluded beaches as well.

Hope to see you soon for a paddle,
Michael

"I would love to live like a river flows, carried by the surprise of its own unfolding." John O'Donohue

Travel Story: The Shaseks in Troncones, Mexico

Judy Shasek has some sort of shark karma - luckily, shark karma that doesn't involve getting bitten. She was circled by a shark while swimming in Florida this year and then vacationed in Troncones, Mexico (on the Pacific Ocean in the state of Guerrero, MX) last week during a string of shark sitings. Judy and Ed Shasek sent these 2 emails to our land-locked Stand up Paddle Bend (Oregon) group this past week.
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Hi SUP of Bend (first email)

We went to Troncones Beach in Mexico yesterday. It was a 45 minute cab ride from our resort - along the way Santos the cab driver taught us a lot of Spanish, including the word tiburon - which means SHARK!!!!!! We arrived at Troncones and caught up with some hard core surfers (3-4 times out each day) but they were all on the beach. No one was out on the break. Why-we inquired.. look at this link http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/americas/04/29/shark.attack.ap/

Three sightings of sharks had occurred that morning chasing everyone out of the water. They suggested we go to a different beach with better surf, called Salitas Beach. It is one of the best long board breaks in the world. It is a point break with long lefts. Our cab driver had waited for us so we hopped back in and began the 30 minute drive - along the way we traveled mostly on dirt roads learning the words vaca (cow), mango (the fruit) and calla (fighting rooster) - we taught Santos many important English words as well.

The first thing we saw at Salitas beach was Jacquiline's restaurant - 20 plastic tables and chairs on the sand with a tarp over, and cages with huge cock fighting roosters. Our cab driver recognized the bird immediately as a champion. Along the beach we saw no one in the nicely formed surf except for 8 caballos (horses). They waded and swam the whole time we were there.

Walking toward a green sign that said "Zurf Shop" we ran in to a nice young woman from Phoenix. She chatted about her morning surfing - apparently several sharks were lolling around and looking up at the surfers and freaked them all out and no one was in the water. She was still wide eyed hours later as she told us about it. She thought it was only right that she tell us since she wouldn't go back in the water herself and we were heading toward the Zurf Shop.

We met a lot of hard core surfers who have been surfing there and they were using the thatch roof Internet cafe or playing ping pong - many had tattoos and were quite fond of the F word. Luckily only Ed experienced that. Judy stayed on the beach with a nice couple from Marin County, California (Mitch and Erika). The surf dudes told Ed that there had been three shark attacks in 3 days and after seeing the sharks this morning it wasn't worth it.

Ok - now think about it. What would you have done. You are an hour and 20 minutes from the resort after traveling gravel and dirt roads and paying $50 one way. The next thing I knew Ed is walking toward me with a surf board. he said "screw the sharks and paddled out." I simply picked up the video camera and pulled on my surf booties to document whatever was going to happen. The water was crystal clear and warm, with a rocky reef bottom but no urchins. It was knee deep 800 yards out. Ed - to his credit- did not go out to the second break (well just to the edge of it ) where the sharks had been sighted.

He paddled for his first wave, made a left turn and surfed it in to the beach. He paddled out again and now there was a second surfer (quite an expert) with him. The tattooed surfer asked him if he knew about the shark attacks. He told Ed not to paddle to the outside break and to keep his legs on the board (read attached article)

Ed took one more wave but about halfway in to the beach, wiped out and cut his knee on the reef. He was bleeding, so he decided to come in and give me the board for my turn. Inexplicably I happily paddled out and took 3-4 waves. Amazingly I caught the waves and had the best surfing I've had in 40 years (can you believe it is 40 years???) Mitch and Ericka (from Marin County) thought we were quite the rock stars. We learned it was Mitch's 40th birthday so we opened out cooler and shared a few beers before calling it a day.

We hooked back up with Santos who had made friends with the owner of the champion cock fighter and we learned it was going to the US (we were perplexed...is that not illegal in the US??) Santos shrugged and told us about his cows and his soccer team all the way home.

Upon reaching the resort we took a dip in the pool with our maragritas, chatted with various club members about our day them showered and went to the wine tasting. We learned the history and culture and passion of the wine makers in Northern Mexico from Yesenia the hotel's sommolier. She was entertaining (sadly, Judy was still in "la turista" and sipped guava tea)

Looking forward to kayaking today, will update later.

Ed and Judy
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Hi SUP of Bend- (Second Email)
Ed and I just got back from Z-town and surfing at Troncones, Mexico (actually the shark attack all but closed down Troncones so we went to La Salidita.)
http://www.courant.com/news/custom/latest/ats-ap_top15may28,0,1059238.story
The surfers there were all out of the water too after spotting three sharks right near them on the outside break. We analyzed the situation and the fact we were only going to be there that one day and had some fun surfing the inside break.

We recommend that the group reads Gerry Lopez's book, SURF IS WHERE YOU FIND IT- it's one that kept both Ed and me engrossed throughout two long travel days and lots of plane delays. We both started loving waves and salt water at the same beach in Florida as toddlers - and the stories hit the ocean-spirit right on!

See ya Friday!
Ed and Judy