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We all thought it was going to be bigger - so phat boats for everyone...

Yeah, that was a hip check, for sure.

David, you have a point, Bellingham has a large group of downwind paddlers for a relatively small community. But we also have relatively good organization and communication that has been fostered by various locals. Seattle does have more than a few paddlers, but they are diluted and separated by a much larger metropolitan area. I do sometimes wonder about whether there might be a little more coordination and organization amongst the paddlers there. When Wilson was going to UW, he managed almost no downwinders in the Seattle area and what he did was more likely to be coordinated with the paddlers from his own house. I guess Bellingham also benefits from a fairly large number of retired and semi-retired paddlers with quite flexible schedules. But if you are one of that group I suspect you will often gravitate to communities like Bellingham that are so much easier to traverse in whatever direction you want to go??? Time to start thinking about that move?

And the shout out to shuttle drivers was at least partially towards me, because I helped them with the shuttle since I chose to do laps rather than the full 9 mile Wildcat run to the top of the Bay. Also, afterwards I had to wait a fair amount of time on these folks, because they like to lollygag at the take-out and do an immediate rehash rather than inviting me to rendezvous with them somewhere for coffee, etc. where I can also hear the complete blow by blow in a pleasant environment.

Yes, well, we take any riff raff that shows up. Ha. Just kidding. We have many multiple text threads going at any point. Lots of folks to invite and learn from :)

I hear you! But Bellingham, Stevenson, Fish Hoek, Durban, Lanikai, Tarifa, Fortaleza, WA (Oz); the list so long and life so short! @@paulreavley5900

We saw a couple of paddlers on a huge day a couple of weeks ago and they were in white boats (Fenn) wearing orange shirts and pfd’s and we suspect it was them. We wanted to check in but it was too windy to do that half mile to the bridge!

I know, it's risky. I've also bungled the deck mounted view when huli-ing 😅

I finally cut a foam wedge for setting the mount to camera angle. How I wear the strap seems consistent enough now so I can usually get my camera angle at an acceptable angle. (Denise borrowed my wedge for this run)

I had a good surfing session on Tuesday but bumped my camera getting something out of the back seat of my car. I used a hat mount but am borrowing a new camera and didn’t have the bolt tight enough. Jim sad!!

Ha. Yes, excellent technique!

Thanks! I borrowed my boat from a friend who lived there. This page has some resources for Kauai surfskiing. surfski.wiki/kauai

@@denise-ski907 Thank you so much. :) Happy paddling

No, it's open like that because sometimes it gets crowded with several racers going at nearly the same time. If they all had to launch from the same spot on the dock a backup would develop pretty quicky.

@@denise-ski907 Oh. So it's cheating made simple. Geat

Thanks for that! Lots to learn still, but yes, I feel a bit stronger and more confident out there.

@@denise-ski907 That's one of the beauties of surfskiing: even after years there's a ton yet to learn! Never gets boring.

Thanks 👍

Hi Jordan. Maybe you'll make it up to Bellingham for the Peter Marcus Rough Water race? Lots of fun. I use a gooseneck camera mount. They come with an adhesive connector that has stuck to this boat for a long time. I had one of the same mount bases on another boat, with a more curved shape, and it came off after a while. So results vary. You always want to tie it to something so you don't lose it if the adhesive fails.

@@denise-ski907 Thanks for the info on the mount and the invite but can't make the date due to previous travel plans, but hope to join another event. Seems like there are more events in Bellingham than Seattle.

Not sure I understand the question. Dennis is in a Vega Flex in this video.

@@denise-ski907 At 0:25, there's a ski in the background with an outrigger. It might be an aftermarket add-on.

@@mark3249 Ah. That's a Puakea Outrigger canoe.

Tom, the paddler in the video is Dennis Mowry and yes, his staying in his Flex is impressive. Denise managed to stay in her surfski also.

Tad bit of breeze there!

Thats why i hate using a surfski because i am use to not having a hump and the seat i sit straighter

Ah ha. For next time!

Thanks for this. I like the idea of a 0.5 kph gain with no additional effort! But I know: the effort is in doing it.

Yes, all constructive feedback most welcome! Thanks for the observation. I am sad to say that I've heard this advice before and have felt my failure to achieve it for a while now. I'm working on that late exit, but yes, hard to change a rhythm that somehow got ingrained in me too early. But also yes, as you say, these points and the goal of improving do keep it interesting. Thanks for the keen eye!

@@denise-ski907 😄 I've usually 'been told "exit earlier", which I can do if I'm paddling flatwater with high intensity and high cadence. But that advice doesn't work for me at all as soon as I take it a couple of notches down. What does help me a lot, however, is focusing on rotation. If you rotate more you'll see that your elbow will no longer bind behind your torso on exit 'cause you'll be facing your paddle on exit so your arm won't go behind you anymore. Or put differently, when you feel that your elbow is awkward on exit it's a reminder to rotate more. Works for me, may or may not work for you...

🤓