Ocean Springs Kayak Festival Race
Saturday, June 19, 2004 brint.adams@us.army.mil
This was our first time visiting Ocean Springs for the 2nd Annual event. We were not sure what the participation would be, but found out it was a small event with few people showing up. If it weren't for the MBCAKC members coming, it would have really been bad.
The Ocean Springs Yacht Club is a small, low-key club with a small, older restaurant/bar catering to a few catamarans. When we arrived, there were few cars, a small local rock band starting to play and a couple of jewelry and photography vendors with displays set up. I signed up for the two races along with only about ten others.
We started the first race with a running start, jumped in the kayaks and headed straight out to one buoy about 0.5 mi. out in the bay, turned and back to the beach, where we had to jump out and run about 10 meters to touch a jungle gym to finish.
There were two really fast Seda racing kayaks, so I knew it was going to be tough to hang in there. However, I managed to make it to the buoy first and turn back to the beach. On the way back, the two Sedas caught and passed me and we all reached the beach within a few seconds of each other. The guy from LA, who was first to the beach, was not interested in running to the finish, so Rob N. finished first and I came in second.
As we were getting ready to start the second longer race, a thunderstorm came up and dumped rain on the area for about an hour. Once it was over, we started the race out into the bay on a figure eight configuration over the three mile course. This time, one Seda and two surf skis took off and got pretty far ahead, while I headed up the remainder of the ten entry race. The one difference with this race was that out in the middle of the course, all racers were required to perform a self-rescue. When I got ready to do a roll, I was pretty winded, but ready to go. I rolled over, but forgot everything I learned and couldn't get back up. I had to bail out and try to get back in. Well, it took me several tries to finally get back in, by which time, everyone behind me had gone on ahead. I was so confident I would successfully do an eskimo roll, I didn't even bring along a pump. So, once back in the kayak, I tried to bail out a little water with my hands. I finally gave that up and struggled back in to the beach with a kayak full of water.
As it turns out, the winner (Seda from LA) basically cheated, by going way in to shore in knee-deep water and quickly turning over, emptying his kayak and jumping back in. He did not even have a spray skirt, as he had no intention of doing a deep-water self-rescue. Linda was highly steamed, but our friends, Dick and Marilyn saw the funny side of the finish. Marilyn said they should give me the DFL (dead f**king last) award.
This was our first time visiting Ocean Springs for the 2nd Annual event. We were not sure what the participation would be, but found out it was a small event with few people showing up. If it weren't for the MBCAKC members coming, it would have really been bad.
The Ocean Springs Yacht Club is a small, low-key club with a small, older restaurant/bar catering to a few catamarans. When we arrived, there were few cars, a small local rock band starting to play and a couple of jewelry and photography vendors with displays set up. I signed up for the two races along with only about ten others.
We started the first race with a running start, jumped in the kayaks and headed straight out to one buoy about 0.5 mi. out in the bay, turned and back to the beach, where we had to jump out and run about 10 meters to touch a jungle gym to finish.
There were two really fast Seda racing kayaks, so I knew it was going to be tough to hang in there. However, I managed to make it to the buoy first and turn back to the beach. On the way back, the two Sedas caught and passed me and we all reached the beach within a few seconds of each other. The guy from LA, who was first to the beach, was not interested in running to the finish, so Rob N. finished first and I came in second.
As we were getting ready to start the second longer race, a thunderstorm came up and dumped rain on the area for about an hour. Once it was over, we started the race out into the bay on a figure eight configuration over the three mile course. This time, one Seda and two surf skis took off and got pretty far ahead, while I headed up the remainder of the ten entry race. The one difference with this race was that out in the middle of the course, all racers were required to perform a self-rescue. When I got ready to do a roll, I was pretty winded, but ready to go. I rolled over, but forgot everything I learned and couldn't get back up. I had to bail out and try to get back in. Well, it took me several tries to finally get back in, by which time, everyone behind me had gone on ahead. I was so confident I would successfully do an eskimo roll, I didn't even bring along a pump. So, once back in the kayak, I tried to bail out a little water with my hands. I finally gave that up and struggled back in to the beach with a kayak full of water.
As it turns out, the winner (Seda from LA) basically cheated, by going way in to shore in knee-deep water and quickly turning over, emptying his kayak and jumping back in. He did not even have a spray skirt, as he had no intention of doing a deep-water self-rescue. Linda was highly steamed, but our friends, Dick and Marilyn saw the funny side of the finish. Marilyn said they should give me the DFL (dead f**king last) award.
posted by brint @ 7:56 AM
1 Comments:
At 8:06 AM,
brint said…
Tom, you are correct in that the winner was the guy from southern Louisiana who previously won the Phat race.
You are also wise in your comments about rolls and self-rescue. Under the circumstances of the "heat of the moment", tired and breathing very hard, I was not prepared to perform a bombproof roll. It taught me a lesson that I need to practice, practice, practice under all types of conditions to make sure I can execute when the time comes. In the meantime, I know my limitations and never go out solo in conditions where I may have the slightest chance of getting in trouble with cold or in the ocean.
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