The Essex race keeps getting bigger and bigger and better and better. Bigger in terms of more racers and better in the organization of the race by Race Director Bill Klunuski, Donna and Dave Lind and Tom Lawler. I knew it was going to be a huge crowd when Tim, Razz and I, got the last on street parking space at 8:30, two hours before the start of the race.

Registration went smoothly and the skippers meeting led by Bill was heard by everyone thanks to them using a speaker system. This year there were two port- a- johns which was a needed improvement with the large numbers of racers.

The race with a staggered start for all the classes went more smoothly this year I thought without excessive delay.

The results were posted immediately after the race which is fantastic!!!! They were up on the Essex Web site early yesterday which is the fastest I have ever seen them up. Years ago we would wait weeks for the official results to be posted. A big New England thanks goes to Bill, Donna, Dave, and CARC race committee for making the race a huge success. Wesley

Bill Kuklinski, Race Director, Essex River Race
We had 20 men's unlimited boats, 4 women's unlimited, and 129 overall a course record. (For some perspective, in 2003 there were only 54 boats and 6 skis total - even as recently as 2007, we had only 77 boats and 14 skis). Great representation from the New England ski community, with familiar friendly faces from Maine through Beverly to Rhode Island in attendance.

Conditions were great for paddling and as flat as one could expect, but still not ideal for a course record - wind against tide in both directions. Times were good overall, but Tim Dwyer’s course record (48:20 in 2006) wasn't at risk. Great competition throughout - the difference between 3rd and 8th men was only 26 seconds, and from 9th through 13th was 43 seconds. Congrats to Eric and Alex for winning their respective divisions.

Good to see the newest model boats on the course - Wes and Eric on their new Epic V-12s, and Mark on a Think Uno gave everyone a chance to think about what toys they might want put in the garage next.

I'm still trying to digest the rapid growth of this race - 129 boats in 30 prize categories does present logistical challenges beyond the normal, but other than running out of t-shirts, I think everything went fairly smoothly, and the post race gathering was relaxed and enjoyable. On behalf of everyone on the CARC race committee, I want to thank everyone in the surf ski community who showed up and helped make this another memorable, safe, highly competitive and fun event.

For the Northeast Surfski point series, some clarification, Rasmus was on a Fenn Millennium, Wes and Eric were on V-12s, Cindy McNett was on a Legend, Ariel McNett on an XT, Mike Tracy on his Mako 6, and I was on a Legend.

Thanks & Regards, and see you all at the Blackburn, Bill

Wesley Echols Perspective(Surfski Class)
Just prior to the race, many of us were discussing rudder choices. Ellen Stewart in her fabulous green Huki S1X special was going to use her 7 inch but after a brief comment or two she pulled out her 4 inch and decided that it would be a better choice for such a flat, weedy race. I think she was happy with her results when I saw her after the race. She placed 3rd in the women’s division.

I staked out a place next to Eric McNett new V12. Eric and I discussed the rudder options with the V12. Eric found out the day before the race through trial and error that the V10 rudders are not interchangeable with the V12. Eric was able to modify a rudder for the race complete with a weed guard and was able to hammer out his 1st Surfski victory after paddling Oc1’s and canoes for 30 years.

In talking to Eric after the race, doing well in races is nothing new to Eric. In 1987 and 1988, Eric and partners Randy Drake and Tony Short, came in second only 5 minutes behind the living legend Serge Corbin, in the famed AuSable River Canoe Marathon. The Weyerhaeuser AuSable River Canoe Marathon is widely recognized as the "Longest, Richest and Toughest Canoe Race in North America". Competitors paddle an average of fifty paddle strokes per minute to finish this grueling race, much of which is accomplished in the darkness. The race course runs from Grayling to Oscoda Michigan, covering over 120 miles of the world famous AuSable River. In 1994, Carriere teamed with Serge Corbin to win the race in under fourteen hours, the fastest marathon finish in race history.

We have seen Eric on the race circuit for years but until the final race of the season (Northeast Downwind) last year, he always showed up in an OC1. Eric placed 2nd in that race which was his first surfski race ever. What also is nice, is that Eric has converted his family into surfskis as well, a true family event. Cindy McNett and Ariel (daughter) were also contenders at the Essex Race. Cindy was nice enough to let Eric borrow her V12 while she paddled Eric’s Legend. Um, that sounds familiar, buy a ski for your wife and then paddle it. How does that work? It seemed to work out for them. Eric placed 1st in the surfski class, while Cindy place 2nd in the Women’s and 15th in the overall standings beating many of the men.

Alex McClain, the women’s winner had a very good showing as did her father (Rod), another canoe and OC1 paddler, placed 3rd in a hotly contested 3rd-8th battle royal. Surfskiracing.com very own Chris Chappell, put in a huge effort in his 32lb V10sport to catch the pack in the final 2 miles doing all the work solo for this 2 miles, (no one to draft) to join the pack of 5 surfskis just at the finish line.

Ken Coopers Perspective (Surfski Class)
The unlimited kayak class lined up for the start so I took a spot that gave me a good line for the hole shot. Although the Essex is a wide tidal creek, the deep water channel at the start/ finish is just a few boats wide and the tight curves really make for a narrow deep water line as we headed out to open water. Rod McLain, a former US Sprint Teamer and previous winner of this race, lined up to my left to also try for that sweet spot. At the horn we were off to a very hard start at nearly 9 mph. Rod and I were side by side leading the mob out through the twisting first mile. Usually a really hard start will thin the herd, but on this day it was a stampede down this narrow line of deep water. I could hear the splashes and the occasional voices of Tim and Rob very close behind. In the corner of my left eye was the bow of a shinny new V-12 riding inches off Rod's stern. I wasn't sure if it was Wesley or Eric who showed up with these impressive new craft that look more like parts from an F-16 than something evolved from canoes. Coming into this race, Wesley had shown significant improvement and Eric, a top marathon C-1, C-2 paddler with decades of experience in flat water, made the switch from OC-1 to surfski for ocean racing. The V-12 bow belonged to one of those guys but who was that I heard and felt tapping my stern. My guess was Rob Flannigan who had also made a big leap in speed this spring. The other usual suspects were all here too and I figured it might be anyone of them or the many new faster paddlers this year. I was paddling my guts out but could not get away from Rod without an unreasonable effort. Was I really so slow and out of shape from a long winter in this bad economy with my first new job in 15 years and no time to do anything but work? No, the gps was still nearly 8 mph going into a current, so it seemed it was true; there is a new intensity to the local surfski scene. If I wanted to even place third in this race I knew then that it was going to hurt.

Because there is so much shallow water short cutting and significant weeds, I was in my old S1-X with a small rudder. This boat can be paddled across a wet lawn and not pick up weeds an it seems good in shallows. As we neared the turn around Cross Island, Rod had dropped back. At this point you paddle against some tidal current and it's always a question rather to go left to get out of it or just take the straight line. I went straight ahead. As I was pounding against the current I saw that V-12 pulling up well off to the left out of the current. It was Eric and he was really moving ahead and by the time I got over left and on his stern I'd really pushed it very hard so I wasn't able to catch his wake. Eric was able to put 100 feet between us as I struggled to get back in gear and drop the heart rate from extreme to very high. At this point I wasn't sure if he could put more distance between us or how much had he suffered to pull ahead? After riding Rod's wake or mine to get here, how much gas did he have left? Maybe he still had a lot. I went really wide to stay in deeper water as we rounded the island and much of the way back into the river and it seemed maybe I'd closed some of the distance on Eric. With a mile to go it was time to spend it all. I treated each 100 yards as my last and kept doing this never letting the gps drop speed. The last two or three "S" turns are completely visible as is the finish line in the high tide that floats us above the marsh grass. We were dodging the traffic of slower boat classes in front of us and I think I got a few good breaks and inside lines but in the end Eric had me by 20 seconds. After just a minute or so to catch my breath I looked back to see Rod and Rob killing themselves for 3rd and on their stern were 3 more boats. These five boats, 3rd thru 7th had just come across within 10 seconds and just over a minute behind the winner. With this new intensity and some top contenders who were not here; this promises to be an interesting season for our local surfski racing community. Eric's quick success in surfski is probably proof that there is a great untapped source of competitive surfski paddlers from marathon canoeing.

Dana Gaines Perspective (Fast Touring Class)
No matter how many times I row or paddle Essex River, I can never seem to get the steering just right (can anyone?!)-- And 2009 was no different. After an admittedly overzealous start in the Fast Touring Class, I had a bit of a lead coming out of the early twists and turns, but lost it all with a navigational blunder which exposed me to the worst of the foul incoming current west of Cross Island. By the time I reached the turn at bottom the two lead Unlimited skis, plus the top Fast Touring competition had caught up with me. From there on James Doucette in a Looksha II, and I in an Epic 18X were neck-and-neck the rest of the way around the island and back up the river (try as we might, neither one of us could stay on the draft of the assorted ski packs for long as they came by), with Jonathan Katz in an Endurance 18 right behind and gaining. It all made for a very close finish, with James holding the preferred position on the final inside turn, and a couple of overtaking skis thrown into the mix.... just 13 seconds separated Doucette (first), myself (second), and Katz (third) at the line. It's great to see such close competition and equally-matched boat speeds at the end of 5.8 miles... and keeping track of where those shoals and currents are as high tide approaches remains a daunting challenge! Perhaps advance tracking of the ideal course at mid-tide with GPS (and tapping a little local knowledge regarding tidal currents) is the only way to avoid the common steering errors to which we all repeatedly fall victim!

Wayne Lysobey Perspective (Rowing Shell Class)
Five and one half miles is what the Essex River race is supposed to be. So why does my stroke coach say over 10k (6.2 miles)? There are more twists and turns in the Essex Race then 10 HOC races. (HOC for Head of the Charles). There are 9 foot tides in Essex. The river changes constantly. Vigilance is needed. Luck would be even more helpful.

The weather was cooperative. A few raindrops in the morning before the race. The breeze was light out of the south. The tide was coming in. The current would be against us going out and with us coming back into the river.

There were 140 boats signed up this year for the Essex River Race. Most boats were out to race hard, but in the tradition of the Essex River Race sometimes people go at a "more leisurely pace". I was not one of those people. The woman I saw getting into the mixed tandem kayak with her little dog Toto (I made that up- but it looked like a Toto) was, I figured, going to just doggy paddle the course for enjoyment.

A small but growing class of human powered vessels were well represented at Essex. There were five paddleboarders in the race, four men and one woman. I didn't think see looked like she was having that much fun when I passed her after the first mile and a half. I am not sure she finished the course. After the race one of the regatta chairman was looking for the only racer not checked off the list at the finish, a paddleboarder. I assume, but don't know it was her and that she was soon found in good order. Back in the halcyon days of my youth I paddled a lifeguard rescue board a fair amount. I can tell you from experience that your arms can feel like lead weights after just a half mile of paddling.

News flash! This just in. The results for the 2009 Essex River Race are already posted 8:00 a.m. May 10!

There were 129 finish times. Inna Kogan on her paddleboard was 129 at a little over 2 hours. In no way do I mean or infer anything negative about this result. Possibly this was the biggest achievement of the day. Six miles or so on a paddleboard in two hours is still mind boggling to me. There were 129 winning vessels that day. And, so far as I know, all winners, no whiners.

Looking through the finish times I did not see any tandem kayaks with a time looking like a leisurely pace. I guess Toto must have pulled his weight.

So, for my race-I was 16th overall. Fourth place in the men's 1x racing sliding seats. I was 55:01 minutes. I was 30 seconds from a third place medal. One of the things I love about these open water races is that you get to compare your times to all sorts of craft. For me it has become interesting to watch my times compared to the fast surfskiers. This race 8 out of 20 of the "unlimited class" kayaks beat me. Other races more than half of them have beat my time. Unlimited class is surfskiis and other racing kayaks. I was looking at a surfski hull before the race and they are narrow. I am not sure of the measurements but seems to be about as narrow as my Peinert Dolphin hull which is 13" at the waterline. How those paddlers can stay right side up at all eludes me. I know that some of my vast reading public, those with rowing experience but no experience in open water competition are wondering how a decent rower like myself could let any kayaker beat me in any race. Well the secret is I don't let them. In fact I try very hard to stay ahead of them all.

Another benchmark for me is how my friends Jim Piantedosi and Gary Gorman do in their sliding seat 2x Merry Sea kit boat. On a real good day, especially in calmer water, I have been know to beat them, or at least complete a race in a faster time. Why do we say "beat " someone in a competition. I am a rower not a boxer. These are my friends. I wish them well. I do try to go faster than they do. It's fun and it helps me to row harder having friendly competition. Jim and Gary started 5 minutes or so before I did. Never saw them on the course. Maybe if I had I would have gotten in a few more extra hard strokes and cut off a few seconds. They went faster than I did by 19 seconds. Notice I did not say they beat me. If we had started at the some time, I bet both our times would have been faster. I would have been in more pain at the finish line. Good thing I didn't have them in my sights! "Always look on the bright side of life" as Monty Python says.

I had enough to contend with in my race anyway. Particularly getting out of the river racing against Kinley Greg, Bill Russell and a guy Dave Powers whom I didn't know. The Essex River is narrow. It is winding. It makes for a frantic start. There were just 8 of at the start. Maybe I shouldn't put it that way. There is not a lot of room for eight rowers at the start of the Essex. Bill Russell has been very excited about his new boat, a carbon Maas 24. I knew that he and I were going to be close for at least the first couple miles of the race.

At the start, three boats jumped ahead right away. Ray Paneek in his Ace, Pat Riordan in a nice red Dolphin and Don Seymour in another Echo Ace. Bill was on my left. Kinley on my right. I think I was looking around or to the side twice for ever stroke I took. Bill was getting ahead. Then Bill was headed for the bank (and I don't mean for the ATM). "Bill, watch out, hard on starboard." That was when Bill had to decide if I was really his friend or not. He went hard on starboard and stayed off the bank. I got ahead.

Twist, turn, right oar only, look over your shoulder, left oar only, look in the mirror, yell to the rower behind you "marsh ahead". I didn't know this guy in the Wintech 24, Dave Powers, but I didn't want to see that nice boat bow into the march grass. Zig, zag, look over the shoulder, left oar only, marsh grass ahead. Bill zigs. I get in a sloppy stroke. Bill gains half a length. I yank the oars hard for two strokes because he is too close and on a collision course. I glance at the GPS. I have a partial course on the GPS. I know from experience this can be an advantage, just don't rely on it too much. I see my GPS bearing is going to land me in some grass, left oar hard and sloppy.

Kinley had on a safety green shirt. Easier to keep track of her that way. Kinley beats me sometimes, goes faster that is. She was ahead off and on until we got out of the river. We were all zigging and zagging so much out of the river. At one point I yelled to Kinley " if you steer a really good course I would be happy to follow you" "I'd be happy to follow you!" was her reply. After the race she told me "boy you really took off when we got out of the river. What did you do, just get warmed up in the river?" When we stopped having to look out for the all the twists and turns I was able to concentrate on some better rowing. There were a lot of frantic strokes on the river, fast paced but not very energy efficient. Out in the open I felt like I could open up the stroke, get a good solid catch, and feel some good leg drive and better use of my back. I let the stroke rate settle down to 24, 25 instead of a frantic 26-28 stokes per minute in the winding river. The breathing gets relaxed that way. I feel the knees slam down at he end of the leg drive. The knees stay down for half second or so until the hands and back are well on their way to the catch again. Grab some more water and do it again. Very nice to get full strokes in. The speed coach has nice numbers for me, around 3.3 m/s. I am rowing better, more relaxed. More relaxed about looking around. Bonk! My oar shaft really clobbered the top of that lobster pot! I start using my rowing mirror more. Mine field ahead! There are a dozen white mooring buoys spread out in the water I am trying go navigate though. Raise the starboard oar blade over the one on my left (rowers left, I go backward remember) I want to change course for the tip of Cross Island, but not yet, not until I get around the next mooring buoy. I have been passing boats, the fixed seaters, the paddleboarders and have an Alden mixed double in my sights. I am sighting the bar at the outside end of Cross Island. I see the roiled up water where the current is going over the shallow bottom. How close do I cut this corner I ask myself. I watch the Alden Double go around and go out slight further than they do. I catch up to them around the point and start to pass them. They seem like happy competitors. I look over and give them a big "are we having fun yet!" "Ohh Yeaaah" is the reply.

I get past Cross Island and start looking for the mouth of the river. This is not trivial. I have a GPS unit set with a waypoint at the mouth of the river. It is not working. This is my experience with GPS in a race. Do not rely on them, although GPS has always served me well in the Blackburn Challenge. I pass another fixed seater or two and find the mouth of the river. I see Kinley in her green shirt back a quarter mile or so. Ahead of me is a sliding seat 1x. I am not sure who it is or even if it is in the racing class like me. Maybe this is the guy I have to pass if I want third place medal I think to myself. Maybe with a Herculean effort I can pass whoever it is and maybe get a medal to hang up at home on the kitchen light fixture where my wife Bev and I like to hang up the seasons medals. Hercules was already out to lunch. Never caught that rower. Turned out it must have been Don Seymour, who did get third. I did pass an Alden Star double that had run full tilt into a marsh island in the river. One guy was out off the boat pushing them backwards. "I'm not gonna follow you guys" I shouted over. I should have remained quiet, I was greeted with frowns.

The finish was around the corner. There was a big Pilot Gig or Whaleboat head of me. I hugged the starboard side of the river and squeezed by them. A couple years ago that was the spot I ran into the river bank. I could hear the encouragement from the finish line. I picked the stroke rate to 32 and sprinted 20 strokes to the finish. Try to look good here I thought. I felt better than I thought. l should have started my sprint 20 strokes earlier. That is always easy to say after the race.

"OK" I heard from the shore. "Number 71" I shouted out. Another race done!

I got the boat on the car. Packed everything up. I helped a few friends get their boats in.Then I went and got some chowder, which I was assured was made with real Ipswich clams and not some old sea clams like commercial chowder. It was almost as good as mine. (Pease do not let this version of my story get into the hands of any Ipswichians).

At the awards a first place in the 1x sliding seat racing men went to Pat Riordan. Pat must have had his wheaties. Second was Ray Panek. I remember meeting Ray at an Isles of Shoals Race about four(?) years ago. He was just starting his open water racing. He said he was going to get serious about it. He did. Third was Don, the guy I couldn't catch (wait till next year!) Kinley was first for the women. Jim and Gary were first for sliding seat 2x, although they were called up to get an award for 2x sliding seat mixed. "Well I guess we are mixed enough" Gary said.

It turned into a nice summery afternoon. A nice socializing time with the open water community. I went home without a medal, but I do have this cool red long sleeve t -shirt that says "Essex River Race 2009" and just a touch of sunburn.

Long Live Open Water!
Wayne