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2012 updating regularly
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Broadkill Canoe and Kayak race info
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10 Things to Remember Seakayaking
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Beckman's Boatique and Repair Shop
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Click here to see John P's race report
| From Vince as posted to Penn Kayaking: |
| Beautiful day for racing in Milton, DE yesterday - cooler, overcast, incoming
tide - gotta love it!!! PKCG was well represented - Jeff E., Jeff P., John,
Patty, Chris, and myself. My pre-race training consisted of eating cheeseburgers and drinking many beers the night before. S. always says it's important to hydrate. She didn't say with what. I had the obligatory Wawa stop in the AM to fortify myself with 3 sausage, egg and cheese sandwiches. "Maximizing caloric intake, one giant meal at a time..." Stopped on the road down to the race site to rescue a turtle. Why did the turtle cross the road??? Dunno, but he'll be a squashed turtle if he doesn't learn to do it faster. Jeff P. came along then and said I was building up good pre-race karma. I think he then went off to see if he could find an old lady to help across the street. Unloaded and decked out boat with pirate flag and pink rubber duckie. Add the obligatory blindingly colorful shorts, and well, "festive" may be a term that some would use... I did bring extra blindingly colorful shorts (I believe I referred to them as "speed shorts") for John, but he declined to wear them. My boat number was #8. Jeff P's was #69. He felt that the race officials may have been making a statement about our mental capacities, since these numbers would be the same upside down as rightside up... I'm not disagreeing... Since I don't have a fast boat, and I have a crippling shoulder injury, my goal was not to win. My goal was to keep Don McGonaghey, Joe Warren and former Olympian Holm Schmidt in my sight as long as possible. I am proud to be able to report that I did achieve this. Until the race started... Mass start of all singles, followed by mass start of all doubles 5 minutes later. Over 100 boats entered. To help avoid the mass carnage, I try to get behind a fast boat. This year, I picked the two Jeffs. Got run into once after the start, for no apparent reason, since the field was breaking apart at that point. Usually there aren't many changes in boat position after things get sorted out after the start. I ended up alongside a aqua fiberglass sea kayak and just behind a red plastic boat. Pulled away from aqua after a while. Red and I were trading positions back and forth. He was a local. He faded a bit at mile 5. A pro tandem passed me about this time, the only tandem that caught up to me during the race. Then I was alone. Passed a couple pleasure boats. Asked them if they had rum. A solo canoe and S.'s friend Tom passed me midrace. Aqua caught up to me, and we then saw a marker saying "3/4". After a bit, I increased my stroke rate. Aqua hung with me for a while, but faded back again. After 15 minutes, I realized that the sign was nowhere near the 3/4 mark, and I still had a couple miles to go. I didn't want to bring my rate down, so I gritted my teeth (I've been practicing that part at work), and channeled my Inner S. Passed one more boat around mile 9, saw Cyndi paddling around in Holm's boat (which requires you to be superhuman to even remain upright). Started to sprint towards the finish. Crossed the line as the announcer was saying, "See, not all pirates are bad!" I was the 16th boat across. Both Jeffs finished ahead of me. Chris and Patty finished right behind me. John was a few minutes behind. I was first in the Cheesy Plastic Boat category. Chris was 1st in the coveted Guy With Greenland Stick category. John was first in the Tan Pungo category. Patty was 3rd in the Female Kayak category. Only Patty received a trophy, probably just an oversight by the race committee. Holm Schmidt was the first Superhuman to cross the line, followed by Melissa Schmidt. Wonder if they know each other... Long, long wait for the shuttle back, then on to Chris's house for food, beer hydration, and a Greenland rolling demonstration in Chris' pool by Dave in his wooden kayak. Best Broadkill ever in terms of weather and how I felt afterwards. As someone once said, "it was a good day." V. |