Author Topic: CCBC 2014 in the books.  (Read 3061 times)

stoneaxe

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CCBC 2014 in the books.
« on: August 17, 2014, 07:10:02 PM »
Oh well, so much for a gentle west wind..... ::)

Things went a little wrong from the start...gate for the parking lot we used was locked...had to scramble and do convoys to the back entrance. Not too bad though, planned launch was for 5:00 am, we took off at 5:30.

1st 1.5 miles was easy, breezy west wind pushing us out into the bay. Once the Plymouth harbor master brought us out beyond the power plant we turned south. Once we got beyond the cliffs the wind was already SW. Our safety director's plan was to get further south than usual at the start because the wind was supposed to shift even further to the S as the day progressed. It was a good plan but the 1st 8-10 miles was brutal side on 1'+ chop. Tough going for sure. I was the 1st to have to get in a boat. My head was a little funky at the start, remainder of one of my headaches and a little off balance, darkness screws with my balance a little too but at least the late start had brought some light to the horizon. Headache felt like it was leaving and I figured with the favorable wind and what seemed like perfect conditions at the start were a sign I was good to go. Then mother nature smacked me up the side of the head...literally as it turned out.

Conditions got worse and worse as we paddled on, we were angling away from the coast so as the fetch increased the chop built, knee high with maybe 4' between peaks, nucking futs. I was head down, focused, watching and paddling against or with every bump. The constant focus and hard pumping made my headache go through the roof, balance was deteriorating fast, I held on (barely) for 8 miles and then started falling. A mile of falling constantly and losing ground with my head getting worse I knew I had to do something or I was going down for the day. When I fell and smacked the bad side of my head against the water and then tried 4 times unsuccessfully to get back up it was time. Paddled over to a boat and got in. Took a 1/2 dozen ibuprofen and put a bag of ice on my face. Freezing the left side of my face/head is one of the only things (besides the flowers of a certain plant) that works for my headaches so I spent 1.5 hours on the boat. Coincidentally missing most of the fun part of the paddle. We turned west shortly after I got in the boat and pretty much everyone starting catching glides....I was pissed..... >:(. My headache finally numbed down to a dull roar and a little less dizzy I decided to get back on the water. The crew tried to get me to stay with some iced oysters they were just starting to shuck but I managed to ignore the enticement.....oysters offered to you by two beautiful women is very tough to walk away from but I managed.... ;)

So I got about 30 minutes of decent conditions before the wind went SSW to S and we were in side on chop again...now mixed with rebound and the occasional boat wake. From mid bay to Jeremy's Point it was a washing machine...nightmare conditions for my crappy balance but I managed to keep standing for the most part. My head was actually pretty clear by the time we reached Jeremy's and the rest was pretty easy going...downhill to Mayo beach for the last 4 miles. The feeling of coming in to the beach to friends and family cheering never gets old. I always hang back to be one of the last ones in. I love watching the newest members of the family hit the beach, the 1st time is very special.

One kind of funny moment of panic for my daughter (also one of our med staff). She was in a boat about 100 feet outside of me when a big fin broke the surface near me. She starts yelling, DAD FIN, DAD FIN, DAD FIN...only problem she was on my deaf side and I couldn't tell what she was saying, turned my head to find out and of course fell in....she went into panic mode for a sec until she saw the fin flop over......Mola mola was 20' behind me at that point..... :D. We did have a couple of small shark sightings but they were just blues and not very big so no worries.

This was a tough one no doubt about it, the start was the toughest we've had and took out a few people unfortunately. Lots of cramps, a twisted bad ankle. the hard all left side paddling, all took their toll.  The left side paddling was actually good for me since it minimized the strain on my left shoulder which is pretty shaky. I was surprised to feel pretty good when we hit the beach...even my headache was back to just background. I realized I hadn't seen any cramps....I think I drank enough essentia water to fill the bay in the week before so I know I was well hydrated and I'm sure that helped.

The party was it's usually awesomeness...we don't call it the ACE (After Crossing Extravaganza) for nothing. Shed some tears seeing and talking story with the kids from CH including Simon who was there two years ago and was back to come cheer us on. Awesome surprise to have him meet me on the beach with a big hug. We all laughed a ton, the shit eating grins mixed with grimaces of pain on the newbies is classic, they'll wear those smiles for weeks and carry the memory for life...the pain will subside..... :) I almost fell asleep on the massage table under the tender ministrations of a beautiful young woman that melted the tightness in my shoulders, legs, and back. Had my share of cold Wachusett and ate half a cows worth of tenderloin.

We had some great swag for the paddlers, this years rash guards look sweet, an awesome Coreban/Wachusett beer mug, and of course the very special Hepi Maxwell Hei Matau. The raffle and silent auction saw some very happy folks...we had a LOT of very cool stuff, Kialoa adjustable carbon paddle, MTI PFDs, Camelbacks, Larry Allison Fins, Smith Optics sunglasses, Red Sox and Bruins tickets, ski vacations, some amazing gift baskets from all kinds of businesses on the Cape, a Tony Hawk autographed skateboard deck....too much stuff to remember it all. I REALLY wanted to win the new Naish Glide and I dropped $200 on raffle tickets myself trying but I was very happy it went to one of our Doc's. Mike has been there the last three years helping to provide med support (and taking some awesome pics while at it). He was over the top stoked to win the board.

Despite our smaller numbers (52 paddlers this year) we still had a very successful season. Final numbers aren't in yet but we'll be north of 100 grand. Thanks so much to everyone for the support. This truly is a one of a kind experience, ask anyone in the family what this means and the stoke it brings. I think I have to be one of the luckiest guys on the planet. Mike..(ECsup) describes us as a couple of knuckleheads that had a silly idea and that's pretty much what we are. The people that have come to support the cause are the real inspiration, and no one more so than Chaser who has become the heart and soul of the CCBC. We've been so fortunate to be blessed with a great crew and the bonds forged here will create friendships that last a lifetime.....lucky indeed.

I didn't take a single picture or video all day.....I just wanted to soak it in instead of worrying about capturing it and I new a gajillion pictures were being taken so that's what I did. I'm already seeing a bunch showing up, including my favorite, my granddaughter getting funky to the Rip it Ups....she's such a shy little kid.....I think she made friends with everyone there and the girls from Kind want to give her a job!

CCBC 2014....done.
« Last Edit: August 17, 2014, 07:19:35 PM by stoneaxe »
Bob

8-4 Vec, 9-0 SouthCounty, 9-8 Starboard, 10-4 Foote Triton, 10-6 C4, 12-6 Starboard, 14-0 Vec (babysitting the 18-0 Speedboard) Ke Nalu Molokai, Ke Nalu Maliko, Ke Nalu Wiki Ke Nalu Konihi

Caribsurf

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Re: CCBC 2014 in the books.
« Reply #1 on: August 18, 2014, 06:12:05 AM »
Great write up Stoney, you describe perfectly the challenges of the day.  The crossing offered plenty of different conditions, some were a blessing,  others a curse.   Despite being the fastest of my 4 CCBCs (10 hrs) it was one of the toughest, especially early on.  Waiting around for the start in the cold in the early morning got me off to a bad start as my calves and hamstrings were cramping bad.  Those first 7 miles or so were brutal and I can imagine what was going through the 1st timer's heads. ( 9 more hours of this???!!!)

Thankfully as you said we had some great winds at our backs at times, but the side chop never let up so you could never really relax and enjoy the glide. 10 hrs of constant balancing and concentrating on the next chop heading your way is exhausting mentally and physically.

As tough as it was this year, It was first CCBC that I enjoyed periods of wind at my back and swells to ride, so it was a lot of fun and got us across quicker than past years.

Great group of dedicated paddlers and such an amazing crew who put on the CCBC and volunteer their time and efforts. Those support boats especially...10 hrs on the water putt putting along watching us must be like watching paint dry, but they never complain.

So fun to see and meet fellow Zoners. Chaser, Stoneaxe, PDLSRFR, Spookini,Pieces of 8, SUPtheCREEK, Weed ( forgive me if I forgot anyone but I drank a lot of Wachusets at the party)

4 CCBCs in the books for me and I can't wait for next year.

Great job Stoneaxe Chaser and Brownie.  The fact that Brownie even attempted to prone those 35 miles was amazing....
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stoneaxe

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Re: CCBC 2014 in the books.
« Reply #2 on: August 18, 2014, 06:54:07 AM »
Brownie's just nuts. He didn't want to get in the boat but my daughter made him when she saw his lips were blue and skin grey. Not only cold waiting (nice october weather we're having) because of the circus with the parking lot but the damn water was the coldest it's been since May. A week of west winds pushed all the warm water to the east and the cold water upwelled to replace it...had to be at least a 15 deg temp difference between Plymouth and Wellfleet. I was worried about Brownie as soon as my feet hit the water. Not like he has any fat to keep him warm these days.... ;)
Bob

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freetobeme

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Re: CCBC 2014 in the books.
« Reply #3 on: August 18, 2014, 07:23:33 AM »
Awesome recap. Congrats to all who were up to the Challenge this year, 100% or not. It's great ohana for a wonderful cause. Well done CCBC!
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mjd

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Re: CCBC 2014 in the books.
« Reply #4 on: August 18, 2014, 10:30:05 AM »
Great description of it Bob.  As a CCBC first timer I new it was going to be a slog-fest for me but that first leg was particularly brutal.  I saw you struggling now and again, especially when you went down on your board around that first point, but man you are one tough dude, seriously.  You hung in there all the way through! 

I was super proud of Cathy for giving it all she had.  Ned helped her out a lot better than I ever could.  I didn't want to fall back too far and risk both of us getting boated so I tried picking one person at a time to catch up to and have a chat.  Kim was especially awesome to hang with for a while on that first leg. 

I hit my wall about 6 hours in when like a dope tried being one of those ppl riding up close to the boat to catch the wake- never made it. But I did burn up a ton of precious fuel trying and drifted to the back in about a half hour.  Then I had to do the one person at a time thing again to get back to the middle.  It was at that point I fell off my board.  Shut my eyes for a second dreaming about taking a short nap and plunk I was in the water. 

It was so awesome having that tail wind for the last 3 miles.  I made it over to Cathy who was in really good spirits and smiling and enjoying the ride in which was icing on the cake.  The after party was amazing- beer, food, massage and really fun ppl to hang with.  This event was definitely a big milestone for me and I would love to do it again next year! 
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stoneaxe

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Re: CCBC 2014 in the books.
« Reply #5 on: August 18, 2014, 11:24:26 AM »
I hit my wall about 6 hours in when like a dope tried being one of those ppl riding up close to the boat to catch the wake- never made it.

We actually need to do a better job of discouraging that and maybe even make some ruling to completely disallow it. Maybe have the lead boat tow a couple of buoys or something that paddlers can't pass or just have a couple of paddle captains that set the front line 100' back. I know it's tempting for folks but what invariably ends up happening is that the strongest paddlers can get up behind or next to the boat and either draft or even get some energy from the wake. Them being close encourages the boat capt to maintain a higher pace so the paddlers that are not able to get up there suffer for it. A faster pace was possible this year so we didn't stick to the 3.5 mph (actually couldn't with the wind) but we need to consider how it's going to effect everyone. We've talked about this in the past but I think we'll do something about it for next year. We have to be fluid with how we let paddlers handle what mother nature throws at us but drafting the boat needs to go for a number of reasons. Beyond the obvious already mentioned there's CO poisoning of those drafting to think of as well.

Glad you folks had a good time and tell Cathy no shame in getting in the boat. It's frustrating for sure but just tell her to think about what you did for the kids. The real challenge is faced by the kids at CH and we're all working hard to help there.
« Last Edit: August 18, 2014, 11:26:18 AM by stoneaxe »
Bob

8-4 Vec, 9-0 SouthCounty, 9-8 Starboard, 10-4 Foote Triton, 10-6 C4, 12-6 Starboard, 14-0 Vec (babysitting the 18-0 Speedboard) Ke Nalu Molokai, Ke Nalu Maliko, Ke Nalu Wiki Ke Nalu Konihi

supthecreek

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Re: CCBC 2014 in the books.
« Reply #6 on: August 18, 2014, 12:10:33 PM »
Nice write-up Stoney.... I'm impressed that you have any energy left after a season of CCBC

with that done... all I need to do is add pictures.

A story emerged from my pictures and videos... but that will take time to edit....

Here's a quick look at this fantastic event...

andygere

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Re: CCBC 2014 in the books.
« Reply #7 on: August 21, 2014, 11:26:27 AM »
Bob, great write up and what an unbelievable effort on your part.  Most mortals would not have gotten back in the water, good on ya.  One of these days the timing will work out for me and I'll be out there with you.  Sounds like you all made the best of some gnarly conditions.

PonoBill

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Re: CCBC 2014 in the books.
« Reply #8 on: August 21, 2014, 12:17:30 PM »
Yike, that sounded tough. Maybe I'll switch out next year and make it. If you keep the same weekend it would work. It would suck for me to miss the Gorge Paddle Challenge.

Good idea on the boat buoys--the CO poisoning is nothing to screw with. Drafting a boat for that long could croak you. I've had a close call just surfing behind a wakesurfing boat.
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stoneaxe

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Re: CCBC 2014 in the books.
« Reply #9 on: August 21, 2014, 04:49:30 PM »
Thanks Andy, truthfully, the thought of getting back on the water made me almost sick. I almost didn't do it. I thought for sure when I went back out that I was going to be back on board a boat shortly. I just hung on between breaks. Started feeling human again just as we got to Jeremy's.

I struggled but I was amazed how easy some folks made it look. Jody of course did his usual 40+ miles, I think Chaser wasn't far behind, Kim Reilly (we need to get her on here) was a rock. Smiled the whole way and talked the ladies from NC through some tough spots. Plenty of others as well.

I think I might want to come west for the gorge next year so I hope we can get the schedule to work...:)
« Last Edit: August 21, 2014, 05:03:33 PM by stoneaxe »
Bob

8-4 Vec, 9-0 SouthCounty, 9-8 Starboard, 10-4 Foote Triton, 10-6 C4, 12-6 Starboard, 14-0 Vec (babysitting the 18-0 Speedboard) Ke Nalu Molokai, Ke Nalu Maliko, Ke Nalu Wiki Ke Nalu Konihi

stoneaxe

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Re: CCBC 2014 in the books.
« Reply #10 on: August 21, 2014, 05:21:54 PM »
BTW...great pics Rick. Thanks for helping again this year.

One of the paddlers uploaded his Garmin data.
http://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/569829526

Interesting....I thought we went further south at the start than that. Wind must have been even more SSW than I thought too.
Bob

8-4 Vec, 9-0 SouthCounty, 9-8 Starboard, 10-4 Foote Triton, 10-6 C4, 12-6 Starboard, 14-0 Vec (babysitting the 18-0 Speedboard) Ke Nalu Molokai, Ke Nalu Maliko, Ke Nalu Wiki Ke Nalu Konihi

 


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