CCBC 2015

[Caribsurf]

well done and great idea.

I have been trying to print out my fundraising page with not so good results so far.  Going to try and resize it.

I plan on dropping them off at all the bars and restaurants we go to (and that's a lot)  Hell I spend hundreds and hundreds of dollars at their business establishments and have for years, I figure the least they can do is donate to CCBC.  Never asked businesses before only friends, so hoping this adds to the $$

[kayadogg]

For sure, lend him the Speedboard. There's a long tradition of Kaya borrowing my boards for a race. Did it once before for the BOP.

Thanks Bill (and Bob). This will be the 3rd time I've borrowed boards from Pono and all have been in different states, pretty cool. The first time I got a cool little paddle to hang on the wall from the BOP, 2nd I got some cuts on my feet from coral and what it felt like to do a downwinder with no wind, let's see what I get from the 3rd time. Seriously though, I appreciate it Pono, thanks.

[Caribsurf]

Got some press today on the website Seacoast Online.  It will explain to locals who that nut is always paddling around the  ocean, bay and tributaries in all conditions, but more importantly I hope it helps me raise some more money.

http://www.seacoastonline.com/article/20150724/NEWS/150729485

[PDLSFR]

Caribsurf ..great article !!

[supthecreek]

Most excellent interview Don!.....That's great publicity for the CCBC and Christopher's Haven!
I hope the local community joins in with you.

You guys look great by the way....nice picture!

[Caribsurf]

Thanks Pdlsrfr and Creek, I am glad you liked the story and photo.  Last year I thought they were going to write an article but it never materialized, so this year they got back in touch and I was thrilled.  Hopefully this helps raise some more money for CCBC. 

[Board Stiff]

Carib, great story, and exciting to see the CCBC featured in the local paper. But having read it shortly after signing up for my first CCBC, it's got me terrified! 5-10 miles / day @ 5.5 mph??? I now feel totally unprepared! 

I've been doing a couple training paddles after work each week, usually around 5 miles @ about a 4 mph pace. Most Saturdays, I do a 4 - 8 mile race in Casco Bay, usually around a 4.5 mph pace. I've done a couple 18 - 20 mile paddles this summer, at about 4 mph (with the tide one way) and 3.6 mph paces (round trip with some rough open ocean chop), with only one 5 minute snack break each time, plus a couple of brief pauses to check my GPS and figure our where the heck I was. 

I've been planning to keep up my regular training for a couple more weeks, with the Lobster SUP CUP (3 days x 10 mile races) as my last big training effort 2 weeks before the crossing. Is this going to cut it? I do not want to end up in the boat!

[stoneaxe]

Nice article carib.

Stiff...I think you'll be OK. If you can do 20 at 4mph you can likely do the CCBC so long as the conditions don't go crazy like a few years ago. All bets are off then. The 1st year I used 20 at 4 mph as my goal for training. We did a couple of those in the month before the crossing and took it easy the week before. You might want to ramp it up a bit for a couple weeks then take it back down.

[Caribsurf]

Board Stiff not to worry, with the exception of 1 mile sprints, that 5.5 is tide assisted.  That's a difficult speed to maintain for a long period unassisted. Sometimes around here the tides are so strong I can be going even faster.  I would say My average speed is 4.5.   

If you train at the highest speed you can, then you will be well prepared for the 3.5 mph of the CCBC which you will find very manageable.  It's the 10-12 hrs on the water that takes its toll.

Not to worry, your training regimen sounds fine.  Also the support of the other paddlers goes a long way.

[Board Stiff]

Thanks for the reassurance, Carib and Stoney! I'll definitely be pushing hard the 3 days of the Lobster SUP Cup. Last year my speed and endurance picked up noticeably after 2 days of that race, so I'm hoping that will be a good tune-up on my conditioning this year too.

[Ichabod Spoonbill]

I just got the CCBC e-mail, and I'm even more psyched. I have to admit the idea of the CCBC was scaring the bejesus out of me, and that's one of the reasons why I signed up. Wanted to do something scary.

My longest event has been the Shelter Island Race which was just shy of twenty miles. The impression I had of that event was that it would be a fun, casual race, but it ended up being a lot more hard-core. I wasn't exactly last in the race, but let's just say I never bothered to post my time. Actually, it wasn't so bad. I did the race with an average speed of about 3.7 mph, which isn't terrible for me, especially for the CCBC. (I was also in second place in the highly contested 12'6" division, out of two…)

Now I'm reading we'll actually have rest periods! Wow! I was nervous the whole thing would be a huge, non-stop push over the 34 miles, and I was training for that. Now I am a lot less worried. Not that I'm going to get complacent, but I'm slightly less scared. I'm pretty excited now. Damn, I want to get on that beautiful, salty water and have fun!

Tomorrow is a nine-mile paddle with a group of kayakers and beginning (mostly) SUPers. Tuesday, I'll do my long run, probably about twenty-eight miles with a current assist both ways, if I time it right.

[piece of 8]

Tim C. and I, along with his massage therapist recruit Laura K. did a 12.5 mile paddle yesterday from Crosbys boat yard in Osterville to down around Pompanessett and back. About 50% of that was coming back against against 15-20 MPH winds. I felt really strong on the way back and I think I'm definitely ready.
 Keep an eye on this girl Laura K, she can really put the hammer down and she just started SUPing in MAY. She'll be on a green 404. There is no telling what this girl will be able to accomplish with a good race board. She was an absolute machine going against the wind as well as bringing some stoke to the group during a difficult training paddle.
  As we started heading back against the wind,we just told ourselves to picture how good that Bloody Mary was going to taste back at Crosbys. That was all we needed. The 3  Gray Goose, extra spicy Bloodies with 3 giant olives and 2 wedges of lime never tasted as good as yesterday.

[PDLSFR]

Todd, that's awesome, sounds like the paddle me, you, and Spookini dis last year before the crossing !! Always great to hear about the Freshman CCBC paddlers gearing up for their life changing adventure !!

[Chaser]

Love hearing all the training stories!!!

Did 21.5 miles on Sat with some of the South Shore crew.  Hull to Dux Beach.  Winds were marginally favorable but the swell was all over the place.  A good test for two weeks from now.  Paddling through the spit in Scituate was intense.  Harbormaster was not happy with us.  We told him no worries mon....when he approached us. 

So fired up to hang out with all you guys on August 21st & 22nd!

[piece of 8]

Todd, that's awesome, sounds like the paddle me, you, and Spookini dis last year before the crossing !! Always great to hear about the Freshman CCBC paddlers gearing up for their life changing adventure !!

Funny you say that, I ran into Ryan Hayden at Market Basket today who's taking a break this year because of a new child. He's a Bourne lieutenant  firefighter who told me that doing this event actually changed  his ability, for the better,  to adapt to adversity and challenges in in his job . I thought that was a pretty cool assessment.
   Then again that's why the harbormaster is  a little taken back by Chaser and his buddies in the water Saturday with big wind and swell. Not a lot of people see us in this environment the whole 5 or 6 hours that we are out there, but we battle big wind, swell and chop, on paddle boards in "shark infested" waters and, frankly ,that's what we do and its no big deal.