Topics

1

Downwind and Racing / Upwind-Downwind video through Toronto Island on Starboard Ace

« on: November 11, 2016, 08:22:48 PM »

The reward for the upwind paddle through Toronto Island is a downwind run that's almost 4km long. The entire paddle can be done in a little over an hour (a bit longer if the wind is strong since the upwind leg will take longer). And no car shuttle required!

The wind was 25mph gusting to 32mph - about the limit for what I'd consider reasonable for the upwind leg.


Here's a link to by downwind blog with the full details on this route: http://supdownwind.blogspot.ca/

Route map:

2

Downwind and Racing / Offshore (zero fetch) downwinder on Ace

« on: October 27, 2016, 07:42:27 PM »

It's downwind season here in Toronto. We did an offshore downwinder to Toronto Island. In offshore winds, the bumps start off small then build gradually until they form nicely groomed consistent waves. They end up easy to catch as a result, although they're also quite closely spaced so you don't build up as much speed as you would on larger waves. You do a lot of gliding though!

For a route map and other details, see my downwind SUP blog http://supdownwind.blogspot.ca/

3

Downwind and Racing / Ace downwind video

« on: October 20, 2016, 08:01:07 PM »

Perfect warm and windy October day for a downwinder. Couldn't pass that up.

4

Gear Talk / Where to buy ventral fin?

« on: August 19, 2016, 12:39:25 PM »

The benefits of a ventral seem to make sense to me, maybe not in some situations, but in quite a lot of them - especially for any boards with a lot of nose volume. These types of noses tend to get blown downwind and I'm sure a ventral fin would help.

I did a quick search and wasn't able to find a place that sells these fins. I'd be looking for a relatively small ventral fin - much smaller than a standard rear fin.

Anyone know where to get one?

5

Downwind and Racing / Rogue Downwind board

« on: November 24, 2015, 11:08:00 AM »

The Rogue 14x25 and 14x27 boards look promising. I'm hearing that they are one of the best options for turning nicely on a bump once the wind gets up. The 2015 and 2016 models are the same design.
Here's a video of Dimitris riding the board in Greece:


Here's their web site: http://www.roguesup.com/#!downwindseries-bluer1-video/c15ho

I use my Starboard Ace now for downwinders but when the wind gets over 25mph, I'm thinking of getting another board that's easier to carve turns on the bumps. If anyone has comments or experience on the Rougue 14x25 or 14x27 Downwind, would love to hear them.

6

Downwind and Racing / My downwind SUP blog including a compilation of best downwind videos from Zoners

« on: November 18, 2015, 09:24:10 AM »

I've just added a new section to my downwind SUP blog with a collection of some of the best downwind videos from our regular contributors. I've also included a few comments on each of the contributors including - headmount, DJ, Jeremy Riggs, Peter Peterson, and dk78.

Here's the link to the blog: http://supdownwind.blogspot.ca/  It's also got a section on tips and instruction for downwind newbies.

I also just posted my latest video of a downwind run here in Toronto. Here are a few frames as a preview:

Big open water breaking wave:


Aftermath of wave from underwater:


15 second glide:


Got an unexpected ride from the police back to my car:

7

Downwind and Racing / Downwind video in 27mph gusting to 37mph (with speedometer overlay)

« on: November 09, 2015, 06:30:51 PM »

We had some great wind on this paddle, the problem was that it wasn't in the right direction. Counter to the forecast, the wind shifted offshore soon after we launched. The best glides happened early on when the wind was sort of in the right direction. Still had a great time. It was blowing 25-30mph with consistent gusts to 35-38mph. The bumps were nicely groomed since it was partially offshore.

By the way, you can add speed and GPS data from any GPX or FIT file to your video by using the free Garmin VIRB Edit software (you don't need a Garmin camera to use it - works fine with GoPro or other footage). It's a bit of a pain to sync the GPS data with the video files, but certainly doable with a bit of messing around.

If you also want to see some nice photos of the downwind run, you can check out my blog entry:
http://supdownwind.blogspot.ca/

8

Downwind and Racing / Fun downwinder - photos

« on: October 20, 2015, 01:22:43 PM »

We did a fun downwinder on Lake Ontario and I got some nice photos. The wind was just 18-20mph with gusts to 24mph, so not huge, but we had some nicely lined up bumps. On the parts that were closer to shore, the bumps were 4 feet from top to bottom. Not bad for a nice sunny day on the lake. Three of us went - one of the fastest local female racers who's starting to get into downwinders, a surfer who's also getting into downwinders and me. They both had a blast. It would be nice to get a regular downwind crew around here. Days like this one definitely help.

Here are a few shots:

9

Downwind and Racing / Video of our race around Toronto Island

« on: September 22, 2015, 08:13:24 PM »

For the past 5 years, I've been organizing a race around Toronto Island. This year, one of the safety boat crew, produced a great video of the event. We had flat water on the inside of the Island and 3 foot sidewind/downwind swells on the exposed part of the Island. The winds were not quite lined up for ideal downwind conditions, but you could catch some bumps.



I've also written a full recap with photos, maps, etc. : www.twsc.ca

Here's a photo of Larry Cain paddling in the bumps:


Racing with Toronto's skyline as a backdrop:

10

SUP Gear Reviews / Newly Acquired / On Order / Starboard All Star vs Ace vs Sprint - Review

« on: July 29, 2015, 07:38:40 PM »

I've now had a fair bit of time on all 3 of these boards. I own the 2015 Sprint 14x23 and the 2013 Ace 14x23.5 and have had the 2012 14x25 Ace. The Ace hasn't changed much since 2013. I used to own the 2015 All Star 14x25 but traded it in for the Sprint.

Here are my impressions of these boards:

Sprint 14x23:
On Sunday, I did a flatwater paddle of about 12km on my Sprint. I had my fastest average speed of any paddle over 7km in distance. I've been paddling my 14x23.5 Ace for 3 years now but the Sprint was faster than any of my previous sessions on my Ace. Plus, I'm not in great shape right now since I'm recovering from a shoulder injury. This is only my 6th paddle on the Sprint.

Sprint vs Ace:
In flat water, I found the Sprint accelerates effortlessly and faster compared to my Ace and I can maintain a higher speed with less work.

Last time I tested the Sprint vs the Ace in a very controlled test, the boards were identical in speed upwind and downwind. I think that was because there was some wind and chop - not much, maybe 10-12mph. Maybe that amount of wind and chop is the dividing line between the Sprint and the Ace. The Sprint would be faster in conditions flatter than that while the Ace would be faster in conditions rougher than that. If you're on the 25" wide Ace, the Sprint's speed advantage may extend into windier conditions.

I've also tried the Sprint on a mild downwinder. The Ace is quite a bit better at catching bumps and gliding than the Sprint is. The Ace is also quite a bit more stable in the bumps, even the 23.5" wide Ace.

The Sprint is tricky to pivot turn since your back foot gets squeezed between the narrowing side walls. To turn it quickly, my back foot was jammed in as far back as it could go. It also gets a bit tippy since there's not much volume in the back half of the board. However, with some practice, it can be learned.  The cross-bow draw which works well on the Ace is much slower on the Sprint. You have to sink the tail and stroke on the outside to turn the Sprint fast.

In summary, the Sprint is the flatwater speed champ (for paddlers below a certain weight - not sure what that but likely at least 180lbs) while the Ace remains the downwinder and chop champ for winds 12-25mph.

All Star:
The All Star would be best for most people if you could have just 1 board. It downwinds better than the Sprint but not as well as the Ace. I think the 14x25 2015 All Star is a bit faster than the 14x25 Ace in flat water based on some user reports with GPS results (although I'm pretty sure the Ace would be faster in chop). The All Star is also the easiest to pivot turn and surf by far.

My ratings ranked in order:
Flat water speed: Sprint, All Star just a touch faster than 25" wide Ace
BOP style races (pivot turns and surfing): All Star, Ace/Sprint
Downwind speed: Ace, All Star, Sprint
Mixed chop: Ace, All Star, Sprint
Stability: All Star, Ace, Sprint

Personally, if I had to choose just 1 board, it would be the 14x23.5 Ace hands down. I love that board.

11

Downwind and Racing / Downwinders in Cape Cod area

« on: June 26, 2015, 08:19:06 AM »

I'll be vacationing in Woods Hole this coming week (Jun. 29-Jul. 3/4). The forecast looks good for some downwinders in Buzzard's Bay with SW and S winds and sunny skies Mon-Wed. Anyone interested?

Also, anyone have any tips on good downwind routes to take in Buzzard's Bay?

12

SUP General / Best way to lock up a board?

« on: June 25, 2015, 04:26:55 PM »

Any suggestions on the best way to lock up a board when on land? For example, to a pole, tree, or other fixed object. I've seen the DocksLocks system but there seem to be few other alternatives. I'm looking for something that's secure yet easy and fast to lock and unlock.

I find it a bit odd that there aren't more options.

13

Gear Talk / Starboard All Star 14x23 vs Sprint 14x23

« on: April 29, 2015, 07:56:14 AM »

Anyone have experience with these 2 boards?

I'm wondering how they compare in terms of stability and speed. Starboard's web site shows that the All Star 14x23 has a stability rating of 3 and a speed rating of 10, while the Sprint 14x23 has a stability rating of 5 (lot higher than 3!) and a speed rating 10++.

Is the 14x23 Sprint that much more stable and faster than the 14x23 All Star?

14

Technique / High tech stroke analysis from Larry Cain with Canadian Olympic team technology

« on: January 18, 2015, 01:49:38 PM »

Larry Cain is one of our local paddlers and also well known as a guru in SUP technique and an Olympic gold medalist in sprint canoe. He's now taken a leave of absence from his regular job to help coach some of the elite paddlers (including Olympic gold medalists) on the Canadian Olympic team.

He just posted a blog entry that takes advantage of advanced accelerometers from the Canadian Olympic team to do some advanced stroke analysis. The analysis leads to some interesting conclusions - including data on whether it's better to paddle past your feet or not. He's continuing to use the technology so we might see some additional analysis from it as well.

Here's a link to the blog article:
http://www.larrycain.ca/blog.html

15

Downwind and Racing / Video of winter downwinder on Lake Ontario

« on: December 14, 2014, 07:42:27 PM »

Did this downwinder recently. The wind wasn't very strong but there were still some good bumps left over from the 25mph winds that had just died down. We get some decent groundswell on this short run when the wind's in the right direction. The route runs parallel to Toronto Island, which has some shallow areas around it. Even in these fairly light winds, the Starboard Ace is able to catch bumps pretty easily and even the faster moving groundswell.



By the way, if you`re wondering how I got the speed, heart rate, time and map data onto the video, I used VIRB Edit software to combine my Garmin`s GPS data with my video footage. It`s a free download: http://www8.garmin.com/support/download_details.jsp?id=6591 
or if you have a Mac: http://www8.garmin.com/support/download_details.jsp?id=6593

Software worked great with the video footage from my Olympus camera. However, it was designed to work optimally with Garmin`s VIRB cameras. If you`ve already got a GPS unit, you can pick up a Garmin VIRB action camera (very similar performance and features to a GoPro - it also has a LCD screen and longer battery life than a GoPro) for $99 - a steal: http://www.clevertraining.com/garmin-virb-and-virb-elite-action-camera.html?acc=1679091c5a880faf6fb5e6087eb1b2dc  I bought a couple - for different angles.

If you don`t have a GPS unit, you can get the VIRB Elite, which has GPS and wifi built in, but that`s more expensive at $245: http://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1029156-REG/garmin_010_01088_10_virb_elite_1080p_action.html