Run of the Charles (Bahston, MASS)

[shankfoo]

I'm a last-minute decision right now because I have to work over the weekend.  And I have poison ivy. 

I know there's about a dozen other SUPers on the NESUP meetup that are signed up to go, mostly for the 6.
Even if I'm not paddling, me and the GF will probably walk over there to watch the finish and say Hi
... look for a itchy half-asian dude with a tall redhead!

[addapost]

I am in. Doing the 9 on a borrowed 12 6 Naish Glide. Super stoked to be there.

[PonoBill]

Hey Shank, that Charles River water is a sure cure for Poison Ivy--it will kill that fungus dead.

[Hoffenator]

I'm in for the 6mi, I remember the first CotC, not fun  Good thing the race is tomorrow 

[addapost]

Great race today on the Charles. Beautiful weather, lots of fun people. 1:59 for me for the 9 miler which was where (under 2 hours) I hoped to be for my first race. Water might have been a wee bit low, three of the four of us broke fins with two of those including serious carbon damage- ouch .  Didn't see anyone who looked like they might post here, we should have agreed to some sort of gang sign to recognize each other with .

[Hoffenator]

I was there for the 6 mile, great day, some tough spots coming back up wind, but really good vibe! Only regret was I had to leave right after the finish as I had family coming over for dinner amd still had a good amount of prep before guests arrived. Tired in a good way tonight 

[stoneaxe]

That was fun. Mared slightly by the race officials at the finish not telling the first 4 finishers of the 6 miler that they had to go upriver another 1/2 mile to the last buoy. I guess that's the only way I'll ever get 1st.... My time was 1:30. I was easily 10 or 15 minutes behind exetersup and the guy that lead the whole way. His friend (young lady) kicked ass too she was 10 or so ahead of me too. The mess up also caught fellow CCBC paddler Jon who would have beaten me by at least a few minutes. I was followed closely by Chaser who was actually a little hung over so you know I wasn't going too fast...

Not a lot of fast paddlers in the 6 but it was a fun race. Tough fight against the wind for much of the 3 miles back upriver, some of the gusts stopped me cold. The wind started picking up just before the start and as usual seemed to pick up even more after the turn.

[supthecreek]

Axeman
We were thinking of you guys during race time.
"Weed" & I were paddling at the time....
About start time for your race... the wind did pick up
then about an hour into race time...the wind switched and really started to blow.

Then just after your race finished... it slacked... of course 

Glad you had fun.

[exetersup]

Hey Stoney- thanks for acknowledging the miscommunication on the start/race instructions. All in all, it was a fun race. That uphill battle after the turn made it very unique. Just goes to show how much training in upwind conditions pays off.
And between 1:00 and 3:00 (during our race), the wind was gusting between 25-25 mph, with a sustained 15+. Ya, I'm sore today:)
http://www.iwindsurf.com/windandwhere.iwsregionID=101&siteID=690&days=1&Isection=Wind+Yesterday

[stoneaxe]

No worries Shawn...you all paddled a great race. I don't really consider this a win. Which of you guys actually finished 1st? I know you caught up to him at the end. If you had done the last mile I think you would have had him for sure. He had a big lead in the early going. Pretty impressive that you actually caught him in the headwind.
I wish I had thought to tell everyone about the last turn when we were talking before the race. I couldn't hear the instructions either but thought it was just me being deaf. The only reason I knew was because i'd done it before. Really sucked that all the race officials were all standing there and didn't say anything. I don't think they were paying much attention to the SUPs truthfully.
One good thing about this...I need to get training and get rid of some weight. I really need to buckle down. I might have been closer to you guys if I wasn't pushing an extra 50 lbs with each stroke and I need to beat Bill at the CotC...

[exetersup]

I caught him at the finish line- he went through at 1:09:49, and I went through at 1:09: 54. I might have been able to beat him if I knew the course, but he was a solid paddler. I have to give a lot of credit to my board. The Alpha goes upwind incredibly well, and I was happy with my race strategy- paddle moderately and sail the wind down, then go mental on the way back up wind, crossing the river multiple times to find the protection.
As for beating your brother at the CotC- I've got a pretty fast Coreban you can ride . Out of the top 4, I was the only one on a Coreban and the other 3 were on Barks.
I'm looking forward to the Essex River 5.5 on May 19- you should come up for it!

[Chaser]

That was fun. Mared slightly by the race officials at the finish not telling the first 4 finishers of the 6 miler that they had to go upriver another 1/2 mile to the last buoy. I guess that's the only way I'll ever get 1st.... My time was 1:30. I was easily 10 or 15 minutes behind exetersup and the guy that lead the whole way. His friend (young lady) kicked ass too she was 10 or so ahead of me too. The mess up also caught fellow CCBC paddler Jon who would have beaten me by at least a few minutes. I was followed closely by Chaser who was actually a little hung over so you know I wasn't going too fast...

Not a lot of fast paddlers in the 6 but it was a fun race. Tough fight against the wind for much of the 3 miles back upriver, some of the gusts stopped me cold. The wind started picking up just before the start and as usual seemed to pick up even more after the turn.

Appreciate you throwing out the hung over excuse for me......it was true.....but that is no excuse.  You gotta be able to play hurt.  Stoney paddled a great race and the front four were on another level given the wind after the turn.  Great job Exeter. 

As for me....time to get training.  The season has begun!!!

[Hoffenator]

Ditto!!!