Author Topic: Cape Cod Bay Challenge - an eyewitness account  (Read 9533 times)

supthecreek

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Cape Cod Bay Challenge - an eyewitness account
« on: August 26, 2012, 06:49:11 PM »
The folks that organized this event have done such a wonderful job that it was an honor to witness. Being a VERY last minute cling on, I know absolutely nothing about how they pulled it off... but everyone involved did an amazing job!

81 paddlers launched in total darkness off Long Beach in Historic Plymouth Mass. On schedule!
They paddled into the blackness, and were soon engulfed in a THICK fog, so thick that they could only see the paddlers near them.

They are off.... only 34 miles to go.

I met Tom, Captain of one of the many support boats, at Plymouth Harbor. We ferried 4 Doctors that to the Medical support mothership. We slid past the Mayflower II and Plymouth Rock and into the predawn mist... It was incredible.

After a cautious approach thru the gray shroud to our rendezvous with the paddlers.... we saw an absolutely beautiful site.... our flock, streaming off into the rising sun, brilliantly silhouetted against an orange glow... I haven't got the right words... see the picture.

The early to mid morning was spectacular. The paddlers were in there glory.
Among the support vessels were two... all I can come up with... is totally flat Blacked Assault Boats... Stealth and power. They paced along the perimeter, warning off boat traffic like guard dogs. When they headed out... the approaching boats quickly change course, safely around the pack. ;D

The Paddle Captains (Veteran CCBC paddlers) did a great job, paddling among the pack, offering assistance where needed.  

Tom & I brought up the rear, like Cattle drovers, keeping the herd from spreading to far out.
Occasionally we would get a radio call to pick up paddlers from the back and ferry them to the front.... It is important to keep the group together. Whenever we did that, another boat would roll back and cover our position before we left.

Off in the distance was the Failsafe... A huge whale watch vessel, one large enough to gather the entire group if there was a need to do so.

The pack was led by a Point vessel, captained by an experienced Captain who set the course.

Every now and then, there was a rest stop. Paddlers got a needed break, support boats all had water and energy snacks aboard.

The first 20 miles were done in glassy conditions with bright sunshine and warm temperatures.

Then, just like Heartbreak Hill, in the nearby Boston Marathon, The wind came up. Directly into the paddlers face. The calm became chop, boat traffic increased, the seas turned confused and very challenging. Paddlers began to strain. Pick ups became more frequent.
A paddle snapped, quickly replace by spares carried by support boats. Muscles cramped, the test of this challenge raised its head....and they paddled on, with determination, refusing to yield. It was very cool to witness. Everyone was happy and gainfully charging ahead.

When we rounded Jeremy Point at the entrance to Wellfleet Harbor, the end was in sight... but it was a very long 2 miles directly into a now brisk headwind.

I wish I was on the beach to see the faces as the paddlers made landfall. We docked the boat and walked down to the reception and after party. What a sight it was, big tents filled with people, bands, food, drink, paddle sport display booths. There were even pictures for sale, taken en route by  someone's Auntie, who hung out the open door of a helicopter as it circled the pack about midway through the bay.

The food was incredible, the band was perfect. Raffles were well supported. What a fun nite.

Bob and the other organizers presented a gift to ALL participants... paddlers and ALL support people. This little memento will be cherished by this writer. everyone received a hand carved necklace made by a renowned Maori carver. His story is an inspiration itself... please read the bio about him in the following pictures, you will begin to see the depth of thought that went into organizing this very special event.
 
The funds raised by CCBC go towards supporting "Christopher's Haven"...this home away from home, where kids and their family's can stay while receiving cancer treatment in Boston.

A very personable young man was brought on stage, I am embarrassed to say I do not remember his name. He is a current resident at "Christopher's Haven". Listening to him talk about how much it means to him gave this event a face, he touched everyone in the crowd.
He said he had been on his first paddleboard and really liked it.... and there you have it. CCBC is a great event for a great cause.

Bob Babcocks daughter, who not only paddled in the event, but was there till the lights went out, along with the rest of Bob's family, putting away chairs, picking up debris and stacking tables. Well, anyway, she won a Kenalu paddle in the raffle.... then turned around and gave it to the young man from "Christopher's Haven" ..... the apple does not fall far from the tree ;D

CCBC has raised more than 1/2 a million dollars for "Christopher's Haven" since it began.
Well done CCBC... well done!

Thanks Bob, and everyone involved for treating me to such a perfect day!

As always... enjoy the pictures... I may do another post just for pretty pics that don't fit here.


freetobeme

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Re: Cape Cod Bay Challenge - an eyewitness account
« Reply #1 on: August 26, 2012, 06:58:20 PM »
glad u got to be a part of it Creek!  what a cool event!
"Everything you want is on the other side of fear" - George Addair

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ogdog

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Re: Cape Cod Bay Challenge - an eyewitness account
« Reply #2 on: August 26, 2012, 08:27:05 PM »
thanx for that report suthecreeek,  been following updates on facebook but this much better. i'm gonna try and do it next year i hope.
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piece of 8

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Re: Cape Cod Bay Challenge - an eyewitness account
« Reply #3 on: August 26, 2012, 08:47:49 PM »
Thanks Bob, and everyone involved for treating me to such a perfect day!

Newbie here but Creek with his  words and pics has a certain patience, an eloquence, that matches up his words to his  photos. A true talent. My first Challenge wouldn't have been the same without him. Thanks Rick.

stoneaxe

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Re: Cape Cod Bay Challenge - an eyewitness account
« Reply #4 on: August 26, 2012, 11:21:35 PM »
Great write up Rick and great pics as usual.

One slight correction. We were hoping to reach $500,000 for the 5th Anniversary but I think we'll find ourselves short of that unfortunately. We'll see how much comes in before we total it up after the Late Summah Paddle but we're still a good ways off. Oh...and the face of CH was Simon....and his Mom was talking about creating a SUP event on the Hudson River when she thanked me as they left..... ;D

I'm glad you could join us. You were a great help and everyone enjoyed your company.

While my family has certainly embraced the CCBC, especially Sue and my daughters, this is very much a team effort. One of the smartest things I've done to help make this better is to ask Chaser to be the President of the CCBC. Without his talent and hard work this wouldn't have been anywhere near as smooth. He's done a lot of heavy lifting for the CCBC this year. We have a dedicated board that pulls this off. ECsup and I may be the faces of it as founders but Craig, Jody, Sue, Christa, Jason, Nicole, David and Ned all contribute to the success and we have great support network of sponsors and volunteers to help create the atmosphere and make it happen.
Bob

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Ichabod Spoonbill

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Re: Cape Cod Bay Challenge - an eyewitness account
« Reply #5 on: August 27, 2012, 04:09:30 AM »
Great stories! God, I want to do this event next year. I have to say these conditions sound pretty scary. I'm in awe of everybody.

Stoneaxe, tell me more about this Hudson River event you mentioned. I'm organizing one on September 30. It'll be a fifteen mile run from Beacon to Peekskill through the highlands. I don't want to highjack this thread, so I'll post another one about the event.

Anyway, you guys made my day. Thanks for making my morning awesome.
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stoneaxe

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Re: Cape Cod Bay Challenge - an eyewitness account
« Reply #6 on: August 27, 2012, 06:26:43 AM »
I'll get in touch with her and see how serious she is about doing it. I'm sure it won't be soon, they'll be at the haven for the next 3 weeks for Simon's radiation treatments. I'll let you know when I speak with her.

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

Ichabod Spoonbill

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Re: Cape Cod Bay Challenge - an eyewitness account
« Reply #7 on: August 27, 2012, 07:17:13 AM »
Cool. Thanks.
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Caribsurf

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Re: Cape Cod Bay Challenge - an eyewitness account
« Reply #8 on: August 27, 2012, 03:45:09 PM »
Supthecreek, great article and photos of this event.  I hope you don't mind if I forward your recap to my sponsors, friends and family rather than me trying to put the day into my own words.

Damn I wish I knew you were there as I would have loved to meet you.  Maybe next year name tags with Zone nicknames Bob????  I think there were quite a few 'Zone members in attendance.

This was my 2nd CCBC and what an amazing day.  Not sure if it was 12 or 13 hrs as I lost count, and it was tough those last 8 miles, but knowing what those CH kids are dealing with each day, made all the aches and pains trivial...

The CCBC organization is a special group of men and women, and I can't imagine how much work it is organizing this day along with the other summer events.  Thanks so much and continued success. 
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PonoBill

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Re: Cape Cod Bay Challenge - an eyewitness account
« Reply #9 on: August 27, 2012, 04:35:55 PM »
After the Oregon Open Ocean and Bay races Rob Findley who organizes the race asked me what I thought he could do to make it more popular. I thought about telling him about how the CCBC and the Challenge on the Charles are run, but then I thought "no way they can do that, no point in talking about it".

The CCBC parties are always outrageously fun, great bands, great food, great people, lots of excitement and fun. The events run smoothly with amazing volunteers. Great venues, challenging races. I've been to races all over the place and never been to one that even comes close. Not the BOP, not the Tahoe races, and not the Gorge races--and it's not  just the SUP stuff but also in high-buck car races like the Monterey Historics and the Wine Country Classic.

I understand there were people who did the Challenge on the Charles race that didn't stay for the party. Yikes. That's just nuts.

Congratulations one more time to the crew that puts all this together and makes it run. It's a huge amount of work, so great to see that you all just keep raising the bar.
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stoneaxe

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Re: Cape Cod Bay Challenge - an eyewitness account
« Reply #10 on: August 27, 2012, 07:15:23 PM »
Damn I wish I knew you were there as I would have loved to meet you.  Maybe next year name tags with Zone nicknames Bob????  I think there were quite a few 'Zone members in attendance.

Awesome idea....I hope I can remember it for next year.
Bob

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Re: Cape Cod Bay Challenge - an eyewitness account
« Reply #11 on: August 27, 2012, 07:29:08 PM »
Great article and pics. Thank you!
"Fear of the uknown is the greatest fear of all, but we just went for it"

Ichabod Spoonbill

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Re: Cape Cod Bay Challenge - an eyewitness account
« Reply #12 on: August 28, 2012, 06:08:42 AM »
What foods are you guys using to fuel the paddlers? Are you using gels or more “normal” foods like sandwiches and energy bars. Do the paddlers just drink water or more Gatorade-style drinks?
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kayadogg

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Re: Cape Cod Bay Challenge - an eyewitness account
« Reply #13 on: August 28, 2012, 06:34:17 AM »
I think a lot of people were using a combination of both.  I stayed away from gels only because I've never used them and didn't want to try them for the first time on this run.  I loaded my camelbak with pb&j sandwiches, trail mix, dried mangos, powerbars, protein bars, and nuts.  My first camelbak fill was half coconut water and half smart water.  The boats were passing out electrolyte-enhanced water whenever anyone needed it.

I saw a lot of people eating sandwiches, etc.  PieceOf8 was a floating fruit stand, literally.  He probably paddled harder than anyone given the amount of fruit on his board and the pace he kept with it.  And at the halfway point, he pulled out lobster salad, as a treat to himself.  It was awesome.

piece of 8

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Re: Cape Cod Bay Challenge - an eyewitness account
« Reply #14 on: August 28, 2012, 10:11:18 AM »
   I filled my camelback with 2/3 gatorade and 1/3 water.. I also brought a small cooler that contained the following: 3 cliff bars, 1 big bag of cherries, one bunch of 6 large sized bananas placed on top of the cooler, about 9 small apples,a gatorade, 2 16oz vitacoco, and the now infamous lobster salad sandwich.
   Of all of this, at the end I only had one banana and a few apples left.
   Some thoughts and tips after my first CCBC concerning energy:

Protein bars and the like get very boring after a while. Offset this with a nice tart piece of fruit.

Don't underestimate the amount of fuel you need. Just before we took our second big break I could feel my body's energy being depleted and I needed to refuel. It took at least another 30-45min. until we stopped. Even after stopping and eating, it took at least a half hour for the new fuel to kick in. It was difficult to that point, and then I felt like I got my second wind. Its important to have small thing you can grab and fuel with between stops(a la bananas) A few people that shall remain nameless were poking fun at my bananas. I took the high road and didn't poke fun at their ass in the boat!

I would probably lighten the load with liquid next time. You can always grab water from one of the support boats during the stops and drink from the camelback during the paddle.

Next year I will be bringing a sushi lunch to the halfway point, with maybe a seaweed salad.

 


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