Recap: Race #3, Santa Cruz on January 20, 2007

After taking the month of December off, the WaveChaser Series started up again in Santa Cruz. Our 2-mile inside-the-harbor novice race started on time. Next up was the 6-mile short course out in the ocean. It was a hazy day, but we had adequate visibility early in the morning. As I stood on the beach to watch the short course start, the fog rolled in. At first I could easily see all the way to Seal Rock and the famous Steamer Lane surf break. Five minutes later, Seal Rock disappeared in the fog, but I could still see the warf. In another five minutes, the warf started to get hard to make out in the fog, and it was totally gone a short while later. Meanwhile, the race started and the paddlers made there way toward the first turn at "mile buoy". Mile buoy is very tall. Normally one can see it from miles away. Nevertheless, on this foggy morning there was no way that all of the races were going to find it. Our safety boats were forced to shorten the race and turn everyone back early before chaos ensued in the fog. Not sure what the final distance was, but the winning short course time was 29:11. Elaine Baden put in a very notable performance in route to finishing just behind the top two male surfski racers.

Back on shore, we announced that the long course would be delayed to allow for the fog to lift. "Check back in at noon", the paddlers were told. At noon the visibility was good, and the race was on as planned...or so we thought. As we lined up for the start, the fog came back. We were forced into an impromptu course change. Rather than starting out heading to mile buoy, we'd hug the coast to avoid the risk of getting lost in the fog. This worked well on our way to and from a turnaround just up the coast from Long Marine Lab. But as we passed Seal Rock on our final stretch to the finish - and the only point in the race were the straightest course wouldn't take racers along the coast - the fog got thick. But everyone made it back to the finish line at the sail boat parked off shore with our timers.

Our thanks to all the paddlers, as they took the changing courses and start times all in stride.

Each racer and volunteer had their name entered into a drawing for three prizes. Congratulations to the winners.

Tom Gandt: Apple Ipod Nano
Matt Muirhead: I-tunes gift card
Lenny Hewitt (captain of the start/finish line sailboat): Starbucks gift card

Here's a recap from just a couple of years ago...

WaveChaser Race in Santa Cruz on March 12, 2005

Santa Cruz had been a regular stop for the WaveChaser Series, but we skipped this venue last season. Our most recent previous WaveChaser Series race in Santa Cruz was March 12, 2005. There were noteworthy performances from two individuals on that day (Tony Mueller and Mike Shea) of which I will forever remember.

Tony is a long time surfski paddler, and has rough water skills unrivaled by any racer here in Northern California. Tony and I have done quite of bit of paddling together at locations up and down the California coast and in Hawaii. We also have trained and race together in a double surfski and outrigger canoes. In the many times that we've race against each other in single skis, he was consistently the next finisher after me. If I was first, he was second. If I was second, he was third, etc.

To say that Tony liked being out on the ocean would be quite an understatement. It was what he lived for. But he was experiencing back problems, and it was getting progressively worse. By the fall of 2004, it looked like surgery was the only option left. I remember talking with him back then. Not only did he think that he'd never be able to paddle again after his surgery, he wasn't sure if he could work again. (His job requires some physical activity.) He did have the back surgery. I think it was in December 2004. The surgery worked, and Tony was back out paddling on the ocean in no time. Just three months after his back surgery, we raced on his home course in Santa Cruz. With the finish line in sight just a mile away, he passed me. I tried to match his pace and go with him, but to no avail. After perhaps dozens of races against each other, he finally finished ahead of me. What an amazing feat just months after he thought he'd never paddle again.

The other performance I reflect back on from that March 2005 race is that of Mike Shea. Mike and I regularly competed against each other in surfskis, and we did some racing together in outrigger canoes after he moved from Southern California to Northern California in the late 90's. In the surfski races, there were some years where I'd beat him most of the time, and there were other years where he'd beat me most of the time. As our WaveChaser Series started in 2002, Mike was consistently beating me, and my race finishes ahead of him were few and far between. I'm pretty sure that my own training and racing was improving as I raced after him race after race. It was making me better. The pendulum swung back the other way starting in 2004, and I started to consistently finish ahead of Mike. Our last season racing against each other was the winter of 2004-2005. We were pretty much equals that season, but I always figured out a way to get ahead of him at the finish. One race (on his home course in Benicia) I finished ahead of him by mere inches to win the race. Another race it was by a boat length. The last race of that WaveChaser season was Santa Cruz. Mike pulled ahead of me at the half way point on his way to his overall first place finish. Nobody knew it then, including Mike, but the cancer that took Mike's life was likely already growing inside of him. Later that same year he passed away.

When I reflect back on that March 12, 2005, race in Santa Cruz, now nearly two years ago, it gives me a renewed appreciation and thankfulness for my own time spent out on the water...and perhaps a renewed appreciation and thankfulness for life in general.

-Dave Jensen

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