Thursday, May 31, 2012

Bart de Zwart... at it again...

Bart de Zwart is crossing the English Channel right now.

One endurance paddler who has inspired me over they past few years is Bart de Zwart.  He paddles for Starboard and runs the Kanaha Kai shop on Maui.  His first big expedition that caught my interest was a circumnavigation of Maui some years ago.  Since then he's done a bunch of amazing crossings and distance paddles.  Right now - and I do mean right now, as I write this - he's somewhere in the North Atlantic crossing from England to The Netherlands... a distance of over 300km.  He's been out there for about 18 hours so far, and he's still 20 or so km from his landing point.  Check out his blog from the link below for some inspiration, then come back and tell me what you want to do on the paddle board this year!

Bart's SUP blog: Finally a ship spotted him out there, May 31st 201...: TheSpot WaterSport Center in Zandvoort/Holland just got a call from the Dutch coast guard that a ship spotted Bart 25km outside Zandvoort. I...

Wednesday, May 30, 2012

the standup world series is coming to CHICAGO


While we have a bunch of cool events happening in Chicago this year, I am super stoked about this one.  The Standup World Series will be going off at North Avenue Beach the first weekend of July.  My buddy Ian from Great Lakes Board Company is hosting the event and says, "We're so excited to have such a high-profile race coming to Chicago."

This event will be attended by the top racers in the world, so for local paddlers it's a rare opportunity to get on the water with all your heros.  Here's the schedule:

Saturday 30 June 2012:
10am - 1pm: Na Kama Kai Youth Clinic
5pm: Registration
7pm: Opening event

Sunday 1st July 2012
8am - 9.30am: Athlete check in ~ Sprint race
10am: Briefing ~ Sprint race
10.15am - 4.30pm: First possible start - Sprint race
4.30pm: Awards on beach
7pm: Evening social event at Castaways.

Monday 2nd July 2012
8am: Athlete check in ~ Long distance race
10am: Briefing ~ Long distance race
9am - 12.00pm: Family relays, fun racing and media and celebrity challenges
1pm - 3.30pm: Long distance race
4.30pm: Awards on beach
7pm: Closing event & overall awards ceremony.

If you want to register, click here.  Hope to see you there!

Wednesday, May 23, 2012

"a seemingly impossible water craft challenge"

Kai just after his Lake Michigan crossing last week.
This quote from MarketWatch about the Kai Lenny's Lake Michigan crossing got me all riled up...


"CHICAGO, May 22, 2012 /PRNewswire via COMTEX/ -- In a test of mental fitness and physical stamina against the whims of open water, 19-year-old Red Bull Athlete Kai Lenny made Lake Michigan his next conquest by crossing the lake by wind surfing, starting at Sturgeon Bay, WI and landing in Frankfort, MI, this past Friday, May 18, 2012. Lake Michigan has seen its array of boats, jet skis, swimmers and sailors through the years, but this was the first time anyone has windsurfed from the west to east coast of Lake Michigan, in a seemingly impossible water craft challenge."


Now, I'm a huge fan of Kai's so I'll state right from the start that this post is not about dis-ing the Hawaiian Waterman, but I've got to protest this mis-information... Kai is NOT the first guy to windsurf across Lake Michigan.  Many Chicago windsurfers have done it (including my buddy Dieter, who is over 70 years old!), and probably a bunch of windsurfers from the Lake's Wisconsin and Michigan shores as well.  


Of course, just because people have done it before doesn't mean it's not cool.  I wasn't the first guy to SUP 50+ miles on Lake Michigan in one day either, but it still felt really good to accomplish that goal.  Kai crossing our Lake is awesome, but it also begs the question, 'Why here?'  As a professional water athlete, Kai gets to travel to the most exotic locales in the world, windsurfing, SUPing, surfing & kiting in the best conditions on the planet.  Still, he considered crossing Lake Michigan a challenge and having done it, a great accomplishment.  Or, as the reporters called it, "a test of mental fitness and physical stamina against the whims of open water."  


So good for you Kai.  You are THE MAN... but so are a lot of non-redbull-sponsored Lake Michigan sailors who've been braving everything She has to throw at them for decades.  For my part, I just want to give credit where credit is due... get ready, now... here it comes:  If you windsurf Lake Michigan, you are a real bad ass.  Congratulations.  See you on the water.

Wednesday, May 16, 2012

the family that SUPs together...

When my daughter Tizzy was a newborn, we got so sick of hearing people say, "Enjoy it... it goes so fast."  Well, we soon realized that, "Wow... they were right, it really does!"  So now I make an effort to grab every moment I can with this little lady before we lose her to grade school and friends and summer camps and all that.  The beach is the one place where the pace of life slows down enough for us all to catch our breath.
Of course, I mean 'catch our breath' as a figure of speech.  Tizzy's as teeming for adventure as I am and can't wait to get in the water.

We rarely go home without a story to tell.  Today it's the tale of the seagull that stole our $16 gourmet chocolate bar right out from under our umbrella.  To add insult to injury, the little bastard didn't even finish it.

But no worries... we're not going to cry over a lost chocolate bar.  Tizzy's like a little Brian Talma... ACTION!

But first I had to convince her that swimming in the 53-degree water was not a recommended activity.  She went in anyway.  I did not join her.
Later she agreed to join me for a sprint workout, which worked out for both of us.  She got a fun ride and I got my heart pumping.
... and finally, a little relaxin' with Mom.  The girls enjoy some girl time while I go out for my training paddle.  
So what's the moral of this story?  Slow down.  Take a day to be together.  Instead of 'checking in'... 'check out'.  The sand and the sun and the water are all you need.  Anytime you want to join us for a day at the beach, we'll be there.  See you then.

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

the maliko race

This weekend was the running of the OLUKAI HO'OLAULEA DOWN WIND STAND UP PADDLE RACE, run on the North shore of Maui down the famed Maliko Run, an 8-mile downwind run from Maliko Gulch to Kanaha.  Here's a video of the action...


In local news, yesterday I had my first paddle on Lake Michigan for the season.  My buddy Christoph and I launched up in Evanston for a couple-hour training session.  The Lake was looking gorgeous with a little breeze and chop livening things up under clear skies and a warm sun.  It felt downright summery.  Time to get out on the water, kids... See you out there.