Race For Your Life Standings

“You put her in WHAT boat class?”

Congrats to all the Deception Pass Dash racers who earned points in the 2010-11 Race For Your Life Series!

Recap: boat class winners receive points for the number of racers in their class, plus a two-point bonus, to a max of 12 points.

2^nd place gets the number of racers in the class, minus 1… 3^rd place, minus 2, etc.

All finishers get at least one point.

The next event in the Race For Your Life Series is the New Years Challenge, January 8^th in Seattle. Register now!

Current RFYL standings after the Dash:

WOMEN:

Sherri Cassuto 12

Susan Conrad 9

Terri Bedford 8

Kimberly Allen 7

Trista Bilmer 7

Heather Nelson 6

Maureen Peterson 6

Debbie Arthur 5

Ayu Othman 5

Suzy Cornell 4

Shawna Franklin 4

Barbara Gronseth 4

Kim Andersson 3

Nadja Baker Zimmerman 3

Cheryl Batty 3

Minnie Fontenelle 3

Vanessa Haycock 3

Theresa Knakal 3

Angela Knightley 3

Tracy Landboe 3

Pam Powell 3

Jodi Wright 3

Traci Cole 2

Alison Graham 2

Aubrey Rosenthal 2

Marianne Banks 1

Julie Beck 1

Cate Burnett 1

Setsuko Cox 1

Megan Kelly 1

Deborah Orth 1

Jennifer Peloquin 1

Sarah Roberts 1

Holly Rutledge 1

Robin Yakhour 1

MEN:

Karl Andersson 12

Troy Husband 12

Gabriel Newton 12

Alan Lipp 11

Beau Whitehead 11

Brandon Nelson 9

Timothy Niemeir 9

Douglas Peele 9

Chuck Curry 8

Drew Dixon 8

Joe Ferguson 8

Jeff Hegedus 8

Jeff Underwood 8

Timothy Burke 7

Larry Bussinger 7

Greg Gilbert 7

Wayne Horodowich 7

Ken Kroeger 7

Brian Page 7

Patrick Aio 6

Brian Boatman 6

Paul Clement 6

Eric Gerstl 6

George Gronseth 6

Warren Williamson 6

Ernie Wong 6

Morris Arthur 5

Thomas Hanny 5

Vance Hashimoto 5

Jiri Richter 5

Michael Riordan 5

Scott Vesey 5

Darrell Bednark 4

Andy Bridge 4

Tom Cartmill 4

Reivers Dustin 4

Blake Hanley 4

Jasen Kaya 4

Robb Nichols 4

Don Rice 4

Michael Woods 4

Brian Arndt 3

Kevin R Bowman 3

Windsor Cheney 3

James Clapp 3

James Doherty 3

Mike Gregory 3

Michael Hammer 3

Matt Hayes 3

John Holtman 3

Andrew Jaquiss 3

Nick Kappas 3

Jeffrey Knakal 3

Michael Lee 3

Robert Meenk 3

Thom Prichard 3

Aaron Rinn 3

Glenn Rogers 3

Peter Wells 3

Mathew Wendell 3

Jim Zimmerman 3

Greg Bawden 2

Geoff Briggs 2

Gary Cassulis 2

Tracy Clapp 2

Michael Cline 2

Robert Freelove 2

Jeff Gassen 2

Sean Gibson 2

Lance Kahn 2

Troy Nishikawa 2

Seth Albanese 1

Harry Allen 1

Gerardo Andaluz 1

John Anderson 1

Dan Baharav 1

Martin Barker 1

Jeff Bedford 1

Thomas Borst 1

Matthew Charles 1

Clement Corbiell 1

David Couvrette 1

Brent Couvrette 1

Carl Darmer 1

David Desertspring 1

Keith Doorenbos 1

Patrick Doyle 1

Andrew Elizaga 1

Peter Englander 1

Ted Eugenis 1

John Fiddler 1

John Flynn 1

Terry Fox 1

Ryan Gander 1

Michael Germani 1

Mark Greengo 1

Ed Hand 1

Fred Inman 1

Joseph Kaftan 1

David Kau 1

Don Kiesling 1

Sherman Krantz 1

John Kuntz 1

Paul LaPointe 1

Rick Lingbloom 1

Eric Long 1

Danniel Longboatshortboat 1

Alan Marshall 1

Ed Matkovick 1

Christopher May 1

Patrick McCarty 1

Perry McGinity 1

Eric Mead 1

Larry Obryant 1

David Ortland 1

Eric Paige 1

Mark Peele 1

Mark Peloquin 1

Dean Peterson 1

Bill Porter 1

Scott Prato 1

David Price 1

Henry Romer 1

Greg Routt 1

James Schultz 1

Rembrandt Smith 1

Chris Smith 1

Jerry Sowder 1

Sam Stroich 1

David Thompson 1

Matt Treat 1

Jesse Varsi 1

Marc Whitlock 1

David Willett 1

Ron Wright 1

Warmup victory... with a stick!

Congrats to Wayne Horodowich, winner of the 6-mile race at Kayak Academy’s Greenland Week festivities on Lake Sammamish, November 6^th. Here he smiles for the camera with his stick paddle and blue ribbon… and he’s thinking how much faster he’ll go at the Dash with that awesome wing paddle.

Go Wayne! See you next month!

Deception Pass Dash is coming!

Just a few weeks til the 5^th Annual Deception Pass Dash, on Saturday the 4^th of December. Last year's start (above) saw nearly 200 entries, and this year’s event looks awesome too with lots of great PR going out to the outrigger and SUP communities.

Fellow adventurer Steve Weilman just posted a couple of vids on his blog with highlights from the 2007 and 2008 races. Take a gander over there, stay tuned for more info, and sign up before November 15^th to get the early bird price of $45 for race entry, tee shirt and a hot meal. If you'd rather stand watch than race, join the safety kayak crew. 2007's brave and talented rescue team is shown above. Contact Blair Corson to join the crew, info@outdooradventurecenter.com or 425-883-9039. And we can always use a hand with check-in, timing, and results, so if you want to help out on land, contact Bill at deceptionpassdash@gmail.com or 206-940-6269.

Ruby Creek hosts the Hoedown!

With many thanks to Dave King at Olympic Raft & Kayak, Ruby Creek has taken over ownership and management of the annual Hobuck Hoedown surf paddling festival in Neah Bay, WA.

The festival was founded in 2007 by Rob Casey, who's still a trusted valuable advisor. Rob wanted more time to compete and to shoot pics like the ones below so he handed it off to Dave and then to Ruby Creek.

Registration is at active.com, right here.

We've created the festival's own blog page, right here.

George Gronseth... it's a wet sport!
Ken Campbell, rippin' it on a SUP board.

A waveski paddler heads out through the break in the late-day sun.

Smilin' George Gronseth after another sweet ride.

Sample pfds available

Check out the selection of Stohlquist pfds from the Ruby Creek sample stock. The vests here are listed below in the same order as they're shown on the video. Prices shown below are all at least 30% off MSRP, and this gear is clean, fully functional, and nearly new.

For full specs on each vest please see the Stohlquist Waterware web site. Model names shown in pink are specifically designed for women.

Not shown in the video:
1 Escape, blue, Youth size (50-90 lbs) - $35

Starting at the beginning of the video:

Nemo, blue, Infant size (<30 lbs) - $35

Nemo, red/yellow, Child size (30-50) - $35

Drifter, mango, Youth size (50-90) - $60

OSFA, 5 available, 1 red 1 yellow 3 blue - $45 each

Fisherman, 3 available - $80:
1 olive, L/XL
1 olive, S/M
1 mango, L/XL

Women's Getaway, periwinkle, M/L - $55

Getaway, mango, Men's L/XL - $55

Escape, yellow, Men's M/L - $40

Brik, red, L - $70

Women's Kitty, 3 available - $70:
1 sage, S/M
1 powder blue, L/XL
1 powder blue, S/M

X-Traxt, red, XL - $120

Women's Cruiser, 2 available - $70
1 powder blue, XS/S
1 pink, Plus

Women's Betsea, sage, L/XL - $70

A piece of paddling history comes home

Looking a little forlorn and lonely on REI's shipping dock, Steph's Raven waits for a ride home.

When Steph Dutton set off to paddle from British Columbia to Baja California in 1993, he may not have known he was destined for fame in the paddling community. He was simply trying to raise awareness for people with disabilities who wanted to stretch their limits.

Steph's mantra, right where he could see it every day.

In an Eddyline Raven, Steph paddled the US Pacific Coast in 54 days, averaging 30 nautical miles a day. That’s a long way in a short time, even with a land support crew.

For many years since Steph’s adventure, his Raven – still sporting his compass, drogue (sea anchor), and numerous sponsors’ decals – adorned the lobby of the Seattle REI store. Now it’s back home where it started, at Eddyline’s factory in Burlington WA.

Here is Eddyline co-owner Lisa Derrer with a few more thoughts about this well-traveled boat's history.

Steph Dutton and Heidi Tiura now own and operate California’s Trinity River Adventure Inn, as well as Monterey Bay’s Sanctuary Cruises.

Eddyline serial number, clear as a bell after 17 years.

There's a story in that nick in Steph's rudder. Shark? Reef? Angry BCU Coach?

Steph's Raven took its place on the Ruby Creek delivery truck, a symbol of old and new next to two brand new Sambas and two Emotion AdvantEdges on their way to Mountain to Sound Outfitters.

Thick with years of dust, the Raven's journey home was a cleansing one in the Northwest's summer rain.

Excited to welcome an old friend, Richard -- who has worked at Eddyline for over 15 years, told me "I've met her before"... then showed off his shirt.

Paddle sale

Ruby Creek is working through used sample stock to prepare for the 2011 season. All paddles here are in great shape and their good condition can be viewed in the video, where they’re shown in order as in the list below. That said, all sales are final and paddles are sold as-is. For further specs on construction and weights of these paddles please see web listings for Bending Branches, Aquabound, and Swift Paddles. Thanks.

Bending Branches wood Canoe paddles:

Arrow 56" - $45

Sun Shadow 54" - $65

Beavertail 57" - $45

Traveler 51" - $35

Twig 36" - $25

Sunburst 14 52" - $110

Espresso 14 52" - $65

BB Special 50" - $45

Viper Double Bend 54" - $95

Sun Shadow 14 50" - $65

Aquabound Canoe:

Odyssey 58" - $55

Edge 56" - $55

Bending Branches Wood Kayak:

Tailwind Evening 220cm - SOLD

Sun Shadow Bent Shaft Day 220cm - SOLD

Impression Day 220cm - SOLD

Sandpiper Evening 220cm - $85

BB Kayak:

Sunrise AL 230cm - $45

Glide SMALL SHAFT FG 220cm - $75

Glide STANDARD SHAFT FG 220cm - $75

Slice PLUS ADJUSTABLE 215-30cm - $75

Slice SMALL SHAFT 220cm - $75

Slice STANDARD SHAFT 230cm - SOLD

Aquabound Kayak:

Hammerhead kids WW 180cm - $65

4-pc. Shred WW Hybrid 196cm - $85

Shred WW Carbon 196cm - $110

Splat WW FG 196cm - $75

Sting Ray AL 220cm - $55

Manta Ray AL 220cm - $55

Manta Ray FG 220cm - $65

Sting Ray FG 230cm - $65

Sharkie kids touring 200cm - $65

Sting Ray Hybrid 220cm - $85

Eagle Ray Hybrid TLC 220cm - $85

Sting Ray Hybrid TLC 230cm - SOLD

Sting Ray Hybrid 220cm - $85

(BB Discontinued) Glide Carbon 215-30cm - SOLD

Manta Ray Carbon 220cm - $110

Sting Ray Carbon TLC - SOLD

Eagle Ray Carbon TLC 210cm - $110

(BB Discontinued) FG Breeze Evening SMALL SHAFT 220cm - $175

(BB Discontinued) FG Breeze Twilight SMALL SHAFT 220cm - $175

Spindrift FG SMALL SHAFT 220cm - $175

Surge Carbon 210cm - SOLD

Swift Kayak paddles

Mid Swift Flames 220cm - $175

Sea Swift Carbon 215cm - SOLD

Mid Swift 220cm - $175

Wind Swift 225cm - $175

Emotion Traverse SUP

Barb Gronseth of Kayak Academy busts a move on the new Traverse.

Washington state is already a hotbed of Standup Paddleboarding. Now there’s a batch of paddling dealers with an amazingly inexpensive way to get on the water and into this awesome new sport. At just $399 MSRP, the Traverse SUP board from Emotion Kayaks is just over ten feet long, and 36” wide. It has a small hatch to store your valuables while paddling, four burly grab handles, and a flexible fin so you don’t bust it up on the rocks. It was designed by none other than His Awesomeness, Corran Addison, for Emotion Kayaks, and it really shines on the whitewater... But it’s not so bad on a beautiful Seattle evening on Elliott Bay, either.

Bottom and top of the brand new board design. Rob Casey photo.

If your local Emotion dealer doesn't carry the Traverse yet, tell him you're all excited about this new boat any they need to get 'em in! Or check out the board at any of these eight dealers, instructors and rental shops that already have it in stock:

LFS Marine in Bellingham

Popeye’s Marine in Everett

Olympic Raft & Kayak in Port Angeles

Leavenworth Mountain Sports in, of course, Leavenworth

Ross Lake Resort in the North Cascades

Alki Kayak Tours / Mountain to Sound Outfitters in Seattle

Salmon Bay Paddle in Seattle

Kayak Academy in Issaquah

Here are a few of them proudly showing off their new boards:

Dave King, Olympic Raft & Kayak

Jean-Luc and Adam at Leavenworth Mountain Sports

LFS Marine, on the water in Bellingham at Squalicum Harbor

Kayak Academy's Lake Sammamish location on a lovely summer day

Barb and Whende at Kayak Academy... it was love at first sight! Good thing I brought two boards!

On the red board, Greg Whitaker of Alki Kayak Tours gets the Traverse into the salty swells of Elliott Bay.

Let's Samba!

Kayak Academy's Whende Keatts, smilin' & stylin' Eddyline's latest new boat

Eddyline Kayaks introduces its newest model, with performance features for everyone to enjoy.

At just under 14 feet, and 44 pounds, it’s a responsive, playful kayak designed to stylishly update the hugely popular Merlin LT design. I paddled this little guy, all 6’3”, 215 pounds of me, and loved it… wished the conditions were a little burlier than Lake Sammamish; even tried to flag down a passing ski boat to get a good wake to ride.

The boat is designed for the smaller paddler though. Whende and Barb jumped in it at Kayak Academy in Issaquah, and came away with big smiles.

Kayak Academy co-owner Barb Gronseth, dancing the Samba beat

Big, but not as big as the grin on the face of Samba Sue that evening at Alki Kayak Tours, where Sue and her husband Stu came by for a test paddle on their way to a romantic sunset dinner. Sue was the first potential customer to paddle the Samba, and she left her name on Alki’s wait list for the new boat! She loved it!

Smilin' Samba Sue

Speaking of wait lists, production is scheduled to start in a couple weeks, and the boat will be MSRP’d at $2,199. Color options are red, blue, yellow, white, and a limited run of Eddyline Orange. Hulls are white, or can be in color for an additional charge. Talk to your local Eddyline dealer today, and grab this new little bundle of joy!

Olympic Raft & Kayak, Port Angeles

Popeye’s Marine, Everett

Boston Harbor Marina, Olympia

Alki Kayak Tours / Mountain to Sound Outfitters, Seattle

Kayak Academy, Issaquah

Olympic Outdoor Center, Port Gamble

Seakayakshop.com, Anacortes

Ahhhhhhh….. just another lovely evening in paradise.

Tahoe SUP boards - sold

These WERE sweeeeet boards... sold!

2009 Tahoe Woody, used for demo events for less than a year

2009 Tahoe Rubicon, paddled just a couple times

Located in my warehouse in Anacortes.

Demo Kayak Sale

Ruby Creek is rotating the 2010 demo boat stock out for the season, so we can get a whole shiny new fleet next Spring! Now’s your chance to grab a good deal on a lightly used kayak. The links shown here go directly to the manufacturer’s web site so you can pick up all the specs. All of these prices are at least 25% under MSRP for these models when new.

Take a look at the videos below for an idea of the excellent condition of all these boats.

Please contact rubycreekboathouse@gmail.com or call Ruby Creek World HQ at 206-940-6269. Cash or checks only.

Eddyline Kayaks:

Eddyline Fathom LV (low volume), red over white --SOLD (MSRP new $2,669)

Eddyline Equinox, red over white --- $1,399 (MSRP new $1,999)

Eddyline Journey, light blue over white --- SOLD

Eddyline Sandpiper, light blue over white --- SOLD (MSRP new $1,349)

…and another Eddyline Sandpiper, NEW and still in the wrapper (shipping error, came back to us), --- SOLD .

Here's a new vid showing all 4 Eddyline boats for sale.

Emotion Kayaks:

Emotion Bliss, lime--- $345 (MSRP new $499)

Emotion Exhilarator, blue --- $370 (MSRP new $499)

2009 Emotion Mojo, yellow (w/o folding seat; older style hatch) --- SOLD (MSRP new was $649)

2010 Emotion Mojo, yellow (w/ folding seat) --- $490 (MSRP new $699)

Emotion Edge, blue – --- SOLD

Emotion Charger, lime --- $290(MSRP new $399)

Emotion Glide, yellow --- SOLD

Emotion Tandemonium, tangerine --- $499 (MSRP new $769)

Emotion AdvantEdge, tangerine --- SOLD (MSRP new $599)

Emotion Grand Slam, blue --- $590 (MSRP new $829)

Emotion Spitfire, red --- SOLD (MSRP new $250)

Emotion Comet, blue --- $200 (MSRP new $280)

Emotion Temptation, blue --- $440 (MSRP new $579)

You can pick these boats up at Ruby Creek’s warehouse at 9117 Molly Lane, Anacortes WA 98221 or we’ll work out a delivery.

Ruby Creek has a large selection of 1-2 season-old pfds and paddles too. Working on a list – check back soon!

Big props to Emotion Kayaks!

Big Tom Strauss of Emotion Kayaks will not be photographed without that smile on his face.

Big Tom Strauss, he’s our man, and he’s come through again with an awesome display of generosity, support for a fantastic cause, and BIG LOVE for the kayak fishing community in the Puget Sound area.

Big Smilin’ Tom, President of Emotion Kayaks, agreed to donate a Stealth fishing kayak to the 2010 Anacortes Salmon Derby, which attracted 1,000 enthusiastic fishermen earlier this month. In its first three years, the Derby raised over $73,000 for Puget Sound Anglers’ scholarship program for young students pursuing careers in Fisheries Management and related areas.

Kayak winner Keith Hofkamp of Burlington WA told me "that's my picture... with the big ass fish". Yeah Keith, that's one big ass fish, and congrats on winning the boat! Dean Hislop photo courtesy of Anacortes Salmon Derby

Knowing that support for research and proper management of salmon habitat means support for the entire ecosystem, from our local endangered Orcas (who eat the big yummy salmon too) to the thick-forested headwaters of our streams where they spawn, Big Tom stepped up where it counts.

The lucky winner of the Stealth kayak was Keith Hofkamp of Burlington, WA, who caught a 21.6-pound Chinook Salmon. Congrats Keith! And thanks again to Big Tom Strauss for making it happen!

Here's the boat Tom donated and Keith won with his 21+-pound whopper... all in the name of helping another generation of young people get educated and keep our waters clean and our salmon healthy!

Emotion Kayaks are popping up in outdoor shops all over the Northwest, including Puget Sound dealers LFS Marine in Bellingham, Wholesale Sports at nine locations in Washington and Oregon, Popeye’s Marine and Grass Roots Outdoors in Everett, Mountain to Sound Outfitters in Seattle, Olympic Outdoor Center in Port Gamble, Ship to Shore Marine in Gig Harbor, Boston Harbor Marina in Olympia, and Olympic Raft & Kayak in Port Angeles.

FREE Movie premiere: "This is Canoeing"

Justine Curgenven ("This is the Sea" series) brings you a brand new take on paddling adventure movies with "This is Canoeing". Sponsored by Esquif Canoes, Justine's newest film covers the world's greatest paddling destinations and shows an amazing variety of paddling skills, from graceful ballet to hardcore slalom racing.The Northwest USA premiere is happening at Cascade Canoe & Kayak in Renton, WA on Saturday the 20^th of March. Cascade’s Dan Henderson will fire up the grill at 1:30, serve some chow, chat about the movie, and get it on screen around 2:30.Check out the sweet video trailer here:http://www.cackletv.com/canoeing/this-is-canoeing/Please RSVP here if you're coming and we'll pass the info along to Dan, or call him at the shop at (425) 430-0111. Directions are on CC&K's site, http://www.canoe-kayak.com/locations/renton

Add - A- Buoy

Check out the Add-a-Buoy air bladder for Stohlquist’s new Descent PFD. This hard core rescue vest gets another 5 lbs of flotation when the bladder is inflated.  Without inflation the bladder sits flat in the vest pocket, and the air tube fits through a grommet to be stored in Stohlquist’s “garage” pouch at the top of the vest.

 

Paddling events on the Spring calendar

You can tell it’s Spring when cool stuff like this is happening in Northwest paddlesports:

>>FREE<< “This is Canoeing” premiere -- Saturday, March 20: Justine Curgenven and Esquif Canoes present “This is Canoeing” (Click the title to see the sweeeeet trailer). The Washington premiere is at Cascade Canoe & Kayak in Renton, WA. Cascade’s Dan Henderson says we’ll fire up the BBQ grill around 1:30pm, then get the movie going when everyone’s finished eating. The show is free!

Port Angeles Kayak Symposium -- Friday-Sunday, April 16-18: Dave King and Olympic Raft & Kayak present the 10th annual Port Angeles Kayak Symposium, in front of the Red Lion Hotel. Admission to the demo beach is FREE with a donation to the P.A. Food Bank. Along with huge savings and great deals on boats and gear, the weekend features guest speakers, beach bonfires, skill & safety clinics, on-water demos, a Sunday-morning race, and as always the warm hospitality of your friends at Olympic.

WAKE Demo Day -- Saturday May 1^st: Whatcom Association of Kayak Enthusiasts presents another Annual Demo Day on Lake Whatcom. Keep an eye on their web site for details.

Unleash the Beast! -- Saturday & Sunday, May 8^th & 9^th: John Kuntz and crew at Olympic Outdoor Center in Port Gamble have combined sea kayaking, standup paddling, mountain biking, adventure-films and racing, and a beer garden to top it off, and stirred up “Unleash the Beast”. It’s a groundbreaking Adventure Sports Expo and features the Reel Paddling Film Festival, demos, clinics, a mountain bike competition, and Paddle the Dragon, a 6-mile paddling race presented by Paddling Dynamics.

Races – full info to be available soon, but mark your calendar now:

Paddle the Dragon, Sunday May 9th, Port Gamble

DeFuca Downwinder, Saturday June 12th, Port Angeles

San Juan Orca Challenge, Saturday Sept 11^th, Anacortes

Seattle Boat Show

The Big Seattle Boat Show in February featured gear from Eddyline, Emotion, Stohlquist, Aquabound/Bending Branches, Hippo Patch and Rec Repair, well represented at booths from Popeye’s Marine, LFS Marine, and Hobie Cats Northwest. If you need any evidence that things are loosening up in our economy just a bit, you need look no further than the great results these dealers had at the show. Take a look at the great variety of gear on display below.

Many thanks to Zack and the whole crew from LFS, Dean and Bedelia from Popeye’s, and Kevin and Dan from Hobie Cat NW for your hard work getting all these great brands out there.

Popeye's Marine just picked up the RecRepair and Hippo Patch products a few months ago.

Clockwise from left - Comet, Stealth, AdvantEdge and CoMotion. All got lots of interest at the show, and helped LFS make some good sales.

Stacks of Spitfires! These and all the Emotion models appealed to yachters looking for something to keep on their deck that would be easy to get on and off their boat and into the water.

Dean and Bedelia brought an Eddyline Journey and this Fathom to the show and got plenty of impressed looks... and a few sales to go with them.

Popeye's got a little jacked around by management on their display space, but they made the most of it and got plenty of merchandise in there.

I'm not sure Dean really wants to sell this ActionFish kayak. It's way too pretty to go on the water, especially with this BB Tailwind stick.