Outrigger canoeing

In May 2004, we purchased an OC-6, which is a 6-person outrigger canoe. Our numbers had grown, but not enough for another Dragon Boat, so the OC-6 gave us more flexibility when dealing with more than 22 paddlers at practices.

A crew raced in the Duel in the Desert race on May 14th, 2005 - Nilla, Kathy M., Mary M., Wendy, Patty, and Sue. Trish joined us for moral and technical support but was obviously aching to be in the boat!

We came 2nd in the novice race! It was a 10km race and the wind picked up nicely to give us a more interesting paddle than we'd had on Christina Lake.

View a slide show of our race here. (Click on the first slide, and the slide show will automatically start.)

Photos of the outrigger on Christina Lake:

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In 2004, Trish raced in two Outrigger races, presumably getting prepared to lead us into competition in 2005:

The Catalina Crossing was put on by the Southern California Outrigger Racing Association on Sept. 11, 2004. Trish raced with Team Okanagan. The Catalina Crossing is a 42km ocean changes race. The team placed 27th out of 35 boats with a crew that hadn't paddled together before. Good showing!! (See if you can find Trish in the photo... you should recognize the style ... look at that rotation and extension!) You can see more photos of the race on SCORA's website under Race Results / Photo Album.

The Length of the Lake on Okanagan Lake on Sept. 25, 2004. This is a 110km race, also a changes race, but the changes are done from the shore.

Trish participated with a "pick-up" crew in the Length of the Lake race. This is Trish's story:

  • The race was... long (110 km)
  • I and my half of the crew paddled 58 km of that distance (the 1st, 3rd and 5th (final) leg)
  • Changes were on the beach; crews switched off and drove down to the next beach checkpoint after getting out of the boat
  • My team was comprised of an assorted bunch of people (they needed extra bodies, so I volunteered) from as far away as san Diego
  • Some of my team members  were brand new paddlers - not sure I would have the nerve to paddle the Length for my first race ... 
  • Had I known the above beforehand I might have been tempted to opt out  - as it turned out, it was a worthwhile experience, and I'm very  glad I did it ! 
  • Many paddlers on the team (some of whom I met AFTER the race) had never paddled together before; yet timing was quite good - didn't ever feel like we were working against each other - bonus!
  • I would have liked to have had a faster time, but I think everyone did their best (especially  as it was the first race ever for some!) we worked well together, and had fun doing it  - and that's what it's all about! 
  • My team came 4th in the OC6 category (there were only 4 boats, but hey...the others were REALLY fast, and were actually seasoned outrigger paddlers, who trained together  as compared to my pick-up crew!)
  • Lessons learned:
    • I love racing ! There is nothing better than being out on the water paddling! 
    • Racing with a pick-up crew can be a great experience - meeting people for the first time, jumping in a boat together, feeling things click out on the water, and doing your best.
    • You can have a lot of fun and still come last (although I have to say it's more fun to not come last !
    • Next year I'd like to be see a Robuster crew in Length - we can do it!
  • Read the story, courtesy of Dave, the president of the Penticton club, as posted on the CORA website, if you want to hear more. Maybe it will inspire some of you for next year...