FP hanging out with the Stellar and Slipstream Surf crew at the Summer Series

The start of 2012 has been surreal. I’ve gone from tentatively sitting on a surf ski for the first time, barely able to stay on in completely glassy waters, to rolling up to a surf ski race on Botany Bay four weeks later with a  secret hope that I stay on at least long enough to limp over the finish line. During that time I’ve trained zealously in the gym, everyday, in the hope that diminishing weight and a stronger core accelerate my ability to paddle the long white rocket currently sitting in my garage.

Nat finishes up strongly on his Think Evo. One day I'll beat him, just you watch.

To be honest though, the Stellar SR surf ski I’ve been using (thanks Slipstream Surf) is pretty stable in the surf ski scheme of things. It’s design is great for entry to intermediate level paddlers as it has great secondary stability (for a ski). But there’s still a certain amount of paddler stability that needs to be finessed before taking it out in anything lumpy (unless you like swimming) so the onus has been on me to get myself more “ski ready”.

Eleven kms on Botany Bay and it looks like FP might make it high and dry

So I’ve been training. A lot. Daily routines of cardio and core strength exercises, backed up with a nutritional plan put together by Benefit Active. Since I started training 6 weeks ago (ie two weeks before I got on the ski) I’ve lost 14 kgs / 30 lbs. This is a substantial amount of weight to lose in such a short period of time, but I’m doing it healthily. Great food, lots of exercise, carefully planned by fitness professionals.

Mogo looking great on the Stellar SR surf ski. Also looking very WET!

Of course, all that is irrelevant when it comes to racing. Botany Bay is protected from the ocean but it does get wind-blown lumps and swell squeezing in from outside. The water was certainly dynamic enough to have me worried, but I didn’t want to let on to my fellow Team Fat Paddler members so I forced a smile and off I went. Fortunately fellow TFPer Mogo had borrowed a Stellar SR ski from Slipstream Surf that morning as well so I wasn’t alone in my stability nerves.

Malcolm from Carbonology Australia gave us all awesome on-water support and advice. Legend!

To say I was slow is an understatement. For the first 1-2 kms I took it very slowly, keeping my rhythm steady and cadence slow as I concentrated on keeping the boat stable. Mogo started falling out a bit and as other TFP paddlers went to his aid, I found myself alone in growing chop and swell. I had catchable waves hitting me from behind and at a 45 degree angle, so I zig-zagged through it to enable me to gain the benefit of any runners I could catch.

In the TFP kayak (male) division, The Riddler flies into the finish and a podium place

In the TFP kayak (female) division, Series leader Meg wins another race in her division!

The acceleration on waves was intoxicating, the spray kicking up around me as I desperately fought to keep myself in the boat. Sometimes I’d dip a gunwale into a wave and the cockpit would instantly fill with water, reminding me of Nat’s submarine video on Sydney Harbour, but the gurgling venturi quickly emptied out the water and everything was fine. As I wobbled my way through the chop, I noticed a funny thing. I started to smile, a big heartfelt “THIS IS FUN” kinda smile. Much like the rush of surfing through rocks or bouncing around in whitewater.

Footage from the GoPro. Running the lumps, hell yeah!

As the race went on I kept learning about how the ski reacted to different lump shapes and changing wind conditions. I managed to assist another paddler who’d fallen out, turn the buoy and then battle on through the headwind and side chop back to the start. By now my stability had really kicked in, I’d worked out how to build stability via acceleration, and was genuinely loving the bumpy ride on the return leg. When I started I had no idea what I’d think of this surf ski stuff, but suddenly now I could see why it’s growing as a sport so rapidly. The sensation of racing through lumps on a sleek boat is truly awesome.

Winners are grinners... and we're all winners in our own way!

Needless to say I didn’t win. In fact I wasn’t even in the middle pack – I came into the beach at the finish with only two skis behind me. But to me it was a big win, because in just four weeks I’d managed to somehow race the surf ski in a few lumps without falling out AND actually finish. I’d learnt a heap about the boat, and about how to stabilise through keeping my body relaxed and my speed up. Sure, I have a ridiculous amount still to learn and a huge range of skills to pick up, but they’ll be future wins I can work towards. For now, I’ll be happy with the finish and use the success as motivation to keep up the training. Cheers – FP

Team Fat Paddler racers for Summer Series Race 3 - Mogo, Riddler, FP, Meg and Nat

Special thanks: Gavin and Slipstream Surf for the use of his Stellar SR surf skis, Malcolm and Carbonology Australia for the use of the carbon wing paddles and for his care and advice on the water, Dez and the Blast Paddlers crew for putting on the Summer Series, Alex Francois for the use of his photos from the event, and of course to my Team Fat Paddler members who make all my paddling experiences awesome.

Tags: Blast Paddlers, Carbonology Australia, ocean ski, Slipstream Surf, Stellar Kayaks, Stellar SR, Stellar Surf Skis, Summer Series, surf ski, surfski

Summer Series Race 3 - Botany Bay, Sydney Australia

On a wet, cloudy summer’s day (!!) Team Fat Paddler and a bunch of other paddlers arrived at Sydney’s Botany Bay for the third race of the Summer Series. For many, it was a fast affair in relatively benign conditions, but for a few of us (myself included) it was simply about trying to race a surf ski for the first time. Only four weeks ago I started trying to paddle a ski, and for fellow Team Fat paddler member Mogo, he had even less experience still. Regardless, with the brilliant support of Slipstream Surf who lent us both a couple of Stellar SR surf skis, we hit the water with three other TFP mates and “raced” through the chop and boat wake that had cut up the bay. Bigger story to come, but here’s my video highlights (and yes, I know my forward stroke is rubbish and needs help!!). Cheers, FP

Tags: Slipstream Surf, Stellar Kayaks, Stellar SR, Summer Series, surf ski

5.45am training start. Beautiful but ominous sunrise ahead of a storm.

I am currently training harder than I have ever trained before – multiple workouts a day, lots of cardio, full body exercises with kettle bells and as much time on the water as possible. I’ve trained hard before of course – trained hard for rugby, trained hard for competitive Judo, and of course trained hard to overcome significant physical injuries. What makes this training so different, and perhaps more intense, is that it’s driven by fear.

6.20am. Training alone in 15knt winds and chop, watching the storm build.

At the end of June this year I will be flying with a couple of friends to Mauritius, a little tropical island in the Indian Ocean somewhere near Africa. Once a year they hold a paddling race there - a 28km ocean race for surf skis – a race than I am attempting to enter. A race that is included as an official event on the Surfski World Series calendar. A race for professional, if not very serious, ski paddlers.

Of course I’ve taken part in lots of races – the 18km Lifestart Kayak for Kids, the 11km Bridge to Beach, a few 10km Summer Series races, and of course the 111km Haweksbury Canoe Classic. But I’ve never taken on a race that is truly at sea, a race that has had 20 foot surf breaks to get out and back in through, or a race that is entirely professional ski paddlers.  In fact, I’ve never really paddled a surf ski – a pencil thin super-tippy boat for fit slim-hipped athletes.

7.30am. The skies open with a deluge, but at least it flattens out the water!

So with less than 6 months to go, and the help of a few people and local businesses, I’ve started to train. The crew at Slipstream Surf and Stellar Kayaks kindly organised the delivery of a loan Stellar SR surf ski to help me kick off my surf ski experience. Nat from SydneySurfski.com and Malcolm from Carbonology Australia lent me a number of wing paddles to experiment with. Ben from Benefit Active built out my training programs and worked with me on nutritional structures to support my goals. All that is left is…. to actually train!

8.30am. Despite the rain, TFP beginners play with different surf skis. And swim a lot!

So with the footage of the Island Shamaal fresh in my mind, my training has begun. The goals are simple – lose 20kgs, build up lots of core strength, learn to stay on a surf ski on the ocean and get fit enough to race in Mauritius. And of course don’t die whilst I’m out there, the fear of which is giving me all the motivation I need to train my guts out! Cheers, FP

The journey to Mauritius is being documented on our new site, Mauritius Paddlers. You can also follow us on Twitter (@PaddleOrDrown) and Facebook (Facebook.com/MauritusPaddlers).

Tags: Island Shamaal, Mauritius, Mauritius Ocean Classic, Mauritius Paddlers, Stellar Kayaks, Stellar SR, surf ski

Stellar SEL and Stellar SR surfskis ready to go exploring

Surfski training continued this weekend with a 22km paddle on the mostly-calm waters of Middle Harbour here in Sydney. With a 6am start, I was joined by Dez Blanchfield (BlastPaddlers.com) on a Stellar SEL surfski, Nat (SydneySurfski.com) on his Think Evo II and the Riddler (Team Fat Paddler) in his sea kayak.

Dez getting his glide on, upper reaches of Middle Harbour Creek

For me this paddle was still very much an orientation to using a wing paddle and a surfski, and I’ve struggled a bit widening my paddle grip from the Greenland-style to the wing style. I’m also still coming to terms with the stability required for lumpy water, and ended up swimming later that morning after taking on some boat chop from a passing pleasure cruiser. But regardless, time in the boat is critical with Mauritius now only 5.5 months away, so its all good. Thanks to Dez for the paddling tips and Slipstream Surf for the loan of the Stellar SR. Cheers, FP

Tags: ocean ski, Stellar Kayaks, Stellar SEL, Stellar SR, surf ski, surfski

The Stellar SR surfski - a mighty vehicle even for a fat man

With next year’s challenge looming in the background, it’s been time to switch my paddling from playing in the rocks to surfski training. This flavour of paddling is almost completely different from the yakking I’m used to, and time in a ski is critical. Fortunately the good folks at Slipstream Surf and Stellar Kayaks came to the party and lent me a Stellar SR surfski to train on, so over the past few days I’ve put in around 20km on the gentle inland waters of Berowra and Ku-Ring-Gai Chase National Park.

Of course it’s been a little shakey, as my body tries to adapt to the stability needs of a ski. I also don’t have the paddle of choice for skis (wing paddle) and have been using a traditional Aleut paddle instead. But over time I’ve already started to feel my stability increasing and as I do so, the true joy of paddling a ski has already become apparent. Despite the fact I’ve not taken the surfski out in anything lumpy yet, I can see why my pal Nat from SydneySurfSki.com loves skis so much.

With that, here’s a little video of my first sessions on the Stellar SR. Nothing spectacular, just a gentle orientation on the ski through some of the spectacular waterways of Sydney’s Hawkesbury River river district. With some kicking Aussie beats of course! Cheers, FP

Tags: Berowra Waters, ocean ski, Slipstream Surf, Stellar Kayaks, Stellar SR, Stellar surkski, surf ski, surfski