The Essex race keeps getting bigger and bigger and better and better. Bigger in terms of more racers and better in the organization of the race by Race Director Bill Klunuski, Donna and Dave Lind and Tom Lawler. I knew it was going to be a huge crowd when Tim, Razz and I, got the last on street parking space at 8:30, two hours before the start of the race.

Registration went smoothly and the skippers meeting led by Bill was heard by everyone thanks to them using a speaker system. This year there were two port- a- johns which was a needed improvement with the large numbers of racers.

The race with a staggered start for all the classes went more smoothly this year I thought without excessive delay.

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The results were posted immediately after the race which is fantastic!!!! They were up on the Essex Web site early yesterday which is the fastest I have ever seen them up. Years ago we would wait weeks for the official results to be posted. A big New England thanks goes to Bill, Donna, Dave, and CARC race committee for making the race a huge success.

Just prior to the race, many of us were discussing rudder choices. Ellen Stewart in her fabulous green Huki S1X special was going to use her 7 inch but after a brief comment or two she pulled out her 4 inch and decided that it would be a better choice for such a flat, weedy race. I think she was happy with her results when I saw her after the race. She placed 3rd in the women’s division.

I staked out a place next to Eric McNett new V12. Eric and I discussed the rudder options with the V12. Eric found out the day before the race through trial and error that the V10 rudders are not interchangeable with the V12. Eric was able to modify a rudder for the race complete with a weed guard and was able to hammer out his 1st Surfski victory after paddling Oc1’s and canoes for 30 years.

In talking to Eric after the race, doing well in races is nothing new to Eric. In 1987 and 1988, Eric and partners Randy Drake and Tony Short, came in second only 5 minutes behind the living legend Serge Corbin, in the famed AuSable River Canoe Marathon. The Weyerhaeuser AuSable River Canoe Marathon is widely recognized as the “Longest, Richest and Toughest Canoe Race in North America”. Competitors paddle an average of fifty paddle strokes per minute to finish this grueling race, much of which is accomplished in the darkness. The race course runs from Grayling to Oscoda Michigan, covering over 120 miles of the world famous AuSable River. In 1994, Carriere teamed with Serge Corbin to win the race in under fourteen hours, the fastest marathon finish in race history.

We have seen Eric on the race circuit for years but until the final race of the season (Northeast Downwind) last year, he always showed up in an OC1. Eric placed 2nd in that race which was his first surfski race ever. What also is nice, is that Eric has converted his family into surfskis as well, a true family event. Cindy McNett and Ariel (daughter) were also contenders at the Essex Race. Cindy was nice enough to let Eric borrow her V12 while she paddled Eric’s Legend. Um, that sounds familiar, buy a ski for your wife and then paddle it. How does that work? It seemed to work out for them. Eric placed 1st in the surfski class, while Cindy place 2nd in the Women’s and 15th in the overall standings beating many of the men.

Alex McClain, the women’s winner had a very good showing as did her father (Rod), another canoe and OC1 paddler, placed 3rd in a hotly contested 3rd-8th battle royal. Surfskiracing.com very own Chris Chappell, put in a huge effort in his 32lb V10sport to catch the pack in the final 2 miles doing all the work solo for this 2 miles, (no one to draft) to join the pack of 5 surfskis just at the finish line. ~Wesley