The weather was perfect for the race, downwind at 10 knots with an outgoing tide for the 1st six mile leg. We had 23 paddlers from all over New England and as far away as Canada. We had a rolling start off McCorrie Point with Cory Lancaster leading from the start. I tried to stay with Cory and ride his wash but after a mile, Cory had enough and dropped me. After 3 miles Eric McNett caught me and we were together for about a mile than we took different lines to the turn buoy which was another 3 miles. Cory and Eric stayed closer to the shore while I elected to stay further out having the local knowledge since this is my everyday training route. This line was helpful because as we approached the turn buoy I had closed the gap to 15 seconds on Eric. Cory had a minute or so on Eric at this point. As I rounded the buoy I could see my paddling partner Tim Dwyer about a minute behind me and then a second pack of paddlers made up of Mark Ceconi, Jim Hoffman, Alex McClain, Steve DelGaudio, and Mike McDonough not too far behind.

On the return leg going against the tide and the wind for the next 3 miles to Black Point, the conditions were mixed with some 3-4 foot swells mixed with some refractory waves. During this stretch Cory was all but out of sight while Eric was increasing his lead on me. I was thinking that if can hold steady and conserve some energy until Black point, I could increase my pace for the last 3 mile section. Eric and Cory must have thought the same thing although Eric opted to stay out while Cory elected to hug the shore thus increasing his lead over Eric in the final 3.5 miles of the race.

Meanwhile just after Black point, I looked over my shoulder and caught a glimpse of Tim Dwyer closing the gap on me. I stayed with Tim for as long I could riding his wash for about ¾ of a mile. I tried to pull but I was maxed out. Tim dropped me at Sandy Point with 1.63 miles to go. Trying to keep from fading too badly I tried to keep my Heart Rate from dropping below 160. With a ½ mile to go, Roger Gocking in almost the exact same place as last year, passes me in his 18x looking determined. It was helpful that Tim and Roger kept the pressure on me because the 2nd pack being pulled by Mark Ceconi in his S1R with Alex, Jim, and Mike in tow, were not too far behind.

Cory (38lb,Mako Mil) ended finishing 3-4 minutes ahead of Eric (V12). Cory also won this race last year in a similar fashion leading from the start and slowly increasing that lead over the pack. Cory now living in Beverly, Massachusetts, and only minutes from the water has been getting out more regularly and it is paying huge dividends!!

Thanks to everyone for coming! It was great to see everyone. I want to thank Betsy, Daniele LeConte, Leslie Chappell, and Natalie for helping with the registration and time keeping.

~ Wesley