I have been paddling since 1994 when I got my first sea kayak a P&H Capella. A few years later I got my BCU Star 3 Certification and trained for my BCU Star 4. I also received my ACA Open Water Certification too. In 2003 I got my first surfski and have been paddling, training, racing, instructing since then. I launched this site in 2009 with the help of my friend, Chris Chappell(FastPaddler.com) to promote and sell my DVD “Surfski Basics”. As I progressed through surfskis based on my skill level and different designs in skis, I accumulated massive amounts of GPS data and had paddled many, many skis of all brands. I then put together a spreadsheet comparing all the skis that I paddled and rated them primarly based on speed and stability. This was the first time a comprehensive comparison had been done and put on the public web. In 2010 I began working for Stellar as the Marketing Manager help launching Stellar Surfskis and Kayaks. For 3 years I touched almost every surfski Stellar sold. I worked for Stellar for six years while still reviewing all brands of skis. I also work a few years selling Thinks skis as well with my friend Chris Laughlin(Think Distributor). These were my part time jobs. I have been in pharmaceutical sales since 1994, and prior to that the United States Navy for 8 years. Now 2024, I have been retired from pharmaceutical sales since 2022, working part time at Run Newport, Specialty Running Store, and started Training Dogs(Next Step Dog Training.com) in this same period.
Since pharmaceutical retirement, I paddled less getting into cycling and picking up running again. I now have more bikes than skis and chasing Strava Segment times has been so much fun for me. On one segment, I clocked 14 of 1423 overall, not bad for an old guy with a tailwind. I also trained for 5k and 10k road races where I frequently won my age group or placed. So while not paddling as much I was able to keep in shape. In 2023, my training partner Tim Dywer and I placed 9th of 149 overall(all classes of boats) in the 19.4 mile famed Blackburn Challenge in a Epic V8 1G tandem. Together Tim and I have over 35 years competing in this iconic race.
