If you haven’t heard the buzz yet about the new Ke Nalu paddles you soon will. My brother Bill and his partner Lane have created a paddle that is blowing folks away with how great they are. You would think that a tool that has been around as long as a paddle wouldn’t have that much room for improvement. All you have to do is read through the comments posted on standupzone to understand they have something special. http://www.standupzone.com/forum/index.php?topic=13448.0
247 comments in the post and every person that has posted a review is amazed.

So you can see why I’m so stoked to be the Ke Nalu dealer for the north east. 3 blade sizes available, Wiki-8″ (84 sq. in.), Maliko-8.5″ (95 sq. in)., and Molokai-9″ (105 sq. in.). Shafts in 100 flex 90 and 60 (60 being the most flexible) 4 handle types, Ergo, ergo T, regular T, and extended ergo T (allows for adjustable length).  The 8″ Wiki is the lightest paddle on the planet….442 grams….crazy light. They’re all light (Molokai is just 499 grams) but that’s just nuts….feels like a feather. They also grab water like bigger blades, have zero flutter, and enter and exit the water so smoothly you almost wonder if there is anything there.

Another awesome feature is how they are constructed. no ferrule joining blade to shaft so no edge just smooth carbon. They have a carbon fibre  I-beam reinforcing the shaft blade connection and are as tough as padddles that weigh 2-3 times as much. The coolest thing…they go together with hot glue. If you happen to run over your blade or crack your handle on a rock or something you can easily order a new piece and fix it using just a blow dryer. After having dealt with fixing other manufacturers broken paddles and what a pain it usually is how cool is that.

I’m going to be doing demos all over New England and the northeast (look for a calendar here shortly) and if you’re interested drop a comment here and I’ll schedule one near you.

The next event in this years CCBC event series. The Challenge on the Charles at Community Boating in Boston. A 4 mile race around the basin of the Charles River, great venue and race route. Through the lagoons of the esplanade next to the hatch shell out into and making a loop around the basin between the Kendall and Mass Ave bridges.
Followed by a great party with good food, music of the Smokin Jackets, Barefoot Wines, and no CCBC party would be complete without some tasty Wachusett Brews.
Raffles for all kind of great gear. Naish 14′ Glide, Kialoa paddles, Maui Jims, Tevas, artwork and lots more.
Join us as we present the folks at Community Boating with 6 full setups of SUP gear, huge thanks to the folks at Naish and Kialoa for their help doing this. We’re looking forward to seeing all the groms paddling the Charles.
Going to be a great day.

Fun day at the rivermouth

My last two sessions underlined just how much my sense of balance relies on vision. Last saturday started out clear for a a paddle down the coast to a rivermouth break. No issues on the way down, and the surf was fun. The paddle back sucked though. Fog came in pretty heavy and that killed me even though it was just a little bumpy. I ended up knee paddling back and even that was tough at times. Head was spinning, dizzy almost the whole way. The sea blending into the sky and not having the broad horizon to provide focus sends my balance out the window.

Todays session was just the opposite. Same spot but today it started out foggy. Thankfully it was like glass so even though I was feeling unbalanced I managed to stay upright. The fog burnt off just about the time I arrived at the rivermouth. Sweet waist high waves all over the place. I stowed my gear on the beach and gave my head a chance to settle down and paddled out. Two hours of fun surf then the wind got on it and the tide changed. It got very confused and bumpy but the direction was perfect for my paddle back to the harbor. I paddled out a mile into it and then turned downwind for the ride home. Even as bumpy and confused as it was I had absolutely no problems…even getting some nice glides on the windswell. Fingers crossed we have a nice clear day for CCBC 2011.

It’s been a very long while since I’ve posted anything. My brother Dave’s death last August, two days before the CCBC, affected me in ways that don’t seem reasonable. Somehow this blog became associated with it. Every time I’ve tried to write here it hurt. Maybe its a feeling of guilt. Dave had a heart attack and drowned while trying to help someone keep their sailboat off the rocks. Dave was a big guy and I often thought that SUP might help him like it did me. We talked about it but I just never got around to getting him on a board. Then he was gone. When someone who’s always been there for you (I’ve always been his “little” brother) dies and you feel like maybe there was something you could have done….tough expressing the depth of the pain. I still tear up when I think of him. I’m still having a hard time writing here…silly I know…but it is what it is.

I need to get beyond it though and writing here again may help in a small way. The primary reason for starting this blog was to share my passion for the sport. Hopefully encouraging others that might be struggling with health issues, particularly those with balance problems like my own, to get out and push themselves beyond where they may have thought possible. It’s not easy for most folks to understand what standup means to me. It gave me a normal life again. It lead to the creation of the Cape Cod Bay Challenge with my good friend Mike. Now with the help of a lot of others I’m giving back in a way that gives meaning to my life that for me is only approached by how being a Dad makes me feel. Last year the money we raised helped 16 kids and their families while they underwent treatment for cancer. I’ve never been involved with anything with such special purpose.

So it’s time to get back into it. To spread the word about what this amazing sport has the potential to do for folks and to promote the importance of the CCBC and the event series we’ve grown around it. A piece of Dave lives on inside me. Not just in the DNA. I know how much he cared about people and I hope I can do his memory justice.

Thanks for always having my back bro, I love you and miss you.

CCBC Ohana in 2010 helping brother Bill and I get through it.

For the kids – CCBC events 2010.

Great summer…come join us next year!

Dawn patrol on the Cape today with some of the CCBC crew. They were already on it when I got there at 5:30 am. LOTS of SUPs in the water today despite it being more thana bit bumpy…everyone jonesing obviously.

We couldn’t have asked for much better conditions.  Glassy with a little swell to make the race fun and interesting and the pre and post surf sessions sweet. Thanks for a great start to the Cape Cod Bay Challenge event series everyone….great job Christa and Jody.

Don’t miss the second race of the summer. You can register here….don’t wait…remaining slots are filling fast. http://www.capecodbaychallenge.org/Race_Series/race_series.html

Cape Cod Bay Challenge.

Best downwind video to date….come on crew lets get some going here….so many great runs available to us here….a natural.

Waist to chest high and glassy…what a great day.

Classic Cape Cod