October Roundup

Saving The World BT

In case you’ve been napping–FarAndAWey has been on the move for the last few weeks, traveling, working, and catching a few late-fall waves; but, a few posts are up, or forthcoming, and they’ll make your day a smooth ride.

  • We had to wait until almost the end of summer, but the swells showed up and DST was there to make a statement about getting out there…everyday if you can.
  • FAAW got lost in Baja…and that’s a good thing.
  • Got a front row seat to maybe one of the most difficult Catalina Classic Paddleboard Marathons in history–which is still difficult to write about (full post forthcoming).
  • Laguna Aquathon did not happen, except for those that did not listen.  It was the longest swim (4-5 miles) of any year I can remember, we missed the mid-day cocktail stop, and we still had more fun than can be expected for a six-hour tour of SoCal’s most beautiful beaches.
  • Thought it would be super fun to race the second annual West End Loop Race, which it was if you didn’t actually race, but rather paddled with your friends, jumped in the water, and didn’t take yourself too seriously (full post forthcoming).
  • DST ponied up a new short flick with his buddy and made a bonafide announcement that he is ready to charge larger surf in this great Dog Town Session that is dirty, nasty, and awesome.

Change. Deal with It.

Crossing that thin red line in Venice on the tail-end of a great mid-October swell.

Look into Daniel’s eyes and you’ll see a kid that’s going to serve up a plate of amazing while the rest of us are eating sample dish of “I’m not sure.”

DST…fat city ready.

Tagged

DST: [Walking by a liquor store in Venice] “Hey dad, isn’t that you?”

Me: [Looking closely] “Holy s&%t shucks, it is your old man.  Ha!”

Tagging aside funny to see yourself in your local liquor store window…wait, maybe not.

wpid-20150917_170912.jpg

wpid-20150917_170917.jpg

Face may have been cut off by a big ol’ tag, but I know that cold shirt and Herbie (53) anywhere.  2013 Catalina Classic Marathon Paddleboard Race.

[UPDATE: Found the original!]

Full

img_1053

So That Happened

Catalina Classic, 2015

Brutal.  Still putting it all together and sorting through the pictures, video, and updates from the paddlers; but, from my front row seat it was ugly.  Of the race, one paddler wrote that 90% of his mind was telling the other 10% to stop, and that his body simply refused to respond to input.  I witnessed heartbreaking withdrawals and some inspired paddling in tough conditions–congratulations to everyone that finished the race.  More to come soon…

Caldwell Classic 2015_2

Thurmond, Caldwell, Urkov

Caldwell Classic 2015_1

This…pretty much the entire race.

Last Minute Talks

Great afternoon talking to our paddler, Reno Caldwell, making arrangements for food, hydration, board transportation, and the smallest little details of strategy.  It’s painful to know so much about the race; it’s more painful to watch someone doing the pre-race dance.

BT SC