Water Monkey Fall Paddle Fest: October 28, 2012
The wind condition outlook was not so good for race day due to Hurricane Sandy, with gusts up to 25+ mph & lots of ocean chop, but Water Monkey Fall Paddle Festival race organizer, Chase Kosterlitz, was prepared with alternate courses set in the Treasure Island, FL intracoastal waterway, & the athletes were ready to tackle the cards they’d been dealt!
Fortunately, the morning of October 28, 2012, Sandy winds had slowed to 13-15mph, the weather temp was true to a cool Fall & the racers were feeling energized! Since the courses had been altered, the electronic timing system had to be prepared manually due to water, instead of beach, finish. At the host hotel, Island Inn Beach Resort, over 100 paddlers lined up, got their numbers, & Chase announced the course details & safety information at the Captain’s Meeting. Racers were relieved to hear both the 8 mi Elite & 3 mi Fun courses had been shortened due to gnarly conditions.
There was a decent launch site across the street from the Island Inn Beach Resort, complete with a boat ramp & dock, & Elite racers began putting in & lining up between the dock & buoy that represented the starting line. Chase gave the 30 second warning, blew the horn & the athletes were off to a strong start, heading north into the headwind & current. The course was super fun, winding through dock & boat-lined canals, around 3 home-filled islands. On my 12’6”x 26” Starboard BOP, I chose to strategically hug the sides to avoid the brunt of the wind & current. My Starboard SUP, sold by Travel Country in Altamonte Springs, FL, cut through the chop nicely & kept me stable through intervals of washing machine-like chop from the reverb of waves off the canal walls.
The course offered all kinds of challenging conditions – currents, wind & chop from all directions, but most of all I liked the downwind section after rounding Capri Isle & looping south! I was catching wave after wave, moving toward the center of the canal to benefit from the current and wind at my back! My Maui Jim Sugar Beach shades allowed me to read the water clearly & offered a sharp view of the dolphins playfully surfing just 10 feet to my side! Rounding Paradise Island at the end of the course, I hit the head wind & current again, & the gusts were much stronger than when the race started! I got low & used a choke stroke with my light & powerful Werner Grand Prix paddle & gave it my all to the finish line! The digital timer presented my finish time of 1:22 hours for 6 miles total & there were encouraging spectators cheering & applauding!
Post-race lunch & awards ceremony was held back at the Island Inn where top 3 finishers in all board classes/races received medals. I placed 6th in my division & 3rd in my age group! In the spirit of Halloween, costume beach relays & egg toss were held which was a very fun & entertaining way to end the day! In all, it was a great event – organized, challenging & competitive! Big mahalo to my sponsors, Travel Country, Starboard, Maui Jim & Werner! – Jessica Cichra, Owner/SUP Instructor/Athlete, Wave of Wellness.
Back to the Blog