SUP 4 Men's Health Expedition: Vancouver to Victoria powered by Duracell and Simon Whitfield.

the route

photo by Blue Giraffe Photo

Simon: glad you are part of the SUP community and thank you for being the creator of this beautiful expedition. We experienced it all from baby seals on boards, to side chop, strong currents, sun, rain, delicious healthy fresh foods, blisters, good conversations, some water time for some of us, boats, waves, calmness, beautiful sunsets, campfires.... and the list goes on. The pacific north west delivered it all and I loved everyone bit of it.

If you asked any one of us on the trip why and how we got to be on this trip... The typical answer was through Simon. Simon, a Canadian sport hero, a retired triathlete and now new to the sport of SUP. He brought together 10 other paddlers (his friends) to paddle across the Georgia Straight/Salish Seas from Downtown Vancouver to Downtown Victoria. Paddling this distance across these waters is not an easy feat for the most elite of paddlers and a pretty darn amazing feat for those who don't stand up paddle all that much. Our group members have some pretty amazing backgrounds not only in SUP but in life as well. Some of the backgrounds of people on the trip included: Olympic Gold medalists, pro triathletes, top level swimmers, people who rowed across the Atlantic, world champions, people who had accomplished other amazing adventures on SUPs and or other sports and just a pretty unbelievable group of people all around. It was too cool to come together to promote Canadian's Men Health and complete an amazing paddling journey.

Below I will share aspects of my experience throughout the journey... I am sure each paddler experienced different magical moments, hardships, and expectations.

Photo By Rory McGarry

I knew it would be difficult, but for some reason I wasn't too worried about the trip with all the great planning, safety, boats, and support surrounding us. Lyle, Aaron, Louise and Rory were all on the support boat that would follow us and ensure our safety throughout the trip.

photo by Rory McGarry & Adrien Sala

Day 1 was going to be the toughest day, with the big crossing, the longest distances, and strongest currents. It indeed was the most difficult day: 12 hours, 70km, max currents with and against us, side chop, etc etc... It was also the first time the 11 of us were all paddling together. So, a big day with many paddlers we had never paddled with before. Challenges would arise.
We had our send off form First Beach on English Bay at 5am. The water was calm and the temps perfect. We got across to Point Grey quickly and efficiently and it was here where we took our first break before the BIG crossing. Things were looking good, everyone was on track and together. We were all excited and in good spirits and ready to get the crossing done before winds and currents would make it more challenging. We were aiming for Dionisio Point on Galiano Island. I have to say I was happy to have the support boat with us, with all the boat traffic, it could be a very scary place to be all on your own. The safety boat was able to make calls to other boats to let them know we were there paddling across the shipping lanes. The current was on our side for half of the crossing but the westerly winds gave us a pretty steady side chop. We were all feeling the effects of paddling mostly on our left sides but with strong minds and the desire to keep moving we were making good ground. Everyone did such an amazing job of bunkering down and dealing with the conditions, enjoying the fact we were doing something very special that few few people ever do. For me, it was too cool to paddle this crossing as I have taken endless ferries across and always wondered what it would be like to paddle across. Here I was in the midst of paddling across on a SUP! I was happy to be wearing my 7mm booties as others who were barefoot were starting to feel the effects of the cool water. As we crossed the water temps decreased all the way to Victoria. Unfortunately for me, my hands started to blister throughout the crossing which is new for me (I rarely blister). My blistered hands proved to be slightly annoying for the remainder of the trip, it would cause me some discomfort and therefore affect different parts of my upper body as I was adjusting my grip to avoid the pain in my hands. It was the worst at the beginning and after breaks but once I was into the rhythm of it I my mind would forget about them for a little bit at a time. We made it to the tip of Galiano by noon. Here we took a well deserved lunch break before taking on Porlier Pass. We didn't see any wildlife throughout our crossing but it was pretty beautiful to look right, left, forward and backwards. We truly live in a very beautiful part of the world. After looking at the strong currents of Polier Pass and wondering if any of us could paddle through it with boils, rocks, and crazy currents, Mike Darbyshire was the only one that managed to paddle the pass at max current of 8.2 knots against us. It was crazy to see close up how the boils were forming and the quickness of the current. I just stood there and watched it for awhile, amazed. Jack also explored the currents on his prone board but could not punch through to the other side. The rest of us hiked around the point to skip past the worst of the currents. What the next 4 hours would entail was frankly pretty heart wrentching and mentally difficult... We paddled so hard against such a strong current that we were making very little ground at 2km/hour. The current was fierce and our muscles getting tired. We all paddled close to shore but still the effects of the current were very strong. The last 20km along the coast of Galiano were tough going and we really had to dig deep inside of us both physically and mentally to push through and make it to Montague Harbour in good time. Luckily we made it to Montague Harbour with smiles on our faces and with plenty of light left. We enjoyed our accomplishments in good company and with delicious foods that was prepared for us:) The sunset was grand and then it was off to bed, my brain and body were ready for some rest and a good sleep!

photo by Rory McGarry & Adrien Sala

photo by Rory McGarry & Adrien Sala

Day 2
After a killer of a sleep, I was ready to conquer day 2. I love those sleeps where your body and mind are so tired you just fall directly into a deep and delicious sleep. Once awake ont his beautiful morning, we enjoyed an amazing breakfast of fruit, coffee, and an unbelievable egg sandwhich. After breakfast it was all about getting ourselves onto the water for a 9am departure but first we had to haul the boards back down the trail and stairs to the water and bags back on the boat. The weather was warm and calm which made for a nice start to the day. Our first crossing from Montague Harbour on Galiano to Prevost Island was easy and calm and beautiful. I couldn't stop looking around and just taking in the beauty of the islands and ocean. It was a very calming and freeing feeling as I paddled and just took it all in. As we passed Prevost Island the winds started to pick up as weheaded alongside Salt Spring to the tip of Ruckle Provincial Park on Salt Spring. Boat traffic increased a little and we could see the ferries out in front. We continued on past Portland Island and a bunch of smaller islands where among them Jack had the amazing luck of having a baby seal jump onto his paddleboard. He didn't touch it but let it enjoy the board before he dipped his board back in the water so the baby seal could continue his journey and join the rest of its family in the water. We stopped for lunch and a little break in the sun with the view of Sidney town in the foreground. Post lunch the crossing over to Vancouver Island was a little intense with lots of boat traffic, waves, wind and current...but we made it. It was a couple more hours of following the coast line to our next camp site at Island View Beach. It was pretty easy paddling from there on. At Island View Beach we were greeted by the Men's Health and Fantan folks who showed us to our campsite. We enjoyed some time to relax in the sun, chat, and eat some amazing and delicious food before heading to bed nice and early. Another tough BUT too amazing day at the office:)

photo by Rory McGarry & Adrien Sala

photo by Rory McGarry & Adrien Sala

Day 3. We all agreed that our pririty was to make it to Victoria Harbour in a safe manner on this last day of our expedition. In order to achieve this we had to all agree to leave earlier than the original plan in order to beat the predicted high winds and potentially bad weather. So a 4am breakfast, 4:30am bags to the beach and 5am departure was the plan. It rained throughout the night but at the critical moments of getting up and getting breakfast the rain had ceased for a little bit. Our breakfast of egg, bacon wraps and coffee was perfect. We all dressed a little warmer on this rainy, cool morning with neoprene, toques, booties, and gloves. We were pretty eager to get on the water and start paddling as the predicted winds were going to make the paddle a tough one. The paddle to the first major point was pretty rough, it was a whole lot of side chop and one needed to just push through to get to the point. Once we rounded the corner LUCK was on our side as the conditions actually got better instead of tougher. We happily paddled passed the Discovery islands and then past Trial islands and onto Clover Point. At Clover Point we expected the toughest conditions but our timing was perfect as we cruised past way ahead of schedule. We eventually rounded the Harbour walls and that was it, we stuck together as we cruised into Victoria harbour to meet the few fans and workers that managed to get there 5 hours before our scheduled arrival. We were greeted with signs, coffee, and hugs. It was perfect.

Photo By Blue Giraffe Photo

photo by Blue Giraffe Photo

Photo by Brian Raymer

What an unbelievable experience with some pretty amazing paddlers and for a great cause too. Thank you to Simon for the invite, the other paddlers for the company, CMH, Fantan, and all of those that helped make this trip happen with such success.


Check out dontchangemuch.ca and Canadian's Men Health Foundation for ideas of making small changes to ensure a long healthy life.

Photo by Brian Raymer

The amazing paddlers:
Simon Whitfield
Duff Gibson
Yannick Michaud
Morgan Hoesterey
Lina Augaitis
Markus Pukonen
George Pisek
Jack Bark
Roch Frey
Chad Guenter
Mike Darbyshire


THANK YOU:
Lyle Berzins: Boat Captain
Erin Bradely: Boat Captain
Heather Lejeune: Project Manager, Fantan
Tina Rogers :Communications and Events Manager, CMHF
Kirsten Ovstaas: Course Coordinator
Matthew Traynor : Volunteer Site Assistant
Campbell Kearns: Chef
Rory McGarry: Videographer
Duracell, Edge Energy Foods, Fantan Group, Men's Health Foundation

THANK YOU TO MY SPONSORS:
Thank you SIC for the board: the 14ft Bullet V2 was great.
WernerPaddles and Nikki Rekman Sales for the paddles (Small Grand Prix paddle)
SeasonFive ( Kiowa hoody, barrier capris, crystal tank) and Kokatat (Hydrus 3L Tempest Pants with socks -  Tropos, otter jacket) for the perfect things to wear,
Clifbar,  Feed the Machine for the nutrition
OnItPro, Ryders Eyewear, Surffur, Larry Allison Fins, the added extras that make the paddle that much sweeter
Crossfit Vancouver,Ultimate Potential, Olympus Movement and Mobility,
Kalavida Surf Shop, Deep Cove Canoe and Kayak,

photo by Rory McGarry

live, love, laugh,...DREAM!
lina

Team Canada at ISA World SUP and Paddleboard Campionships, Nicaragua: The small team with a BIG heart!

okay my recap is a little late... it has been a little bit of a whirlwind since my arrival home... but finally... put something together! Enjoy!

10 days in Nicaragua...

Team Canada: We had our ups and downs this year... it is all part of the adventure when you have a group of people come together in a foreign country to compete at a high level... Some aspects are easier to control than others..sometimes bad luck just sweeps on through and there is nothing anybody can do...and then something beyond amazing can happen... I know I definitely experienced it all down in Nicaragua... Wow, do I ever get emotional.. haha.. I think it is a relatively good thing but I know at times it can be frustrating not just for me but more so for others... Maybe Andrew knows that best on this one:) Thanks for still loving me Andrew!!!!!

The Team
Mel, Josh, Diane: The surfers
Cameron, David, Roch Frey(was on the team but in the end could not make it:( ), ME: The racers

We came together from different parts of the world. It is pretty amazing actually and I feel a rather true representation of how multicultural Canada is. Mel is living in Korea and is Philipino/Canadian, Cameron is living in Australia and is Australian/Canadian, Diane is living in US and is US/Canadian, Josh is from Toronto CAN, and David and I currently living in Vancouver. Pretty amazing stuff really!!!!

  Mel and I arrived into Nica somewhat together (sort of the same timing but from different parts of the world)... Mel rocked it and organized a van transport to our hotel in Granada in advance! woohoo for organization!... It was late but the nice man drove us around Managua to give us a little tour before heading to our hotel, Hotel Kekoldi...  The hotel was clean and basic with a nice breakfast buffet in the morning and a tiny little pool. The best part of the hotel was having the Denmark team stay there too!

  In the morning we met Cameron, Diane, and Josh and our driver, Donaldo with the van... We headed to check out La Boquita for a surf session... It was an hour and a half drive where we stopped for lunch at a good little restaurant along the road. I have my first gallo pinto with plantains and cheese for lunch along with fresh tropical fruit juice. I think one of my favrite parts of travelling in central america is the fresh exotic fruit juices you can get... AMAZING! In the end, I didn't actually surf as there wasn't a board for me... I paddled around on Diane's board but couldn't stand on it so proned and then got scared and came back to the beach... A rather unsuccessful surf outing on my part but it was fun to see the coast and get wet! I did paddle up a river but then got freaked out the further I went in, being on my own and not knowing what was in the waters and who would jump out on the shores....haha.. sometimes being a girl is just a little bit ridiculous!

Friday Cam and I found the lake and managed to test the local waters out... This was where we were going to race in days to come ...We actually got a pretty sweet little downwinder after working hard against the wind... Lake Nicaragua is HUGE, and really warm and apparently is the home of bull sharks, alligators, and snakes... Monkeys also live on the local islands... FUN! Well as long as I was never too far from my board! Hehe

Saturday was the opening ceremonies.. There is something really special about wearing your country colours and name and walking in a parade representing your country... Gosh I guess I feel pretty lucky that I have been able to do it in multiple sports now.. First with Triathlon, now SUP... It really doesn't get old... We smothered ourselves with tattoos and were the loud obnoxious country with cow bells... We also wore our Canada toques in the sweltering heat.... they did look pretty awesome so I didn't mind the boob sweat...

I was lucky enough to pour Canada's sand into the world sand bucket and Cameron proudly held the flag... we enjoyed some local dances and many speeches... 27 countries were represented at the Championships which is pretty cool.. It was a very cool experience with the parade and ceremonies but we were ready when it finished as we were all hot and pretty tired..

Sunday was the first day of competition. The competition started in La Boquita with the surfing. Us racers brought our race boards to the coast in hopes of getting a training run in on the ocean in between heats.
We got to cheer on Josh, Mel and Diane. They did great! Diane, made it to the next wave of heats for the day but in between her heats our luck started to disintegrate. Her backpack got stolen along with most of her valuable things such as computer, wallet, and passport etc. Unfortunately, our motivation and positive hype got a little bummed. No matter how hard you try to be positive it really sucks to get your personal things stolen like that. It feels like someone has come and invaded your hard work and privacy. Hard luck for Diane as she missed her second day of competition to sort out getting a new passport and her transport back to the US. Mel and Josh tried their best on Monday but just barely missed making it through in their heats.

While the boys were surfing, David, Cameron, and I went out to the lake to train. We had some good sessions in on the lake with start and turn practices and interval sessions. Let me tell you it was not convenient to get ourselves and our boards to the lake. There were no hotels right on the lake and no board storage at the lake until the racing started. So for many days we had to order a minibus and load three boards on the roof and pay triple the money there and back... it was do able but a little annoying...

Diane managed to get a passport and a flight home for the next day all in a days work and figuring out and managing the streets and different cities in and around Managua. The next thing to hit team Canada was our stellar prone paddleboard and SUP technical racer had last minute commitments and told us the unfortunate news that he could no longer join us in Nicaragua... I was pretty bummed at this point as I really hoped we could do well as a team. I believe we can be in the top 5 nations overall as a team but with our surfer failing to continue to compete and heading home we also missed a female technical prone paddler and we were forced out of the relay as we needed two girls. Roch is also a stellar competitor and it would have been nice to have him racing for us... so BAM things started to change. I had to really refocus and think about my individual races rather than our team results. They were still important even if it meant we didn't have a full team.  We missed having Diane and Roch with us but understand life is full of surprises that we sometimes cannot control... hugs to you both and thanks for the support. Better luck next time...

Tuesday Mel went to enjoy the finals in real life while we decided to stay back and relax and train on the lake again. We managed to watch the final heats on the live webcast which was cool. It wasn't worth our time and energy to take the 1.5 hr bus to the coast and back... We did manage to put in some solid workouts at the lake, relax and stay cool.

On Wednesday I was having a rough go after the team Captain meeting. Finding out we really couldn't participate in the relay was my climax and I broke down a little. I think it was a combination of many things but apparently I just needed to get some things out of my system.. hehe.. gotta love being a girl sometimes!! I had a little blah moment and then pulled myself together... and was fine again...

Thursday we had our first races, finally our turn to compete! YAY! It was our semifinal for the technical races. As these were not the finals we just had minor pressure of getting through to the finals which would be held on Sunday. Each discipline had two heats. Funny enough heat 1 always seemed to be stacked... What would turn out to be the top 4 ladies in the final were also in my heat, heat 1 in the semifinal...hmmm interesting...
It was my first time paddling up against Shak from AUS and it is always good fun and hard work to paddle against Jenny K. It was good to put the feelers out as I didn't really know the skill level or speed of many of the other amazing ladies from around the world. I ended up winning my heat which was good for my head and confidence going into the distance race. It also showed me that Shak and Jenny K are STRONG! Team Canada paddlers: David and Cameron also made it through to the finals on Sunday. We couldn't participate in the relay as we needed 4 different people, they wouldn't let me SUP and prone. BOO! Still a little bitter about it.. haha

Thursday night the ISA put on the ALOHA party but unfortunately us Ladies had our distance race the next morning so there wasn't much partying for us. Team Canada went along to the party but I left early so that I could eat properly and rest before the big day....these are the sacrifices we must make:)

Friday was the 18km distance race through the islands. I was nervous for this race as it was the one I really really wanted to win (I always want to win but sometimes you want something a little more than the other).. I knew I would have some tough competition.... I made sure I got out early so that I could OnIt Pro my board, register and not have any extra stresses. The course was a point to point through a series of islands. I was also nervous as I knew I would likely be out front and it wasn't the simplest of courses to navigate through and sometimes my mind wanders in races and really knew i could not afford a big mistake. After the racers meeting and figuring out where the first two markers were, I was feeling more confident about the course and got out for my warm up. We eventually all got to the start line and then things went a bit wrong for me. Once the officials called racers to the line a HUGE boat showed up right across the narrow section we were about to paddle across. Shak and I tried to warn the official but as we spoke the start siren went off. Not the start I was hoping for.... Luck was not on my side... The boat then did not move in time and when it finally decided to move I was within touching distance of it and caught in its Eddy. I thought I was off the board but by some miracle I was just able to hold on and stay upright. It did though destroy my plan... so I had to quickly re adjust my plan,  get over the near miss, and work on my new plan with the circumstances that were presented. As it turned out it was Shak, myself and Laura from Spain out in front in a train. We switched leads a couple of times and then eventually Shak and I got out in front of Laura and lost her off the train. It was the Shak and Lina show from then on. We traded off the leads and chatted. It was kind of cool but also somewhat stressful. We were together until we were out of the islands and into the bumps. I was ultra worried once we got into the bumps as I knew Shak was a much better wave rider than me. I just put my head down and hammered through and was aggressive with catching everything I could and it paid off. I was out front! WHAT! I made it to the second to last buoy with a headwind/side chop to the next buoy. I totally got my second wind and just hammered to the last buoy. I turned the last buoy and couldn't believe it I was almost done and still in first. I was so scared to screw up at the end.. haha..I didn't even look back to see where Shak was I just went for it. BAM! World Champions in the distance race! Too excited for words!

Saturday was a day off for the ladies so I went and supported the men for their race. It was nice to have the day to relax the body before the final tech races. I just relaxed, stretched and ate.. and enjoyed watching the men compete. They had an exciting race as well! Cam and David did great! Proud of them!

Sunday was the final day of competition and of ISA World Champs in Nicaragua. I was nervous and not nervous. It was weird.... I just knew what I needed to do. On the line I had a pretty awful start... arg so had to work hard to catch up to Shak and Jenny. Jenny went out hard... she is an awesome awesome racer.... so I knew if I lost them at the start I would be a goner. I just barely held on. I am working on my tech racing, specifically my pivot turns. I am okay but better at the distance grind. It was a three loop course with about 6 buoy turns in each loop. Somewhere on loop 2 Jenny fell off our train. WHAT? It was Shak and I with Jenny not too far behind. The pressure and stress of the short course is so different, one mistake or slip up and things can drastically change. There is not much chance to make up ground with buoy turns. On the last longer upwind section of the last loop I had to make a move, I was sitting behind Shak and I knew she had stronger turns than me and I knew if I didn't try to get out front on the upwind section I would have a very hard time getting past her in the last little downwind section. So I pushed, we were side by side and I couldn't get much more ahead so we went intot the corner together and she popped around just in front and then with my luck she caught a little bump and went for it, she was ahead. I tried y best to catch her but she was too strong. So,  had to settle for a well deserved hard faught second place. Jenny cruised in right behind to grab bronze. Although sometimes tough when the battle is so close to come up short.. I still felt good about my race as it wasn't easy and we all worked so hard. Shak truly deserved the gold... Awesome fun for sure. The guys gave it their all and again made Canada proud. Cam and David may have not had the races they were hoping for but I felt so happy to have them on my team and I think they did awesome. Their support and positive spirit was just amazing throughout the races!

Once the racing was done they moved onto the closing ceremonies. They handed out the medals and one of my most cherished moments of the entire event was standing on top of the podium hearing the Canadian Anthem play... gosh there is nothing like it... it was just the most amazing feeling, I felt so proud and now can understand what it may feel like for athletes at the Olympics... this was like our mini Olympics for our sport and I couldn't feel luckier to have been able to perform my best and come out on top so all Canadians could hear our anthem play! Woohoo! Congrats to all winners, all podium finishers and all racers and competitors. You all have to be proud to have made it to Nicaragua and be able to represent your countries... AMAZING stuff!

ISA website

PICTURES By Mel Vin, ISA Website, Sherri Holt, ME, and others.... THANK YOU for capturing the moments...

Thank you Surffur and Sweet Waterwear for the Team Canada Uniforms! They were amazing! You made us look and feel so proud!

My gear: SIC 12.6 XPro, Werner Grand Prix Paddle, Onit Pro, Season Five, Ryders Eyewear, SUP Race Fins (Larry Allison) Gladiator Fin, Nikki Rekman Sales,

The training team: Crossfit Vancouver, Ultimate Potential, Mike Eisert and the Paddle Academy, Ryan at Foundation, Braly Joy and SIC

Healing team: Moveo, Barb Tyers at Yaletown massage

Nutrition: Feed The Machine, Vitargo, ClifBar

BC Shops that help me make it happen: Kalavida Surf Shop, Deep Cove Canoe and kayak, SunDog Surf Shop


Nicaragua is beautiful and I definitely would like to go back (with Andrew). Climb some volcanoes, surf some waves at different beaches and really experience the culture. It is tough when you go for races as pre race stuff is not the same as being on vacation at all. Nicaragua, I will be back to enjoy more of you!

And that ended my 6 weeks of traveling and racing. It has been amazing with ups and downs, lessons learned.. I really do love the choice I made of following my dream, passion, and instinct. It was a scary thing leaving a job I really enjoyed but everyday I have to pinch myself to make sure I am not dreaming as when you let go and take the risk to do what you feel you need to do things will fall into place. I could not have imagined it could be this amazing but it is.

"There is no road map for life, but when we make decisions with our hearts the path leads us to where we need to be." 

live, love, laugh,...DREAM!
lina

Carolina Cup: a difference of seconds

Me at Wrightsville beach sunset

As the race date was getting closer and closer to being real the race seemed to be getter bigger and bigger. When I first signed up for the race it was big but not HUGE.... Carolina Cup turned out to be HUGE.

My schedule has been super fun but a little crazy with the time changes and flights everywhere. I love every moment (well the moments when I am not sick...). I love the adventure, the new places, the new people, the paddling, and the camaraderie. I am truly living my dream, I can't believe it.... and I have so many, too many people to thank for their support and positive vibes. THANK YOU!

The plane ride... I flew  to North Carolina with my board. Not ideal but I needed it in Abu Dhabi and before. No time to ship. United Airlines is usually really good with boards so that's why I chose to fly with United. We had never wrapped my board so well before. it was bomber or so I thought...
I arrived into Raleigh with a huge hole through the bag and the foam of my board. I also met my good friend who I hadn't seen for about 3 years at the airport. We headed straight down to baggage services to report the damage. I thought the damage was the nose of the board. I didn't take the time to open the entire board up right there at baggage as it would have taken time and effort we didn't really have and I couldn't see that there was any other obvious damage. I was bummed about what I thought the damage was but knew it would be okay with some minor repair work. I got to spend just less then 24 hours with good friends Marg and Andy, we rode bikes, ate good food, and caught up on life. It was just grand.

Plane destroyed board... this isnt even half of it... more to come

Me, Andy and Marg at their cute house in Raleigh

On Wednesday Danny from Werner came to get me and we drove down to the coast. It is about 2.5 hour drive... It was really great to catch up with Danny and John from Werner as I really don't see them very often at all. They are great folks and I am so proud to be a part of such a good group of people at Werner paddles, and they make stellar paddles... so double win!

Some pics of my broken board 

sad

When we finally made it to the coast and found the SIC house... I was dying to get out for a quick paddle. I thought it would be a quick fix on the nose of my board and off I would go.. When I opened up my board a shock wave fired throughout my entire body... I could not believe my eyes.. My board was pretty destroyed... garrett the amazing rep calmed me down and took me and my board to the closest shop Carolina Paddleboard Co and they hooked us up with Chris from Glass Roots Surf Boards. Chris performed some magic... Lucky, lucky girl I am. After I calmed down for a bit,  I enjoyed a great dinner at Tower 7 with Danny and John from Werner. Tower 7 is an awesome mexican joint and I would recommend to anybody... it was packed solid every night!

Me at the Werner tent..pre race photo: Shelby

Werner Ladies

Fiona and I on the Werner Boat Photo: John with Werner

Thursday and Friday were difficult for me, waiting for my news from my board, stressing about not getting to practice on it, stressing about lots of things... I was a stressball period... ha.. looking back its funny because I think having a broken board getting repaired that I couldn't paddle actually forced me to rest and not over think or over paddle before the race. I am a little crazy when it comes to resting... it is so bloody hard for me to do. Even though I know it is necessary it feels wrong. Georges, Braly and I went out for a paddle on Thursday (I was on the x12pro). We checked out part of the course which was awesome. I also got the lucky opportunity to go on a boat twice! Once with SIC and once with Werner. This course is so technical with many different types of water, current, tides, sand bars, etc etc it definitely helps to check out the course. ALSO, I just love being on boats and the waterways in Wrightsville are pretty darn cool. Boats are almost as common as cars... you can get to so many places by boat... So I mostly just loved the freedom feeling of the boat... yAY!

SIC boat ride... it was cold photo:Braly Joy

Friday was a big demo day for the industry folk... it was nice to walk around and see folks I knew and meet new people as well. I tried to rest and relax, but its difficult... so i tried to read, be on my computer, talk to ppl, and just try not to stress as much as I could. The day before the race is always hard for me... waiting game... but nice to relax too! Friday night I was part of the pro athlete poster signing... it was my first ever... pretty sweet feeling helping to inspire others... I was nervous at first, I felt like I didn't belong... The experience of being a pro is still so knew for me! After the signing team SIC went out for dinner... I had fajitas.. delicious!

The Pros that were part of the poster signing

Pros  Poster signing photo: distressed mullet

Canada in the house (Larry, me, Simon) Photo: Erin F.M.

Saturday: race day! 13 miles of ocean, flat, current, tides, shallow, deep, waves, side chop, etc etc etc...
My board was fixed.. it had the speedy white stripe across the nose...I was anxious to get out and practice on it.. I put the Larry Allison Hybrid Gladiator fin on it for some extra stability and it was perfect... felt fast under my feet. I applied my pre race OnIt Pro for quicker glides and wax on my werner paddle.. Applying Onit Pro is also a time where I can bond with board and sort of meditate. I also made sure I had all of my race liquid and food ready. Thank you Feed the Machine for products like Nuun, Multivitamins and more. I also started using Vitargo for pre race and post race fuel... I also remembered my good pre race warm up routine thanks to Ultimate Potential...

The start was a beach start... I am nervous before the race start but once we line up my mind goes blank and I am just waiting for the start gun. Once the gun is shot and we are off it is race mode for me.... I had an okay start and was  4th place going into the flats. The girls started behind the men and we quickly were able to catch and pass some of the slower men... which is great but sometimes a little annoying as we are not allowed to draft them so sometimes tough to get through and by them without adjusting our course too much. We were also on a shorter board length than the men so by default we are slower then men. About a third of the way into the course I caught Sonni. We stuck together for a bit but I was feeling hungry and good so decided to make a move to catch Jenny out in second. Somehow I managed to catch her and from there we worked together to try and reel in Annabel who was in first place. We had a tricky section getting out of the inlet with breaking waves, shallow sand bars and moving current... I managed to stay on top of my board and then we had about 4 miles left on the ocean. I knew Jenny was stronger than me on the ocean and I was surprised when I was able to keep up with her.. we were neck and neck working hard with the side chop and all.... and then all of sudden there was Annabel... not that far in front of us... we were closing the gap... My heart was flickering with excitement. I was trying to stay calm as the worst thing I could do was fall off my board or something of that nature. I had a little surge of energy and got in front of Jenny... My board felt really great. I was shocked at where I was in this race... Top three and anything could happen.. ME, side by side the fastest girls in the world... AHHHH... We rounded the last buoy and it was a straight shot into the beach... It was too short of a section to catch Annabel and to my disappointment Jenny caught a wave that i didn't and glided right past me... So 3rd place is where I came in BUT 11 seconds behind Annabel and 5 seconds behind Jenny!!!!!!! Bittersweet ending to a long 13 mile race. I am happy though... This race created a hunger and motivation that is increasing after each race...

right before start.. concentrating photo credit Shelby

me racing photo credit: Shelby

me behind sonni 1/3 through race

women start photo cerdit Lizi Ruiz

coming into finish photo: Lizi Ruiz

Celebrations by all.. Sonni on team SIC was 4th, Georges was 2nd for the men, the rec guys were all on the podium. Kelsa from Werner was 6th and Fiona 8th... Proud of my teammates

Podium me, Annabel, Jenny photo credit Lizi Ruiz

 Sunday was packing up and heading home time..... I got back to San Clemente at 2am...whoa... long day..Now it is off to Nicaragua for the ISA World Championships

Team SIC Sonni, me and George

I am learning from every race and enjoying the people I meet and the places I see. Living my dream!

    I want to take a moment to thank some special people I have met in the last 5 weeks here in SoCal and beyond....the list is long because I am surrounded by some pretty amazing people... feeling blessed. I haven't really thanked these people enough. There are many people helping me everyday and you know who you are...and THANK YOU! Ryan from Foundation Fitness San Clementewho has one of the coolest gyms I have been to with a positive vibe that is infectious to anyone who walks through the doors. Thank you for your time, your knowledge, your push and expertise and your impeccable ability to read me. Mike Eisert and The Paddle Academy team for the early morning SUP workouts on the water and your efforts and help off the water. Your knowledge, enthusiasm and good nature has provided me with added confidence. Garrett SIC rep for helping me with my broken board and just our team in general in North Carolina at Carolina Cup.... Chris at Glass Roots Surf Boards for working all day and late nights to fix my board and have it in amazing shape for Carolina Cup. Vitargo for hooking us up with magic. AlsoPaul Romero at Ultimate Potential for the amazing confidence boosting talks and knowledge about training and nutrition... Braly Joy and SIC MAUI for the unbelievable support. I could not ask for a better board company. Sonni Hönscheid and Georges Cronsteadt for being awesome teammates and killer athletes.. Andrew Dye for being the best hubby and best friend a person can have... Werner Paddles for the support and making damn good paddles, Onit Pro for the faith and the product, Season Five for making me feel and look amazing, Larry Allison Fins for ensuring I got the tools I need in any condition, Crossfit Vancouver for allowing me to be a part of the community and train to get strong and powerful, Kalavida Surf shop for the support from my homeland, Nikki Rekman Sales, Pro Lite, and everyone sending positive vibes, notes, hugs, and congratulations you keep me going and push me to keep training and racing hard.... it is a team effort... I am one lucky chica. The SUP community never ceases to amaze me! I love being part of such a great sport!

photo credit: Shelby

Results here at SUPracer.com

live, love, laugh,...DREAM! 

lina