Exposure, Stability, and Downwind Expose yourself to challenging conditions in a controlled environment My first day paddling in Hawaii was pretty mild and uneventful. The second day we took the shuttle up for a Hawaii Kai run. Before turning downwind from Hawaii Kai, we first went out to the China Wall area to […]
Downwind Paddling Technique
Downwind Paddling Tips and Tricks To Make you Faster
Downwind paddling tips and tricks As we move into late summer and early fall we are entering peak season in Northern Michigan for awesome downwind paddling. The water temperatures are relatively warm based on a nice late summer heat wave, the air temps are good on most days, and the wind is starting to blow. […]
Surfski Vacation 2013: A Full Immersion Experience
Surfski Vacation 2013 The first annual TC Surfski Immersion Vacation was a great success and turned out to be everything I had hoped for and more. Although we didn’t get much wind and the water was still cold, we had warm and dry weather overall and had a phenomenal four days of paddling. Thursday Evening […]
Downwind Paddling and Life: Endless Parallels
Downwind Paddling and Life Lessons There have certainly been many metaphors drawn between life and surfing waves. I know that I won’t be the first to philosophize in this area, but the more I think about it, I can’t help exploring some of the unique surfski specific attributes of surfing and how they can be […]
Downwind Paddling Technique: The Learning Curve is Worth It!
Downwind Paddling Technique Disclaimer: I don’t have downwind experience in the big ocean conditions, what I write about below is based on experience primarily in Grand Traverse Bay of Lake Michigan and occasionally on open Lake Michigan. Six foot swell is probably the largest conditions I have seen. I do suspect that the fundamentals hold […]