[Join Jocelyn and this novice group (nicknamed "Whatacrew") as they take on their longest race yet, the Monterey Bay Crossing. After an amazing season, this ended up being the final bang to go out on!]
This past weekend "WhattaCrew" faced their biggest challenge yet. A full novice crew, who decided to take on the Monterey Bay Challenge, Ironed the entire 26 miles. As I sit here, not sure how to even start describing the entire experience from beginning to end, I go back to the first day we were all tossed into a canoe together and knew immediately this was about to be one EPIC ride! Let me tell you how we earned our vacation...
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MBX 2015 - Whattacrew Novice Team Tackle the Crossing
Memoir of a Voyage: Moku ‘o Keawe to Mokupuni ‘o Maui - Journey to my Roots
In the darkness of the early morning, with a sliver of moon and an army of stars watching over us, we carefully set our canoes on the water at Kawaihae Harbor on the northwest side of the Big Island of Hawaiʻi. The time had come for thirty five paddlers from around the world, many of us total strangers who share a passion for Hawaiian Outrigger Paddling, to embark on a long awaited voyage from Moku ʻo Keawe (Big Island, Hawaiʻi) to Mokupuni ʻo Maui (Island of Maui).
Vitamin "Sea"
If you have you ever camped beside a river, fallen asleep next to crashing waves after a surf, tossed stones into a lake, or brought your deep thoughts to the ocean at sunset for a swim...you've felt it. The magical presence of water, in all its forms.
I think we can all agree that there is a sensual force that acts upon us physically, mentally and for some, spiritually, when we are near water. It is a mystical sensation. No doubt we have all experienced this in a multitude of ways while playing in, on, or around, this luxurious liquid. However, much like Sasquatch, or Tahoe Tessie, it's a bit hard to explain at a dinner party. I'm hoping to change that for you.
I believe there is far more going on here; that we aren't completely mindful of. So... Let's dive in!
Cali Paddler Explorations: Brent Allen Outside
Cali Paddler is proud to showcase and highlight the wonderful sense of exploration Brent Allen has for our state's beautiful coastlines. With a sense of stewardship through his coordination of beach and waterway cleanups, and his respect for sea life by promoting and teaching safe distance paddle techniques (did you know its helpful to seek out kelp beds during whale breaching episodes to help keep a safe distance?) Brent has become a favorite of Cali Paddler. He has no shortage of amazing up close nature experiences to share with us and remind us how important it is for Cali Paddlers to respect and nurture the waters we love. He offers paddle tours of the Monterey area and is a great resource to contact next time you want to explore our wild coastlines in a safe and respectful manner with an experienced tour guide. He will take you places you never dreamed of. Enjoy the videos below to see what we mean!
Hawaii - Aloha and Honor (A Cali Paddler's first time racing in Hawaii)
Good luck everyone who is racing this weekend in honor of Queen Lili`uokalani. Knowing that you are all about to embark on such a special and fun race, I wanted to dust off and share my first time racing in Hawaii, and hope that you all have the same magical experience I did. Then be sure to bring that amazing back home to California with you, so we can continue to pay respect to our paddling heritage and share with other Cali Paddlers how amazing an impact our sport can have.
Cali Paddler Connection: Ernest Johnson & Paddle Republic California
What if I told you I met a guy who got into SUP because of a bet? And how about that same guy going on to represent a national brand called YOLO, then designing paddles and racing all over the world competing with top athletes in the water arena! Sounds like an EPIC bet to lose!EJ is our guest today and this man is as unique as they come in the sport, yet as down to earth as all of us.
NorCal Outrigger and Why it Rocks!
Pretty cool when you travel 8 hours, (12 if you embrace wrong turns as opportunities to explore our state), arrive in foreign waters, and make friends with several hundred strangers who are all related to you through the community of paddling. Even cooler when you have a chance to relive it in a recap. Our trip to the Bay Area and the Kula Anela (Angel Island) Race was our chance to check out the teams and paddlers who paddle with NCOCA (Northern California Outrigger Canoe Association). We are still reliving the fun!
A leash. The importance of how to put it on...and take it off!
Leashes are a hot topic with the recent tragedy at the Gorge. The industry is writing articles about how to get more folks to wear them, and some very valid and creative ideas are being floated (pardon the pun). That said...one safety topic regarding leashes, that I feel often gets overlooked is how to quickly detach a leash. Just like in surfing, there are rare times when you need to detach ASAP. And not doing so can be just as dangerous as not wearing one.
Cali Paddler Explorations: Monterey Penninsula
Cali Paddlers are known for their passion of exploration. A desire to paddle our waters, and pay respects to the amazing wildlife and nature that lives in and near our coastlines. Thank you to Harry Deisroth for this recap of a recent epic journey in the Monterey Bay Area along one of our state's most famous stretches-but unlike 99.9% of its visitors, this is from the water! -C.P.Paddler Race Recap: Ta-Hoe Nalu 2015
Cali Paddler Marie, took the time to share with us her recent weekend of paddling and racing up at Lake Tahoe at the TA-HOE NALU race. A lot of us have heard great things about this event and wanted to get her thoughts about it since we didn't get a chance to make it there in person. With race divisions for SUP, Prone, Outrigger and Surf-Skis, there is something for everyone...all set in a picturesque setting...our kind of event!
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