Alert Bay 360 ~ Race Results

Unofficially official Race Results

2010 Alert Bay 360 Eco Paddle

courtesy of Alert Bay 360 Race Chairman Eric Gregory 

compiled by village administrator Madeline McDonald

*double click on images to enlarge

**There are a few errors in these results. 

If you are aware of a discrepancy in your time/place,

please send a kind email to the Alert Bay 360 race chairman  

Alert Bay 360 ~ Race Report

Arriving on tiny Cormorant island for the
2nd annual Alert Bay Eco Paddle Race, 
one can't help but quickly become peacefully overwhelmed 
by the incredible natural and cultural beauty 
combined with the unbelievably unending kindness of the 
extraordinarily friendly locals.

That is until another sense is jolted as one listens to the
updated marine forecast on the VHF radio! 

With gale force winds forecast for the morning of the race, 

many paddlers were left nervously pondering
or excitedly anticipating their final boat choices
for this very off-the-beaten-path

and now potentially
prevailing windy paddling race.

 Most in town rose early on this blustery, blue sky summer
Saturday morning to join hundreds of other
fellow paddlers and spectators
gathering at the waters edge for a
rootsy fun race around this ruggedly small island.

Sharing smiles, we all watched in awe at the vast array of colorful boats continuing to line up along this gem of a Johnstone Straits islands shorelines.

Joining 'Team USA' this year as a volunteer race photographer,
I happily jumped aboard one of the safety boats
with Alert Bay locals Herman and Sandy and gave
last minute, pre-bumpy race seas departure
cheers to my fellow Sound Rowers companions-
Seattle rowing and paddling racing club president Steve Bennett,
former Olympic rower Sherri Cassuto,
and my ultra adventure lovin' athlete hubby, Jim Zimmerman. 

 

One last look back at them on the beach and I could tell they were pretty pumped up.

But then again, who wouldn't be totally jazzed to be racing 

for a chance at $12,000 in cash prizes and random draw donation giveaways, eh?!

As the start of the race neared the winds had steadily increased to about 15 ~ 20 knots, with white caps dotting the sheltered bay where approx. 130 racers bounced up and down while lining up in preparation to sprint into a strong and unyielding headwind until they made the first turn at a blink horned point.  ~ NBZ

Going into the shallow waters, dodging rocks and beam seas

I couldn't wait to make the turn so the wind would be on my back. 

Within a few good rides I find my rhythm- synchronizing my breathing, my strokes, connecting waves and reading the water ahead of me...I fall into the zone. 

Then suddenly a blow from a gray whale
quite close by grabs my attention
and puts a smile on my face!  
I usually spend a good deal o' my free time attempting
to photograph whales in the wild from my sea kayak...

but today I'm on the water with a different purpose-

so don't allow even one extra second to

linger with this massive marine mammal. 

Instead I immediately go back to focusing on chasing down

the next paddler in front of me.

As we continue circumnavigating tiny Cormorant island,
the wind subsided and the currents collided!  

Paddling as tight to the shoreline as possible while finding the right line between the thick kelp beds and numerous rocks becomes the predominant strategy 
for this years Alert Bay 360 kayak race.

With opposing currents and a headwind making the final push to the finish seem further and further away, I found the break I needed in the last stretch provided by the pilings from the old docks as I returned to finish line. 

Fueling me on even more is a loud thunder from a roaring crowd... ~JZ
~   ~   ~

Kudos to 'Team USA' for all finishing in the top 20,

with Jim placing 10th, Sherri 14th and Steve 18th overall! ~

We also really enjoyed watching
Sherri make us proud
as her victory

earned 'er $1000 in cash for finishing
FIRST PLACE FEMALE OVERALL!

CoNgRaTuLaTiOnS Sherri!!

We offer big thanks
 to 360 Race Chairman Eric Gregory, 
to Donna and Norman Stauffer for exceptional catering
of the freshly caught traditional seafood dinner,
and to the Gwa'wina Singers & T'sasala Cultural Group
for extending a special invitation 

to a once-in-a-lifetime cultural performance 
in the Namgis Big House.

And an extra special thanks to our new friend
and most graciously kind and talented host,

 Bear Dancer.

*More race photos at
http://picasaweb.google.com/expeditionpaddlers/AlertBay360#/

Expedition planning: Johnstone Straits

 T minus two days to go until we take off to disappear 'into the bush' of the most remote Canadian wilderness
with just our cameras, kayak,
and paddling companion,
Sound Rower's President Steve Bennett... 

 To help ensure our comfort and survival we have been busy
with many trip preparations:

~Making lists,

charting maps,

shopping,

dehydrating fruit,

packing/ piling gear and re-checking those lists and marine forecasts!

Pulling out our paddling trip journal,

I look back and reflect on the incredible memories

 from our last journey to Johnstone...

and linger on this WHALE sightings page!

As an ultra marathon paddling, racing & nature photography team, we spend most of our free time sea kayaking thousands of miles a year around the San Juan islands-

Which like the Broughton Archipelago is also home to resident Orca whale pods, but Man's impact in our islands has been taking a much more silencing, Endangering toll...

And so we must journey far northward to be amongst wildlife still abundant as our yesteryear....

From the sounds of near constant whale blows to

 beach rocks rolling around under bear feet,

 ~You just never know what will be waiting for you
around the next corner
when paddling Johnstone Straits...

 but you better be ready!!

 ~        ~        ~

*Additional strategic planning has been necessary
on this years paddling expedition due
 to my rehabilitating a recent, paddling-induced, spinal injury.

In the past six months I've required two spinal surgeries
to remove pieces of bulging L5 disk which blew out
while we were on a big training paddle last year -

In gnarly, messy 3~5 foot waves,
fighting a brutal 20mph+ headwind,
I didn't notice my foot pedals become uneven
as Mother Nature continued to beat us up
for the last 30 miles of (what unexpectedly turned into)
an ultra-storm paddle...

The damaged lumbar disk severely pinched nerves
and  increasingly compromised my sanity
until surgery became the only option. 

In order to be able to return to the water
this year while still in healing mode
yet without causing re-injury-
many modifications have been required...

I've replaced my paddle to a smaller wing size, switched out
my plastic seat to a more foregiving back band,
added layers of gel & foam
padding in my cockpit,
and made bombproof adjustments to my foot braces.

While I am still unable to bear much weight-
cannot yet dream of paddling a single kayak,
or even rotate my body enough to
make a 'proper' forward stroke...

~I remain eternally grateful for Jim's endless 'sherpa boy'
support which allows us to continue
living, laughing and loving
an adventurous lifestyle
in spite of Gimpy restrictions...

And to Steve as well- for helping make this trip possible for me
through carrying my boat & gear with Jim! :)

A sea kayaker's archaeological discovery!

We enjoyed spending this 4th of July holiday weekend

paddling and playing

with a friend at their Puget Sound seaside cabin...

To our surprise and delight we also made an

 unexpected archaeological discovery...

This old boat blendin' in with the weathered beach fence is nothing other than an ol'...

Eddyline Heron

....once upon a time dubbed the fastest sea kayak in the world!!

I smiled nostaligically at the flaking, fiberglass hulled skeleton as I remember paddling my father's fast Heron during this sleek crafts heyday back in the 1980's~