Exe Hammer 2014
AKA my first Stand Up Paddle Race. What a day!
This was the first running of the Exe Hammer, advertised as an 8 mile race from Exmouth sea front to the Turf Locks pub on the Exeter canal on Saturday 20th September the distance turned out to be under 10 km which given the conditions was just as well.
When Russ arrived at 10 it was immediately noticeable that he'd decided not to bring an inflatable board, the 12' 6" board bag on his roof rack giving the game away that he'd gone for his Starboard Allstar, a fantastic and quick board. However I was also going with appropriate equipment, an on-loan Red Paddle Race, nominally 12' 6" long, 30" wide, 6" thick and with fibre glass batons inserted in the sides stiff enough for me. I hoped.
Russ and I have the same failing, a pathological need to be early, or a hatred of being late. So we arrived in plenty of time to have a look around Exmouth, visit the 2 surf shops and get some lunch. A leisurely start our race preparation.
Registration was at 13.30 so with my board inflated and the biggest fin I own squeezed into the fin box we joined a gaggle of other paddle boarders on the beach and were told that there were 70 on the start list, yikes!
There were all sorts of boards there from the everyday to the exotic, in particular my eye was drawn to a Jimmy Lewis u-boat, 14 feet of carbon lightweight that I'd not seen in the flesh before. There were a couple of very nice boards from US manufacturer Bark and another Allstar, the narrower, less stable and faster version of Russ'. Unlike the bike world I've noticed that flashy paddle boards generally aren't owned by the all-the-gear-no-idea crowd, typically they are hard to ride and very fast so only fast paddlers tend to have them. At the other end of the field were a number of short surf-SUP boards and loads of inflatables, including the sleeker longer version of the Red Paddle I had.
At this point I did wonder about the organisation with so many people and boards to sort out. That was unfounded, it's amazing what 2 passionate people can do with a loudhailer and a whiteboard and in no time at all 70 competitors were kitted up in rash vests, briefed on the course and start procedure and were heading to the water for the start.
I got the next bit horribly wrong. Not taking Russ' advice I hung back at the start. This is OK at a MTB race, let the fast lot go and find your own pace, but on the water the pace of all the competitors is a lot closer and the 40m or so I lost then cost me. The start was hectic, once the flag dropped the clear bit of water that I'd been looking at was transformed into a melee of boards, paddles and splash. And there was contact, just a little bit as folk got going but nothing that resulted in anyone falling in, it was all very civilised. Once underway and then I'd found a bit of clear water away from the pack heading to the first buoy, I started to overtake other paddlers. And once I'd got going nerves vanished, this SUP racing could be fun!
Deliberately taking a wide line at the first and second turns cost me distance but kept me in clearer water so I could maintain speed and with the navigation done it was just a case of head down, think about technique and pace and head straight into the wind, headwind all the way.
I'd already managed to get past Russ, between turn 1 and 2 he and I had taken a different route and mine turned out to be the better choice, staying out in the channel in rougher water rather than head towards the warren out of the chop. Now it was just a case of staying ahead of him, and trying to catch the small group about 30m ahead of me. That proved to be easier said than done, gaining with maybe a 1 km/h speed advantage takes an age and any missed paddle stroke lost valuable ground, or water. After re-trimming the board to get the nose down a bit to push through the swell generated by the wind and paddle I started to gain on those ahead of me, slowly.
Another turn and I thought I could see the finish, the three ahead of me took a line nearer the shore with less wind. I stuck with my line, in the channel with the tide but in more wind. And it worked with 2 more paddlers caught and passed, the third just out of reach ahead of me. If only there had been another 500m! Exhausted when I crossed the line all I could do was stand there, paddle in hand drained. But smiling, the feeling of finishing and finishing well was ecstatic.
9.2 km in 72 minutes at 7.6 km/h with a max speed of 13.3 km/h.
In the final result I was given 12th, not bad for the last starter, 69 paddlers finished, I don't know if any abandoned at time of typing, Russ came in about 6 minutes behind, tired and smiling in 18th position.
After parking our boards we got chatting to other competitors, they're a friendly bunch and we were soon involved in paddle talk, fin talk, board talk, positioning and wind. Paddle geeks.
Then, the fun started. First a free bar. SUP racing is getting more attractive. Then a free BBQ, SUP racing is now gorgeous.
Then a series of sprint races on Naish inflatable boards.
Now this could have made SUP racing look like a supermodel on a catwalk but having taken full advantage of the bar and BBQ at this point, rehydrating and refueling after the race it was better to spectate, supported by Russ who'd enjoyed the BBQ more than me, his style of fusion buffet mixing resulting in the creation of 'Steak and Cake', one course in place of two to save time. Genius.
After two sets of sprints, 6 teams of 4 in each race with the added complication of a falling tide and a very shallow race course, was the obligatory prize giving followed by paddle board Tetris fitting dozens of boards on the ferry back to Exmouth.
All in a very good day out, well organised, challenging course in the weather conditions, great post race food and entertainment and a night time boat ride back.
Roll on 2015!
AKA my first Stand Up Paddle Race. What a day!
This was the first running of the Exe Hammer, advertised as an 8 mile race from Exmouth sea front to the Turf Locks pub on the Exeter canal on Saturday 20th September the distance turned out to be under 10 km which given the conditions was just as well.
When Russ arrived at 10 it was immediately noticeable that he'd decided not to bring an inflatable board, the 12' 6" board bag on his roof rack giving the game away that he'd gone for his Starboard Allstar, a fantastic and quick board. However I was also going with appropriate equipment, an on-loan Red Paddle Race, nominally 12' 6" long, 30" wide, 6" thick and with fibre glass batons inserted in the sides stiff enough for me. I hoped.
Russ and I have the same failing, a pathological need to be early, or a hatred of being late. So we arrived in plenty of time to have a look around Exmouth, visit the 2 surf shops and get some lunch. A leisurely start our race preparation.
Registration was at 13.30 so with my board inflated and the biggest fin I own squeezed into the fin box we joined a gaggle of other paddle boarders on the beach and were told that there were 70 on the start list, yikes!
 |
| Board park at the beach |
There were all sorts of boards there from the everyday to the exotic, in particular my eye was drawn to a Jimmy Lewis u-boat, 14 feet of carbon lightweight that I'd not seen in the flesh before. There were a couple of very nice boards from US manufacturer Bark and another Allstar, the narrower, less stable and faster version of Russ'. Unlike the bike world I've noticed that flashy paddle boards generally aren't owned by the all-the-gear-no-idea crowd, typically they are hard to ride and very fast so only fast paddlers tend to have them. At the other end of the field were a number of short surf-SUP boards and loads of inflatables, including the sleeker longer version of the Red Paddle I had.
At this point I did wonder about the organisation with so many people and boards to sort out. That was unfounded, it's amazing what 2 passionate people can do with a loudhailer and a whiteboard and in no time at all 70 competitors were kitted up in rash vests, briefed on the course and start procedure and were heading to the water for the start.
I got the next bit horribly wrong. Not taking Russ' advice I hung back at the start. This is OK at a MTB race, let the fast lot go and find your own pace, but on the water the pace of all the competitors is a lot closer and the 40m or so I lost then cost me. The start was hectic, once the flag dropped the clear bit of water that I'd been looking at was transformed into a melee of boards, paddles and splash. And there was contact, just a little bit as folk got going but nothing that resulted in anyone falling in, it was all very civilised. Once underway and then I'd found a bit of clear water away from the pack heading to the first buoy, I started to overtake other paddlers. And once I'd got going nerves vanished, this SUP racing could be fun!
 |
| The first buoy, photo from Edge Watersports FaceBook page. I'm miles back but caught, and paddled past all bar one of these. |
I'd already managed to get past Russ, between turn 1 and 2 he and I had taken a different route and mine turned out to be the better choice, staying out in the channel in rougher water rather than head towards the warren out of the chop. Now it was just a case of staying ahead of him, and trying to catch the small group about 30m ahead of me. That proved to be easier said than done, gaining with maybe a 1 km/h speed advantage takes an age and any missed paddle stroke lost valuable ground, or water. After re-trimming the board to get the nose down a bit to push through the swell generated by the wind and paddle I started to gain on those ahead of me, slowly.
Another turn and I thought I could see the finish, the three ahead of me took a line nearer the shore with less wind. I stuck with my line, in the channel with the tide but in more wind. And it worked with 2 more paddlers caught and passed, the third just out of reach ahead of me. If only there had been another 500m! Exhausted when I crossed the line all I could do was stand there, paddle in hand drained. But smiling, the feeling of finishing and finishing well was ecstatic.
9.2 km in 72 minutes at 7.6 km/h with a max speed of 13.3 km/h.
In the final result I was given 12th, not bad for the last starter, 69 paddlers finished, I don't know if any abandoned at time of typing, Russ came in about 6 minutes behind, tired and smiling in 18th position.
 |
| Weapon of choice post race |
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| Post event board park, finish line on the left. |
After parking our boards we got chatting to other competitors, they're a friendly bunch and we were soon involved in paddle talk, fin talk, board talk, positioning and wind. Paddle geeks.
Then, the fun started. First a free bar. SUP racing is getting more attractive. Then a free BBQ, SUP racing is now gorgeous.
 |
| SUPper. |
 |
| Racing |
 |
| Spectating |
After two sets of sprints, 6 teams of 4 in each race with the added complication of a falling tide and a very shallow race course, was the obligatory prize giving followed by paddle board Tetris fitting dozens of boards on the ferry back to Exmouth.
All in a very good day out, well organised, challenging course in the weather conditions, great post race food and entertainment and a night time boat ride back.
Roll on 2015!