fitness paddling » boats & gear

Quickblade Paddle and JKK Supernova during Winter Paddling

Marek — Mon, 30 Jan 2012 15:46:29 +0000

Quickblade paddle (Proton) and JKK Supernova kayak during winter paddling on Horsetooth Reservoir near Fort Collins, shot with GoPro Hero camera mounted on a kayak front deck. January 29, 2012.

My 2011 Paddling, Training and Racing

Marek — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 17:33:47 +0000

Here is a summary of my paddling, training, racing and lifestyle changing activities in 2011:

Paddling

I paddled and trained on the South Platte River in winter and then on my local lakes in northern Colorado: Horsetooth Reservoir, Boyd Lake, Lonetree, Boedecker and Beaver Pond.

Racing

No ultra marathon races in 2011. I couldn’t participate in the Missouri River 340 Race postponed till October. I paddled only in the 10 mile Colorado River Race in Glenwood Canyon dominated by stand-up paddlers. For me, it was a very intense workout in my Sea Wind canoe.

Packrafting

I started packrafting with Alpacka Yukon packraft. After initial testing on Riverbend Ponds I did a few trips on the South Platte. I use inline skates or bike for a road shuttle.

JKK Supernova

In October I started to paddle JKK Supernova, multisport sea kayak, which I bought from Jeremy Rodgers. Supernova is a strong candidate for my self supported 2012 MR340 Race if I manage to make a seat more comfortable.

Cross Training

Inline skating and biking. I have several loops mostly on biking trails in Fort Collins (10-15 miles for skates and 15-25 mile for my hybrid road bike). I also like the Poudre River Trail starting at a new trail head at River Bluffs between Timnath and Windsor. I started to ride a bike on the Centennial Road – just to look at conditions of the Horsetooth Reservoir.

Hiking

I am hiking mostly in winter with trekking poles and a backpack full of camera gear. The Horsetooth Rock is my favorite target. I just like to look at Fort Collins from above after sunset.

Kettlebell

I started weight training with kettlebells and I love it. My main goal is to develop more muscles to burn fat, but it should be beneficial for paddling as well. I used to work with kettlebells during my college years in 1970s, but I started with a book to refresh my memory: The Ultimate Kettlebells Workbook. There are many resources online. I like instructional videos by Steve Cotter. Currently, I have two Cap Bartell kettlebells: 35 and 50 lb. I need more iron!

GoPro Hero

New shooting angles including bird’s eye view with GoPro HD Hero camera using a telescoping mast mounted on a deck with suction cup from Sticky Pod. Time lapse still pictures, no video yet.

Diet

I am drastically changing my diet adapting a lot from Paleo Diet for Athletes and other sources. More protein, less carbs and timing carbs consumption with exercise. Much more vegetables. I replaced my morning cereal breakfast by a smoothie of almond milk with whey protein, raw eggs or egg whites, blueberries or other berries with addition of chia seeds, hemp seeds or some nuts. I lost 20lb in the second half of 2011. I still need to make my boats lighter for racing!

Trigger Point Therapy

The most important development in 2011. During recent years I suffered from chronic pains in my elbows (tennis elbow, golf elbow), probably, more related to my computer work than paddling. Finally, I found a solution: trigger point therapy – massaging trigger points in my forearms with a tennis ball against a wall. It worked for my elbows. It worked also for an Achilles tendon pain. There are many books on this subject. I am using The Trigger Point Therapy Workbook: Your Self-Treatment Guide for Pain Relief. I am also adding a foam roller to my workouts.

Now, what to do in 2012?

JKK Supernova Sea Kayak Added to My Paddling Fleet

Marek — Sun, 27 Nov 2011 16:40:35 +0000

Soldier Cove of the Horsetooth Reservoir (Pentax Optio W30 camera)

After a couple of weeks of test paddling on Beaver Pond and Horsetooth Reservoir including some windy winter condition JKK Supernova kayak was added to my paddling fleet.

First thing I had to do was to customize a cockpit. A narrow hanging seat was removed and seat hangers trimmed off from the cockpit coaming. Then, the Guerney’s bumfortable foam seat was permanently installed. The same operation I performed on my Thunderbolt kayak years ago. I still may need to work to wedge that seat to a better angle. And, I have some other customizations in my mind.

Supernova is a strong candidate for the next year Missouri River 340 race with a goal to finish self supported below 50 hours. Well, I am still not sure if I really want to paddle that long race in a kayak, but paddling Sea Wind canoe again will be just too easy. I have the entire winter and many trips on the South Platte River to figure that out.

JKK Supernova kayak with the Guerney’s bumfortable seat installed (Pentax Optio W30 camera)
Paddling the Horsetooth Reservoir (GoPro HD Hero camera)
Climbing from a boat ramp at the Satanka Cove to a parking lot (GoPro HD Hero camera)

3 Kayaks: JKK Supernova, WSBS Thunderbolt-X and Sisson Nucleus 100

Marek — Mon, 07 Nov 2011 00:23:19 +0000

I am still testing Jeremy’s JKK Supernova, a racing sea kayak from New Zealand. I did a couple of 5-7 mile runs on the Horsetooth Reservoir in a winter scenery including pretty windy conditions. Paddling was much drier than it would in my Thunderbolt kayak. The Supernova feels much more comfortable with my bumfortable foam seat. However, for a better comfort, I would have to trim the seat hangers as I did in my Thunderbolt.

I shot a few pictures of the Supernova together with Thundebolt-X kayak designed by Doug Bushnell from West Side Boat Shop. Supernova appears to be a few inches shorter than Thunderbolt, but much wider, and has much higher volume. Thunderbolt cockpit is placed more forward than in Supernova. I am going to measure these kayaks by myself. Data listed by manufactures are not very accurate.

Next, I added Sisson Nucleus 100, a multisport kayak from New Zealand, to the picture for a reference. I like that Grahame Sisson is specifying the sizes of cockpit opening for his kayaks.

These three kayaks have very different cockpits:
- Sisson Nucleus: a very roomy cockpit with a small opening (shorter than Supernova), but quite wide, tiller bar steering
- Thunderbolt: a long open cockpit, tiller bar steering,
- JKK Supernova: a roomy cockpit, but a very narrow opening, sea kayak fit, pedal steering

First Snow Paddling with JKK Multisport Supernova Kayak

Marek — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 15:26:03 +0000

I had a chance to do some test paddling with Jeremy Rodger’s JKK Supernova kayak. It happen just after first snow storm in Fort Collins, so I had a pretty scenic paddling on Beaver Pond in the Arapaho Bend Natural Area. I am trying to compare this kayak to my Thunderbolt-X from West Side Boat Shop from a perspective of a long distance self supported paddling and racing.

JKK Supernova is a multisport kayak from New Zealand – the same length as my WSBS Thunderbolt (21′), 1″ wider beam (19″), but a much bigger volume and a lot of cargo space with bulkheads and hatches. It is a racing sea kayak. Jeremy wrote a review of the Supernova for my blog a few years ago.

Access to the lake was blocked by broken trees and bushes leaning under heavy snow. A lot of invasive Russian olives.

And, those Russian olive trees had pretty nasty thorns – my first paddling injury since perhaps my last Texas Water Safari in 2005. It didn’t stop me from paddling, but it doesn’t feel so well a day after.

First impressions of the Supernova: fast, stable, quite responsive, much more maneuverable than Thunderbolt.

GoPro HD Hero camera set to shoot time lapse still pictures and Garmin Forerunner 305 GPS both mounted on a deck with the Sticky Pod suction cups.

Pictures in this post are coming from the GoPro HD Hero and Pentax Optio W30.

The Supernova cockpit is pretty small and tight. It is really narrow!. The cockpit opening is only about 14.75″ wide while I have 16″ in my Thunderbolt kayak, and a generous 17″ in Sisson Nucleus 100 which has the same beam as the Supernova. So, the owners of wide hips beware.

I had to remove a hanging seat from the Supernova and sit on a piece of foam pad which was not really comfortable. I am going to see if I can fit my bumfortable seat and try paddling Supernova again. To make the Thunderbolt comfortable I had to trim off the seat hangers and install a foam seat.

Speed Test of Alpacka Yukon Packraft

Marek — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 19:25:10 +0000

I am entering a new water sport activity: packrafting. Yesterday, I performed first test with Alpacka Yukon packraft in Fort Collins’ Riverbend Ponds Natural Area.

I am not thinking about any big expeditions with my packraft at this time. My plans are just to explore short river segments combined with land transportation by inline skates or a bike. And, more opportunities for photography.

First observations:

A fully inflated Alpacka raft fits inside my Subaru Outback. So, it will be easy to explore some local small lakes and ponds where dragging my expedition canoe would be an overkill.
This packraft tracts surprisingly well. It is a new 2011 model with an extended stern.
A comfortable cruising speed on a calm lake was around 2.5 mph. I was able to reach 3 mph. However, an efficient paddle stroke may be restricted with a big backpack or bike placed across raft bow.
Seating and foot room is pretty tight. Well, I like to have some foot support for paddling – probably not a typical position for river floating.
I didn’t use a spray deck. It could be useful in that rainy evening.

I am ready for a river test.

Some packrafting resources:
PACKRAFTING! An Introduction and How-To Guide by Roman Dial
Tips & Technique from Alpacka Raft
Tips for your first Packrafting trip by Alastair Humphreys

Which Boat to Paddle in 2010 MR340 Race?

Marek — Wed, 19 May 2010 23:35:07 +0000

68 days to the 2010 Missouri River 340 Race and I am still not decided which boat to paddle. In the first four MR340 races I paddled four different solo boats:
2006 – Spencer X-treme canoe (mostly double blade)
2007 – WSBS Thunderbolt-X kayak (double blade)
2008 – Kruger Sea Wind canoe (single blade)
2009 – Surfrigger outrigger canoe (single blade)

Well, I don’t have a new boat for this year race. It also seems that I need to add a new criterium to my boat selection ranking: which boat (or rather paddle) hurts less my shoulder, wrist, elbow, etc. This year the elbow provides a challenge.

Recently, I was mostly paddling the Thunderbolt kayak. It is because I am lazy and this boat is the easiest and quickest one to upload on my car roof. 116 miles on the North Platte River in Wyoming with Sea Wind this incoming weekend will provide some additional data to think (and feel) about. The worst scenario: replacing a paddle by a camera.

Do I Need GPS for the Missouri River 340 Race?

Marek — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 01:32:37 +0000

I’ve got several questions recently concerning usage of GPS devices during the Missouri River 340 Race (340 miles nonstop from Kansas City to St Charles).

Well, I believe that you really don’t need a GPS to navigate the Missouri River during the race. There are markers with river mileage on shores. There are easy to find even at night with a flashlight. Usually, you are aware of your position on the river within a mile or so. Official race checkpoints are difficult to miss – a crowd of people and boats, MR340 signs, flashing lights at night. I worry that it may be difficult to land at some checkpoints crowded during the first race day with 280 boats. I am sure that a narrow boat ramp at Miami will be a favorite one for my long and wide outrigger canoe …

Garmin Etrex Vista GPS with suction cup mount (sticky pod)
and a tether (!) on deck of Thunderbolt-X kayak, 2007 MR340

Of course, it is good to have a GPS during the race and I am using one. I carried the same device during first three MR340 races – Garmin Etrex Vista. How I am using it?

1. Motivational device

This is a primary function of my GPS. I am displaying my speed in big numbers like in the picture above (other numbers are time of day and distance traveled).

I can also display a route – a set of subsequent waypoints including official checkpoints, boat ramps, landmarks or some occasions to celebrate like 100 miles traveled. I can check the distance (in a straight line) to the next waypoint on my route which may be good for my morale (or not).

2. Night or low visibility navigation

At night or in a fog I usually display my position on a map (topo maps from Garmin MapSource) and I am trying to figure out where the navigational channel goes and where to expect wing dikes.

3. Emergency

When you have to find other places on the river than checkpoints your GPS may help. I wouldn’t find Weldon Spring boat ramp at night during 2007 race when it was not a checkpoint. Of course, in the case of a real emergency providing your exact position to a rescue team may be really important.

4. After/before race analysis

You can learn a lot about your race analyzing your GPS track, checking your speed and progress. You can geotag pictures if you take any and start planning for the next year race.

Can you think about any other applications of GPS during the MR340 race? Texas Water Safari or WaterTribe Everglades Challenge may be a little different story, but the #1 still applies.

North Platte River Kayak Racing – 2009 Wyoming Outback Challenge

Marek — Wed, 27 May 2009 01:21:03 +0000

The 3rd Wyoming Outback Challenge on the North Platte River organized by Jerry Nyre from Canoe Colorado took place on May 24 during Memorial Day weekend. The race started at Hot Springs in Saratoga and run 44 miles down the river across a quite remote area to Fort Steele (I-80 boat ramp).

The river was running high, but a little bit lower than last year. Weather was pretty good for paddling. We got some short rain showers, but headwinds in last 10 miles of the race were not so strong as usual.

Only 5 solo paddlers showed up at Saratoga hot springs. 4 race veterans finished the challenge. You can see our results below together with finishing times from the previous two years. The fifth paddler in a very narrow racing canoe overestimated his chances with the fast turbulent river. He capsized just after start and had troubles to retrieve his boat. I am not sure how his story ended (his boat still jammed in a tree?).

2009 Race Results (flow: 6000-7000 cfs)

paddler	class / boat	Pick Bridge	finish time
Scott Cummins Denver, CO	solo double blade Kirton Stiletto Maxi K-1		4:05:33
Mike Lesnik Helena, MT	solo double blade WSBS X-par Missile		4:20:04
Marek Uliasz Fort Collins, CO	solo single blade Sea Wind canoe	1:05	4:44:18
Rob Bean Fort Collins, CO	solo single blade Spencer X-treme canoe	1:05	4:49:06

2008 Race Results (flow: 7000-8000 cfs)

paddler	class / boat	Pick Bridge	finish time
Scott Cummins Denver, CO	solo double blade Fenn surfski	0:57:40	4:05:30
Mike Lesnik Helena, MT	solo double blade WSBS X-par Missile	0:57:43	4:07:51
Marek Uliasz Fort Collins, CO	solo double blade WSBS Thunderbolt-X	0:59:45	4:27:36
Rob Bean Fort Collins, CO	solo single blade Spencer X-treme canoe	1:08:05	5:07:55
Clem McHale CO	solo single blade Bell canoe	1:09:05	5:42:00 DSQ
Bob Willits John Schukei, MT	tandem double blade Fenn Mako Surfski	0:57:41	4:05:50
John Murphy Steve Daniel, CO	tandem double blade Spencer tandem canoe	1:01:15	4:15:00
Sean DeVean Mark Norford, MT	tandem double blade Prijon plastic tandem kayak	1:15:17	5:10:55 DSQ

2007 Race Results (flow: 2000-3000 cfs)

paddler	class / boat	Pick Bridge	finish time
Scott Cummins Denver, CO	solo double blade Fenn surfski	1:06	4:55:10
Jeremy Rodgers Boulder, CO	solo double blade JKK Supernova	1:07	4:58:57
Mike Lesnik Helena, MT	solo double blade WSBS X-par Missile	1:08	5:06:08
Marek Uliasz Fort Collins, CO	solo double blade WSBS Thunderbolt-X	1:16	5:19:37
Danielle Ballengee Dillon, CO	solo double blade Vaihala surfski	1:18	5:28:26
Rob Bean Fort Collins, CO	solo single blade C1 canoe	1:26	7:10 DSQ

My Race

I paddled this year single bladed with Kruger’s Sea Wind canoe and had a quite interesting race against Rob Bean in his Spencer X-treme. I used to train in my X-treme on the North Platte before Texas Water Safari, but it was at a lower water level and I used a kayak paddle (see my old report at Mountain Wayfarer). For sure I was not ready to race X-treme with a single blade. I was considering to take my outrigger canoe, but a few days before the race it wasn’t still clear how high water to expect.

I completed the race in 4:44 hours. It was about 16 minutes longer than in 2008 in Thunderbolt-X kayak. Scott Cummins changed Fenn surfski to Kirton K-1, but had almost the same winning time. Rob paddling X-treme was 19 minutes faster than a year ago.

My speed and heart race recorded by Garmin Forerunner 305 reveals some information what was going on along 44 miles of the river. First hour and first 11 miles of the race were very intense to meet the cut off time (1:20) at the Pick Bridge. I didn’t miss a single stroke. We reached this checkpoint together with Rob in about 1:05. His boat was obviously faster than mine, but he had to avoid bigger waves. I could look for the fastest current and enjoy wave trains in my Sea Wind.

After the Pick Bridge my paddling was a little bit more relaxed. I started to eat and drink more. Rob paddled ahead. I missed a lot of distance in one wrong “shortcut”. However, later Rob took a scenic longer route and I managed to pass him.

A few miles before Eagle Nest rapid I had a little crisis with muscle cramps, but I managed to recover after the rapid and paddled somewhat faster to the finish despite of the headwind.

We saw a lot of wildlife including deer and antelope swimming across the river. Exactly halfway, there was a bald eagle sitting on a tree and obviously watching the race.

Speed (blue) and heart rate (red) from my Garmin Forerunner GPS recording

Is Wyoming Outback Challenge a History?

The Wyoming Outback Challenge has run for three years. It was a great race. A very scenic, fast and challenging course. Generous cash prizes. However, it looks like CanoeColorado is not going to organize and sponsor this race any more.

Racers’ interest and attendance was quite disappointing: 2007 – 6 paddlers, 2008 – 11, and 2009 – 5. Why? A remote location far, far away? Economy situation discouraging longer travels? Other paddling races taken place during the Memorial Day weekend? I think that they are other reasons as well.

It seems to me that CanoeColorado dind’t promote their race. They rely on a traditional “word of mouth” promotion and don’t really use possibilities offered by internet despite running their own website. Try to find information about this race there! The other race they are running in August on the Colorado River has also very low attendance despite cash prizes and other rewards.

I posted several articles on the Wyoming Outback Challenge in this blog including reports, results, pictures, movies, and course description. I tried also to post information on different paddling and racing forums, but I didn’t feel that I have a right to submit the race to different event calendars since I was not an organizer.

I believe that the race to be successful needs not only to attract competitive racers, but also to encourage more advanced paddlers to race. Tight cut off times and disqualifications did not encourage any beginners. Probably, Rob Bean is the only one who started to race on the North Platte. Ironically, CanoeColorado was running a trip on White River during the Memorial Day weekend this year, so in time conflict with the Wyoming Challenge. And in the weekend following the race they will be running a trip on the North Platte River. Why not to allow for some interaction between touring paddlers and racers?

The last three Memorial Day weekends I spent with my wife, Connie, and our dogs in Saratoga racing, paddling before and after the race, photographing, enjoying hot springs, and having great time. Of course, I will keep paddling the North Platte.

Race Pictures

All pictures were shot during the race with Pentax Optio W30 camera mounted on a bow of Sea Wind with the sticky pod. The camera was set in an interval mode to shoot a frame every 30 seconds.

I will try to assembly an animation movie like from the previous year race. Unfortunately, the pictures are not so good this time. I set up the camera too close to the bow and I was getting many splashes on the lens despite my improvised hood. I also forgot to turn a flash off. With cloudy weather the flash fired quite often and drained a camera battery. So, my picture coverage goes only to Eagle Nest rapid.

Other resources:
The Floater’s Guide to Wyoming Rivers: Paddle and Portage
Wyoming Atlas & Gazettee
map of public access areas by Wyoming Game and Fish Department
North Platte River flow: Northgate, CO | Ft Steele/Dugway

Photo Impressions on Surfrigger, My Outrigger Canoe

Marek — Sat, 21 Feb 2009 19:11:57 +0000

I am trying to decide which of my boats to paddle this year in ultra marathon races like MR340 or South Dakota Challenge. Thunderbolt-X kayak goes for upstream/downstream workouts on the South Platte River, but on my local pond I am trying some other boats. It is still more photography than training …

My last paddling photo session on the Beaver Pond was with Surfrigger, my outrigger canoe.

Pictures 1, 3, 5 from this presentation are available for purchase/licensing from Featurepics.

My single blade paddling … It is probably OK with Sea Wind canoe, but it definitely sucks in the case of Surfrigger. I need some inspiration! Let’s look at Danny Ching paddling OC-1 (video by Outpadlin from blib.tv).

I need to visit Rambo’s Locker more often.

How to Choose a Boat for an Ultra Marathon Race? The Case of Missouri River 340

The South Dakota Kayak Challenge, September 11-13, 2009

3 Years of the Missouri River 340 Race