A Fourth Straight Victory At The Essex Boat Race in Massachusetts: Paddling In A Small Division Pays Off
As Ian Frenkel and I paddled exuberantly toward the finish line last Saturday at the Essex River Race in Essex, Mass., I thought about what it had taken to pull off our fourth consecutive tandem sea kayaking victory.
Hard training? Superlative skills? Steely determination? Naah …
Well, all right – Ian and I do try to stay in shape, and can throw in a high brace or two when necessary, and set our jaws appropriately during competition, but true confession: The most significant factor in bringing home another gold medal was entering a division with only a handful of adversaries.
Had we been more adventurous Ian and I would have raced against nearly two dozen opponents on paddleboards, or nearly as many in single kayaks or in fixed sliding seat vessels. In all more than 150 men and women compete in nearly 30 divisions at Essex. Do the math; most competitors wind up with a medal of one color or another– a good strategy for race organizers in the Cape Ann Rowing Club hoping to attract a crowded field and entry fees.
In addition to kayaks, the race in this fishing-boatbuilding community features such traditional vessels as Banks dories and multi-oars gigs, as well as assorted sliding- and fixed-seat shells, all set off at varying times on a 5.5-mile course that winds past waterfront homes and marinas on the Essex River, around Cross Island in Essex Bay and back. Slower boats that can take up to two hours start first while the super-slick sliding-seat boats that can whip through the course in under 45 minutes go first.
Eventually the whole river is filled with shouting, flailing paddlers and rowers – work boat crews in jeans and sweatshirts; surfski paddlers in polypropylene. As I’ve remarked in the past, it’s a little like opening up the Indy 500 to Formula 1 race cars, NASCAR and a demolition derby, all at the same time.
Though we had a comfortable lead in our division – finishing in 57 minutes and 14 seconds, more than 30 minutes ahead of the second-place finisher – Ian and I never let up.
“Hard 10!” I cried as we neared the finish.
Just for fun we were struggling to catch a tandem in the fast sea kayak division less than a minute ahead, and also were trying to shake of an outrigger canoe that had been hanging right on our trail for more than two miles.
I had swerved the rudder left and right to maneuver past a couple of slower boats but the outrigger stayed glued to my stern, saving energy by drafting.
In many races this practice is prohibited – especially among boats in different classes – but anything goes in Essex short of boarding a competing vessel with cutlasses.
It turns out the outrigger canoe was piloted by Bogdan Kordulski, a former member of the Polish national canoe team, who wound up winning his division by 23 minutes.
“Thanks for the lift,” he said with a smile after the race.
“Next time you take the lead and we’ll draft off you,” I replied.
Ian and I soon joined our buddies Robin Francis and Phil Warner, who had finished 6 minutes ahead of us in the high performance double kayak division. My boat, made of fiberglass, is 22 feet long and weight nearly 100 pounds. Phil’s super-fast vessel, made of Kevlar and carbon-fiber, measures 23 feet long and weighs less than 40 pounds.
“How’d you do?” I asked. This was meant to be a joke. Phil is one of the fastest male paddlers around; Robin, among the fastest women.
“First and last,” he replied with a laugh. In other words, they were the only boat in their division.
“Guess that’s better than just last,” I said.
As for Ian and me, we’re happy with our gold medal, and hope to come back next year for our fifth.
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