2009 Series decided: Lancaster and McLain

Click Image to see Series Points

The 2009 Series was decided on Sunday. The best six races of 2009 were run by Cory Lancaster and Alex McLain in the Men's and Women's respectively. Although the Mayor's Cup remains on the roster, Lancaster is ahead enough (6 points) to claim the trophy for a year. Alex has had the Women's competition sewn-up for the majority of the season with a long list of first places. Congratulations to them both and the best of luck from NESurfski in your promising paddling careers.


Alex McLain & Series coordinator, Andrew Binks	Cory Lancaster recieves the Men's trophy for 2009

2009 EPIC Kayak Most Improved Paddler

The 2009 prize for most improved paddler goes to Cory Lancaster. Cory has always been a competitor at New England Surfski races and placed well. But this season Cory has excelled, going from good to very good. Not only did he come first in every Salem League race, but he has also won the Points series with a race to spare. His Blackburn time this year was 2:43:36, ten minutes faster than his previous best.

The decision to award Cory the prize was not simple however and other paddlers need a special mention here. Eric McNett has completed his first full season on a ski and performed well with two first places and 5th place finish in the series. Chris Chappell has improved his ocean paddling and steadily bettered his performance in Salem and the Series, where he finished 7th. Graeme Rockett has paddled more regularly with NE surfskiers, particularly in Salem and has progressively got faster. Wesley Echols gets an honorable mention as well for his faster time in the Blackburn this year.

Men's NESS Series Winners	Women's NESS Series Winners
2009: Cory Lancaster	2009: Alexanova McLain
2008: Ken Cooper	2008: Alexanova McLain
2007: Ken Cooper
2006: Ken Cooper	EPIC Kayaks Most Improved Paddler Award
2005: Mike McNulty	2009: Cory Lancaster
	2008: Alexanova McLain

History of Surfskis

Making the transition from kayak to surfski

Surfski Reviews

Surfski Repair

Surfski Survey - results of paddlers' opinions on ski performance

Modifying footwells for a shorter paddler...

Weight-training in Summer

© 2005-2009 NESurfski. All rights reserved. Reproduction or reposting of original material belonging to NESurfski is subject to terms and conditions. NESurfski Points Series, Salem Surfski League, associated trade marks and text are property of NESurfski.

RIDE 'EM COWBOY!

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Editorial: Mayor's Cup

As most will know, this year's Mayor's Cup race around Manhattan was subject to high winds and very large waves. Many made the trip to New York, only to find conditions they weren't happy with, or they were asked not to participate by the race organizer, Ray Fusco.

The Elite racers did battle their way around the island along and had a tough race - results are online. Rhode Islander, Tim Dwyer, made it around in a double touring boat (wisdom) along with his Long Island tour partner, Maury Eldridge. Tim's description of the race and several others are on Surfskiracing.com.

We sympathize with Ray for having another tough year. Putting on large international race is difficult, and doing this in New York City is incredible. Post-race comments in online discussion groups were mostly constructive, but some registrants were unhappy (some angry) at not being allowed to race. This is understandable given the effort and expense involved with training and attending this event. But, anyone who has organized a surfski race may better understand the situation and responsibility it involves.

Injury or death is possible in our sport, and while most paddlers wish to take responsibility for their own safety and do not expect the event organizer to keep them from harm - this may not end up being the reality. Several years ago a middle-aged seakayaker died while taking a class with a New England outfitter. The outfitter had (and still has) a stella reputation and the tutors are experienced and talented. The death was not their responsibility (it was simply an unfortunate tragedy) and the family of the sea-kayaker did not press charges, nor did they wish to sue. However, against the family's wishes their medical insurance company took the outfitter to court to presumably try to retrieve the medical costs of the incident - thereby threatening the outfitter's business and other assets. Thankfully, common sense prevailed and the insurance company lost the case.

The Mayor's Cup is undoubtedly an ambitious race to organize and it may have to be modified to make it more viable. Suggestions have been plentiful in the last few weeks (different time, reversible course, etc). But when bad weather or other adverse conditions arise, there is little an organizer can do but make an unpopular call. As the story of the outfitter shows, it’s not just the paddlers that take a risk entering an event, but the organizer as well.

[Because of the situation on race day, series points have not been awarded for the Mayor's Cup. This has had no consequences for the series results].

New Englanders at the Nationals: Results and story

NESurfski Downwind Run, 2009