 |
|||||||||||||
 |
 |
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
|
 |
 |
 |
||
 |
2006 DieselFish News « ’05 News Current News »  Saturday & Sunday, September 23-24, 2006 : Treasure Island Day 1  Next year we should remember to bring one other thing with us to Treasure Island — flashlights! It's dark at 6:00 am at the end of September. Nonetheless, DieselFish started to fill the paddlers' village with activity early Saturday morning with tents, tables, food, water, tarps, chairs, more water, paddles, PFDs (did I mention water?) The commotion and activity was a precursor of the energy and excitement that would follow during both days' races. Most of us would meet the United German Dragons for the first time that morning. They were one of the crews DF hosted at this year's race. The UGD team is actually a mix of four different paddling teams from different towns in Germany. They banded together to form a single team (explains the name a bit) for this year's TI race. The race was one of the stops they made as they traipsed across the western US (Las Vegas, Death Valley and Yosemite were also on the list).
 With no fog in sight, the sun came out and the tents went up. Before we could finish greeting our other hosted team — LARD — DF2 was called to warm up and get things rolling! They were participating in the first heat of the day. Heat 1 had great conditions — flat water and no wind (really — I'm not making that up). The team went out and pulled off a great showing with a 4th place finish to start off the day! They smoked through the course, stayed strong the whole way and finished it strong — just the way DF always does.
DF1 was up next — with again, great conditions, and pulling together the new start, and some solid powers through the middle of the race, they sailed into the finish with a first place time under their belts. DF3 wrapped up the first race jitters — they headed out with Drummer Connie leading them in what was — almost — a Hotties race. Of course, the timing was great as they came through the finish line (no bias here at all) and they pulled in a solid time as well. With the first race jitters out of the way — everyone was gearing up for their second heat of the day. It looked like all three crews were going to be battling it out for top spots in their groups and the energy level was running high. People visited with each other, with LARD, with United German Dragons and ate (as is our tradition). It seemed like the Social Chairs' plan to keep us hydrated and well fed was working great!  The second round of races yielded similar results to the first round for DF. We had strong finishes for DF3 and DF2. Both boats were starting to come together and apply the power to keep them in the hunt for top spots in each heat. DF2 came in with a second place finish in their heat to qualify them in the Rec A division. DF1 rallied to another first place finish, narrowly beating a tough BAD1 crew to make it in the Comp A division and end the day for the co-ed crews on a high note.
The afternoon expected to cover what are traditionally fun races for DieselFish — gender races! This is where the Hotties get to showcase impeccable timing (with no gender practices, mind you) and show off our cheer. The Meat usually use this opportunity to exhibit their machismo and mad power (no comment on timing) to throw fear into their opponents. Little did we know how fun this afternoon would really be.... The first group out was the Hotties. With Slim (shivering) on the front and the ever cheerful and eager to be on a boat with Hotties Victor steering, the team loaded up in boat 4 headed out to start line. The conditions were more traditional to what we expect at TI — winds were up, waters were choppy, and goosebumps were everywhere as the team paddled out to the start line. As the boat eased up to the start line, the starter called out the standard instructions and then the bull horn went off. The Hotties dug in and started our counting sequence until — What? What was that? It sounded like the bull horn calling a false start (listen for it on the video link to the left). The "Let it ride" call from Victor had the team stopping and looking around to see what had happened. After surveying the situation — it became apparent that no other team thought there was a false start — they were all paddling furiously and calling out their start sequences.another seas Well — heck — I guess we better get going! May I point out at this time —the Meat should note that 20 pissed off Hotties is a force to be reckoned with. As the team came to grips with what just transpired — the crew in Lane 4 began its mission to mow down the competition. The energy and desire to catch up to the other teams was evident in the bow wake that came off the boat. The Hotties powered up the race course one by one, the other teams would fall victim to the wrath of the DieselFish Hotties — except one. When all was said and done — the crew had come in second place with a time of 2:49.46. Not too shabby. Just when you thought it wouldn't get any better than that... the Meat crew loaded up and headed out for their gender race. Seated in Lane 4 (is this a coincidence?) the crew was poised to bring together stellar timing and huge power and put some hurt on the other teams in that heat. This time — a clean start was called and everyone was pulling together with a nice pop at the catch. Then.... "LET IT RIDE" "HOLD THE BOAT" "WATCH OUT" paddles clash, dragon boats and dragon heads (VP of Operations — please look away) meet unceremoniously as Lane 5 decides to pay an unexpected visit on Lane 4. Don't you hate unannounced guests? The crew in Lane 5 barely manages to scrape by our boat as both crews hold their boats to limit the amount of contact that would ensue. The drummer for DF Meat reached out, grabbed the drummer's chair from Lane 5 and gave it a healthy shove. DF paddlers on the left were struggling to clear themselves from the tangle of the other boat and alien paddles invading their personal space and checking to make sure everyone was okay. Steersperson Jason had lost his footing and struggled to get back up on to his perch while Gordon and Mark instructed (that's the polite version) Lane 5 to hold the boat. Once it was clear that no one was hurt — the call was on to get paddles up and to get the heck out of Dodge. We left Colin's contact lens behind and almost lost our way into Lane 3 as the boat had started off before Jason could get things back under control.... When the splashing, paddling and waters calmed down behind the finish line — DF Meat came in fourth place (impressive when you think they had time to stop and chat in the middle of the heat). Of course, Gordon had to point out that his TRUE goal was met — which was to out-do the Hotties... Does a mid-race collision trump coming back from giving the competition a seven second headstart? Hmmmmm... we'll let the readers decide. Day 2  After the team dispersed to tend to birthday parties, family dinners or an evening with LARD and UGD for dinner in SF, everyone congregated Sunday morning in the fog to re-set our tents. (And goodness — is that MORE water???) The day promised to be tough — DF2 was in the hunt to make it into Comp B finals. DF3 was poised to crush their competition and go into Rec A finals. DF1 had one thing on their minds... stay ahead of the Canadians.
DF3 went out first and true to form — pulled together a great race with a 2nd place finish. As we scrambled to swap personnel and get paddlers situated for the next round — DF2 headed out for their semis and pulled a great time and a 3rd place finish. DF1 rounded out the semi finals with a 4th place finish behind Dangerous When Wet 1, Dangerous When Wet 2 (two Canadian mixed crews put together with a mission to come to Treasure Island and break the CDBA Canadian curse), and LARD Black. After all the excitement from the gender races on Saturday, it seemed as though Sunday was more relaxed. People got to visit with family, see babies, play with doggies, eat, do a crossword puzzle, sleep in the back of the Jasper Redneck Truck and eat some more. United German Dragons — being fabulous guests — presented the team with a collection of t-shirts from local races in Germany that they had collected over the past years. DF members lucky enough to receive one were ooo-ing and ahh-ing over them and holding them up to see if they could understand what they said. A special t-shirt, signed with the participants from their team went to Head Coach Gordon as a special thanks for hosting them at their first race in SF. To reciprocate the hospitality —I believe the ever gracious host — Sean Team Manager O'Hara rolled out the post race beverages to share with them — hopefully it helped them feel more at home. The day ended on a high for DF3 as they came in 6th place for their finals — having a GREAT showing for a team with a lot of first year paddlers and just a couple of races (at most) under their belts. DF2 finished strong in a tough battle in their finals missing third place by a few blinks of an eye. DF1 also came in 4th in their finals, facing very tough competition in the Comp A Consolation heat.  All in all — the weekend seemed like a rollercoaster ride of fun, excitement, activity, bonding and good racing. A special thanks to: The entire team for helping out both mornings to set up for a total of SIX crews this year! Go DIESEL! And to the crew that stuck around after the races on Sunday to help load boats and send them on their way back home — way to represent DF. Social Chairs Deb and Lisa for the massive amounts of food we had all weekend to keep us going. Kristina and Connie for organizing a Diesel Lunch run both days. Yvonne for keeping the vendors in check. Jason for steering for Diesel, losing his voice (and his balance) and still hanging tough with us all the way through! All the drummers that were hoarse by the end of the day Sunday. (Ask Kathy to quack the next time you see her). The Captains for keeping us together and marshalling us on time to each heat.
I'm sure there are many other thanks that can be doled out from that weekend.... But one I can not forget... To the Coaches — a huge thanks for putting together a team of THREE awesome crews for this race. We thank you for your time, energy, efforts and all the heart you gave in to getting us to and through the weekend. Here's to Season Nine DieselFishies. I am proud and honored to be a part of it. Kathy Yen Saturday August 18-20, 2006 : Victory in Victoria 
DieselFish visited our friendly neighbors to the North to participate in the Victoria Dragon Boat Festival over the weekend of August 19th. In the beautiful Victoria Inner Harbour overlooked by the majestic Empress Hotel and the British Columbia Parliament building, DieselFish competed with 89 other teams from British Columbia, Washington, and Oregon. Not only was DieselFish the furthest traveling team at the race, but we were also the only team from California ever to race at the Victoria Dragon Boat Festival! DieselFish represented the great Golden State with our energetic cheers, sunny demeanours, and powerful strokes throughout the weekend. The weekend started with an early morning for most of us on the Friday as we flew up to Seattle to catch the ferry to Victoria. As the fishes and the 5 Ripple Effect paddlers who helped us fill our ranks stumbled out of the gates toward the baggage claim area at the Seattle Tacoma Airport, it was already obvious that we were off to a great start. Energy and laughter were buzzing around in the air as we commandeered a section of the baggage claim area as the DieselFish zone. $1.25 bus fare, a false stop, and a long journey with the body bag later, the team managed to make our way down to the Ferry Terminal. After a quick lunch near the ferry terminal, we boarded the Victoria Clipper IV ferry and managed to arrive in Victoria 3 hours later in mostly one piece to be greeted by Sean's pimpin' ride. After a tour of the charming downtown and a bit of horseplay involving a difference of opinion over placement of a certain piece of clothing, the team retired to get ready for weekend of racing.
 The first day of racing started with gorgeous sunshine and clear, endless sky. Todd Wong, who graciously steered the DieselFish boat throughout the weekend, met us at the festival site with a bundle of bananas. After a quick warm up, we hopped into the boat to race in the first heat of the festival. The crew quickly adjusted to the new boat and the icy cold water to come in second place in a close race. After lunch, the team was pumped and ready for the second race of the day. After waiting for a ferry and a seaplane to leave, DieselFish paddled out to the starting line and raced another very close race coming in second place with time of just over 2 minutes and 3 seconds. In both the races, we were surging and catching up to the lead boat during the finish.
  After a day of racing, we were invited to a special dragon boat edition of Todd Wong's famous Gung Haggis Fat Choy. We enjoyed delicious Chinese dishes as well as a special serving of haggis. While some Fishies shied away from the Scottish delicacy, Todd Okamura and Mark Inose completely embraced haggis and decided to show their love for haggis by having a haggis eating contest. Cheered on by 5 different dragon boat teams present there, Mark won the closely fought battle after eating half a pound of haggis. Claire and Gordon participated in the Haggis Ceremony by reading the poem 'Address to a Haggis' by Robert Burns while all the teams present sang several songs to commemorate the event. The team ended the night with dancing and socializing at The Sticky Wicket.
 On the second and last day of racing, we were placed into the Jade division. In our first race, we came in fourth place with a time spread of just over 0.5 seconds. However, in final Jade B Division race, the team completely jelled together to put an awesome show for the spectators and other paddlers in the crystal clear waters of Victoria. After a strong start, DieselFish was leading the race with other teams right on our tails. As we got into the power 10's, we started distancing ourselves away from the pack. When the finish came, DieselFish surged forward and finished the race more than a boat length ahead of the second place team. Todd Okamura, a Ripple Effect paddler who paddled with DieselFish in Victoria, described the final race as "opening a can of whoop-ass." DieselFish walked away with first place ribbon in the Jade Division B and 26th out of 90 teams present at the Victoria Dragon Boat Festival.
Daniel Yum Saturday July 29th, 2006 : Strong Beach  On the weekend of July 29th two full crews of hungry Dieselfish paddlers headed down to Long Beach to show our friendly SoCal neighbors exactly how we bring it. By the time the weekend was over it was very obvious to all exactly how we roll. Along with our pursuit of victory, Diesel brings a deep hunger, an unquenchable thirst, a desire to throw all into the water, an ability to concentrate through near collisions, and of course as always the Diesel hotties bring it long and strong.
First stop Roscoe's Chicken and Waffles: At 11:00 Friday night most Diesel paddlers arrived ready to fuel up for the rest of the weekend. Although many performance athletes subscribe to the carb-loading theory, Diesel paddlers know that the true road to victory lies in fried chicken and waffles, followed by a chaser of globulous syrup.  At 7:00 AM Saturday morning Diesel paddlers showed up fully powered by the previous night's syrup shots and a fresh round of caffeine. Both crews knocked off the LA jet lag quickly and advanced to their expected divisions. Diesel I started the jelling process that would prove valuable to them then next day while Diesel II showed everyone how quickly a Diesel crew powered by many new paddlers can come together and bring fear to the Dragon Boat world. To celebrate the end of a successful day Micah decided it was time to get Victor wet. Little did he know Victor has been trained in many tough to defend fighting techniques and that Victor's revenge would be quickly exacted on Connie and Kristina.
 Of course a tough day at the races should be followed by a pit stop so Diesel did what it does best... EAT! Greenfield's Brazilian BBQ didn't know what was coming when it reserved half of its tables for Dragon Boat teams participating in the festival, but the rest of the DB world really didn't know what was coming when they thought it was going to be a calm night in a fancy restaurant after a tiring day. After eating ravenously through several meat courses and finally having the feeling of meat defeat within them, Diesel paddlers took to the bar in a congo-line to drink like the fish that we are. Somehow DF I's lead stroke got his hands on a couple shots which lead to much worry that night as can be seen by all the pictures. Many Diesel paddlers were also a bit worried when they discovered a suspicious package as they left the building, but all was well as it turned out to be a harmless bowl of French fries.
 Little did we know that alcohol is a performance enhancing substance for fish. As the day went on our previous night's "doping" proved to be exactly what the doctor ordered. Diesel II's timing came together and they showed all what is to come when DF II rolls into T.I. in full form. Diesel I led by their fearless and slightly hung-over leader powered their way to a first place finish. The hotties showed everyone exactly how they like it, and the meat and their captain "Blackjack" Te Whau showed that they will not succumb to illegal ramming techniques. Diesel's performance was cause for celebration and all dry fish were prime targets for celebratory dunking.
\ChrisC Saturday July 8th, 2006 : Fremont Sprint Races  Saturday, July 8th 2006 was the date for the annual CDBA/NCOCA Sprint races at Quarry Lakes in Fremont, CA. Dragonboat sprints interlaced in between the outrigger races. This was a fun event where both paddling disciplines were able to show their stuff.
After the settling camp and the obligatory stretch and warm up, the four DieselFish crews (DF-1, DF-2, Meat, & Hotties) set out to do battle. Our newbie boat, DF-2, picked a good race to cut their teeth and get some very valuable experience. Needless to say that all the stories the salty fish told them about racing could not compare with the actual racing itself. Tired, but now experienced, the crew of DF-2 walked away with a respectable 4th place finish in Division D.  So here's a question. Can the ladies outstroke the fellas? That's a good question and one that needs to be answered. Enter Heat 6 in the Women's seeding races where the Hotties pulled a spectacular 2nd place finish. Not to be outdone by ladies, the Meat coming roaring out of the box in the Open races with a 3rd place finish over the Absolute Dragons by a few seconds. So can the ladies outstroke the fellas? Depends on how you look at it as both the Hotties and Meat finished 5th in the finals of their respective divisions.
As the races went about their business, our resident Kalbi Pit Boss, Art Liu and DF Daddy, Mr. Chin cooked up a ton of Korean ribs to augment the already abundant supply of tasty treats provided by the fishies themselves. At the same time, we were able to fill the DF coffers by selling plate lunches to hungry paddlers, high school kids, and a few spectators. Fundraiser Honeys Thu and Sherry made sure everyone got fed and that our pockets got phat.  With DF-2, the Meat, and the Hotties out of contention, the burden of striking gold fell into the lap of our premier crew, DF-1. Earlier in the day, DF-1 took a blow in Semi-Finals by finishing 4th. It was a little bit of a setback to the awesome 1st place finish in Heat 1 of the morning's seeding races. Now in the water, DF-1 finds themselves in the company of RFX3, Absolute, DW3, Dragonmax 1 and BAD3. The crews line up and the OCs head for the beach. The lanes clear and the buoys are on the horizon. Tension and confidence is high as the commands go down in succession, "PADDLERS ARE YOU READY? ATTENTION PLEASE." The split second of silence then broken by the airhorn. Off they go! Lots of pride is riding on this one and the crew knows it too. Out of the start sequence, the crew begins to dig in. Bodies are in full rotation. Catches are feeling more solid. Timing is in check. Bam, Bam, Bam, DF-1 hammers down the lane one power sequence after another. It's a tight race and DF-1 knows they're in the kill zone. With the final buoy in sight, the call is made, "FINISH IT NOW!" and crew responds, "UP, UP, UP" in solid cadence with the motions of the stroke, pushing the crew and the boat past the finish line. This was one tight race as RFX3 takes second, Absolute with 3rd and DF-1 taking the top slot with a 1st place finish.
 After the races, the salty fish initiated a few new fish by throwing them into the water. Not very many people minded as the thermometer slowly climbed into the high 90s. It was kind of funny as there were numerous warnings in the morning to not generate any wakes that may interrupt the OC races. Another tradition introduced to the now new salty fish is the jelly roll which proved to be a close but dizzying experience. The other tradition that got out of control was the drenching of coaches. As if tossing the coaches into the drink was not enough, some mischief makers had to go a drench coaches with the coolers that were filled with ice water. The funny part was watching the coaches getting clocked with the cooler lid as they got drenched. The day wrapped up for some at Fudruckers where the topic of the night was pole dancing. All in all, Quarry Lakes was a fun race that was enjoyed by everybody.
313 Sunday June 11, 2006 : Winery Bus  9am we arrived tired and cold on a foggy San Francisco morning at Crissy Field, yet we were ready to rumble! We quickly loaded up the bus trying to recognize all the different faces. We were a pretty quiet group as we take the ride up to Healdsburg. The best way to wake up (and some of us recovering from the brewfest the day before) was Coke and chips!
Our first two wineries (Hanna and Balleto) were small, so the group was split into two. Hanna was a small vineyard with a beautiful rose garden. We seemed to take a liking to the "love wine" going for $51 a bottle. Tummies now warming and spirits rising the groups switched. We visited the next winery that was pouring two kinds of wine on the patio, Balleto and Dutton-Goldfield. This place served cheese AND crackers! Sheralee became our spittoon and she very much enjoyed that; in fact, so did we!  After our split visit to each of the wineries we met back up as a group and loaded the bus to have lunch and another tasting at Chateau Felice. Thanks to Sherry and Thu we had wraps and snacks as we sat outdoors watching the sun peek through the clouds. We were now nestled in the middle of town and were free to wander to the local wine tasting places in town, which I think we alllll took advantage of and loaded up on some great wines for summer. Not to mention we continued the festivities on the bus ride home. I didn't realize most of us could fit in the back of the bus! :)
Let me tell you what a difference from that morning, I think we all made friends for life! Claire Saturday June 10, 2006 : Time Trials  On Saturday, June 10th, DieselFish held its first time trials of the season. What are the time trials? It's a relative measure of technique, strength, and endurance that is used by the paddlers to individually gauge their performance over the season. It may also be a factor used by the coaches to set lineups for races. The first part involves a 300m paddle on a two-man outrigger canoe (oc-2) where the paddler sits in front and the steersperson sits in back. This piece is done in tandem with another paddler so that each paddler has a little competition to push themselves harder and at the same time have a little competitive fun. The second part is an endurance test where the paddler must row an erg machine for three minutes.
Blue skies and plenty of sun brought out our biggest turnout, yet, for a time trial. Thanks to Coaches Gordon and Luke steering for everyone and Mark for coaching during the erg trials, as well as everyone that helped setup and take down the site. Both the Meat and the Hotties put on an impressive performance with excellent times and some nice improvements over last season. There were a few standout performances:
 Victor Saturday May 13, 2006 : Paragon Point Race beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep  This is a broadcast from the EAS (Emergency Alert System)The following message will be repeated: "A Tsunami warning has been issued for the residents of Paragon Point. A set of Category 3 waves (I have no idea if waves are classified this way but it sounds cool huh???) generated from an unknown source pummeled the shores of Redwood City on Saturday May 13, 2006. Due to the unknown nature of these waves, residents of Paragon point are advised to take precaution and brace for potential future weather disturbances." This has been a broadcast from the EAS.  From the news desk of KWDF
An anonymous female who wished only to be know as Hottie K.Y. who was operating a water craft at the time of the occurrence said, "...it was long and strong...but I like it that way...." An observer from the shore was quoted, "...it's not so much the size of the wave that this issue...it's the motion of the ocean that makes things interesting..." Some eye witnesses mentioned some strange Dragon-like creatures propelling themselves in the vicinity of the weather disturbance. More updates to come as soon as any information surfaces...  DF is on the Move Yo!!!!
Salty Fish bringing it as usual Fresh Fish getting their taste of Drgonboat insanity DF style!!! Much thanks to Race Director Nick for running another smooth race. Props out to Wonder Twin Hotties Deb and Lisa for organizing the DF feeding frenzy...and subsequently all the Fishies for bringing the good eats... Thanks to Captains Victor "Todem" Cheng, Alan "Slim" Lim, and Super Hottie Winnie "...Long and Strong..." Tsoi for keeping the troops in check.  Big ups to Connie Chan for debuting as our new comp drummer...way to motivate them fishies girl!!!
Snaps (Sorry I just saw Legally Blond 2 on TBS or something this weekend...) to Kathy for losing her voice screaming at the Meat (Chris you can thank us for that later...lol) Thumbs up to [Scooby Voice On] "Roro" Roselle [Scooby Voice Off] for making sure we were all sportin DF Jerseys... Much Much Thanks for Big Dog CJ and all the Fish that helped out in the morning unloading boats and thus getting us out of our afternoon duties and on to our Beer...oops I mean dinner earlier...  Way to go Fishes. Great 1st race under our belt. I'm super stoked how the weekend went. Once again DF represented on and off the water. Once a Fish always a Fish. Fresh/Ex/Salty Fish you name it, every flavor of fish was everywhere. Running the Race, Starting the race, Running Marshaling (that big tall white dude on the Megaphone on the docks was our one and only Dougie, soon to be husband of Winnie...) Working the Finish. It was a true team effort. This is why I love this team so much. We are one big family. With our DF2 team placing into the C division with so many new people it's a great way to start off the season. And what can I say..DF1 3rd in comp. 0.3 seconds off in the semifinals to BAD, one of the premiere dragonboat teams in the Bay Area, as well as losing by about half a boat to Dragon Warriors in the finals. I tell ya this is no small feat. DW has been practicing nonstop since the end of last season to prep for the Worlds in Toronto later this year. Good Luck DW!!! Show everybody what the Bay Area is made of!!!!! So with this race field placing 3rd... right behind those 2 crews is so awesome... especially knowing that we have a lot more to give. The speed potential is definitely there... Gordon and I are going to do whatever we can to get everybody to realize their full potential and then some. 110% baby!!! Oh yeah... one last thing... Great Job Hotties... 3rd place... way to keep it "long and strong" Meat... well you are the Meat... let's not let the ladies show us up at the next race. We don't want to make them to carry our slow butts down the course...
Remember 20 hearts...1 blade 20 hearts...1 blade 20 hearts...1 blade See ya on the water Mark Saturday May 6, 2006 : Berkeley Pier OC Race  The DF Outrigger team gathered at Shorebird Park in Berkeley to race on the OC-6 for the first time this season. The crew for this race were all first timers other than coach Ken: Chris, Sean, Thu, Kathy would paddle while Ken steered.
The weather was at 54ºF with the wind traveling at 12mph. That means that it was cold if you were just standing around but it felt hot if you were paddling with all your might. So, yes, wear shorts in these conditions. When I got there, everyone was hovering about the OC-6. Apparently, Chris and Sean were getting initiated in rigging the iakos to the ama. (I thought Chris already knew how to rig the boats!) The women from Hui Wa'a were helping our team members rig the boat. The knot was a little fancier and there were three straps that tied the iakos to the boat instead of two. They also helped us tie the bail buckets and the life jackets to the boat. It's always best to get tips from the more experienced paddlers. We were very thankful that they came by to help us. Let's just hope that Chris and Sean remember how to rig the boat again. After we got the boats ready and now it was time to stretch and get ready for the race. Not. We sat around and ate. We were waiting for Ken (arriving on madison-time) and for the race to start. You see, that's what we do, us Fishes. We wait in DieselFish style: with food and jokes. As we were waiting for Ken to arrive, a lot of questions went through our minds. 
"Chris, are you steering? Wait, who's steering? Oh, Ken's steering?""Ummm, do we know how to flip the boat over if we huli?" "We aren't gonna huli, are we? The boat is pretty secure, right?" "Do you remember how to do the knots?" "Are we doing the long course or the short course?" "Where's Ken?" Around 8:30am, Ken called to ask us some questions. On his way over to Shorebird Park, he called to check in on us. He asked, "Do you see birds flying or sitting on the water? Do you see any flags?" We just looked at each other. We did not see any birds flying here or there or any flags for that matter. Later, Ken explained to us that the flags indicate wind and the birds don't like to fly in bad wind. All I could think was "Let's just hope that we don't huli." Even before we knew it, the race started. With Thu and Kathy setting pace, Chris and Sean in the engine room, me in the back, and Ken steering, we were off. It was a team effort, indeed. Thu and Kathy worked through the waves to set the pace. At times, the waves were so high that Thu was basically paddling in air. Chris and Sean kicked in with power when we needed it. Ken helped us chase the waves and tried to help us reach our fullest potential. A quarter into the race, a canoe huli-ed, we made sure they were ok and paddled on. Soon thereafter the red/yellow boat to our left passed us! They pulled ahead further and further all the way to treasure island. All throughout the race, we tried to catch up back up. The boats that were right in front of us were pulling away more and more. After the turn we felt the heat of 3 canoes right on our tail. Ken told us to dig deep and get home. "See the roof over there" what roof!? that little thing I can barely see! I thought the race would never end. all the way back we maneuvered to make the most out of the waves. we pulled away from the canoes behind us, and better yet the cones in fron tof us were getting bigger. As we entered the last 1000 meters we were right on the tail of the red/yellow canoe that we were chasing on the way out. We didn't manage to pass them but we were sooo close. Let me tell you, it was tough. It's not easy being out there in the rough water paddling with all your might. It's not easy, but when it's over, it feels sooooooo good. Yes, we are all coming back for more. See you at the next race. by Linda Park, 2nd year paddler and Ken Hong, DFOCC Coach. Saturday March 31, 2006 : Paddling Catalina 
[Fishie] I heard 7 of you are going to race from Catalina Island
[DF outrigger canoe club paddler] Yes, next weekend. [Fishie] On that little one-person outrigger canoe? [DFOCC'er] Yup. [Fishie] All 40 miles? [DFOCC'er] Not solo. We're alternating between paddlers. We have two teams with 2 paddlers, and one team with 3 paddlers. [Fishie] In the open ocean? [DFOCC'er] Yes. We each have an escort boat to follow us for safety. [Fishie] But what about the sharks? [DFOCC'er] (gulp) What sharks?!?! 
On Friday March 31st in the dreary rain, and before the sun had even risen, seven of us; myself, Victor, Simon, Ken, Gordon, Chris, and Sean, left for southern California as the first step towards the epic 41 miles ahead of us. After delivering our canoes to be taken over to Catalina, at a local boathouse in Dana Point, we boarded the ferry and soon we had arrived in Catalina.
The next 36 hours were dedicated to resting and getting ready to race, which mainly consisted of sitting around watching movies (though some us did write an entire senior thesis), sleeping, and most importantly loading up on carbs. It was definitely time well spent as not only were we prepared for the 6-7 hours of paddling come Sunday morning, but we had also created plenty of new memories and were much closer as a team as a result. 
Unfortunately, the time passed all too quickly, and we had to face the stark realization that there was only one way back to California, and it was certainly a long one. Besides the length of the race, another major concern was seasickness. As Simon can attest from the first time he participated in the Catalina race, seasickness can be debilitating in a race such as this, so to avoid it we all took several precautions. While most of us were more conservative and only used over-the-counter Dramamine, some of us got prescription patches, and Simon even had acupuncture beads put in his wrist and ear.
As we were now all prepared as we were going to be for such an epic race, we set out to the docks to get in our chase boats and get our starting paddlers to the start line. Simon, Victor, and Sean were the first paddlers for their respective teams and readied themselves at the start line with the rest of the competition, while the rest of us waited in the chase boats behind them. On an entertaining side note Victor and Gordon's chase boat was named "Sweet Pickle" and Simon and Ken's boat went by "Loretta McNasty,", and unfortunately due to being brand new, Chris, Sean, and my boat was unnamed. 
Sitting on our chase boat before the race got started I gazed across the vast and vividly blue ocean and realized the magnitude of what we were all about to do. Perhaps it was because the sky blended with the water at the horizon the or maybe because I could not see any land in front of me, but whatever the reason the ocean in front of me appeared endless.
However, I soon refocused on the race as the start call sounded, and a flurry of different colored boats dashed off into the distance. After the initial portion we settled into a rhythm, 20-30 minutes on, 20-30 off, and in the case of my three man team 40-60 off. It was this consistency and repetition that caused the 40 miles to fly by, as we were soon entering Dana Point Harbor for the last mile. Once I pulled my boat onto the beach past the finish line I realized what an amazing experience the entire weekend had been, and I am sure that everyone else felt the same way. We had bonded as a team and completed a race whose enormity is only eclipsed by the utter elation of finishing and the abundance of stories that come from the adventure. I was honored to be a part of this group and I would do it all again without the slightest hesitation. Our Head Coach Gordon sums the results up well: All of the DieselFish teams finished strong. Simon & Ken were much improved over their race the prior year, with Gordon and Victor not finishing too far behind with Sean, Luke, and Chris in tow. It was very impressive for Sean and Chris to complete this challenging race in their first year of paddling. Way to go. Now our goal for 2007 will be to bring a hotties DF crew to this race. Who's ready? -Luke Saturday February 18, 2006 : Winter Challenge Wavechaser On February 18th, DFOCC participated in the BAIR Island Wavechaser race in Redwood Shores. The great conditions and defending of our home turf brought out one of our biggest turnouts for a Wavechaser race so far, a whopping 14 paddlers! The sun was shining bright despite forecasts of heavy rain and strong winds. In the first race of the day, Mike M. and Hugh competed in the novice course with 8 other paddlers. The course started just before marker 21 and went out towards the bay for about a mile and despite little race experience, Mike and Hugh finished first and second, respectively, in their division. Way to go guys! Next up was the short course which had 58 paddlers competing over the four mile course. Battling a strong tide and winds (luckily with very little waves), Luke, Sean, and Chris competed in OC-1s and Bill and Thu teamed up for one OC-2 while Kathy and Sherry teamed up for the other. The short course started just before marker 21, went up to marker 14, and then went into the slough for a short distance before turning around. The three OC-1s started out strong with Luke (and his envious "waves of golden locks" =o) leading the way, but Sean and Chris caught up and eventually took over. All three finished within a minute of each other. But a couple of minutes before they crossed the finish line, Thu and Bill had already made a strong finish and came in fourth in their division. Sherry and Kathy finished a little later and won third place in the OC-2 women's division! The final race for Saturday was the long course. A crowded lot of 70 paddlers took off at the start line just as rain clouds started to threaten everyone with a downpour. Simon, Gordon, Ken, Mike, and I raced the course which runs 9 miles through the slough and around BAIR Island. Tough competition (along with strong winds and currents in the back side) pushed us hard, but we all finished strong. Time to rest up, especially with a second day of racing to follow on Sunday. The next day, some crazy DFOCCers decided that one race over the weekend was not enough, so we came out to Treasure Island to race the second part of the Winter Challenge. Despite warnings of rough conditions with big waves, the weather held up pretty nicely for us. The short and novice course raced at the same time with the short course wrapping around Treasure Island and Yerba Buena Island. The long course followed and went for a very long 14 miles from Treasure Island towards Angel Island, circling around Alcatraz, and then circling back around Treasure Island and Yerba Buena Island. The novice and short course paddlers got alot of great support from the team as the cheering squad followed us around the islands. Waves were minimal and everyone had alot of fun racing under bridges and around the islands. Congrats to Bill and Thu for their third place finish (OC-2 Coed) and Kathy and Sherry for their second place finish (OC-2 Women)! The long course paddlers had to face some brutal tides and strong currents in the crowded field (72 paddlers!), as well as a number of barges and ferries crossing the race course, but showed great strength and skill in completing the course. Kudos to all that came out again for the second day of racing. Look for us at the Fort Baker Wavechaser! -Victor Read onwards and backwards to the 2005 DieselFish News » |
|
 © Copyright 2005, DieselFish. All rights reserved. That means don't jack anything off this site sucka! Unless you ask for permission of course, send your groveling to web at dieselfish dot com. Site Design by Topsoil |