Catalina Crossing

:: Catalina Channel Crossing ::

2011 US Outrigger Championship Race

Saturday, September 10, 2011

Newport Beach, CA to Catalina Island

:: 26 miles ::

My last 6 months of training have been building up to this race. We were up before the sun, struggling to down food that we knew we needed to sustain us for the arduous journey ahead. This particular Saturday morning greeted us with thunderstorms and lightning, and the scheduled start time was pushed back an hour. 8:45am rolled around and 60 outrigger canoes lined up in two rows facing the edge of the earth, waiting patiently in the grey, tumultuous water for the start flags. Shivering incessantly from my quick dip in the ice-cold ocean and the breeze against my drenched jersey, I attempted to take cover within the canoe. It's too late - flash of red, flash of green - the flags go down - GO GO GO!

Newport Beach, CA

September 10, 2011

PC: C. Silvester

40 minutes later I'm sitting in the Andale - soaking up the adrenaline high of the start, guzzling down more water, ripping open my pouch of beef jerky. Another 40 minutes pass and it's time to get back in - I'm dreading the leap off the support boat into the frigid open ocean that relentlessly attempts to flip our canoe over. "Ready.... GO!" Splash - splash - splash! Three paddlers are in. I wanted to scream; the icy water pierced through my bones. "SEAT 1! SEAT 1!", I yelled, trying to concentrate on the canoe charging at my head. I grabbed on and swung myself in. "One, two, three, four, five", I counted to myself trying to make sure I set the pace at a high enough rate.

40 minutes later, and I'm back on the support boat again to recuperate. I hear over the radio - 2 paddlers have succumbed to hypothermia... no, 3 paddlers now have hypothermia. And it's only just the beginning...

PC: H. Cole

5 hours, 41 minutes, and 35 seconds later we cross the finish line at the mouth of Avalon Harbor at Catalina Island. Little did we know our canoe had just placed 10th in our open co-ed division. Six months ago when I joined the club I intended on being a recreational paddler. And here I was on the racing team, exhausted and pleased after 26 miles of paddling, finishing in the top half of our division even if our crew was comprised mainly of novice paddlers. What a way to end the season.