April 28th marked the start of Cayuga Outrigger’s 2011 season. Cold water, air temperature hovering around 50 degrees, a brisk wind and a setting sun did not deter 5 excited paddlers from launching A’no:wara onto Cayuga Lake. Â Starting with rigging at Myers Park the crew of Bill, Felix, Julie, Paul and me paddled for an hour until arriving at East Shore Marina. Â So started our season which is filled with an upcoming open house and ECORA races. Â Hope to see you on the water!
ECORA has finalized the 2011 OC-6 racing season schedule  with some new races added.  Cayuga Outrigger is dedicated to increasing our participation in the racing schedule so please feel free to check out the races listed below.
The annual  ECORA meeting was held in snowy Philadelphia where the state of East Coast outrigger paddling was discussed as well as the calender for  the 2011 race season decided and set.  Discussion revolved around strengthening outrigger racing, assisting clubs in becoming larger and stronger as well as providing great experiences from the novice to experienced paddler.  Many other issues were discussed and Philly Outrigger proved an outstanding host.  If you are interested in reading the ECORA Minutes please feel free or contact COCC for more information.
YeeeeeHaaaaaaa! September 3rd proved to be a great day to travel south, toward a hurricane and 35+ miles of paddling. That was our plan as we headed toward Kent Island, Maryland in the Chesapeake for a team outrigger race. In our way was Hurricane Igor, missing members and some severe surf that caused the normal circumnavigation of Kent Island to be altered. Â
Hurricane Igor
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 Our team arrived in Kent Island and had a wonderful meal together at the Kent Island Yacht Club. After that it was off to sleep as we rested for the big day ahead. Â
PreRace Meeting
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Race time was scheduled for 7:30 am with boats hitting the water at 7.Â
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The Start
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Our first group of Julie, Liz, Heather, Paul, Dave and P.J. headed south as the winds increased in velocity and the waves responded by growing ever larger. Our team was in the front of the pack as we circled the bouy but was soon surprised by an ama that chose to move to the other side of the boat! HULI!!! Â
We should have read this before the race!!
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Some great work by the team had the boat upright and bailed before the entire field had passed us.  The next 4 miles where a bit dicey as we traveled back to Kent Island with the waves hitting our ama straight on.  The team quickly made it back and changed out with our second leg team. Blair, Cookie, Tracey, Cynthia, Bill and Paul where excited to be paddling but did not realize what awaited them when they left protected water and ventured out into the Chesapeake Bay.  The water in the bay was gnarly with 3 to 4 foot swells that, again, were hitting the ama broadside. The crew struggled mightily in these conditions of high wind and swells and where more than happy to make the turn.  The downwind run was fantastic and fast as we passed 2 boats and came in for the change out with a third. Team 2The crew hit the beach and were glad to be on dry land but also concerned as the first group headed out into the same water. The third and fourth legs went off without a hitch and we were all soon sipping cold beers and preparing for the luau. Â
The next morning all tents were packed and we made an annual breakfast stop at Holly’s and then a small group headed into Annapolis for some sightseeing and a snack a McGarvey’s Saloon. Â
Huge thanks to all team members especially Matt for climbing in and doing a leg which was his second time ever in an outrigger. Also a big mahalo to Blair’s parents for the blue crabs and a place to sleep as well as the Kent Island Outrigger Club for throwing such an outstanding event.Â
July 31st marked the day that Cayuga Outrigger Canoe Club was hoping to erase the events that occurred the previous year at Liberty World Outrigger Competition. What were those events? Four COCC members headed to New York City and met up with Ben (steersman) and Ray(paddler) to take on some extreme conditions in New York Harbor and the Hudson River. After more than 2 hours of paddling it was discovered that the boat had missed a turn, ended off course and was given a DNF. The crew was tired and dismayed and wondered if it was worth ever coming back.
Waiting our turn with Brooklyn Bridge in background
Saturday morning found our team of Julie, Dave, Cookie (Paul C.), Paul W. and P.J. walking across the Brooklyn Bridge for an 11 o’clock race time. Our canoe, courtesy of the Washington Canoe Club, need to be rigged and a portion of the morning was spent lashing the the ama, iakos and wa’a together. A nervous morning was spent getting in some last food and water as we waited for the women’s race to end and for our Men’s Open to start.
Boat Entering Water for Men's Open Race
Finally at 10:30 we launched our boat and paddled to the starting line under the Manhattan Bridge. The current was flowing strong against us with considerable chop but we were more than ready for the challenge. The race start was crazy but with some masterful steering P.J. kept us upright and ahead of another boat which was a cause for excitement. We quickly made our way to the tip of Manhattan, avoided getting run over by the Staten Island Ferry and were headed into some of the roughest water of the day.
Gnarly Water at Battery Park
As we headed north on the Hudson we faced a slight tidal current behind us the flow of the Hudson in our face and massive boat wakes that were reflecting off the shore.  Our ama spent some time in the air but due to an awesome team we were soon making the turn at W 29th Street and heading to the west side of the Hudson. Padding was almost enjoyable as we headed toward Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty. At the Statue of Liberty things again grew interesting as tourist gawked from the Circle Line Cruise Boat and wakes again threatened the seemingly inevitable huli. After what seemed like forever, it was actually only a mile, we found safe haven behind Govenor’s Island and were paddling our way to the finish line. Not only had we finished the race but we came in ahead of another crew!
Results!
We were greeted at the shore by MHanh offered us relief in the form of PIZZA and BEER, are you kidding me, she is invited to all events from here on out!! A big Mahalo to her.
Pizza and Beer Post Race
We finished off our day with the luau at the Frying Pan and ate to we could not fit any more. The luau also had women performing hula, a raffle and many great recaps of an awesome and exciting day.
January 9th found P.J., Julie and me at the Kent Island Yacht Club for the annual meeting of ECORA (East Coast Outrigger Racing Association) at the Kent Island Yacht Club in Maryland. This was P.J.’s second meeting and Julie and I were there to learn as much as we could about the past and future of East Coast outrigger canoe.
On our club’s last visit we competed in the Kent Island Cup but the cold temperatures and ice in the Chesapeake made us think twice about asking to go paddling. This time awards were handed out to the best paddlers in OC-1’s and OC-6’s and left us wanting to get in shape for the upcoming season. There was some discussion of where stand up paddling (SUP) fits in ECORA’s plans for the future but no one will be doing the KIC again anytime soon.
Talk then turned to the race calendar which turns out to be extremely full. The season starts with an OC-1 race June 5th in Kent Island, with the Washington Monumental being our first chance to paddle the OC-6 in a competition. Some possible changes to races include the Toronto Harbor Challenge, which is currently not a definite and may be cancelled on July 10th, as well as the Liberty World Outrigger Competition, which is currently awaiting a final date. Liberty may become part of the much larger Mayor’s Cup, a paddling race around Manhattan, this year which has led to the delay in scheduling of this race. Inclusion in this race will be great for outrigger as it will give us a larger audience that will be able to witness our sport. Check out the club calendar for more race dates and start planning for races you may want to attend.
The Cayuga Outrigger Canoe Club traveled to Kent Island, Maryland to take part in the Kent Island Cup on the Chesapeake Bay. Arriving late Friday night the crew quickly set up tents and had a wonderful dinner at the Kent Island Yacht Club.
An early wake-up call had everyone paddle ready as the 35 mile race started about 7:30 am. The race was broken into 4 sections with one crew doing the first and third legs while the other crew picked up the even legs. Our crews had to drive from change out to change out hydrating and eating as we went. Conditions were reasonable but both canoes battled surface waves and strong tidal currents. We were all extremely hungry so the kaluha pork, mac salad and other delicious treats hit the spot at the luau.
We all tried to stay up and celebrate our success but sleep was much to enticing to ignore but we did manage to see a beautiful KI sunset
The next morning found us all headed in different directions but a small group of use hit a local diner called Holly’s that will become a Kent Island tradition. It also left us wondering……what is scrapple?
Thanks to everyone who made this trip a success especially our crew of paddlers, P.J.,Paul C., Nina, Blair, Felix, Dave, Charlene, Julie, Mike, Iori and our friend from Boston Outrigger, Carol. A special thanks goes out to the Kent Island Outrigger Canoe Club for allowing us to use their beautiful canoe.
