Surf Kayaking

October 26, 2005

I not only got to compete on Monday, but Tuesday too!

My heat on Monday was at 4:00 pm where I just squeaked
into the next round, arrived back at the hotel about
eleven hours before it would be time to leave again
for my morning heat at 6:40 a.m. My wake up at 4:15
a.m. came fast but I made it to the beach just in time
to be eaten alive by sand flies. Martin from
Scotland, Ailsa McDougall from Jersey , Kate Smith &
I from USA made up the early morning heat. I have
used a different boat for each heat and this morning
was no different. I worked on more aggressive carving
and doing blunt type moves. I hit a great one and
kept going on the wave on my first ride. Martin and I
sat in the SUN and watched the next heat of women
until she told me that Scotts melt in the sun and went
in seek of the shade. About 45 minutes later she ran
back to me and said "Devon! Results are up!" "How
did I do?" I asked. In her great accent she said,
"Go, go look!" I won my heat and she was second!

I am on the final four for the Finals on Saturday the
29th! To top off my day the world committee approved Pays Basque to hold
the next World Championships. They will be help in Mundaka. Check out
www.mundaka.org for more info. Next, Carlos, who sells custom designed
T-shirts, brought me two cheese empanadas and refused to let me pay for
them. Wayne from USA West, who let me use his Cyclone kayak for semi-finals,
bought me an Imperial beer at the Low Tide Café to celebrate! I
was on a high! Tons of USA paddlers advanced to the final four as well.
I should have known there was a low point on the horizon.

Wednesday I went out to train and got my first Floaters,
this is when you ride up high on the top of the wave and then drop down
the green really fast. Grossman does a great one in the video
(4 MB Quicktime Video). I paddled toward the Low Tide Café, which
is on the other end of the beach from the comp. site and took my last
wave into the beach. I caught my nose as I was carving and did a nose-dive
to the bottom, power flipped over the "handle bars," and then
drove my stern into the sand. I split all four seams, both sides on the
bow and stern, open. Maybe I should never use the same boat twice $1800
boat to replace for my friend who let me borrow it. Well, it is hard to
remember when you are in a low that a high point is coming.

I went to Kmo’s house, the local surfboard and kayaker
repairman, to see if he could fix my kayak. He could fix it so I can use
in on Saturday for the finals but he only had chocolate brown resin. Neil
Kahn, the organizer drove me to his shop where we filled juice bottles
with two-part clear resin epoxy and headed back to Kmo’s. It will be ready
by 10:00 a.m. I was still upset and teary eyed as I walked back to Jaco
Fiesta. Jim Grossman put his arm around me and said, "Good News!"
I gave him the look I get when I am about to laugh and cry at the same
time. Well, the good news is James Hawker from England is here with his
parents, Kathy and Andrew, and his brother Simon. James makes his own
kayaks and said he would give them away to anybody who needs them. He
is giving them to me! They are a great design. He made the final four
in High Performance and in International Class. Yahoo!!!!!!!!!

Basques said they would come out and wave the flag
for me in finals. Enjoy the video and Pura Vida!

Devon