Hi everyone,
My apologies for being late with this week’s post, but I work in financial markets and things have been a little bit crazy of late.
Someone has obviously posted separately
that shot of Laird Hamilton and his wife Gabby Reece in the buff.
(Shame his hair stylist went missing on set at the critical moment). That raises the question, what is or isn't Laird wearing under the table in the following vid?
.be
Competition
The second leg of the European Cup, the
Sieravuori SUP Masters race, was held in Finland on the weekend. As we’ve seen repeatedly this year, a couple of athletes dictated proceedings – Casper Steinfath (the Viking from Denmark) and Celine Guesdon (France) won the distance
and sprint men’s and women’s races respectively.
Minor placings in the men’s distance race went to Eric Terrien (France) and Zane Schweitzer (Hawaii). Leonard Nika (Italy) took second in the sprint while Scweitzer secured third again.
In the women’s distance race Ane Zulaika Arabu (Spain) and Jo Hamilton-Vale (UK) grabbed second and third. In the sprint, Zualaika took second again while Maya Person (Sweden) grabbed third.
With one event in the European Cup to go, Guesdon tops the leaderboard, followed by Aranburu, then Candice Appleby (US), who won the Iberdrola race last week. Steinfath leads the men in the Cup, followed by Nika, then Connor Baxter (Hawaii), who also won last week’s race.
Final round of the European Cup occurs this weekend in Italy, as part of a surf expo in Rome (which isn’t on the coast – how does that work?).
Australians were well represented in the
Hui O He’e Nalu Race from Sunset Beach to Waimea Bay in Hawaii on the weekend, a warm-up for the bigger downwind events on the horizon. Matt Nottage nailed second behind Mo Freitas. James Casey, on a board that attracted some controversy about its branding, obviously enjoyed his ride, placing third.
Terrene Black has kept a quiet profile since her fantastic effort at the ISA World Championships in May, but her world-class form remains with eleventh place and first female home. Other Australians enjoying the stoke included Kieran O’Riordan and Paul Matthews. Did I miss anyone?
Next downwind event in the Sandwich Isles is the
Maliko 2 Kahului (M2K) this Sunday.
Quiver talk
Confirmation came through that the next model of the
Starboard Ace will only come in high-end carbon construction – a blow for those on a budget intent on joining the sect. What was also interesting was the claim that after-market shims will be available to stabilise the board in choppier conditions. Uncertain as to the race legality of said training wheels, although could it be re-categorised as OC1??? Perhaps an alternative might be to ride a wider board in a different model.
Of course for those that won’t be opening the wallet for a board upgrade this year, a new paddle or fin could be within your means and make a world of difference. I spotted a great-looking range of fins (sprint and keel) that Dave & Steve Boehne (Infinity boards) will be releasing with Mark Stavron next month (what is it about carbon fibre that gets the juices flowing?
). Here’s the sprint fin, with the leather covers the fins come with.
This week’s number: 53
That’s how many seconds I was able to endure of the official re-cap video of the
Race the Lake of the Sky – it has the most annoying soundtrack imaginable. Far better is this vid of Chase Kosterlitz who came third in the race. This behind-the-scenes film does a great job of capturing his preparations, celebrations and reflections. An all-round nice guy (and a seriously big unit).
One re-cap worth watching is the Rogue vid of the
Payette River Games – cool soundtrack, footage and editing. Axe throwing doesn’t get nearly enough air time. And for those that can access the CBS network in the US, their highlights package of the Games will be aired this weekend. I’m sure a copy will turn up somewhere for those of us not in the US of A.
Kids are incredible when they can pick things up so easily, including this six-year-old in Taiwan. That’s one smooth stroke.
www.facebook.com/TobyYen/videos/vob.511632865/10153409794467866/?type=2&theater Sorry, but I’m finishing this week on a poignant note. This final vid (with a surfing connection) reflects on the special bond we form with animals. Keep the Kleenex close by.
www.outsideonline.com/1989086/denali Happy paddling (and stay warm),
SJKJ
