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Tag: Blackburn Challenge
2012 Essex River Race Roundup
For race results this link downloads a nice excel spreadsheet.
My race roundup: Nice day, I did not fall in, the beer was cold and the hot dog was tasty. The band did a nice job on some Fleetwood Mac covers a la Stevie Nicks. I finished in 1 hour 18 minutes 37 seconds. John Karoff who won my division finished in 58 minutes 29 seconds. If I had twin 150 Evinrudes maybe I could cut 20 minutes off my time. I happened to be chatting with John as we waited for the start since he had the same boat as me and I mentioned something about wishing I had gone kayaking at least once this spring before today. He said he had gone once, to something on the Charles River, a 19 mile race with many half mile portages. Meaning he had to pick up his boat and run to avoid dams and waterfalls. It was then I knew that although he seemed quite pleasant he was a mad man and was not surprised he took first place.
Other crazy people. Will Rich of Bayview and SUP The Coast fame (as in he paddled standing up all the way from Key West to Maine) finished first on a SUP board. It looks like there is a motor under his board, his time 1 hour, 2 minutes, 32 seconds. Crazy.
A James Tarantino of Gloucester rowed a banks dory to a time of 1 hour 24 minutes 6 seconds. A banks dory is about as opposite as you can get from most craft in this race. No carbon fiber, kevlar, teflon composite. A banks dory is made from large trees and 300 pounds of cod in the stern would not slow them up by much. The cod may add a minute or two to Jimmy T’s time. That would be a good addition to the race. Then we could have a nice fish chowder at the finish.
OK, so who did the course the fastest? Borys Markin was sitting on something called a HPK single, or High Performance Kayak. These are long, thin, razor blade shaped, space age fiber crafts that I think if I sat in one I would be in the drink within a minute. Borys finished the race course in 42 minutes 41 seconds. This is one of the reasons why I attend these races. These faster craft start the race after my division. So during the first 30 minutes of the race, packs of fast boats scream by one after another. As they do I try to imitate in some small way the technique they are using to paddle. But not entirely. If I kept their cadence up I would blow a seal in less than a minute, but still instructive.
On to the Blackburn Challenge, just 55 days to go. Saturday July 14.
I would be negligent if I did not add that the Cape Ann Rowing Club did another amazing job with the Essex River Race. They make it fun for the normal as well as the athletically off their rocker types. Everyone who paddles in either the Essex or the Blackburn have come to expect a smooth race with nary a hitch and CARC keeps pulling it off.
If you go to the Blackburn Challenge website there will be photos posted over the next week or so. I don’t have anymore photos so I will just post a gratuitous photo of Homie biting Rubber Duck’s butt. (Homie doesn’t want her to race anymore.) 
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76 Summer Days Until the Big Race
(Sung to the tune of 76 Trombones)
Seventy six summer days until the big parade,
with at least a hundred and ten dory rowers motoring away.
They were followed by rows and rows of the finest kayaks;
the cream of the Cape Ann waterways!
I’ll quit with one verse …
Blackburn Challenge: Saturday July 14. There will be a kayak pod of “not the extremely swift” led by Wendie Demuth.
Click map for more links and info.
There is also a short 5 mile race in the Essex River on Saturday, May 19th. Just go to the Cape Ann Rowing Club Web Site and you can sign up for both right now! Go ahead. It’s easy. You are probably an SK-male or SK-female boat length say 18 feet beam 25 inches. They take MasterCard and you get a cool T-Shirt you can wear to the GMG Mug-Ups to prove you did it. (SK means sea kayak which is what you have unless you are the Lance Armstrong of kayakers. Check your kibbles and bits to see if you are male or female.)
Rubber Duck signed up for both! ( I have got to hide the credit card.)
Rubber Duck Kayak Quick Tips: If you are thinking of going out to get in shape the water temp at AO1 buoy today is 46F:
1) Do not kayak alone. 2) Wear and buckle up a PFD. 3) Dress for the water temp, not the sunny air temp. 4) Stick to the shore like glue. 5) A hand pump, a paddle float, a waterproof handheld radio tuned to VHS 16 are all good things to strap on your boat but only if you know how and when to use them.
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100 days until Blackburn Challenge
Yikes, according to my Blackburn Challenge Timer there are only 100 days left to prepare for the paddle all the way around Cape Ann starting at Gloucester High School and ending at the new Greasy Pole July 14, 2012.
Click map for details.
Who is going to do it? Rubber Duck had fun last year but this year she is going carbon fiber and a decent time. Rumor has it that there are several people who have never done a 21 mile kayak but are seriously thinking about it. Reply to this post and lets get a pod of you together that will aim for one goal, finish before the keg is empty. Next month once the water temp gets past 50F we can start doing a couple of training runs. Who’s in?
[edit] Essex River Race May 19, 2012. A five mile jaunt from the Essex Ship Building Museum out and around Cross Island and back. Any GMGers want to do that? I’ll loan you a kayak. Sign up here with the Cape Ann Rowing Club. Start your season early this year. Life is too short so make the season long.
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Only 177 Days to the BlackBurn Challenge
January 18 and how many New Year’s Resolutions have you blown off already? Did you last two weeks on your diet? Have you already bought a pack of Winstons? Now is the time baby, crunch time, when the muffin top takes a beating and you resolve to stick to your resolutions in 2012. Why? So that 177 days from now you can get in a boat and paddle your not so fat butt all the way around Cape Ann.
Click here for a BlackBurn Challenge Timer. July 14 is just 177 days away. 25 weeks. Plenty of time. Or I can send Homie over to help you focus.
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25th Blackburn Challenge; Joey: Send me a photo!
The morning of the Blackburn Challenge and Joey was having a GMG meltdown. Or maybe he was was giving birth to puppies. But we were getting ready to go for a long paddle and Ed and I had not sent him any photos. I was trying to set up my iPhone to send a GPS signal so GMG could track us go around Cape Ann but Joey was sending me a text message every five minutes which would kill the GPS app.
I did get a photo but forgot that it was on HDR setting. I emailed it to Joey and he never received it since it was so large. Today, I finally figured out how to get it yanked from my outbox. Here we are discussing racing strategy. Once Ed realized I had Sue set up to deliver us cold beers as we rounded Andrews Point we were all set.
Only 290 days left to the 26th Blackburn Challenge.
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Morning of Blackburn Challenge Breast Clouds
The morning of the Blackburn Challenge contestants and viewers of the race noticed some pretty weird clouds. Hard to capture in a camera, they looked a little like this photo taken from the wiki page describing mammatus clouds. Terry Weber posted at GMG about these mysterious clouds here.
“Mammatus” from the latin mamma for breast or udders. On race day the clouds were much larger in the breast category with cleavage compressed as small indentions. A cold front comes in, some wind shear occurs, and these large lumpy clouds start dropping from the sky.
Some clouds have a silver lining, on Cape Ann they sometimes appear to be double D cup.
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2011 Blackburn Challenge Slide Show From Cherie Grey
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Ed Collard Fights through Heavy Boat Traffic to Finish The 2011 Blackburn Challenge
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Blackburn Challenge – Photos by David Cox
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Video- 2011 Blackburn Challenge Filmed By Ed Collard
Ed uses the Kodak zx3 and Kayalu Salt Waterproof Camera Mount to capture the Blackburn Challenge
The Kodak zx-3 and kayalu salt waterproof camera mount performed perfectly, especially when you consider Ed all thumbs and no eyes Collard was the operator.
I would say you have to give Ed some props for improved camerawork. Nice slow steady pans and no ground shots, Ed is definitely improving with his camera work!
we will be bringing you more creative footage with the waterproof camera and mount in the coming weeks.
if anyone is interested in the gear you can buy them on Amazon here
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Desi Smith Captures Ed and Paul At the Blackburn Challenge
Hi Joey, please share these photo’s on your blog of Ed and Paul.
Desi
Ed gives Paul a push.
Paul and Rubber Duckie prepare for the journey.
Ed battens down the hatches.
Ed gives the thumbs up,saying he’s ready for the challenge.
Ed heads out to meet Paul for their adventure together.
Ed’s Daughter watches as her father and Paul Morrison head out for the Blackburn Challenge.
There’s no turning back now!
all photos and captions Desi Smith
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2011 Blackburn Challenge Coverage From GMG- Live Tracking of Ed, Rubber Ducky and Paul Morrison and More!!!
We will be tracking Ed, Rubber Duckie and Paul Morison via satellite. if you click on the screenshot of the map you will see exactly where they are on the race course as they circumnavigate Cape Ann.
The screenshot below was taken at 6:08 when they boys arrived at the starting line at Gloucester High School. If you click the picture it will show you a refreshed map of exactly where they are as the day progresses.
Ed Collard talking pretty confidently in his interview here but I think we all know he is secretly hoping for the race to be called early due to heat, LOL! I will say this-
If Ed Collard does indeed complete the Blackburn Challenge after only 5 times being in a Kayak I’ll be convinced he can do anything.
A note to all Blackburn Challenger Competitors and their families-
Swing down the dock after the race to get a free Good Morning Gloucester Sticker and have your picture taken for these pages Representing!
The boys have been averaging 5 mph according to our satellite tracker
8:10AM
8:27AM 5mph
8:42AM 4mph
GO ED!!! GO PAUL!!! GO RUBBER DUCKIE!!!
11:09AM 3mph
11:34 Zero MPH BEER BREAK?
12:55PM 4MPH Passing Brace Cove
1:07PM 4MPH The Home Stretch Past The Breakwater
1:38PM 4 MPH Inner Harbor heading For The Greasy Pole!!!!
Finishing Strong 5MPH To Pavillion Beach THEY DID IT!!!!!!!!!!
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Blackburn Finishers – Our Heroes
Paul Morrison, Ed Collard and R. Duck all finished in record time – the same day.
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WOOOOOHOOOOOOO!!!!!!! THEY DID IT!!!! Blackburn Challenge 2011
I’m Buyin Ed and Paul!!! Milk for R. Duckie! and thanks to Peter and Vicky Van Ness for getting the video of Ed Hitting the beach!!!
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Real Time Blackburn Challenge Caboose: Rubber Duck
Rubber Duck has figured out her ride in the Blackburn Challenge is not the fastest boat in the fleet and so is looking to upgrade. But no one wants a quacky duck onboard so it is the scenic ride for her. Duck wants to have refreshments on the way and so she has written up a web page displaying her whereabouts during the day of Saturday, July 23. If you happen to have a cold one and can tell by the dot on the link here, Rubber Duck will gladly pull over to freshen up as Saturday looks to be a hot challenge. Prior to 8AM Saturday and on Friday the dot (and so duck) will be racing about the island for provisions like duck bill gloss and SP 500. (The Duck Tracker will also be turned off or in test mode prior to the Blackburn for battery charging so the map will not start real updating until 7 AM Saturday.)
Rubber Duck entourage will look like one pale blue kayak (Paul M) and one dark green kayak (Ed C). Follow the dot and come down to greasy pole to watch the finish. (Come quite a bit earlier than Rubber Duck Tracker if you actually want to see some racing.)
Not enough links to Rubber Duck Tracker? Here’s another: 
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Blackburn Challenge Salty Stew From Al Peirce
Check out Al’s by clicking the link below
Trash Paddler–
Here it is “high summer” and I’m getting a hankerin’ for some Blackburn Challenge Salty Stew. In fact, this upcoming weekend, those venturing to Cape Ann, Massachusetts should find all of the ingredients at their peak of ripeness. With that in mind I’ll share my recipe for cookin’ up this mess.
The first thing you’re gonna need is a big ole pot or, better yet, a great big vat. Next, get yourself a paddle, or perhaps an oar, for stirring. In addition to these items, you’ll need a heat source such as a fire, or, if using the Native American method, some good-sized “boiling rocks”: Twelvefoot, Bass, Brace, Normans Woe, Black Bess, and Tablet (any or all will do). These rocks will need to be gingerly added to the pot after having been heated in the fire.
To get started, fill the pot with some Annisquam salt water and rockweed. Throw in a small cape. Cape Hedge will do. Now add the following coves: Goose, Lobster, Hodgkins, Plum, Lanes, Folly, Hoop Pole, Gap, Whale, Loblolly, Brace, Lighthouse, Old House, and Freshwater.
Using your paddle or oar, stir the pot while adding some heads: Biskie, Gap, and Stage followed by some points: Stanwood, Thurston, Wheeler, Babson, Wigwam, Folly, Halibut, Andrews, Gully, Flat, Emerson, Eastern, and Mussel.
Next grab hold of some necks and toss them in: Davis, Brier, Dolliver, and Rocky.
At this point things will be coming to a boil. Now add a few islands: Straitsmouth, Thachers, Milk, Salt, and Tenpound. It’s important that they be added in this exact order.
Let all of this boil for 3 to 5 hours and then let simmer. If it starts to boil over the top, cool it with a little Good Harbor water or Cape Pond Ice.
And don’t forget the two most important ingredients. Remember to stand back, before throwing in a Dog Bar Breakwater and a Greasy Pole!!
Lastly, allow this concoction to cool to taste and wash it down with an Ipswich Ale on tap. See you on Pavilion!!!
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GMG Gear Preview- KAYALU RAM Marine Grade Gear Locking Suction Camera Mount
Ed and I preview the Kayalu RAM camera mount before putting it to the saltwater test, using it to film The Blackburn Challenge.
I recently bought a Kodak zx-3 Playsport waterproof video camera. It was the camera that GMG contributor Adam Bolonsky used to tape this year’s Greasy Pole. When I found out that the camera was only $77 it was an absolute no-brainer.
Last week I used it to film my ride to Gloucester in this video-
As you can see in the video there is a decent amount of camera shake with it being hand held. I couldn’t use my Manfrotto Modopocket because that is made to sit on a flat surface.
So then I got to thinking about how much cool footage I could get if I outfitted one of my lobstermen with a saltwater resistant type camera and mount and I began my search. With some advice from Adam Bolonsky I discovered the Kayalu RAM suction mount which uses heavy duty marine grade materials throughout. A simple mount made from ordinary metal would be useless after it’s first use hitting saltwater.
We plan to use the Kaylau RAM saltwater camera mount with an 8 inch toughbar extension and the Kodak Playsport zx-3 to capture some footage attached to Ed’s Kayak for the Blackburn’s Challenge.
Here are some pictures-
I’m looking forward to seeing how it holds up. Look for our review post race. In teh meanwhile check out our preview here-
I put it on my Joey’s Approved Products page if you want to order one from Massachusetts based Kayalu
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Rubber Duck Field Trip
Rubber Duck was bored so it was a drive into Boston to ride the Swan Boats and then off to try her hand (rubber wing) at Proteomics. But then she started thinking she might be missing too much fun back on the island …
She’s back now and Rubber Duck will be on the bow of a kayak this Saturday behind Gloucester High School waiting for the 8:25 AM horn announcing sea kayaks can start in the Blackburn Challenge. We might take the scenic route around the island so don’t expect her at the greasy pole before 2 PM and save her some cold beer. She won’t be last since I will be four feet behind her. Not sure where Ed will be. Possibly on one end of a tow rope but anyone’s guess which one of us will be doing the towing. Maybe the duck will tow both of us.
UPDATE: Blackburn Challenge has 403 sailors signed up manning some 253 boats following the course below this Saturday morning. Get to your favorite point of land on Cape Ann and cheer them on.
Click map for interactive adventure.
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Blackburn Challenge Registration ends Midnight Tonight
Click here for Blackburn Challenge Registration. Do it today since the registration ends at midnight tonight. Next week will be the 25th running. Sign up and be part of history and get a cool shirt too. Stand Up and Paddle, sit down and kayak, turn backwards and row a dory. If Rubber Duck, Ed Collard, and I can do it, you can too.
Only 7 days to the race. Check out a map of the course.
Good Morning Gloucester 