A quick reminder that registration for the Blackburn Challenge in Gloucester , MA. closes on July 7. If you paddle an outrigger canoe competitively , you dont want to miss this race. Greg Barton is coming again this year to add to everyones oxygen debt on surfskis. Karel Tresnak Jr. will most likely do the same to the OC1 paddlers. It wont be easy though because the east coasts top paddlers will be there .The OC1 field for wahines is the best ever assembled on the east coast. Sheila Kuyper, Caroline Brosius, Cindy McNett, Colleen Moore and many others. Margo Pellegrino will be on the starting line too , just after finishing her trip up the entire east coast on her OC1. This race is widely recognized as the east coasts premier ocean paddling event. This year it will be better than ever due to the high quality of the field. Blackburn is a 21 mile long circular race course with a little bit of everything , flatwater,river, upwind, downwind and waves. 3 hours will be a fast time on this course. So , tell your friends and come out to Massachusetts to race on the cool clear Atlantic on Saturday , July 21.
Here`s a link to the race web site:
http://www.blackburnchallenge.com/Blackburn.html
Submitted by fuzerider on Wed, 06/27/2007 - 2:39pm
More Blackburn info by Andrew Binks:
2007 Blackburn promises to be fast race...
Local paddlers hoping to boost their league points with a Blackburn win are going to have their work cut out for them this year. So far Eric Borgnes and Joe Glickman have both signed up for the 20 mile coastal race around Cape Ann in Massachusetts. However, rumors are that Greg Barton and Ben Lawry are also to attend - making 2007 possibly the fastest race ever for surfskis.
Greg Barton needs no introduction here, but he's going to have to work hard this year. In 2005 he beat Glickman by nearly 15 minutes, but since then Glickman has got two more Molokai races under his belt. Joe has been on the USA kayak marathon team twice and won the surfski division of the Blackburn in 2000 and 2002.
Ben Lawry won the Blackburn on a surfski in 2003, beating Glickman by less than 4 minutes. Ben's resume includes numerous South African competitions and he's been showing strong form so far this season.
Eric Borgnes won last year's short and flat Blackburn, narrowly edging out Glickman. Eric has completed two Molokais and won this year's Run of the Charles in a Mohican - the boat he'll be paddling in the Blackburn.
#1 Thu, 06/28/2007 - 1:13am