In the 2011 Doctor race, the first 3 finishes in the 12'6 category beat the winner of the open category. Was this down to better paddlers or better suited boards?
I thought the 16/17' boards would have been far superior over this distance.

Select to expand quote

Gannet said...

In the 2011 Doctor race, the first 3 finishes in the 12'6 category beat the winner of the open category. Was this down to better paddlers or better suited boards?
I thought the 16/17' boards would have been far superior over this distance.

Better engines and no wind :-(

The last three were also on 12'6 boards

I should know I was one of them

What Hilly said better engines and lack of wind.

I was on a 12 Glide which was the smallest board in the field and finished 19th. Had there been more wind i think i would have finished a fair few places back due to the way the 14's pick up and keep going on runners.

What was the experience like? I have a 14' board and once per week paddle around 6 to 8kms sometimes into a seabreeze of 15 plus knots. i thought about the Doctor but with my current fitness and age wondered whether i would make the distance. It is something to aspire to next year. How much training did you do? How buggered were you? How much water did you consume and what was the safety side like? Also getting your boards over to Rotto and picked up at the other end?
Distance paddling is different to surfing but i find it a fantastic exercise for the whole body. I am working on trying to paddle better now. In a short period of time find I can power along far quicker than previously and get the board really moving. Next board will be carbon but at the momment i generally paddle alone.

Select to expand quote

johndg said...

What was the experience like? I have a 14' board and once per week paddle around 6 to 8kms sometimes into a seabreeze of 15 plus knots. i thought about the Doctor but with my current fitness and age wondered whether i would make the distance. It is something to aspire to next year. How much training did you do? How buggered were you? How much water did you consume and what was the safety side like? Also getting your boards over to Rotto and picked up at the other end?

To answer your questions:

How much training did you do? - 5 paddles went sking in Japan instead of training

How buggered were you? - very cramped up in my lats, stomach, hands and groin

How much water did you consume and what was the safety side like? - lots of water and suppliments. Safety is great they have support boats helicopters and other paddlers. We also all wore PFD and carried flares.

Also getting your boards over to Rotto and picked up at the other end? - easy they ship them over on a barge the day before and you pick them up on the island the day of the race. At the end the misses just picked me up.

You should do it next year it is well worth it and the only time you can paddle from Rotto.