WORDS: SARAH THORNELY( WWW. SUPJUNKIE. CO. UK) PHOTOS: ANTONY THORNELY FOR SUPJUNKIE
24
SHOULD WE RACE IN
BIG OCEAN
CONDITIONS?
WORDS: SARAH THORNELY( WWW. SUPJUNKIE. CO. UK) PHOTOS: ANTONY THORNELY FOR SUPJUNKIE
OCEAN RACING IS NOT EVERYBODY’ S CUP OF TEA – LOTS OF PEOPLE ARE LAND-LOCKED AND FLAT-WATER PADDLER TYPES, BUT MANY OF THEM DO WANT TO HAVE A GO. SO, WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU TURN UP TO AN EVENT KNOWING AHEAD OF TIME THAT THE CONDITIONS ARE GOING TO BE A LITTLE CHALLENGING AND HEY PRESTO, THEY REALLY ARE!
This happened recently at the Big Dippa race in Northumberland, and the conditions were probably one of the most difficult I have seen in all my years of racing, including two tough years at BaySUP on the south coast. So how do race directors make their decisions, and what makes paddlers put themselves into what others might perceive as‘ danger '?
I was one of those paddlers who, after years of not racing, decided to get stuck in – I felt that if the race director had decided it was okay, then I was prepared to go out. I struggled to stand, although I did stand, I got battered by the shore dump and was eventually‘ encouraged’ to leave the watery playing field and call it a day. But do you know, I was absolutely buzzing after.
I was also frustrated that I had let someone else decide my fate on that day, and I would probably do it all again. My pride was
intact, and the only thing I lost was my watch, which was dragged off my wrist whilst the waves were hurling about me.
Several comments on social media came up suggesting the race was‘ dangerous’ and should not have been run, so here are some very valid thoughts from race directors and paddlers alike from a good cross-section.