Ruby Creek Boathouse to host the 2011 Dash

Hey all Dashers,
With many thanks to the generous time and efforts from the Corson crew at Outdoor Adventure Center over the past 3 years, Ruby Creek Boathouse is officially at the helm of the Dash this year. All the details can be found on Ruby Creek's web site under the "races" tab.

Our friends and colleagues at OAC -- Blair, Kathy, Jared, Jessica, & Justin with parents Karen & Bill -- will continue as Presenting Sponsors of the event, so their friendly happy faces, that you've all seen and gotten to know, will still be around.


The Dash is growing this year, and will be a 2-day winter paddling fest on December 3 & 4, with the race happening on Sunday morning the 4th of December. See you out there!

This paddling race is FREE! No kidding.

If your competition budget is squeezed, this is the race for you. As George Bailey once said… “huh? That’s my trick ear. Sounded like you said ‘no charge’.”

That's right George, with many thanks to the Olympic Peninsula Paddling club, the 6th Annual Coho Dodge and Dash is set for Sunday morning, April 17^th, at 9am at Hollywood Beach in Port Angeles, over a 3.6 nautical mile course starting and finishing in front of the Red Lion Hotel. It's all part of the 11th Annual Port Angeles Kayak Symposium. The race is free, but please be there before 8:30am to sign in. No preregistration needed, just sign up when you get there and get going!

Competition is in 8 categories, with prizes provided by OPP and Olympic Raft & Kayak.

Since the race is part of the Port Angeles Kayak Symposium on the same weekend, ask for the Symposium discount when you call (360) 452-9215 for a room at the Symposim Host Hotel Port Angeles Red Lion. Rooms include the Roaring Start Breakfast Buffet! ...then take a quick walk to the beach and roar down the race course.

Learn to paddle the fast lane with Don Kiesling!

If you come out on Saturday for the Symposium, don’t miss preparing for the race in Don Kiesling’s “Racing Skills for the Everyday Paddler”, clinics #360 and #385, at the Symposium registration page .

Let's race! See you out there!

Race For Your Life Standings

“You put her in WHAT boat class?”

Congrats to all the Dash racers who earned points in the 2010-11 Race For Your Life Series!

Recap: boat class winners receive points for the number of racers in their class, plus a two-point bonus, to a max of 12 points.

2^nd place gets the number of racers in the class, minus 1… 3^rd place, minus 2, etc.

All finishers get at least one point.

The next event in the Race For Your Life Series is the New Years Challenge, January 8^th in Seattle. Register now!

Current RFYL standings after the Dash:

WOMEN:

Sherri Cassuto 12

Susan Conrad 9

Terri Bedford 8

Kimberly Allen 7

Trista Bilmer 7

Heather Nelson 6

Maureen Peterson 6

Debbie Arthur 5

Ayu Othman 5

Suzy Cornell 4

Shawna Franklin 4

Barbara Gronseth 4

Kim Andersson 3

Nadja Baker Zimmerman 3

Cheryl Batty 3

Minnie Fontenelle 3

Vanessa Haycock 3

Theresa Knakal 3

Angela Knightley 3

Tracy Landboe 3

Pam Powell 3

Jodi Wright 3

Traci Cole 2

Alison Graham 2

Aubrey Rosenthal 2

Marianne Banks 1

Julie Beck 1

Cate Burnett 1

Setsuko Cox 1

Megan Kelly 1

Deborah Orth 1

Jennifer Peloquin 1

Sarah Roberts 1

Holly Rutledge 1

Robin Yakhour 1

MEN:

Karl Andersson 12

Troy Husband 12

Gabriel Newton 12

Alan Lipp 11

Beau Whitehead 11

Brandon Nelson 9

Timothy Niemeir 9

Douglas Peele 9

Chuck Curry 8

Drew Dixon 8

Joe Ferguson 8

Jeff Hegedus 8

Jeff Underwood 8

Timothy Burke 7

Larry Bussinger 7

Greg Gilbert 7

Wayne Horodowich 7

Ken Kroeger 7

Brian Page 7

Patrick Aio 6

Brian Boatman 6

Paul Clement 6

Eric Gerstl 6

George Gronseth 6

Warren Williamson 6

Ernie Wong 6

Morris Arthur 5

Thomas Hanny 5

Vance Hashimoto 5

Jiri Richter 5

Michael Riordan 5

Scott Vesey 5

Darrell Bednark 4

Andy Bridge 4

Tom Cartmill 4

Reivers Dustin 4

Blake Hanley 4

Jasen Kaya 4

Robb Nichols 4

Don Rice 4

Michael Woods 4

Brian Arndt 3

Kevin R Bowman 3

Windsor Cheney 3

James Clapp 3

James Doherty 3

Mike Gregory 3

Michael Hammer 3

Matt Hayes 3

John Holtman 3

Andrew Jaquiss 3

Nick Kappas 3

Jeffrey Knakal 3

Michael Lee 3

Robert Meenk 3

Thom Prichard 3

Aaron Rinn 3

Glenn Rogers 3

Peter Wells 3

Mathew Wendell 3

Jim Zimmerman 3

Greg Bawden 2

Geoff Briggs 2

Gary Cassulis 2

Tracy Clapp 2

Michael Cline 2

Robert Freelove 2

Jeff Gassen 2

Sean Gibson 2

Lance Kahn 2

Troy Nishikawa 2

Seth Albanese 1

Harry Allen 1

Gerardo Andaluz 1

John Anderson 1

Dan Baharav 1

Martin Barker 1

Jeff Bedford 1

Thomas Borst 1

Matthew Charles 1

Clement Corbiell 1

David Couvrette 1

Brent Couvrette 1

Carl Darmer 1

David Desertspring 1

Keith Doorenbos 1

Patrick Doyle 1

Andrew Elizaga 1

Peter Englander 1

Ted Eugenis 1

John Fiddler 1

John Flynn 1

Terry Fox 1

Ryan Gander 1

Michael Germani 1

Mark Greengo 1

Ed Hand 1

Fred Inman 1

Joseph Kaftan 1

David Kau 1

Don Kiesling 1

Sherman Krantz 1

John Kuntz 1

Paul LaPointe 1

Rick Lingbloom 1

Eric Long 1

Danniel Longboatshortboat 1

Alan Marshall 1

Ed Matkovick 1

Christopher May 1

Patrick McCarty 1

Perry McGinity 1

Eric Mead 1

Larry Obryant 1

David Ortland 1

Eric Paige 1

Mark Peele 1

Mark Peloquin 1

Dean Peterson 1

Bill Porter 1

Scott Prato 1

David Price 1

Henry Romer 1

Greg Routt 1

James Schultz 1

Rembrandt Smith 1

Chris Smith 1

Jerry Sowder 1

Sam Stroich 1

David Thompson 1

Matt Treat 1

Jesse Varsi 1

Marc Whitlock 1

David Willett 1

Ron Wright 1

Links to cool Dash stuff

Look at that churning water! 155 boats carrying 176 racers leave the starting line for the 5^th Annual Deception Pass Dash.

Thanks to everyone who sent links to the pics, articles and other posts below. This is an awesome collection of memories of this year’s Dash. Keep checking back as I’ll add to the list below as I get more. If you have something you’d like to share, send the link to deceptionpassdash@gmail.com. Thanks!

Don’t forget… the New Year’s Challenge happens on January 8^th and is the second in a points-accrual series leading up to a championship weekend on Lake Washington in July.

Jeff and Theresa Knakal shot this sweet video from the stern of their Maas 2X rowing shell. Awesome! Fast too. Morris and Debbie drafting the rowing shell make quite a sight... they're so perfectly in time that they look like one paddler. Nice!

A special note about copyrighted photos (those with the photographer’s name embedded in the pic) – they are for personal use only, and not to be reposted or used elsewhere on your site without permission and proper credit. Please contact the photographer for info.

Photographer Ashish Aleti posted this set on Flickr, and tried to get at least one shot of every racer.

Gary Luhm got these amazing shots with incredible detail, that have had people speculating on discussion forums about what kind of equipment he was using. I think he’s just a really good photographer.

Sequim boys Don Rice and Michael Woods got some recognition in their local paper.

Brandon (2^nd- HPK-M) and Heather (1^st – HPK-W) Nelson blogged about the race. Heather is 6 months pregnant and is already signed up for the New Year’s Challenge, when she’ll be 7 months along. Does she need to enter as a tandem?

Tim Multrie from Canoe & Kayak magazine just sent me this link to his new article.

Your Race Director had a little time, thanks to all the volunteer help, to shoot some pics too.

Racer Michael Cline posted these pics on Flickr, saying “credits mostly to my wife” but won’t tell us what her name is.

Jim & Nadja Zimmerman, racers and hosts of September’s San Juan Orca Challenge, blogged about the race and included a cool video of the start.

If you’re on Facebook, The Dash Page has links to Facebook albums that members have posted.

Thanks everyone!

Official Dash results

Boats strung out from Deception Island to the Pass. Photo by Nancy Arends.

Awesome job to all the racers who came out to this year’s Dash! Another tremendous success, thanks to all of you who participated, volunteered, timed, cooked, served, sent prizes, and just came out to watch.

Final numbers:

185 registered racers

9 no-shows = 176 on hand

19 tandems, 1 triple, 135 singles = 155 boats

5 DNF

150 finishers. Congrats!

Please check the official results at:

http://bit.ly/ffIXPQ

Remember, you’re accumulating points* toward big prizes in the Race for Your Life series. The series includes:

DP Dash

New Year’s Challenge on January 8^th in Seattle

Paddle the Dragon on May 7^th in Port Gamble

deFuca Downwind on June 11^th in Port Angeles

Race for Your Life Championship weekend, July 30-31 in Seattle

*RFYL points system: in each boat class, the winner earns points equal to the number of boats in that class, plus a 2-point bonus.

2^nd place receives the number of boats in the class, minus 1. 3^rd place, minus 2, etc.

For classes of more than 10, the winner receives a max of 12 points; 2^nd place, 9, etc.; 10^th and below all receive 1 point.

For tandems, triples, OC6, and other team boats, each paddler in the boat, individually, receives the total number of points earned by that boat’s place in their class.

Racers may enter different classes in each race, and accumulate points toward the single big prize on Championship Weekend.

Standings with Dash results will be posted shortly.

Sweeeet Sponsor List!

At last, the 2010 official list of DP Dash Sponsors and non-profit partners. Please, if you dig the Dash, show your love for these truly supportive organizations by buying their stuff. They’ve sent raffle prizes, helped out with OAC’s expenses, and some are even bringing display booths of their stuff right to the Dash. Check out this impressive list, and thank you thank you to all our sponsors –

Alki Kayak Tours

Aquasports Paddle Center

Bluewater Kayak Works

Body Boat Blade International

Cascade Designs

Cathy Federici Massage

Canoe & Kayak Magazine

Danuu Kayak & Canoe Covers

Kayakers Go Coastal

Kayak Academy

Kokatat

MTI/Palm Equipment

Northwest Kayaks

NRS

Olympic Outdoor Center

Olympic Raft & Kayak

Outdoor Adventures

Perfect Wave Surf Shop

Ruby Creek Boat House

Sea Kayaker Magazine

Snap Dragon Designs

Stohlquist Waterware

University of Sea Kayaking

And… the Dash has partnered with these non-profits – looking for your support to advocate for the paddling experiences you love!

American Canoe Association

Leave No Trace

Washington Water Trails

Dash safety

Really... this was safer than it looks... Sean Watson photo

Here are a few reminders as we get close to race day. The weather and sea state are predicted to be mild but there are still hazards out there. You can minimize your personal risk by using good judgment and following a few simple guidelines.

-- You must WEAR a CG-approved pfd and carry a whistle during the race.

-- You are responsible for your own safety. Be aware of the conditions, and use your judgment on whether you can handle the sea state. Do not take risks beyond your ability that would put your friendly safety boaters in danger.

-- Be prepared for immersion in extremely cold water.

-- If our crew does need to assist you, your rescue is our first priority. This may mean your equipment gets lost or damaged if we are on the scene taking care of you.

-- Know the course! If you haven't paddled it, check your charts, ask experienced paddlers for advice, and take a look at the Secret Pirate Map and accompanying narrative on the Dash Blog.

Stay updated on the weather and wind conditions at NOAA’s site right here. Be sure to tab down to “Northern Inland Waters including the San Juan Islands”.

Have fun, be safe. We’ll see you out there!

172 racers - and still 2 more days to register!

As of Monday morning, 11/29, we had 172 racers on the roster. LOTS of tandems this year… including a Hobie pedal tandem, which will CRUISE!

Here’s the list. If you have a (+1) next to your name, it means you registered one or more paddler besides yourself and we don’t have the name. So please contact Bill Walker at deceptionpassdash@gmail.com with the name of your extra paddler.

Patrick Aio

Seth Albanese

Kimberly Allen Shoreline, WA FSK-W

Harry Allen Bremerton, WA SK-M

Gerardo Andaluz Blaine, WA SK-M

John Anderson Seattle, WA SK-M

Kim Andersson Portland, OR 2SK-W

Karl Andersson Portland, OR FSK-M

Brian Arndt Anacortes, WA pedal-M

Morris Arthur Bellingham, WA 2HPK-M

Debbie Arthur 2HPK-M

Dan Baharav Bellingham, WA 2SK-M

Nadja Baker Zimmerman Anacortes, WA 2SK-mx

Marianne Banks Anacortes, WA SK-W

Cheryl Batty Bellingham, WA 2OC-mx

Greg Bawden Duvall, WA HPK-M

Julie Beck 2SK-mx

Terri Bedford Folsom, CA SK-W

Jeff Bedford Folsom, CA SK-M

Darrel Bednark Seattle, WA Pdbd-M

Trista Bilmer Vancouver BC

Brian Boatman Bellingham, WA 2OC-M

Erik Borgnes Sequim, WA

Thomas Borst Marblemount, WA SK-M

Kevin R Bowman Bellingham, WA FSK-M

Andy Bridge Sultan, WA 2SK-mx

Geoff Briggs Port Orchard WA 2OC-M

Timothy Burke Olympia, WA SK-M

Cate Burnett Index, WA SK-W

Larry Bussinger Bellingham, WA HPK-M

Wendy Carter Bremerton, WA OC1-W

George Cartmill Seattle, WA SK-M

Gary Cassulis Vancouver BC 2HPK-M

Sherri Cassuto Seattle, WA SK-W

Matthew Charles Issaquah, WA SK-M

W. Scott Cheney Mount Vernon, WA 2Pedal-M

Tracy Clapp Duvall, WA 2SK-mx

Paul Clayton Seattle, WA SK-M

Paul Clement Bellingham, WA HPK-M

Michael Cline Seattle, WA FSK-M

Traci Cole Kenmore, WA HPK-W

Susan Conrad

Clement Corbiell Lakewood, WA OC1-M

Suzy Cornell 2SK-mx

David Couvrette Kenmore, WA HPK-M

Brent Couvrette Woodinville, WA HPK-M

Setsuko Cox Lynnwood, WA SK-W

Chuck Curry Bainbridge Island, WA FSK-M

Carl Darmer Olalla, WA FSK-M

David Desertspring Gig Harbor, WA SK-M

Drew Dixon Langley, WA SK-M

Keith Doorenbos Seattle, WA SK-M

James Dougherty Shoreline, WA SUP-M

Reivers Dustin

Andrew Elizaga Tacoma, WA

Peter Englander Portland, OR SK-M

Ted Eugenis Portland OR SK

Joe Ferguson Mukilteo, WA OC1-M

John Fiddler Seattle, WA HPK-W

John Flynn Seattle, WA HPK-M

Minnie Fontenelle Seattle, WA OC1-W

Terry Fox Issaquah, WA FSK-M

Heath Foxlee 2SK-M

Shawna Franklin Eastsound, WA

Robert Freelove Everett, WA SK-M

Leon P Gander New Westminster BC SK-M

Ryan Gander (+1) SK-M

Jeff Gassen Seattle, WA SUP-M

Michael Germani Tacoma, WA SK-M

Eric Gerstl Bellingham, WA 2OC-M

Sean Gibson Vancouver BC 2HPK-M

Greg Gilbert Seattle, WA SUP-M

Alison Graham Point Roberts, WA SK-W

Mark Greengo SeaTac, WA SK-M

Barbara Gronseth (+1)

Arthur Hamm (+1) Des Moines, WA

Michael Hammer Mount Vernon, WA 2OC-mx

Michael Hammer Registered twice? 2OC-mx

Ed Hand Renton, WA

Blake Hanley SUP-M

Thomas Hanny Kirkland, WA

Vance Hashimoto Honolulu, HI OC1-M

Matt Hayes Port Orchard, WA 3SK-M

Jeff Hegedus Bellingham, WA HPK-M

John Holtman La Conner, WA OWII-M

Wayne Horodowich Mill Creek, WA FSK-M

Troy Husband Burlington, WA FSK-M

Fred Inman Dupont, WA

Andrew Jaquiss SK-M

Joseph Kaftan Seattle WA HPK-M

Lance Kahn Bremerton, WA 2OC-M

Nick Karras Mount Vernon, WA 2Pedal-M

David Kau Eastsound, WA SK-M

Megan Kelly

Jasen Keya Honolulu, HI OC1-M

Don Kiesling Seattle, WA Pdbd-M

Jeffrey Knakal Mill Creek, WA 2OW-mx

Theresa Knakal Mill Creek, WA 2OW-mx

Angela Knightley Seattle, WA 98136 SUP-W

Sherman Krantz Bellingham, WA SK-M

Ken Kroeger Seattle, WA OC1

John Kuntz Poulsbo, WA

Tracy Landboe Shoreline, WA HPK-W

Paul LaPointe Woodinville, WA SK-M

Michael Lee Burbank, CA 2OC-M

Rick Lingbloom Bellingham, WA 2HPK-M

Alan Lipp Bellingham, WA OC1-M

Eric Long Spanaway, WA SK-M

Danniel Longboatshortboat Quathiaski Cove, Quadra Island, BC, Canada HPK-M

Alan Marshall Kirklnad, WA SK-M

Ed Matkovick Issaquah WA SK-M

Christopher May Woodinville, WA SK-M

Patrick McCarty Portland, OR SK-M

Perry McGinity

Erin McSween Oak Harbor, WA

Eric Mead 2SK-M

Robert Meenk Olympia, WA OWIII

Eric Miller

Heather Nelson Bellingham, WA HPK-W

Brandon Nelson Bellingham, WA HPK-M

Gabriel Newton

Robb Nichols Anacortes, WA FSK-M

Troy Nishikawa Redmond, WA OC1-M

Larry Obryant Lopez Island, WA

Deborah Orth Gig Harbor, WA SK-W

David Ortland Bellevue, WA FSK-M

Ayu Othman Seattle, WA SK-W

Brian Page Vancouver BC

Mark Peele Tacoma, WA SK-M

Douglas Peele Gig Harbor, WA FSK-M

Dean Peterson Seattle, WA HPK-M

Maureen Peterson Seattle, WA SK-W

Bill Porter Kirkland, WA SK-M

Pam Powell Graham, WA SK-W

Scott Prato Aberdeen, WA SK-M

David Price Woodinville, WA 2SK-mx

Thom Prichard Bellingham, WA HPK-M

Don Rice Sequim, WA 2SK-M

Jiri Richter Seattle, WA HPK-M

Aaron Rinn Edmonds, WA 3SK-M

Michael Riordan Eastsound, WA FSK-M

Glenn Rogers Gig Harbor, WA 3SK-M

Henry Romer Olympia, WA SK-M

Aubrey Rosenthal 2SK-mx

Greg Routt Seattle, WA

Holly Rutledge Bellingham, WA SK-W

James Schultz Duvall, WA HPK-M

Rembrandt Smith Anacortes, WA SK-M

Chris Smith

Leon Somme Eastsound, WA

Jerry Sowder Washougal WA SK-M

Melissa Spangler Seattle, WA SK-W

Sam Stroich Walla Walla, WA HPK-M

David Thompson

Jesse Varsi Anacortes, WA FSK-M

Scott Vesey Seattle, WA

Forrest Wells Bainbridge Island, WA FSK-M

Peter Wells Bellingham, WA 2OC-M

Megan White Lynnwood, WA

Beau Whitehead Bellingham, WA

Marc Whitlock 2HPK-M

David Willett Bellingham, WA SK-M

Maxine Williams Shoreline, WA

Warren Williamson Stanwood, WA FSK-M

Ernie Wong Seattle, WA OC1-M

Jodi Wright Portland, OR 2SK-W

Ron Wright Portland, OR SK-M

Robin Yakhour Brush Prairie, WA FSK-W

Jim Zimmerman Anacortes, WA 2SK-mx