Volunteer update

Hi volunteers, here's the latest...

Volunteers are invited, if you live in the Anacortes area or close by, to help put boat numbers and a few signs together, Wednesday 12/9 at Ruby Creek Boathouse's warehouse at 9117 Molly Lane #107. This is one block south of Hwy 20 on Reservation Road, just behind Jerry Smith Chevrolet. Whoever's into it, let's meet at 7:30pm, we can hang out for a couple hours or whatever time you can spend, and knock out a little prep work for the race. RSVP back to deceptionpassdash@gmail.com if you can make it.

If you're a safety boater, you should have been contacted by Blair Corson from Outdoor Adventure Center to review your paddling & rescue skills. If you haven't heard from Blair, please connect with him to get all the data on what you need to bring and when you'll be having your safety meeting. He's at info@outdooradventurecenter.com .

There will be things happening on Friday at Bowman Bay and if you can come help with setup starting about noon, that's awesome. The OAC crew can get it done, but it's always a good time with more people. Also, safety boaters are encouraged, if you're available, to come hang out on Friday and practice some rescues, get to know each other, maybe discuss funky things like how to tow a surfski, etc. on Friday afternoon.

Saturday morning, racer check-in starts at 8am so we'd like to have our entire volunteer crew checked in and ready to go by that time. Safety kayakers will report to Blair; for all you on-land folks, we'll divide you between:

• Check-in crew -- greeting racers, verifying their data on a list, receiving their release forms, issuing their tee shirts, and signing them up for the raffle.
• Beach crew -- wandering around with duct tape, helping racers mount their boat numbers, generally keeping things moving during launch time... and after the race, receiving boat numbers, keeping traffic moving in the landing area, helping racers with their gear.
• Timing crew (there will be some overlap with the check-in crew if some people want to do both jobs) -- Monitoring the start, recording the finishers. This job requires good focus and quick thinking, so please don't consider it just a chance to watch the excitement at the finish. You'll need to stay focused on recording finish times.
  
• There may be some need for help with the OAC food crew.

If you have a preference for a specific job, please say so.

Many thanks everyone for all your help making the Dash a success! We love our volunteers!

Friday prerace festivities

Outdoor Adventure Center invites all Dash racers and volunteers to come out to Bowman Bay on Friday December 11^th for informal socializing and hanging out all day and into the evening.

If you want to paddle the course in similar current conditions to race day, you’ll need to hit the starting line around 10am, so get there early.

Racers and volunteers are welcome to check in for the event, pick up your tee shirts and boat numbers, and practice safety techniques in the shelter of the Bay.

It’s getting close! See you out there!

Dash Day weather

Much as we’ve heard at Dash HQ how you’d all love to see another epic day “just like last year”, the current forecast for Saturday in Anacortes looks like this…

High 42

Partly cloudy

10% chance of precip

Wind – Northeast, 5mph

Track it yourself as race day gets closer, at:

http://www.weather.com/weather/tenday/98221?dp=windsdp

See you at the Dash!

Where to stay at the Dash

Just a few reminders to everyone:

Camping at the Bowman Bay section of the Park, right next to the start/finish venue, is closed for the winter. You can stay in the main campground across the bridge to the south, on Whidbey Island. You can make a reservation at: https://secure.camis.com/WA/DeceptionPassStatePark?Map

We’ve had awesome offers of deals for our participants at both the Cap Sante Inn in Anacortes, and the Coachman Inn in Oak Harbor . Both towns are full of great places to see and things to do. Deals on rooms are good both Friday and Saturday of race weekend. Just ask for the Dash special rates when you call to reserve a room.

Sleep good, see you at the Dash!

2009 Dash Boat Numbering system

At the first three Dashes, we asked you to position boat numbers vertically on your stern, so your number could be read by anyone close to you – safety boaters, other racers, photographers, etc. We did it like this:

We’re making a change this year. We’ve lost quite a few numbers to the elements in each race, which not only litters the bottom of our Salish Sea, it makes it hard for the timing/judging crew to figure out who you are at the finish. In 2009 we’re asking you to put your boat number on the bow of your boat, down flat so it can be read from high up on the pier at the finish line. Please be sure your number is on your bow, not your stern... and down flat like this:

Directions to the Dash

Not familiar with the race venue? Easy. Give yourself an hour and a half minimum from North Seattle, an hour from Bellingham.

· Take I-5 to exit 230 (Burlington/Hwy 20).

· Go 11.5 miles West

· Follow the signs to turn left (South) and continue on Hwy 20 toward Oak Harbor. DO NOT continue West to Anacortes.

· From this junction, follow Hwy 20 another 5.5 miles. You’ll see Pass Lake on your right.

· At the end of the Lake, turn right on Rosario Road and IMMEDIATELY left into the Park on Bowman Bay Road. DO NOT CROSS the Deception Pass Bridge to the main park entrance.

· The race venue start/finish line is at the Bowman Bay Boat Launch, at the bottom of the hill on Bowman Bay Road.

Over 160 racers

Another record turnout for the Dash, with 10 days til race day. Many thanks for all the support to our racers, dozens of volunteers, the local media for jumping on board, and of course to our amazing sponsors – check the list in the right margin – who were so generous in getting some incredible prizes out for the raffle.

Here’s the list of registered racers. This is two days old at this point – it was current on Tuesday morning, Dec 1^st. If you registered after that, have faith, we know about you.

If you haven’t replied to our request for your boat class, home town, please do so. We’d like to have all our data straight when you check in. See you out there!

Harry Allen Bremerton WA

Gerardo Andaluz Blaine WA

Kim Anderson Portland OR

Karl Andersson Portland OR

Peter Babler Seattle WA

Sonya Bailey Sedro Woolley WA

Shane Baker Port Orchard WA

Marianne Banks Anacortes WA

Tom Banks Anacortes WA

Greg Barton

Greg Bawden Duvall WA

Jeffrey Bedford Folsom, CA

Terri Bedford Folsom, CA

Darrel Bednark Seattle WA

Trista Bilmer Vancouver BC Canada

Rhonda Bintliff Portland OR

Brian Boatman

Tom Borst Marblemount WA

Kevin Bowman

Andy Bridge Sultan WA

Ian Brosnan

Travis Brown Everett WA

Janet Brownell Eastsound WA

Timothy Burke Olympia, WA

Gary Cassulis North Vancouver CA

Sherri Cassuto Seattle Wa

Tracy Clapp Duvall WA

Paul Clement Bellingham WA

Michael Cline Seattle WA

Traci Cole Kenmore WA

Clement Corbiell

Brett Couvrette Seattle WA

David Couvrette Seattle WA

Charles Curry Bainbridge Island WA

Carl Darmer Olalla WA

Garth Day Vancouver BC Canada

John Day North Bend WA

Michael Dee

David Desertspring Gig Harbor WA

Chris Dobrovolny Vancouver BC Canada

James Doherty Shoreline WA

John Doornink Poulsbo WA

James Dunderdale Vancouver BC Canada

Reivers Dustin Bellingham WA

Greg Dutton

Chris Dyko Bremerton WA

Daniel Elefant Seattle WA

Andrew Elizaga Tacoma WA

Erik Evans Bellingham WA

John Fiddler Seattle WA

David Fisher Poulsbo WA

Kevin Fitzpatrick Seattle WA

John Flynn Seattle WA

Minnie Fontenelle Seattle WA

Terry Fox Issaquah WA

Shawna Franklin Eastsound WA

Robert Freelove Everett WA

Michael Germani Tacoma WA

Sean Gibson North Vancouver CA

Larry Goolsby Ferndale WA

Alan Goto Seattle WA

Elizabeth Gould LaConner WA

Alison Graham Point Roberts WA

Mark Greengo Seatac WA

Michael Gregory Bellingham WA

Barb Gronseth Issaquah WA

George Gronseth Issaquah WA

Brady Guinn Seattle WA

Juliane Gust Seattle WA

David Haas Richmond Beach WA

Arthur Ham Des Moines WA

Michael Hammer

Edward Hand Renton WA

Rand Harrell Seattle WA

David Harris Bellingham WA

Jeffrey Hegedus Bellingham WA

Tyler Hesse

Wayne Horodowich Mill Creek WA

Adrian Inglis Bellevue WA

David Jacobson Bellingham WA

Andrew Jaquiss Portland OR

Wade Johnson Camano Island WA

Steven Jones Seattle WA

Joe Kaftan Seattle WA

Jeffrey Kahler Wauna WA

David Kau Eastsound WA

Matt Kelly

Meg Kelly Burien WA

Donald Kiesling Seattle WA

Rob King

Sherman Krantz

Ken Kroeger Seattle WA

John Kuntz Poulsbo WA

Paul La Pointe Woodinville WA

Roger Lamb Bellingham WA

Michael Lampi Bellevue WA

Justin Larcos Seattle WA

Howard Lee

Jim Lehocky Friday Harbor WA

Rick Lingbloom Bellingham WA

Andrew Losli Forest Grove OR

Dennis Malcom Bremerton WA

Aragorn Mallory

Ed Matkovick Issaquah WA

Christopher May Woodinville WA

Bob McDermott Seattle WA

Tana McDowell Des Moines WA

William McKenzie Seattle WA

Chris Mitchell Bellingham WA

David Mohler Bellingham WA

Sam Mulder Portland OR

Debbie Natelson Renton WA

Brandon Nelson Bellingham WA

Heather Nelson Bellingham WA

Gabriel Newton Seattle WA

Troy Nishikawa Redmond WA

Matthew Norton Portland OR

Alex Okerman Seattle WA

Jennifer O'Neal Bellingham WA

Deborah Orth Gig Harbor WA

David Ortland Bellevue WA

John Ostermann

Ayu Othman Seattle WA

Brian Page Vancouver BC Canada

Doug Peele Gig Harbor WA

Marty Perry North Vancouver CA

Dean Peterson Seattle WA

Maureen Peterson Seattle WA

Tyler Peterson Burien WA

William Porter Kirkland WA

Pamela Powell Graham WA

Scott Prato Aberdeen WA

David Price Woodinville WA

Bob Putnam Vancouver BC Canada

David Quasha Seattle WA

Heather Rai Bellevue WA

Glenn Rogers Gig Harbor WA

Jeanette Rogers

Henry Romer Olympia, WA

Gregory Routt Seattle WA

Paul Shelton Lacey WA

John Sindelar Seattle WA

Chris Smith Auburn WA

Shane Sobotka Lk Stevens WA

Leon Somme Eastsound WA

James Stanger Olympia, WA

Shaun Sullivan Ferndale WA

Pawel Szopa

Torolf Torgersen Anacortes WA

Jeff Underwood Mercer Island WA

Jesse Varsi Anacortes WA

Mark Webster Portland OR

Erik Wermus

T Eoin West

Beau Whitehead Bellingham WA

Marc Whitlock Bellingham WA

Warren Williamson

Ernest Wong Seattle WA

Jodi Wright Portland OR

Ron Wright Portland OR

Pete Wylie

Jim Zimmerman Anacortes WA

Dash safety checklist

As we approach Dash Day, here’s a reminder. Last year’s paddling conditions caused one racer / long-time paddling instructor to comment that some racers were “clearly out of their element”. We had gone the first two years with sweet conditions and no capsizes, to last year’s epic seas with racers, safety paddlers, and powerboats teaming up on rescue after rescue. So here are a few things we want everyone to bring along:

Good judgment is your number one safety tool. You are responsible for your own safety, even though we'll have a couple dozen expert paddlers out there along with the sheriff and Cap’n Dillard keeping an eye on you.

There’s nothing wrong with saying to yourself, after checking in and getting your tee shirt, “I may be beyond my capabilities today and I don’t feel like burdening the safety crew”. You still get free coffee, a hot meal, and a chance to win a sweet raffle prize. Keep in mind too, that in an emergency we’re focused only on getting you safely warm and back to shore… which means your $3,000 boat may be long gone because we care less about your gear than we do about you.

Requirements of all paddlers: CG-approved pfd, loud signal whistle, and confidence that you could self-rescue even without safety crew help.

You’re required to stop and help a fellow racer in distress if the safety crew hasn’t gotten there first.

Dress for immersion: This means dry suit or wet suit, to keep you insulated while you’re in the water, even if you get separated from your boat.

Know the course and its hazards!

Recommendations: VHF radio, extra fleece, small thermos with hot drink, paddle float, bilge pump.

Weather forecast for Dash Day

As of today, Thursday the 3^rd, here’s the weather forecast for Dash Day from weatherchannel.com:

43 degrees with snow showers (go figure)… 60% chance of precip, and 9kt SSE wind.

Stay tuned at http://www.weather.com/weather/tenday/98221?dp=windsdp to see the current look.

Race Day Timeline

We’re still putting together a plan for Friday, the day before the race. There may be some festivities on tap. Here’s what’s happening on race day, Saturday December 12^th:

8am – Park opens, check-in begins – free coffee all day from Fidalgo Bay Coffee Company! All volunteers please check in too; we need to make sure you’re there and ready, and this year we’ll get you your tee shirts before the race.

9:45am – Safety Kayakers meet with Blair. Please be ready to paddle before the meeting starts, so you can get on the water soon after the meeting is over.

10:15am – Mandatory prerace meeting for all competitors. This will be a quick review of the race course, that’s all… we heard your feedback last year about needless jabber.

11am SHARP, no delays – race starts.

11:37am – slack in the Pass; ebb starts.

12:30 (give or take) – lunch is served!

1pm – last racer off the course please. Safety crew needs to get back for burgers & a bonfire.

1:15pm – raffle begins. Please look over the prizes, and find your name on the pick order. We’ll only be giving you a few seconds to go get your prize. Your feedback from last year said the raffle took too long. And you all wanted our volunteers to be part of the raffle, not just racers. Soooo…. With record numbers of raffle participants and prizes, we’ll need to keep it moving.

Quick, cheap, easy and effective safety

Got this from racer Brandon Nelson. For a few bucks, ruddered boats can be rigged to paddle safely even if a cable breaks. Check out what Brandon sent:

“I shared one of Sterling Donalson’s ingenious field repair tips recently on YouTube, and it’s been getting a fair bit of buzz from far-off paddlers in colder regions for its solo safety aspect. It’d certainly make sense for any DP Dash boat (with a rudder) to rig it pre-race. Here’s the link, and feel free to post it on the DP Dash blog: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VAknFR3-rjE”

Thanks Brandon!

Current Racer List, November 23

Revised midday today…

Harry Allen Bremerton WA

Gerardo Andaluz Blaine WA

Kim Anderson Portland OR

Karl Andersson Portland OR

Peter Babler Seattle WA

Sonya Bailey Sedro Woolley WA

Shane Baker Port Orchard WA

Marianne Banks Anacortes WA

Tom Banks Anacortes WA

Greg Bawden Duvall WA

Jeffrey Bedford Folsom, CA

Terri Bedford Folsom, CA

Darrel Bednark Seattle WA

Trista Bilmer Vancouver BC Canada

Tom Borst Marblemount WA

Andy Bridge Sultan WA

Travis Brown Everett WA

Timothy Burke Olympia, WA

Paul Clement Bellingham WA

Michael Cline Seattle WA

Traci Cole Kenmore WA

Charles Curry Bainbridge Island WA

Carl Darmer Olalla WA

John Day North Bend WA

David Desertspring Gig Harbor WA

Chris Dobrovolny Vancouver BC Canada

John Doornink Poulsbo WA

James Dunderdale Vancouver BC Canada

Greg Dutton

Daniel Elefant (2) Seattle WA

Andrew Elizaga Tacoma WA

Erik Evans Bellingham WA

David Fisher Poulsbo WA

Kevin Fitzpatrick Seattle WA

John Flynn Seattle WA

Minnie Fontenelle Seattle WA

Terry Fox Issaquah WA

Shawna Franklin Eastsound WA

Robert Freelove Everett WA

Michael Germani Tacoma WA

Larry Goolsby Ferndale WA

Alan Goto Seattle WA

Elizabeth Gould LaConner WA

Alison Graham Point Roberts WA

Mark Greengo Seatac WA

Michael Gregory Bellingham WA

George Gronseth Issaquah WA

Barb Gronseth Issaquah WA

Juliane Gust Seattle WA

Edward Hand Renton WA

Rand Harrell Seattle WA

David Harris Bellingham WA

Jeffrey Hegedus Bellingham WA

Wayne Horodowich Mill Creek WA

Adrian Inglis Bellevue WA

David Jacobson Bellingham WA

Andrew Jaquiss Portland OR

Wade Johnson Camano Island WA

Steven Jones Seattle WA

Jeffrey Kahler Wauna WA

Donald Kiesling Seattle WA

Ken Kroeger Seattle WA

John Kuntz Poulsbo WA

Paul La Pointe Woodinville WA

Roger Lamb Bellingham WA

Michael Lampi Bellevue WA

Jim Lehocky Friday Harbor WA

Andrew Losli Forest Grove OR

Dennis Malcom Bremerton WA

Ed Matkovick Issaquah WA

Christopher May Woodinville WA

Bob McDermott Seattle WA

William McKenzie Seattle WA

Chris Mitchell Bellingham WA

Heather Nelson Bellingham WA

Brandon Nelson Bellingham WA

Troy Nishikawa Redmond WA

Matthew Norton Portland OR

Alex Okerman Seattle WA

Deborah Orth Gig Harbor WA

David Ortland Bellevue WA

Ayu Othman Seattle WA

Brian Page Vancouver BC Canada

Maureen Peterson Seattle WA

Dean Peterson Seattle WA

Tyler Peterson Burien WA

William Porter Kirkland WA

Pamela Powell Graham WA

Scott Prato Aberdeen WA

David Price Woodinville WA

Bob Putnam Vancouver BC Canada

David Quasha Seattle WA

Heather Rai Bellevue WA

Glenn Rogers Gig Harbor WA

Henry Romer Olympia, WA

Gregory Routt Seattle WA

Paul Shelton Lacey WA

John Sindelar Seattle WA

Chris Smith Auburn WA

Shane Sobotka Lk Stevens WA

Leon Somme Eastsound WA

James Stanger Olympia, WA

Shaun Sullivan Ferndale WA

Torolf Torgersen Anacortes WA

Jeff Underwood Mercer Island WA

Ernest Wong Seattle WA

Jodi Wright Portland OR

Ron Wright Portland OR

Jim Zimmerman Anacortes WA

Cap Sante Inn Dash rates

Mark Lione, owner of the Cap Sante Inn in Anacortes, dropped a line to the Dash this morning, offering special rates for rooms at his place. Thanks Mark!

===============================
We would like to offer your participants a Special "Deception Pass Dash" Discount Rate if they decide to spend the Night or the Weekend in Anacortes. Our Deception Pass Dash Rates would be as follows:

One Person / One King or Queen Bed $59.00 + $6.02 Tax

Two People / One King/Queen or 2 Queens $65.00 + $6.63 Tax

Three People / 2 Queen Beds $71.00 + $7.24 Tax

Four People / 2 Queen Beds $77.00 + $7.86 Tax

All of our rooms are appointed with Sealy Posturpedic Beds, Refrigerators, Microwaves, 32" Flat Screen HD Color TV's, Hair Dryers, and most rooms have Complimentary WI-FI reception. We provide complimentary Starbucks coffee, Tea, Herbal Teas, Brita Filtered Water, Breakfast Treats and Granola Bars in the morning, Cookies and snacks in the afternoon and evenings, and Seattle Times Newspapers on Sundays.

We are in the Old Town Section of Anacortes where the majority of the Restaurants, Shops, Galleries, and Antique Stores are located. We provide a large and secure Free Parking lot in Front of each of our rooms. Our Website is under Re-Construction, but the old site with old pictures is still available at www.capsanteinn.com

Thanks again & Best Regards,

Mark Lione
Cap Sante Inn
360-293-0602

Current volunteer list

Here’s your list of safety boaters and land crew. Check back with us if you have questions. We’ll post job descriptions for each volunteer position soon. And yes, we can always use more help, so talk to us if you'd like to join this list. See you out there!

Safety boaters

Tom Dillard, piloting MV Base Mother

Beth Bielstein

Bob Burnett

Ken Biddle

Dan Thrush

Rhonda Schwab

Dave Mottershead

Mark Whitaker

Steve Andrews

Susan Roth

Leslie Mix

Jonathan Karuna

Racer check-in, timing, food etc

Whende Keatts

Setsuko Cox

Lynn Wang

Cathy Federici

Helaine Mottershead

Elise Mebel

Karen Scharer

Dede Chinlund

Herb Kai

Linda Sanford

Jacqueline Kahler

Hazel Simpson

Esther Andrews

Current racer list 11/17/09

Here’s the current list of registered racers. Please let us know if we made any errors, or if you have any questions.

Harry Allen Bremerton WA

Gerardo Andaluz Blaine WA

Kim Anderson Portland OR

Karl Andersson Portland OR

Peter Babler Seattle WA

Shane Baker Port Orchard WA

Marianne Banks Anacortes WA

Greg Bawden Duvall WA

Jeffrey Bedford Folsom, CA

Terri Bedford Folsom, CA

Darrel Bednark Seattle WA

Trista Bilmer Vancouver BC Canada

Thomas Borst Marblemount WA

Andy Bridge Sultan WA

Travis Brown Everett WA

Timothy Burke Olympia, WA

Paul Clement Bellingham WA

Michael Cline Seattle WA

Traci Cole Kenmore WA

Charles Curry Bainbridge Island WA

John Day North Bend WA

David Desertspring Gig Harbor WA

Chris Dobrovolny Vancouver BC Canada

John Doornink Poulsbo WA

James Dunderdale Vancouver BC Canada

Greg Dutton

Andrew Elizaga Tacoma WA

Erik Evans Bellingham WA

David Fisher Poulsbo WA

Minnie Fontenelle Seattle WA

Terry Fox Issaquah WA

Shawna Franklin Eastsound WA

Robert Freelove Everett WA

Michael Germani Tacoma WA

Larry Goolsby Ferndale WA

Alan Goto Seattle WA

Elizabeth Gould LaConner WA

Alison Graham Point Roberts WA

Mark Greengo Seatac WA

Michael Gregory Bellingham WA

Juliane Gust Seattle WA

Edward Hand Renton WA

Rand Harrell Seattle WA

David Harris Bellingham WA

Jeffrey Hegedus Bellingham WA

Adrian Inglis Bellevue WA

Andrew Jaquiss Portland OR

Wade Johnson Camano Island WA

Steven Jones Seattle WA

Jim Kahler Wauna WA

Donald Kiesling Seattle WA

Ken Kroeger Seattle WA

Paul La Pointe Woodinville WA

Michael Lampi Bellevue WA

Jim Lehocky Friday Harbor WA

Andrew Losli Forest Grove OR

Dennis Malcom Bremerton WA

Ed Matkovick Issaquah WA

Christopher May Woodinville WA

Bob McDermott Seattle WA

William McKenzie Seattle WA

Heather Nelson Bellingham WA

Brandon Nelson Bellingham WA

Troy Nishikawa Redmond WA

Matthew Norton Portland OR

Alex Okerman Seattle WA

Ayu Othman Seattle WA

Brian Page Vancouver BC Canada

Maureen Peterson Seattle WA

Dean Peterson Seattle WA

William Porter Kirkland WA

Pamela Powell Graham WA

Scott Prato Aberdeen WA

David Price Woodinville WA

Bob Putnam Vancouver BC Canada

Heather Rai Bellevue WA

Glenn Rogers Gig Harbor WA

Henry Romer Olympia, WA

Gregory Routt Seattle WA

Paul Shelton Lacey WA

John Sindelar Seattle WA

Chris Smith Auburn WA

Shane Sobotka Lk Stevens WA

Leon Somme Eastsound WA

James Stanger Olympia, WA

Shaun Sullivan Ferndale WA

Torolf Torgersen Anacortes WA

Ernest Wong Seattle WA

Jodi Wright Portland OR

Ron Wright Portland OR

Oak Harbor Coachman Inn - special rates for Dashers

Big thanks for supporting the Dash go out to Randy, General Manager of the Coachman Inn in Oak Harbor, who has offered his rooms at 20% off normal rates for the Dash. A standard room at $89, AAA rate $80, will go for $72 per night on the weekend of the Dash. Call toll-free 800–635–0043 and be sure to mention the Deception Pass Dash when you book your room.

Thanks Randy!

Weather resources for Dash racers

Looking for helpful data on just how the course will look on race day? Here’s the first word of advice…

Be ready for anything.

Your own good judgment is the most important piece of safety equipment you can bring with you.

Beyond that, here are four nice links to give you an idea what’s up.

10-day Anacortes weather forecast – For those planning waaaayyy ahead. By December 2^nd you can start visualizing the conditions on race day. Practice your mental adjustments each morning when you realize the prediction for December 12^th has changed. Hmmmmm… Temp 25 degrees or 50? Wind 8 knots SE or 30 W? Fun game if you’re a little schizophrenic, or want to be.

Cape Flattery surf report – take a look at this one a day or two before the event. Big ol’ waves, ten feet or more, heading East through the Strait, mean a lot of fun – wooo hooo! – as you exit Canoe Pass in those standing waves as they stack up against the building ebb. Remember the secret Dash treasure map? Check it again.

Smith Island Weather Station – just ten miles SW of the Pass, Smith gives you a good idea of current wind & sea conditions, plus links to detailed local NWS Marine forecasts. With 24 hours of historical data, this is the place to check out when you get home from the race wondering how hard that wind was blowing.

Deception Pass current predictions for race day – and remember, if the Skagit is in flood and there’s a strong SE wind, your ebb will start way early and you better kick butt to get through the crux.

Race day warmth: Fidalgo Bay Coffee

When you're warming up at the Dash with a hot cup of coffee, you can thank Daryl Miller and the Fidalgo Bay Coffee team.

Fidalgo Bay is a Skagit County roaster and member of our community since 1992, providing jobs, a commitment to our neighbors, and a great cup of coffee. Thanks guys!

Route map & race tips

Some deep digging through the files at DPDash Headquarters recently unearthed this ancient, hand-drawn map of the race course. We share it with you here to give a few pointers and course knowledge if you're unsure what awaits you out there. You might want to consult a REAL chart of the area for more information.

Here are the highlights of what's revealed by the map. Click on it for a larger view.

Approximate distances:

Bowman Bay - Deception Island, 1 mile;

Deception to the far end of Pass Island, 1.5 miles;

Pass to Strawberry Island, .5 miles.

Total approximately 6 miles round trip.

There’s a lot of kelp around all three islands, especially on the SW side of Deception. Tempting as it is to cut close to the islands and shorten the course, if you have a rudder you’ll be happy to stay wide of it.

When you get to Pass Island (2.5 miles) the current will be starting to build against you. There’s a narrow eddy next to the island which will allow you to get to the upstream end (marked “CRUX MOVE” on the map). Please do not stop and rest in this eddy as you’ll block the path for other racers. Rest if you must, in the large eddy at the far downstream (West) end of Pass Island.

Some racers have successfully avoided the congestion in the eddy, and the dynamic water at the "CRUX", and powered all the way past the island in the main channel, against the current. You need to be ready for a long, powerful sprint to make this strategy work. It's up to you to decide if it's worth it.

“CRUX MOVE”: For most racers, this brief, turbulent moment determines your ability to complete the course. Use the eddy as far as you can, then break out into the opposing current and go hard toward Strawberry Island. The whole idea behind this race is: The longer it takes you to paddle the 2.5 miles to this point, the stronger the current against you when you get there.

Between Pass and Strawberry islands, the water is typically calm as it's protected from wind on all sides. You'll find some mild boils and slicks that try to push you off course, so pay attention and keep going! You're nearly halfway there, and the return trip is the fun part!

Big ol’ standing waves stack up at the West end of Canoe Pass on the return loop. Paddle hard and straight, and you'll go right through it. In some conditions, ocean swell comes down the Strait until it meets the building ebb at this pinch point, and can get pretty big. On a flat day with no wind and no swell, you'll barely notice it. As some paddlers have witnessed, on the other hand, in "perfect" conditions you may get slapped in the face by a wave, or even paddle right under it to get through... wahooo!

Returning around Deception Island and racing the final mile into Bowman Bay, be aware that the building ebb current will be pushing you from South to North. There are gnarly, submerged rocks throughout the north half of the bay, so you really want to enter on the South side. Watch where you're going, angle your bow to the right, and make sure your course is taking you straight to the pier.

The finish line is right next to the end of the pier, where the timers can look down and see your boat number. We'll only be able to get your time marked accurately if you finish where we can see you.

Surfer Dave puts up cash Dash prizes!

For the first time in our short history, we at the Dash are honored to announce that Surfer Dave Agnew, distributor of Mega Surf Kayaks, has put up his sponsor's fee in CASH, rather than raffle goods.

Your host OAC crew has agreed with Surfer Dave that his prize money will be awarded, $50 each, to the winners of the top 6-most-populated racer categories. Dave wil be on hand at the race to award the prizes to the winners in person.

Thanks Surfer Dave!

SUPs test run successful!

The question was inevitable, and it was posed about two months ago… “Will SUPs be allowed in the Dash this year?” Hmmm… the minds of the Dashmasters had no idea what to think. Tall, susceptible to wind, maybe not fast enough, can they maneuver eddylines, all those cool questions balanced against the solid evidence of the growth of this awesome sport… 100+ racers in Mercer Island’s “Round the Rock” in September… whaddya going to do?

Have a test run, of course.

Sunday November 1 on Bowman Bay were assembled 7 SUP boarders, 2 prone boarders, and ten safety kayakers who just had to be there to see the spectacle. And a perfect spectacle it was. After a briefing on the course, we took off from the starting line at 1:27pm, exactly 37 minutes before slack, just like on race day. Wind speeds were not what we might see on race day, evidenced by data according to the Smith Island weather station a few miles to the Southwest:

1:00 pm SE 8

2:00 pm SSE 5

3:00 pm SSE 8

Dueling for the lead, and pulling far away from the pack off the line, were Beau Whitehead on his 18’ SUP and Don Kiesling and his buddy Darrell on their prone boards. These guys paddle with their hands, on their bellies. What a couple stud bolts. The rest of the field trailed behind, but all nine boards completed the full course. Beau nipped the other two at the finish in about an hour 14 minutes. We’ll see how it looks on race day, but it’ll be another sweet twist on this spectacular race, having our SUP family join in the action.

Thanks to all the intrepid SUPrs who eagerly posed as course guinea pigs, and thanks also to Dave, Sonya, Marianne, Leslie, Mark, Wade, Jim (& your wife’s name was… oh I’m spacing that one) who got out there with radios, tow ropes & helmets to shepherd the group safely through the course.

Post race, the paddlers hung out, cooled off in the chilly water, and swapped boards for a few test runs. We debriefed the test run, congratulated all the boarders for making it through, and headed home to care for the unexpected sunburns we got on the first day of November.

Brandon and Heather Nelson put a nice writeup on their blog. These two adventurers have spent a big part of their lives pushing the envelope with outlandish experiences including a circumnavigation of Lake Baikal, a victory in the Yukon Challenge, and a spot in the Guiness World Record book for 24-hour paddling distance. Now they're racing SUPs and we're thrilled to have them talking up this very cool sport.

Great fun and sweet times on a beautiful day!

Epic Kayaks steps up as Dash sponsor

Dash HQ received an email this morning from Chris Laughlin at Epic Kayaks, letting us know that they’ve committed to “Major Sponsor” status for the Dash. Already grateful for the support, we read on to see what some lucky racer is going to take home from the raffle… a Carbon Mid Wing Length Lock paddle.

This is an amazing stick, and big props go out to all the team at Epic including co-founder and Olympic Gold Medalist Greg Barton, who is back home living in the Seattle area and plans to race the Dash this year as well.

Many thanks Epic for your support!

Olympic Gold Medalist Greg Barton