Kayaking is my passion in life. I love everything about the sport. I am an ACA certified coastal sea kayak instructor, race kayaks, get thrashed in up to class IV white water, paddle aggressively in the open ocean, surf, and go on extended kayak camping trips.

The above picture was published in the local paper. I had no idea the picture had been taken and was really surprised when I opened up the morning paper and saw it. I guess that's my "15 minutes of fame".

Kayak Racing

I like to race kayaks. I'm not very good at it, but that's OK. I won't let my meager skills diminishes my enthusiasm for the sport.

Here are my best finishes to date (all done in in a Seda Glider I've named Zorba):

• Second place in the 1998 Bridges half marathon.
• Second place in the 1999 San Juan challenge.
• Thrid place in the 2000 Budd inlet race.
• Second place in the 2001 American Lake Classic.
• Thrid place in the 2001 Great Sound Crossing.

I also participated in the Artic sea kayak race (ASKR) in late July of 2001. I didn't do very well, but that's OK. Just finishing ASKR is a major accomplishment (its almost 200 km of racing in five days).

Open Ocean Kayaking

I love paddling in the open ocean. I have had the honor of paddling with Grey whales off Depoe Bay in Oregon, and Orcas off San Juan Island in Washington. Recently we formed an extreme kayak team called the Shellbacks. Learn more about us at www.shellback.net. Our goal is to work together to safely refine the art of kayaking in extreme settings. We embark on expeditions to the pacific northwest coast for surfing, sea-cave exploration, and rock-garden play. We also head to the gorge on windy days to play with the wind surfers.

Trip Reports

• My favorite race so far was the Arctic Sea Kayak Race -- or ASKR. I had my worse showing of my racing career (I was pretty close to last place), but that's OK. As you can read in this note, just finishing this race is a big deal.
• I am a certified Sea Kayak instructor. As you can read in this note, I had a most unusual instructor certification exam (May 2000).
• On labor day weekend of 1998, I tried to paddle from Eugene to Portland in less than 48 hours. I didn't make it, but I learned a lot from the experience and wrote up some notes about it.
• On July 4, 1998 I carried out a test of my flares in an event that will go down in neighborhood history. No one was hurt, but my ego took a severe beating. Read about it here so you can join in the teasing.