In this specific session we don’t cover the usual 10 -12 plus km in the hour,we are lucky if we strike up 5 km.Our coach believes this is the most
important session of the week. Why ? Well its pretty easy really, imagine you get the time to not worry how your performing
against others in your squad,imagine being able take the the important phases of the paddle stroke, and get them right individually.
At times you feel like your a one legged duck during some of the drills, but over time you start to think about these steps and implement
them into your stroke.
for me personally it has hit home in this being the 8th week, not only did i do my best ever average speed for a session, I felt myself
getting leg drive instinctively.This is with no doubt credited to the Thursday drill Session implemented by MyKayakcoach in our Jimsquad sessions.

Matt Goble and Luke Morrison of Moana, Open Double Ski Champion's

In a recent conversation with Olympic medalist Rower Ben Dodwell, He backed up Jimmy Walker by saying in there run into the Sydney Games
they did 2 drill sessions a week, he said in a team boat situation like a Surfboat , it is even more important, and he likens surfboat rowing to the four he rowed to a silver medal in the Sydney Olympics. Ben went on to describe a drill that he would  add to everyone’s weekly training sessions. It allowed his crew to have confidence in each other and knowing all there efforts and energy was sending the boat in a straight line.
He adapted this drill from his days and it goes like this. Ben has also rowed surf, and understands variable come into play, but the logic remains the same.

Naturally all drills are done in the flat water.

1.Have your sweep sit on the back deck with his oar out of the water
2.Begin rowing at an easy tempo
3.The boat will head in a direction with either a pull to Port(left) or right (starboard)
4.Try to build on from 30 seconds to 4 minutes ( in the run up to the Olympics they managed 3kms and ran out of a straight stretch of water)

from this your sweep will adjust either your bow person or Strokes catch or power to ensure the boat is pulling as straight as possible.

Getting this right ensures 100% of the energy you are putting into the oar is being transferred into making the boat go forward.

Ben also recommends this is done during different stroke ranges, so if you were to power on to get over a wave or onto a runner,
the same confidence is gained.Remember every time your sweep put pressure on the oar or corrects your direction, he is slowing you down!

for more on ski paddling drills, check out this video on the mykayakcoach , you believe you will find them very helpful.

I hope to hear from you guys doing drills, and reaping the rewards with improved results like me.

yours on the water.

Gavin

Slipstream Surf paddlers and Rowers did our craft proud, plenty on show on the beach and results were our best overall results todate and building every year.

We captured our first Open Men’s Double Ski title, with Luke Morrison and Matt Goble from Moana in Sth Australia claiming a great win, and Adding to there State titles Glory 2 weeks earlier.

Matt Goble and Luke Morrison of Moana, Open Double Ski Champion's

Olympian and Slipstream Surf X Ski Specialist, Tate Smith had the highs and lows all with in 24 hours, he anchored Northcliffe to victory in the single ski relay, in a epic final leg where Avoca’s Ben Hamilton tippified the spirit and importance of team events. Tate in the Open Single Ski was the form paddler of the carnival, and was taken out in the semi after being rammed from behind and had the nose of a competitors ski totally destroy his ski and any hope of claiming another open ski title. As with All Champions Tate rose again and took his Northcliffe team to Gold in the Blue ribboned Open Mens Taplin.

Tate Smith Takes Gold in the open ski relay

Sarah Knapman of Manly had a great paddle in the open women’s ski relay final and teamed with olympian Naomi Flood and Glamour Girl Candice Falzon to claim her gold medal and our first for a female on our Slipstream Surf X ski.

Ironman all round Good Guy, Hugh Dougherty Claimed Silver in the Open ironman, Hughie bouyed after winning the open men’s board and lifesaver relay for Tugun went into the final ski leg in forth and paddled his Surf X to the tail of eventual winner and champion Shannon Ecsteien.

North Burleigh’s glamour girl and Slipstream Surf Paddler Brodie Moir, Claimed a Bronze in the Open Womens Ski Relay and 5th in the open women’s ski, she was so close to claiming the open board race, but was edged out by winner Haley Bateup.

In the boats, once again our controversial Mako Surfboat claimed another medal. After riding the big swells of Wednesday the North Bondi Storm claimed a Bronze in the Reserve Grade Boat, the crew Swept by Glen Holland were in contention in the flat conditions all day and were ecstatic with there bronze, all 3 place getter’s were on the same wave and only separated by the run of the beach.

To all our supporters over the past seasons, we thank you for taking us to where we are, we are proud of all our customers and team riders all the time. The talk on the beach was very positive and we will build from this in the coming seasons ahead.

don’t forget to sign up for our newsletter on the home page of the website, due to privacy issues we cant just send them out, the news letter and our social media sites will be the only place to pick up great offers in the coming months, as well as great competitions to enter.

Thanks to My Kayak Coach for the images.

To the Barclay Family on behalf of the Slipstream Surf Family our sincere condolences and your unselfish act of letting the competition go on will never be forgotten.

The Slipstream Surf X Paddler was excited to back racing with his team mates from Northcliffe, and he was excited to be back in the surf, and the surf was on over the weekend.

This was Tate’s first hit out for the Slipstream Team and he did not disappoint, he collected  a swag of medals , including the Open Ski Relay, Taplin and the Blue Ribbon Open mens Single ski race, where he was joined by Tuguns Dave Monaghan in the final.

Tate was excited and we received updates over the week end from the Olympian, “The ski is flying mate, its the best ski i have ever paddled”. Tate also had joy in regaining his open single ski crown , which was held by Other Slipstream paddlers, Hugh Dougherty, Sam Hamilton and Dave Monaghan of Tugun, Tate said , “sorry mate had to get my ski relay crown back” for us we couldn’t be happier with Tate’s result.

Tate now turns his focus into Aussies, which starts in earnest next week, he will be looking to take out the open Single ski title and add plenty more medals to his huge collection already.

In other results, STR Paddler Brodie Moir took out 3rd in the open ironwoman, adding another podium to her last round of the ironwomanseries, the golden girl of North Burleigh is in good form and one of the girls to watch out for at nationals.

Brodie Moir will be looking to keep her good form going!

Others of mention include Dave Monaghan of Tugun made the final of the open ski and placed 15th, Jack Butler of Tugun ran 5th in the u/19 ski, and Hugh Dougherty 6th in the open ironman and former Sth Australian Matt Sharp figured in the u/19 ironman final.

We wish all our competitors all the best in there Aussies Assault next week and as Tate Smith says “i don’t paddle it because its free, i paddle it because its the best!”

Come along and say hello to the team on the beach at Aussies, got a question don’t be afraid to ask, the team or myself will be on hand to help.

GRIPNRIP!

Tate Smith headlines the Slipstream Surf assault on Olympic qualification this week at Penrith, the Beijing Olympian and Open Ski Champion
who has already qualified the K4 1000 for London after there awesome silver medal to the Germans at the 2011 world championships.Although the
boat is qualified for London, Tate and his Team mates also Surf Club members Murray Stewart, Jacob Clear and David Smith, must still win to
ensure there tickets on the Plane to London.

Tugun’s Matt Urquhart, who had spent the 2009/10 seasons in the K4 1000 boat, has dropped to a more suited position of a 200m Paddler.
Matt came 7th in the 2011 World Championships in 500m discipline and will be lining up to win the K1 200 and Teaming with Northcliffe’s
Joel Simpson to take out the K2 200. The pair have taken there new partnership to new heights and look like going head to head with Western Australian Duo of Bird and Phillips.
Both are not only fighting for the spot on the Australian Team, but must also Qualify the boat through the Oceania division.

Nick Dawe is searching for the Australian 200m crown!

Glenn Rypp of West Beach Sth Australia and Nick Dawe of Manly are the new brigade comming through, a birth in the Green and Gold for London
may escape them this time round, but are ones to watch as we head to the 2016 games. Glenn will contest K1 1000m, where Australia still
needs to qualify the boat for the games, he will be up against Robinson, Wallace and Stewart who all have there eyes on the individual spot.
Nick is moving along with speed in the K1 200 and Placed second behind Lachie Tame the Current Australian Surf Ski Champion at a recent regatta, he paired
with his double ski partner Sam Speer and took the win in the K2 200 and could be the bolters in this red hot field. Nick has the high Goal of winning
this years K1 200 at this years Nationals and backing it up with the open single ski title and who is too say he won’t.

We wish all the Slipstream Surf Paddlers all the best in the regatta and look forward to the winning results.

Brodie was on fire and set the tempo in the open race in the eliminator format, which saw the girls get wittled down from 20 to the final 8 in 3
fast traditional sized ironman races. The opening leg was the ski, and Brodie was on and away fast, she had her Slipstream Surf X motoring and led
the girls to the beach and went onto qualify through to the final comfortably.
Brodie who trains out of Nth Burliegh under super coach Pat O’Keefe, and her surf ski skills and power have developed more so under the guidence
of former Australian Champion Nick Crilly.Brodie has now become one of the fastest women in the surf ski disipline in the country.

onto the final, series contender Courtney Hancock had been eliminated, but Pluimers, and Smith were still there in a battle for the overall Ironwoman Series crown.
Swim was first and Brodie new it was going to be tough, her swimming by her own admission is terrible, and she would need to pull a super swim out to
have any chance of that podium goal. She stayed   in touch the swim in the flat and hot conditions of Noosa, she worked the Run legs well and was onto the back
of the pack in the board.
Brodie hit the ski leg a little behind Smith in 3rd, but never gave in, there was not going to be a wave to help her, she had to grit her teeth and give everything in the last
ski leg to reach that Podium.The endless hours of training were going to pay dividend, she reeled in the not only Smith but Second Place and wave of 3 hit the beach.
Brodie waded over the shallow bank that had shown up as the tide dropped, and out legged the others to Claim the 2nd place and that podium finish that had eluded her in all her
attempts todate.
Brodie says ” i picked a little runner on my Slipstream Surf X ski, it took me to my first podium finish, its an unreal feeling…………. about time i get on the podium”
Brodie now turns her efforts to gain an open Womens iron title at Kurrawa, and by the way she is paddling the surf ski, she may add an open womens surf ski title to it as well.

We at Slipstream are so proud of our first female paddler in the Slipstream Team, and will be supporting her in her efforts to reach future goals.

like most people in this world, i live a very busy and hectic schedule, 2 buisnesses, Wife and 2 kids but over the past 3 years
and especially the last 9 months i have been suffering with severe lower back pain, not the basic soreness, but at times crippling,
I was in agony doing the basic tasks of life.This led to me using this as an excuse to not do anything active, and in general feeling very down.

Over christmas i made a stand, i decided to sign up for something totally left field for me,
the Michelle Bridges 12 Week Body Transformation. i decided i needed to do something totally different, call it a change, call it what it is
a body transformation.

The reality check came over christmas when i was taking my son for a surf, and was so bad i couldnt do it, it had been a while, but all in all
it was because i was to fat and unfit. its bad when your 5 year old son tells you youre hopeless.Motivation comes in many forms for me its
to be healthy again and to enjoy the moments with the family again, i really love doing the active things, but have made so many excuses
along the way its dragged me right down. my second reality check came when i put my details into a BMI calculator, the result was i was obeese!

Being bagged by my mates about my gut, isnt anything new, but when you get the reading that you are OBEESE!, its well and trully time to get
on with it.

the only thing that was going to hamper this 12wbt, was my back , i am using past tense as yesterday i was given the first ticket to a ride
to recovery. i was recommended by a work colleague i attend the Sarah Key back clinic in Sydney. he warned me that its a little different and
there techniques may scare you a little, but i can swear as myself and my whole family has undertaking the treatment.

so yesterday i headed into town, and into what i can discribe as a very dainty practice, a little quirky perhaps, i was greeted by there
very polite receptionist, who had me fill out the usual paper work. As i looked around the many pictures and newspaper reports, there was a
picture of Prince Charles, i thought this was weird, but had to ask. it turns out Sarah Key attends to Chucky when he puts his back out at a
polo event. i gather im in pretty good hands, but hope my credit card has enough to cover the fee.

the treatment begins as any normal chiro or oesteo would, assessing the situation, before moving to the table for some basic work on the spine.
From there its where the whole thing goes on a wonderful journey from Pain to relief. you are placed on your tummy with a pillow under you and head on the floor.
Then( Celia) says, you dont mid if i walk on you do you? i had heard and lets be honest i was here to be healed, if walking me was what gets
Prince Charles going, then im up for it.

over the next 40 minutes, the level of pain is no different to any deep intense massage or any other chiro work, Celia works the specific area well with
her heels and asks for you to report sensations regulary, as she gets this feed back she puts you into different positions until you basically are
only feeling the pressure of her heel. once you are done you get to your feet, and i my case with no pain other than post work deep tissue pain expected.

you are then given a back block, and shown a series of basic exercises you are to do daily from this day forward morning and night,
basically 10 minutes in the morning and ten minutes before bed.

yesterday i was upbeat about it, and posted on my facebook page, today i am a new man and hoping this reaches as many people that have a similar problem to me.

if you are embarking on the 12wbt and have bad back, get your self to this clinic before you start, my whole outlook is upbeat i now
know i can enter this challenge and give it everything it deserves.
i am in the process of setting my goals for the challenge and have decided i will keep a weekly blog, documenting the whole journey from mid febuary.

im feeling terrific and its only because i have removed the pain from my body, i cant wait until i remove the excess baggage during the 12wbt.

if anyone wants to know more about the back clinic i attended please feel free to contact me, my details are easily available on the Slipstream Surf website

Slipstream Surfs Brodie Moir went into days event running 4th after her opening round result in the enduro of the ironwoman series.
She has come out with her dream of finishing on the podium in Still tact after strugling to a 13th overall in todays event.
Moir is dissapointed with todays event, that saw Champion Courtney Hancock extend her series lead, even after being wiped out buy
the shore break, and taking a few competitiors with her, including her closest rival Elizabeth Pluimers whom Failed to finish the race.
Brodie is still running in Fifth in the overall standings and as we head to Newcastle, will be looking for redemption.

Brodie was unhappy with her Portsea Result

In the Mens STR Paddlers Hugh Dougherty and Sam Hamilton Improved on there horrific opening round in the ironman series event.
Dougherty who finished the days racing in 9th and leaped up to 11th overall in the series standings, Hugh Described his day as unlucky,
as he was passed by feild on a couple of occassions after taking the lead in race 2 during the board leg.His Craft legs are strong and the
Slipstream Surf Star, Said “he is feeling good and is looking forward to the next event at Newcastle”.
Slipstream battle weary Sam Hamilton had a much better day in the office with a 16th overall, but is still in huge pain from a torn calf muscle
and bulging discs in his back. Sam showed signs of the form we were expecting by leading the opening Board leg in the final race of the day.

In overall racing, King Ky showed he is back to his best with an overall win, Kendrick louis took the lead in the series and overall series leader
Caine Ecsteine suffered the curse of the black singlet and slipped to 7th overall with his 14th place today.

The series now moves to Newcastle and all information can be found at the surf ironman series home page.

Sam Hamilton is struggling on despite a bad back and calf in 2012

The journey from land-lubber to paddler can follow many different paths. For many, a childhood in Nippers leads to a passion for the surf and ski paddling that can carry through for a lifetime. Others may find paddling later in life as a way to regain long lost fitness and to reconnect with the outdoors. For others still, it might be a path to recovery after injuries stop them participating in other sports or activities.

My own path came through the latter. Having suffered not one but two horrendous motor vehicle accidents, I was forced to find a sport that involved sitting down, and paddling seemed to fit the bill. Over the years my paddling has evolved from sit on top river paddling, to sea kayaking, to white water and surfing, right through to canoeing. And now it all seems to have lead to surfski paddling.

To put this in perspective though, I’m a hefty guy tipping the scales at 127kgs. Im a 6 foot tall ex rugby front rower with a big build (and not all of it muscle). I have significant prior injuries that limit my mobility somewhat and do not possess the superior core strength of a surf lifesaver. But I am still keen to get into surfski paddling, which means looking at skis that will not only hold my significant weight, but hopefully hold it upright long enough for me to paddle the boat over any distance.

Fat Paddler on the SR with his pride of paddles!

I was fortunate enough to get my hands on a Stellar SR surfski recently as my entrance to this sport. At first glance I was concerned that such a narrow boat, at least 10cm narrower than my most narrow of kayaks, would do anything more than immediately roll me upside down. How would a man of my size even get into a standard surfski bucket seat? I’d tried other surfski brands and not only had trouble getting into them, but ended up looking like a paddling muffin until I inevitably rolled out into the drink a few seconds after commencing.

But the Stellar SR has been different. It has a good sized cockpit which actually fits my wider chassis. This first point is critical for a larger beginner like myself, as it defines the rest of the experience. There is plenty of room as well as a wide footwell which allows some spreading of the legs for extra stability should the paddler feel so inclined. I was also impressed by the three point foot plate set-up, which is easy to adjust and offers a firm and strong platform for leg drive. I’ve seen quite a few skis from more famous brands have problems in this area, so the additional security of the three points is a welcome addition.

In terms of handling, I was astounded at its stability, and particularly its secondary stability. Every ski is going to give a few wobbles with 127kg sitting above it, but what gets me with the SR is that even in side-chop and boat wake, I’ve managed to stay upright despite putting the boat right over on its edge. For a beginner to stay upright in a ski for the first several paddles is unheard of, and I very much appreciated this point.

Not that I stayed up forever. I did get smashed from abeam by a steep wake coming off a rather large cruiser that sent me flying into the brine. After climbing back onboard, I was worried about the huge amount of water now sitting in the large cockpit. The SR has a venturi drain but these usually require a good amount of speed to empty a boat, and I was worried about my ability to get fast enough to get the drain to work. I needn’t have though, because the “bullet venturi” drained quickly despite my lack of speed, which left me feeling much more confident about my ability to recover and continue paddling.

My other surfski friends paddle other brands and currently have the ability to beat me fairly easily. But this is more about paddler ability than the boat itself, and I think it only a matter of time before I start catching them up in the SR. I’ve already started catching small runs on the ski and with the additional stability available to me, think it only a matter of time before they suffer the embarrassment of defeat to an old fat crippled bloke. I very much look forward to that day as I cross the finish line ahead of them in a Stellar SR!

———
If you are interested in joining the Fat Paddler get on boards and contact Gavin Clark at Slipstream Surf for all your paddling needs.

Sean Smith, aka The Fat Paddler, is a blogger, paddler and author who calls Sydney Australia home. His injuries include a shattered pelvis and broken lower back but despite these setbacks, he has managed to participate in and complete many paddling events in various paddle craft both in Australia and around the world. Sean’s website FatPaddler.com chronicles his paddling adventures and he recently released his memoir, The Fat Paddler, which has received rave reviews from all over the world. It is available in bookstores nationally and on the Apple iBookstore.

I just completed Round 1 of the Ironwoman series at Surfers Paradise, I
couldn’t wait until the first round was done and dusted because the lead up
to it is quiet nerve racking. I finished the Enduro race format in 4th
place, I was happy with a 4th place for the first round. Its always
important to get a good result in the first round, it sets the series up for
you and gives you more confidence leading into the next round.
The racing for round one was hard and fast, the course was set on target and
took around the 45 minute mark. I got a great start in the first leg which
was the board and was up the front from then. The next leg was the swim and
it was a pretty decent size swim, I lost a few places in the swim as its not
my strongest leg but I still held in there to put me in a good position for
the last leg the ski. Being on a Slipstream surf ski bought me home fast and
strong, strong enough to finish the race in 4th place.
So whats next for me???
In the new year we have round 2 at Portsea in Victoria on the 8th January.
Hopefully the iconic beach will bring the swell it is known for, its always
more entertaining on television when we are getting smashed.

Till then I wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a happy new year, Take care
and make sure you get on board and follow the Slipstream Surf team on Twitter and Facebook.

This ski not only performs, but it is stable. I recently posted my own evaluation on the SEL click here.
American paddling enthusiast Wesley Echols has Paddled alot of skis, and has the best comparison charts on surf skis available to you the consumer.
Here is what Wesley had to say about the Stellar SEL recently.

Guys,

I just broke my 11 mile course record from Mccorrie Point to 3rd Rock. Just got off the water. This is the Sakonnet River Race Course, just a mile shorter. I have done this course 82 times since 2002. My previous record was in my SES excel Feb 5, 2011.  Today I broke that record by a minute. My avg pace was 9.11(minutes per mile) with a HR avg of 140. I have only used the 4 inch rudder with the SEL since I have had it.  This PR is significant for several reasons:

1.winter paddling I have about 10 extra lbs of stuff: drysuit, pogies, extra hat, phone, epirb, muckluk boots. Cold water is more sticky than warm summer water as John pointed out to me last year.
2. Also it was very very flat today.  Previously I would have said my SES were faster on a day like today and probably still is for the expert paddler. But even for me, a pretty good paddler in my own right, the SeL stability lets me lengthen my paddle by a centimeter getting a longer catch and I am able to have better technique due to the stability so I can just focus soley on my technique and leg drive and not stability.
3. The other difference in the SES and the SEL is the SEL, due its longer length, tracks like a rail, so not much correction in the steering.
4. Training:  Nothing happens without training! Lastly, although I just started my erg training(concept 2) last week in preps for the World Indoor Championships in Boston in February,  I believe it is already paying dividends.  My previous PR in feb, 2011 as mentioned, was just 2 weeks before the Crash b’s when I am probably in peak shape. I took yesterday off.
5. I have been working on my technique during the off season as Ben has suggested to me for the past few years: My catch on my right side was slightly shorter than my left and I have been working on this and on my left side I have been working on a cleaner exit.

So this confirms for me again that  the SEL has the top end speed  over distance of the Uno, V12, Nelo, etc. due to its perfect combination of stability and speed.  I have been using the the footwell cover that works great for keeping all the water out and my feet warmer!!  I am looking forward to my Ultra SEL in a few months!!!  Running a 5 mile road race on Thanksgiving.  Hopefully my pace on the road will be faster than my paddling pace!!!

Happy thanksgiving!!

Wesley

If you are into your paddling and want performance, Stability and reliability, The SEL is available in Sydney for a test paddle at Slipstream Surf/Stellar HQ Sydney, located on the water at 5 Wunulla Rd, Point Piper Marina.
Please call Gavin on 61 418 442 515 for any questions you may have.

We will also be in attendance at major events including the Summer Series, so come on over and have a paddle

Catch you on the water.

Gavin