Opportunity Strikes and We Ride that Wave
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| Dylan and I outside of JJ's Broiler right before the start of our first of many races together |
The clock is ticking!!! Less than three weeks until we
depart Kauai on an epic adventure. Where are you going, you ask? What’s next,
you ask? Who’s this we… you ask?
Well, let me introduce you to the captain, Dylan Thomas, his
father, David Thomas and Jerry Hayward. They know the waters better than most and coming from generations of Waterman (pun intended) that means the world to me.
These three men and this not so little lady are meeting in Fiji 25FEB14 to sail
the yacht Compadre, a 55’ Willard Cutter, back to Kauai where she’ll be anchored
for the summer months in Hanalei. Compadre will be accompanied by a Stellar
surfski for training purposes. For those of you who don’t know what a surfski
is, click HERE to see the very one we are taking. Ours is orange and has been shipped to Fiji straight from the factory and is
waiting our arrival.
Between Dylan, his wife Michele and myself, we came up with
the idea of training in a surfski alongside Compadre for the almost 4,000 mile
journey. Now we won’t be paddling the whole way, but between the two of us, we
will paddle each about 1-2 hours a day across the Pacific. Click HERE for the
full route.
Dylan and I are training for US Surfski Championships doubles,
which are held in San Francisco this August. Some of the best paddlers from all
over the world come to this very race to compete. Now, I fell in love with
Outrigger paddling and that was the soul reason I stayed here on Kauai and it
has and still is treating me very well. I wanted to paddle any and every race
possible with hopes of one day being one of the top paddlers. Well, soon after
our great Molokai finish of 12 overall and 10th in our division in a
6 man, I was introduced to the surfski. At first, I was skeptical about it, and
then finally when I tried it out at a Friday morning get-together that Dylan puts on every Friday. I fell in
love with it! Dylan saw great potential and we have been training since. Our
first race together was our second time in a tandem surfski and our first in
that specific surfski. We won that race and that was just the taste that we
both wanted! Click HERE for the video.
While on this epic sailing/training journey, Dylan and I
plan on documenting everything. Whether it is video clips with a GoPro or still shots of the conditions we are in, the views we see or even the things we do. Keeping everyone in the loop and letting them
see what it is that we are doing out there in the middle of the Pacific. Good, bad whatever! I will tell you this, it's going to be interesting and I can 100% guarantee that it'll be worth watching!
So here we are, our hearts, minds and eyes set on the prize…
represent Kauai and our hometowns in South Africa and Maine and make them proud
of what we are about to take on! It’s not everyday that a person has the
opportunity to not only sail the Pacific, but to paddle a good chunk of it! That’s friggin awesome! My goal is to absorb every bit of training tips I can,
take it to every race we plan on doing besides US Surfski Champs and then… the
2016 Olympics for either K-1 500m or K-2 500m! I was given this body and strength (thanks Mum and Daddy) and I
plan on taking it as far as I can and letting everyone know, the answer is
always no if you never ask. You can do absolutely anything… if you are you
willing to take the chance, stay positive and to be thankful for the lessons you have learned that got you to this point. Every road you have gone down has brought you to now!
So every bit of help along the way is much appreciated! Donations, sponsorships, support, camera gear, paddling gear, sunglasses, sunblock anything and everything... EVERY BIT COUNTS!!! We have a brand new surfski that would look great with your company's name on it for our videos! If you are able to help us out or even want more information on our annual expenses, please email me at sarahmwaterman@gmail.com or write for mailing address. You have no idea how grateful both Dylan and I are for this opportunity! Just remember, we are leaving soon!!! Thank you ahead of time and stay tuned!
Here are some other videos and links to follow along our journey. This way, you can kind of have an idea of what we are training for... and ways we train:
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| First day every surfskiing with the crew! Michael, myself, Lynn, Janey and Dylan. Thank you Lynn!!! |
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| Night paddling... AKA Bat paddling! One thing I have in common with the French team, Hoalen... I love it, everything is quiet and you can just silently glide through the water. Super stealth |
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