The Art of Competition

My experience of going for the Petaluma Water Woman Title
(available to any woman that competed in three heats in three or more different crafts)

I am not a competitive person - at least that is what I say. But if you pin a number to my back, put a couple of seasoned athletes and paddle enthusiasts by my side and then blow a whistle my whole demeanor changes.
Why is that?

Encouraged by my friends and co-workers I took part in my very first paddle race last Saturday - the 1st Annual Petaluma Small Craft Center (PSC3) Time Trial and Mixer. It was a blast! I got to meet the cool folks that are part of the Northbay Rowing Club and PSC3 , challenge myself and get some much needed endurance building exercise - after not one, but two Thanksgiving feasts.

Now two of us ladies hold the title of Petaluma Water Women! In addition, I think I won the award for the most confused competitor. I am still not sure if I was on a team or on my own. First rule of thumb - pay attention at the skippers meeting. I began in a Surfski. To say that I am new to the that sport would be an understatement! It was only my second time after a one hour intro lesson with surf ski trainer Susan Starbird, 3 months prior.

Poor Susan...she probably has never seen a Surfski go so slow. They are considered extremely fast crafts when paddled on flat water and the fastest paddled craft available over long distances on open ocean swells. They track well but are less maneuverable and have less transverse primary and secondary stability than shorter, wider craft. Despite their inherent instability, a surf ski (with an experienced paddler) is a very effective craft for paddling in big surf. Its narrowness and length helps it cut or punch through large broken waves. Needless to say, I stayed aboard and paddled my little heart out - careful to keep my knees together for stability and not look or listen to anyone.

Crossing the finish line (marked by an inflatable turkey!) I returned the Surfski to the dock and began to wait with anticipation for my team member to complete his heat before I could go again. Or so I thought! 5 min.....then 10 min turned into 20 minutes before I was kindly informed that I was not to wait, but continue through the three heats as fast as possible.

Oh dear!


I jumped on a race SUP (Stand Up Paddle Board), the Tahoe Bliss, and made up some time on this more familiar craft and then completed the third heat by kayak (the sleek Fathom LV by Eddyline) and crossed the finish line for the final time with Santa on my side and the hoots and smiles and encouragement of my fellow paddlers! Needless to say I was the last one in but I had so much fun! Next year I hope to see more of you Clavey fans on the water!

A little about Me and how I "Got Clavey"

Most of you have heard by now that the Clavey Gang has gotten with it, the times that is. After only 29 years in business they finally hired a female to be part of the team. Well, I wanted to formally introduce myself to all the Clavey fans out there on the world wide web and beyond! So hear it goes, "How do you do, my name is Aluxa. Yes with an X. But when you say it, pucker your lips and allow a gentle "shh" sounds to emanate in place of that X . Like this: Ah-loo-sha."

How this all came to be: I wandered into the Clavey store about three years ago to purchase gear for a 14-Day sea kayak expedition I was leading for a group of 17 seventeen year olds (yes, both quantity and age) from a private academy in Boston. Our destination was my home town in the Mayan Riviera and our mission was to be the first to kayak the coastline from Mahahual to Rio Huach and to explore Laguna Bacalar, an inland fresh water lagoon near Chetumal. That trip in Mexico was awesome but so too was that first visit to Clavey. And so, I found myself coming back quite often - often for the comic relief, mostly for gear advice and occasionally begging for money. Not exactly suckers, they bet they'd get a better return on their investment if they hired me for money instead of loaning me money.>

With a desk, a computer and a fridge filled with beer, I've spent these first few weeks putting together social paddles and creating new fun trips for the Clavey calendar of events.


Last Friday, we offered our first ever stand up paddle board fun run on the Petaluma River from the Turning Basin to the Sheraton Hotel and Marina for happy hour. Our motivation was $4.00 margaritas and a free taco bar. We will now call this, appropriately enough, the Stand Up Taco Happy Hour Paddle.




What a blast! Even though the Sheraton forgot to mention that there was going to be a 500 person U.S. Coast Guard Graduation and no Free Taco Bar! We, 5 stand up paddlers, still managed to put ourselves outside some Margaritas and some darn good calamari and chicken wings. Don't worry that you missed the first one. We'll be hosting the Stand Up Taco Happy Hour Paddle once or twice a month. Of course, only those few lucky first received a commemorative grain of rice with Clavey written on it.

Join me for our next run on Friday, December 2nd. We've got plenty of SUPs if you don't.

Cheers and hope to see you in the shop or on the water soon!! Cheers, Aluxa