Not this year!!! The biggest storm to hit Washington State in 30 years was scheduled to hit the coast by late afternoon. The air was restless and cold, the sky spit out the occasional spurt of heavy, textured rain, and gusts of wind swirled through Bowman Bay making us wonder what would be waiting for us out in Deception Pass.

At 9:45AM the starting line was a sea of color as over 70 boats sat poised to start. Racers chose an assortment of foul weather gear for the race… brightly colored drysuits, wetsuits with splashjackets, heavy skull caps, pogies, and lifevests adorned with all the bells and whistles. A dozen surfskis, 3 outrigger canoes and 45 single, double and even a triple sea kayak made up the field of paddlers who had traveled from as far as Oregon and BC to race.

Brandon had suited up, extra warm, in his Kokatat drysuit, warm fleece hat, neoprene pogies and VHF radio… with the plan of escorting his 29 week pregnant wife, at a slow, pregnant mama pace, safely across the finish line. I, on the other hand, need to dress to pee. At this point, with my big belly and tiny bladder squeezed into the cockpit of my Epic V10… well, I have to pee about every 20 minutes! So, I opted for splashjacket and wetsuit type pants… and happily kept my seat warm through the race.

The race began crossing Bowman Bay, across the channel to Deception Island. As we crossed, it quickly became apparent, although the race was planned so we hit Deception Pass at slack, the ebb tide had already begun. The 10 – 15 knot wind, combined with the chop from the changing tide, made for some bumpy water.

The pack thinned as we circled Deception Island, with most of the surfskiers and a lone OC1 pulling ahead. Brandon, stayed just in front of me, peaking over at me now and then, making sure I was handling the conditions OK. I think he must have seen the big grin on my face and decided I was fine on my own, because, as we cleared Deception Island, and began to fight the Ebb towards Deception Pass, he turned the engines on and within about 10 seconds had passed the entire pack but Don Kielsling, who had already put nearly a ½ mile on the rest of us.

Brandon, paddling along Deception Island. Photo by David Allin

I watched Brandon in a blur of mango continue to pull ahead and paddled-on with my own slow and steady voyage. At this point in my pregnancy, my paddling is more of a drill deep breathing, maintaining an efficient stroke, and staying hydrated… and as I mentioned, lots of pee breaks! Since racing isn’t my concern, I found myself really enjoying the paddle, the challenging conditions and made sure to greet all the safety boaters and volunteers as I went by.

As we approached Deception Pass and Pass Island, the current became a powerful river of flowing water. Passing the tip of the island, you had to angle the bow of your kayak to exit the eddy and peel into the fast moving current. A few racers who didn’t enter with enough angle got shot out into the middle of the pass and had to fight their way back on course.
As the ebb grew stronger with time, about a dozen sea kayakers paddling near the back of the pack found the current too strong to paddle up, and were forced to turn around and begin the journey home from Pass Island.

From here, we had about ½ a mile to get to the final turn around point, Strawberry Island. Hugging the island is the best way to stay out of the current and avoid the thick blanket of kelp beds that surround the island… unfortunately, two racers ran a-ground on some rocks. One broke a rudder, the other the hull of his kayak. Bummer.

Heather, followed by Toby Roessingh, paddling along Pass Island. Photo by David Allin.

Brandon rounded Strawberry Island, heading home just as I approach the Island. He hollered a hello in our standard on-the-water hoot. I returned the call before he disappeared from view.

The second half of the race, I think Baby HB decided he was having fun and wanted to help. A foot in my ribs, a head popping out near my life vest buckle, a fist punching here and there… my belly was a constant rumble of activity. I stopped paddling a few times, seeing if he would settle back down. But, the little fella seemed to want to play too! Eventually I found arm paddling did the trick, Baby HB could move, I could make forward progress.

Heather and Brandon at the finish. Photo by David Allin.

We finished the course in 1:04:57, the first mother-baby team.
Brandon was second overall, behind 2-time champ Don Kiesling.
The boiling hot Miso Soup, endless cups of hot cocoa and piles of race schwag at the finish line festivities were an added bonus to an already awesome race!!!

For a nice write-up and video, go to:

http://www.xexplore.com/2007/12/deception-pass-dash.html

The 3rd Annual Deception Pass Dash has been tentatively scheduled for December 7, 2008!

Visit http://www.seattleraftandkayak.com/ for more info!

~In the Spirit of Compassion and Adventure~

Heather, Brandon and Baby HB