Outdoors

POSTED: Thursday, Dec. 04, 2008

OUTDOORS: Local kayakers amped for Deception Pass Dash

Rodger Funk finished last year's Deception Pass Dash kayak race in last place.

Funk finished 59th out of 75 paddlers, while everyone behind him just gave up.

But Funk will be back on Bowman Bay (about nine miles south of Anacortes) on Sunday, Dec. 7, and so will 132 other registered paddlers, to participate in the third annual Deception Pass Dash, a six-mile kayak race between Whidbey and Fidalgo islands.

"It was grueling," Funk said in a phone interview of his first experience last year.

Funk, a Bellingham resident, is an avid runner but also has been kayaking for two years. The Deception Pass Dash is the only kayak race he does, but he won't be competing out on the water on Sunday.

"This is just for fun," Funk said. "My boat is not a fast boat. I'm not a fast paddler. It's just to have a good time and see people I know."

Two people who he believes can contend for a first-place finish are Bellingham kayakers Heather and Brandon Nelson.

Brandon is a world record kayak distance holder, while Heather is the 2006 Yukon River Quest winner. The couple competed in the past two Deception Dashes, including last year when Heather was 61/2 months pregnant. Brandon stayed back with Heather for safety, but when water conditions looked to be safe he couldn't hold back. He ended up catching everyone but the leader.

"We had a plan that we were going to paddle together," Heather said in a phone interview. "I think he got really excited and shot out. He had a little energy."

The Nelsons participate in more than 20 races a year and will head out to Baja right after the Deception Dash for two months. The couple have paddled the Sea of Cortez and want to take their now 9-month-old son, Hayden, to their "favorite playground," Brandon said.

Deception Pass is known for its swift currents. Slack before ebb is at 10:25 a.m., so racers have to dash through the pass before the currents pick up. The longer it takes a paddler to get through the pass, the more the current builds up.

"The people who are the fastest paddlers are rewarded by having the least current against them," Funk said. "It gets harder and harder as you go."

The dash is catching on with the kayaking community. The race was created in 2006, one month before the scheduled race date. Forty paddlers showed up despite the short notice.

"We knew from that we were onto something," race co-founder Bill Walker said in a phone interview. "The idea to have a race in the Puget Sound in the middle of winter really took off."

The event attracts paddlers mostly from the Puget Sound area, but some of the 133 racers registered are from Portland, Ore., or Vancouver, B.C. There are 26 kayakers from Bellingham, and one is from Blaine.

"It's very unique for our racing," Heather said. "There's not a whole lot of events in December, and Deception Pass is a place that people will travel for miles to see. To have a race through there, it's gorgeous."

In the race's second year, more than 100 paddlers signed up but poor weather prevented some from traveling.

The Deception Dash also has a danger factor with the swift, powerful currents, which adds to the thrill.

"(Deception Pass) is a great, beautiful place for the novelty of the race and the notorious passage," Brandon said.

Event organizers are more than prepared for the number of the participants. The race is being put on by the Outdoor Adventure Center of Redmond. There will 15 to 17 volunteer safety kayakers in the water, who are all expert-level paddlers, Walker said. There also will be a power boat with radio contact, and a couple of the local police agencies will have people out on the water as well.

"It's a good presence as far as professional safety people," Walker said.

The event is considered an informal race. The winner is recognized by having their name on top of the results. The event is more for camaraderie and places safety above competition. There is a post-race raffle for donated gifts from sponors. Potentially the slowest person on the water could take home the best prize.