An Air France 777 just took off outside and the little trucks are scurrying around desperately trying to get another plane loaded in time for departure. I just flew into Montreal and am sitting here enjoying a beer watching the airport busy itself all around me. This is the last leg on what has been an almost three week trip from Massachusetts to Maryland, North Carolina and back again.

Two days ago I raced in the Green Narrows Race. At around 12:30 on November the 3rd I joined around 140 other races bombing down through the Green’s many rapids to get to the bottom panting and just happy to be in one piece.

After finishing up the Linville, a week ago, not too long before sunset on the top of Chapel Tower, one mile of hiking straight up hill behind us our attention turned to the Green and the race a week from then. With a quick stop in Boone, NC to get some kick-arse burritos from some very lovely young ladies and fuel up on coffee we were driving down Big Hungry the next morning to the put-in and the walk to the river.

Having lucked out on the water during the previous week it was our turn to endure the conditions that have been plaguing the South East for the whole year. Even with the Green at 100% with no natural flow the river loses some of it’s padding and while a couple of rapids get easier, the majority get a little tighter. Gorilla becoming a snarling beast through dehydration, and starts to break at the lip, pushing paddlers right into the shelf. Given that this is 4 minutes into the race it’s not a good thing to have a difficult rapid turn worse. Having said that, it’s the Green Race, it’s not easy in the first place.

John Wallace was kind enough to lend me his Prijon Invader, but after paddling it was pretty evident that the rocker profile and volume would not have been wise to race with the boat. So hard as it was to venture south without a race boat I took the Jefe down the run for the first time just to get into the Groove. Joined by Daniel we took Mike on a whistle stop tour for his first ever run down the Green. Styling everything we got to Go Left and Die just to give him verbal and off we went. Go left provided little difficulty for Mike while others were getting schooled.

Gorilla was a slightly different story and since the water was at an all time low I opted to scout with Mike and check out exactly how nasty the Monkey was today. For me the worst part of Gorilla has always been the Notch. I have never experienced any issues but with a very tight slot with an undercut to the right it’s just intimidating. The lip was breaking a bit but not enough to cause me any concern, catch the eddy and fade into a slight right boof, tuck forward and land. All good.

Sunday was going to be Daniel’s run in the Tornado and his first run through Gorilla in the long boat. Unfortunately he crashed really hard breaking his boat, flattening the first foot and cracking the seam. A little shaken he pulled it back together and fixed the thing in time for another the Friday before the race, this time styling it.

My week was spent bouncing back and forth trying to decide to race short or man up and race long boat. Organizer and general orator of the Green Race, Jason Hale, is always a proponent of the only boat class so my decision was made. Why the hell would anyone want to paddle the Corsica Matrix? They wouldn’t, but it was all I had, that or a Dancer. Not having access to the boat until Thursday the Remix 69 would be a quasi-long boat for the time being. Fast as hell this would do quite nicely, but hiking back up for a second run of Gorilla to try and dial in the direct line to the pad was almost met by disaster when I cam off the pad with my body back and the boat twisted. A little mid air pray for help stroke meant that I did not land face first but I was a little nervous to say the least. That was a great way to kick off my birthday.

That afternoon we spent an hour or two in the Asheville skate park mellowing out and taking our minds off the race. It’s a good thing they have a strict helmet policy since right at the end of our time there I took a digger right to the dome. A few Houdini ESBs at the Brew and View sorted that right out. LVM 24 premiered with my first appearance running the take out falls of Big Kimshew. I was psyched, especially since I had no idea.

Pat’s basement was then the venue for the underground gambling, better known as Calcutta. Each competitor is given a handicap based on a projected time, or their time from the previous year, this is then deducted from their time this year and the new fastest time wins a decent amount of money at the party for whoever bet on them. Underground betting on kayaking is the most bizarre thing ever, hilarious, but bizarre.
Friday saw my one and only run in the Corsica before the race. By myself, I picked my way down carefully at a nice flowing pace just getting used to the boat. With a flat top deck it resurfaces slowly and with less rocker than optimum it liked to be under water in the first place. This was going to mean I had to be conscious of edging aggressively out of holes and trying hard to keep it on the surface in the first place.

The morning of this race has the most charged atmosphere of any competition I have ever been to. People are amped-up, scared, excited, quiet and nervous, and just plain happy to be there. Beyond all that everyone is there to enjoy themselves and take part in really what is the best kayaking event of the year.
The sun was shining at the start and with a 5,4,3,2,1 GO. I was at the bottom 4 minutes and 57 seconds later, happy to be there and feeling good about what had been a pretty good run. I was not going to find out the time till much later at the party and was psyched to see that all had gone well. Despite getting back flipped out of the Speed Trap and having to roll up I was on my way quickly. The top of the run was really where I felt I made up a lot of time, Frankenstein went well and keeping my bow dry and clean through Pencil Sharpener worked out very well. Coming out of Boof or Consequence I managed to stay high and keep a good line through Go Left and Die. This was my major mistake last year and so getting through I was feeling good and started to increase my pace through the next flowing section down to Gorilla.

After a couple of phone calls attention turned to the party and the results. Woody is the Man! and kindly donated his beautiful and just finished house and garden for the post-race party. It’s hard to describe the atmosphere down at the race and the party, it’s just like a big family gathering.

While the Green Race is about the fastest time, it’s about getting to the finish line and starting in the first place. It’s about running the gnar in front of all your friends and about having fun. Congratulations to all the competitors. But above all congratulations to Andrew Holcombe for winning, Daniel Whindam for getting back in the Tornado, Chris Gragtmans for coming 4th even with severe tendonitis and all the other boaters that raced.

Mike and I drove back despite my Trooper’s best efforts to sabotage our trip as its transmission died, got up tied some loose ends and headed to the airport. Happy to be back in the Northeast just in time for the snow, Mike’s attention was turning to snowboarding and mine to England.
Right now my plane is about to board and I am off back to England for the first time in 4 years. Time for a beer in the Pub and home-cooked meal by me Mum and Dad.
Thanks again for everything and we shall be seeing you at the Green Race again next year.
Cheers,

Ferg