This summer has been pretty flat with lots of wind, perfect for stand up racing. Everyone and their grandpa has been paddling down the coast on whatever stand up boards they can find; race boards, long boards, short boards, whatever! I am pretty stoked with my new board. The 2012 Javelin is designed as a flat water board, but with its narrow shape and low nose rocker, it is an incredibly efficient board! Especially for a smaller rider, bigger guys have problems with it but at 100 hundred pounds I can still paddle in over head seas! With its constant speed and efficiency, this board has given me the tools to unlock my racing potential.  
     Having a new board that I can really go fast on has inspired me to train harder, longer. Now I am really working hard to be in a strong racing condition for the upcoming races. Other Maui racers are paddling everyday too; a lot of them are training for upcoming races and channel crossings as well. A bunch of Naish riders have been through here this summer to train for their own events. The last few days we have been paddling with Karen Wren. She currently lives and trains in Hood River where she can flat water train in the winter and downwind train in the summer. She is really focusing on perfecting the right lines to take down the coast for different runs. Karen will be competing in the Naish Paddleboard Championships, where there should be a pretty strong Naish presence!  
     The Naish race isn't the only event that everyone is training for. There are several channel crossings, that I will unfortunately miss, that are the focal point for racers specializing in the unlimited class. For everyone else there is the Battle of the Paddle California which is going to be big event for every competitive paddler across the country. I will be competing in the BOP and the Naish race as well as the Gorge Paddle Challenge later in the year. With all of these race events ahead, I am pumped to train and try to eek out as much speed as possible!