Ruby Creek Boathouse

Another De Fuca Downwind in the books!

rubycreek — Wed, 04 Jul 2012 05:18:48 +0000

This may have been the most perfect De Fuca race yet, with a nice quartering tailwind and 1-2 ft. windswell. Not too challenging for the first-timers, and not too flat for the pros. An awesome race, with world-renowned racers Gabe Newton and Greg Barton duking it out all the way down the course, and Gabe holding off Greg at the finish for a 4-second victory after an hour of racing. Awesome effort, boys.

Thanks to all of our race sponsors, racers, land volunteers, safety paddlers, Elwha Marine Enforcement and Clallam County Sheriff, plus a huge thank you to Morgan Colonel, new owner of presenting sponsor Olympic Raft & Kayak.

See more info including results here.

Latest Race For your Life standings

rubycreek — Thu, 14 Jun 2012 04:25:51 +0000

Four of five races in the 2011-12 Race For Your life series are complete. The top ten in both men’s and women’s divisions are still fighting it out for some pretty nice cash prizes from our sponsors. Here’s what the leader board looks like:

Men:

James Klein 30

Troy Husband 25

Gabe Newton 24

Ken Kroeger 20

Eric Gerstl 20

Beau Whitehead 19

Sean Thomas 18

Douglas Peele 15

John Schalka 13

Chris Dobrovolny 13

darrell bednark 13

Women:

Minnie Fontenelle 18

Kimberly Allen 12

Leslie Mix 12

Rhonda Bintliff 9

Susan Conrad 9

Heidi Henry 9

wendy carter 8

Heather Nelson 8

Meaghan Brosnan 7

Michele Anderson 6

Crystal Parry 6

Maureen Peterson 6

Barbara Schleiger 6

Debbee Straub 6

The full field includes nearly 300 athletes who have raced in the Paddle Grand Prix last August, the Deception Pass Dash in December, New Years Challenge in January, and Paddle The Dragon just last weekend. Here’s the link to the full standings broken down by points in each event. Remember points are earned according to your placement in your boat category, plus the size of the category. So you’ll earn a lot more if you win a big division than you will if you’re the only racer in your division.

Tall in the Saddle Registration is live!

rubycreek — Sat, 26 May 2012 14:46:24 +0000

Here we go, Pilgrims! The Sequim Balloon Festival’s Tall in the Saddle Paddle heads out of John Wayne Marina in Sequim, WA, on September 2nd. Round up yer fastest outfit, and join the herd!

Register here right now!

Sweet! 2012 Think surfski lineup hits Ruby Creek

rubycreek — Fri, 11 May 2012 06:08:18 +0000

At last, they’re here. Daryl Remmler from Think Kayaks dropped off 4 new 2012 skis this morning at Ruby Creek Boathouse in Anacortes. They may not last long… demos are already being scheduled. We have two new Evo IIs, one in Performance fiberglass and one in ultra lightweight elite kevlar; and two of the hottest new ski out there, the EZE at just 17 feet and 20″ wide, a dream of a boat for a new racer or fitness paddler who wants a rock solid ride that… pssst, it’s a secret… also screams on a wave.

Also in today are the 2012 Large-blade Powerwing paddles, joining the 2011 mid-size blade and some hot racing pfds already in stock.

Check all the details here, and contact us right away for a test paddle!

Think paddler Sean Rice, c/o Brandon Kilbride Photography

New race naming contest

rubycreek — Mon, 30 Apr 2012 21:59:00 +0000

This paddlin’ race in Sequim on Labor Day weekend needs a name! Click for all the info, then help us out, and win everlasting notoriety!

Here’s the deal. Get creative, make it catchy, and remember the Sequim Balloon Fest is our presenting sponsor. Beyond such hot air, invoke visions of the Olympic Mountains, Dungeness Light, Labor Day, or by all means John Wayne (the marina bearing his name is our start/finish venue), without actually using his name.

If you’re our winner, besides telling your grandkids that you came up with the name, you’ll receive TWO free entries in this year’s race. One for yourself, and one for a friend.

Please draft up something good, and email it to race director Bill Walker at rubycreekboathouse@gmail.com. Bill and the directors of the Sequim Balloon Fest will form the selection committee. There’s no deadline — the committee will pick one when they decide “Pardner, that one’s perfect”.

This weekend is rockin’ on the water!

rubycreek — Tue, 24 Apr 2012 19:41:37 +0000

Start of the Dan Harris Challenge -- leg #1 in the Think Kayak International Challenge. Head for Canada in May for leg #2, the Tour de Indian Arm!

Just updated Ruby Creek’s 2012 Paddling Expos page to include Alder Creek’s FREE Spring Paddle Festival AND the Gig Harbor Paddlers’ Cup and Expo.

Not enough to get you off the couch? There’s plenty more happening. Check what’s featured on Ruby Creek’s Competition Calendar:

Try the Dan Harris Challenge, Sunday April 29th’s phase one of the heated US-Canada rivalry in the Think Kayaks International Challenge.

Into outrigger racing? Pacific Outrigger Canoe Club hosts the 2012 Rusty Iron on Saturday in Portland.

For you whitewater enthusiasts, hit the Sandy River Showdown / Dam Derby / Dodge & Burn Relay all weekend in Sandy, OR, hosted by good buddy Sam Drevo and eNRG Kayaking.

Multi-sport relay racers are headed for Vancouver Island, for the Comox Valley Snow to Surf on Sunday.

And the Northwest League of Whitewater Racers holds a Classic Race and Training Camp on the beautiful Skykomish River in Index WA, all weekend.

Take your pick! Now get out there!

Registration is live! Let’s race!

rubycreek — Mon, 19 Mar 2012 17:20:39 +0000

Yabba dabba doo! Heather Nelson shows near-perfect form on her way to victory in the 2010 Hobuck Hoedown SUP Scramble.

After just a few glitches with the Department of Revenue, Paypal, and the Gambling Commission (god forbid we publicize that we’re supporting good causes with a raffle!), we are back on line with registration for all three Ruby Creek events in 2012. Check it out:

3rd Annual De Fuca Downwind, Sunday, July 1st — presented by Olympic Raft & Kayak

Hobuck Hoedown, Sat & Sun, October 6th & 7th — presented by Olympic Raft & Kayak

7th Annual Deception Pass Dash, Sunday December 9th — presented by Outdoor Adventure Center

All three are currently at the early-bird registration price of $49, and until May 1st you can get the fabulous deal of ALL THREE EVENTS for just $110.

Don’t forget to practice… and check our race calendar regularly for what’s happening every weekend in the region. If your favorite paddlin’ event is missing from the calendar, drop us a note and we’ll get it up there. Boat happy, see you soon!

Is a charity raffle… gambling? Really?

rubycreek — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 21:56:00 +0000

Apparently so, according to Paypal and the great state of Washington. So of course you want to hurry up and register for Ruby Creek’s 2012 events, but we’re on hold briefly while we restructure our race registration to meet Paypal’s terms of service. Evidently we can’t tell you that your race entry includes a raffle ticket, or that you can buy extra tickets from this site. Never mind that Ruby Creek sent over $3,000 of your race entry dollars in 2011 to six deserving nonprofit organizations that improve the quality of life here. We will continue to support these wonderful groups, with your help. We just need a few days to get it straight. Thanks for your patience!

La Push Pummel recap

rubycreek — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 05:26:23 +0000

Wild waves and not much paddling… at first blush that summed it up. But there was much more to this year’s LaPush Pummel, an event founded under the radar by Sprague Ackley a couple decades ago. The undercurrent among the few dozen tight-knit old and new friends was, “we miss sweet Ellen”. And we gathered for the traditional Pummel Potluck after watching the waves all day, to celebrate Ellen DeBondt’s life nearly a year after this stalwart annual Pummel organizer was killed by a drunk driver.

I stopped by Ellen’s roadside memorial on my way out there, with some wildflower seeds to spread around her surfboard, and found probably 200 daffodils sprouting and ready to bloom. Ellen’s husband Ken, with help from his sister, had planted them last Fall and in another week or so, they’ll be in all their glory.

Here’s a very cool writeup on this year’s Pummel by Rob Casey on the Canoe & Kayak Magazine web site, with pics from the amazing Gary Luhm. Check it out, and say a prayer of thanks for Sweet Ellen.

Race For Your Life Standings updated!

rubycreek — Fri, 24 Feb 2012 07:31:21 +0000

OK, it’s a month and a half after the New Year Challenge, and we thought we had already tallied and posted the standings. But better late than never, and there’s plenty of time until Race #4 and 5 in June & July to finish off the series and put a lot of cold cash in the hands of the top paddlers in the Northwest!

Full standings are here.

Please note that these standings are pending the tally of points for each racer in the New Years Challenge in a dragonboat or OC6. We’ll get those names added shortly. Remember racers earn points by how they do in their race classification (boat class and gender) and can enter different classes in each event.

Tops in women’s division through three of five events:
Minnie Fontenelle – 18
Kim Allen – 12
Leslie Mix – 12
Rhonda Bintliff – 9
Susan Conrad – 9
Wendy Carter – 8
Heather Nelson – 8

Tops in men’s:
Jamie Klein – 24
Gabe Newton – 24
Troy Husband – 22
Eric Gerstl – 20
Ken Kroeger – 20
Beau Whitehead – 19
Doug Peele – 15
Sean Thomas – 15

For more on the points series and how points are tabulated, go to the Race For Your Life web site. Bottom Line – TRAIN HARD and sign up for Paddle the Dragon June 9th, and the De Fuca Downwind July 1st. Meanwhile, for a little fun and training every weekend of the year, check out this list of all the competitive paddling happening in the Northwest this year. If you’re at the top of this community, you are some awesome paddler! Congrats to our leaders!