A first real gathering of some good calibre teams got together this weekend in White Rock, BC for a small but competitive festival. The course was a 250m sprint with the top teams posting times of 55, 56 and 59 seconds. It appears the West Coasties have improved their training as many are gunning for the race offs in Calgary and then to move on to TO in 2006.

How's the East Coast doing so far? Any comments

It was not a bad start to the racing season. Though the tide was a factor and the rough water didn't help, boy some of those waves were huge. Guess that's what you get for racing in the open ocean. The top teams were as follows:

1) False Creek Mixed 55 and change
2) Pacific Reach 56 and change
3) Roli I 59(?) and change
4) FODB (?)

It was a good race . All I can say is the race between Fcrcc (False Creek)& Pacific Reach was close and it looked like it all happened on the start w/ Fcrcc doing the famous back push back 3 rows opposite side to the starter just before the start . Poor Pacific Reach ....they are going to have to learn to play that game. Right from the start the 2 teams were even all the way down it looked like ,neither gained or lost any ground on each other and FCRCC kept the 2 seat lead to the end .

Definitley looked rough out there w/ big waves and boats taking on water over the sides . Poor False creek women............that was a bit of a shock losing to Team Rukus.And the old timers The Grandragons taking first in the B division.........haha good for them .It goes to show youth does not always matter as much as experience does .For those that don't know, most of them are 70 + in age .They kicked some serious butt today even taking out the False Creek womens team time wise..............ouch that had to hurt .

I think crews out east are just starting to get out and into their second or third week of paddling for the earliest groups. The west better bring their "A" game out east so we show the rest of the world what this country is made of.

With only one qualifying spot available out west are we going to see some west coast teams at NACCC this summer?

it's a very good possibility .......... I would think False Creek & possibly Pacific Reach . Roli will be in Montreal the week prior to the western race off and who knows about the NACCC .
I would think it would depend on the results of Calgary and how close it was and it will probably be a last minute decision on the part of those teams .

if false creek plays the push before the start in the race offs they will be disqualified .

Those Team Ruckus kids were all smiles after edging out the False Creek Ladies, reminds me of how much fun they had on the stage at Alcan last year! Good job!

White Rock was a great way to kick off the season. A casual day of wavy 250's with some questionable start line-ups and lots of stearing mishaps. The Grandragons (55 years and older) were on top of the world, loving it all. Unexact start line-ups are to be expected on an informal and wavy course. Any pre-start lead gained by FCRCC was unintentional. All the results showed was that this is going to be an exciting season of racing out here. I look forward to, and hope for, a healthy FCRCC/Pacifc Reach rivalry that will make us all faster. Go Vancouver!!!