Jeremy Riggs and the SIC Bullet 14

Thanks to the generosity of John Griffith (SIC) and Scott Ruble (Covewater SUP Santa Cruz) I was able to arrange an interview and coaching session with Jeremy Riggs (paddlewithriggs.com) almost immediately upon my arrival in Maui. After our first meeting and interview we headed up to Maliko for what turned out to be an incredibly fun and informative downwinder with one of the best riders in the world. Many thanks to John, Scott and Jeremy (and Maui) for making it happen.

Jeremy Riggs
Where do you reside: Wailuku HI
What was your first/best experience on an SIC: My first experience on an SIC was on an F-16 during a Maliko run. It was my first time using a rudder. I learned a lot that day about following the bumps and about the advantage of having complete control of the board. It changed the way I approached downwind racing in a very productive way. My best experience on an SIC board was completing my first Molokai to Oahu channel crossing with my partner Nabil Vogel back in 2007. We trained very hard for the challenge and when it was over there was just that amazing feeling of accomplishment. I knew right then that this race was something I wanted to be a part of for many years to come.
What does the name SIC mean to you: A company that's committed to building the fastest and most innovative boards available and having fun while doing so.
Paddling background: I started doing Maliko runs back in 2002 on a prone paddle board. I remember catching these really long glides and wishing I could stand up for some of them but the boards were just way to tippy. Then I heard about the stand up boards in 2004 and I had to have one. I got my first SUP in 2005, made myself a paddle with a broken canoe paddle and an old windsurf mast and entered my first Maliko race that year. I was the only SUP in that race and there was close to 100 canoes. Those guys thought I was crazy and honestly I didn't know what to expect because this was my first time going all the way to the harbor. As I got closer to the finish there was a lot of canoe paddlers cheering me on. It was a great feeling and a great day. Gotta thank the Maui Canoe and Kayak Club for making that day such a fun and memorable experience for me.
What do you think SIC name means in the world of SUP: Proven race boards and if you want to do well in the channel races, you better order or reserve one well in advance.
What is your best crazy Dutchmen story: Mark has shown up to so many races with a board that he just finished making and the race ends up being the test run. We've done a couple of channel crossings together and in 2009 we partnered up for the Molokai to Oahu. I thought we were going to use the F-16 because that's what we were training on. When we met up on Molokai, sure enough Mark had built a new prototype for the race. We decided we would try it out in the biggest race of the season. It worked great! We ended up taking 2nd place that year.
How long have you been surfing and paddling: I grew up in North Carolina and spent most my time at the beach on a bodyboard. I didn't own a surfboard until after college and I moved out to Maui with dreams of becoming a professional bodyboarder. I was humbled right off the bat once I felt the power of the Pacific Ocean and saw the level of talent out here in Hawaii. I started surfing in the upright position in 2000 and I've been hooked since then.
Background text courtesy of the SIC website.

Bill's & My Paddle IMUA Re-cap

My friend Bill Boyum is a longtime Maui local and veteran waterman who has been involved with Maui wind and paddling sports from the beginning. Here's his re-cap of the race from an email he sent this morning.

"I went swimming with Shirley in the morning, but as we finished I saw a bit of a wind line outside so we drove up to watch the start from the cliff above Maliko.

In the final hour before the start the wind doubled from 7 to 14 and more importantly went from straight onshore to about 45 degree angle onshore. The surface set up with very small, very organized clean lines.

Almost immediately we heard the horn and an armada of OC-1s blazed out of the gulch, followed closely by Bart, then Jeremy and Scott.

Out of the gulch Jeremy Riggs, with his 17 foot 24" 26lb no pad, wax deck Bullet,leaped ahead of Bart on his 14' Starboard Race. Those little bumps were perfect terrain for JR's board. He was even passing some Oc-1s. Already 50 yds back in second, was Scott and then Bart. But working his way to a much farther out line was Livio, who from appearances from our angle, was losing ground to the inside guys, who were reaping full harvest of the onshore angle glides. But Livio is a vet and it was also evident that Dave Kalama was moving out to that outside line as well in an OC-2. A much different tactic than the pack.

So I paced Jeremy from the drive down and he was holding just under 8 minute miles for the first two.

Then we couldn't see and we drove to town to see Iron Man 3. It was sold out so Shirley says, lets go see who wins. In the harbor, finishing at 1:14 was Livio and JR a minute behind.

You shoulda seen how red their faces were when they came in, looked like they'd been nuked. During the last section, as you of course know, the almost good enough wind at the start, had died off. It was hot hot hot."

My Re-cap: I was one of the folks on the inside line, trying to stay up with the back of the pack. For the first four miles there was OK wind but by the fifth mile it dropped off to none, or very light and variable. From there it was head down and grind it out looking for any little bump that would give me a boost towards the finish line at the Harbor. I was glad to be paddling the SIC Bullet 14 cuz that board is a wave magnet. I actually passed about a half dozen paddlers on longer boards by the time I reached the Harbor entrance.

I caught a few more good glides in those last miles but couldn't pick up many in the choppy, mixed up seas that were mated with the anemic winds. I'm sure that there were more little bumps to be ridden than I could chase down, and if I was Jeremy Riggs...but then I'm not Jeremy am I?

I'm not all that enamored of flat water paddling either (especially if you can go downwind instead) but as I rounded the breakwater standing on the rocking horse backwash beset sea surface this course had become, I was never so glad to see the flat water paddle that stretched out before me in my life.

From that big green navigation buoy at the Harbor entrance to the beach park finish line was an easy mile run. I was tired and hot but there's nothing like the end in sight to energize a body. (The thought of the Beer Garden didn't hold me back none either.)

At the end of the finish line chute, I was given a lovely purple and white orchid lei and an ice cold glass of water. I took two big gulps of water from the soon to be holding beer glass, and dumped the rest over my head. Home at last and in about an hour, when my temples stopped pounding and my face felt like it was no longer pressed up against a hot plate, I was feeling a whole lot better.

There were easily a couple hundred people at the after party and award ceremony and I think everyone felt good to be done. I had a sense of accomplishment that we had finished an event that was not only worthwhile and for a good cause, but a race course that was difficult, challenging and character building to complete on this day. We had all faced some degree of adversity and had overcome.

From there it was all good. Awards, raffle prizes, traditional Hawaiian dance and music, a fun afternoon for everyone.

Many thanks go out to IMUA Community Services, not only for what they do, but for putting on a first class race for the paddling ohana.

Mahalo!

Downwinding The Maliko

Met up with Jeremy Riggs at Kanaha for the shuttle up to Maliko. We strapped the boards down on Justin's truck and were enroute in no time.

Jeremy is perhaps the most gifted downwind teacher/coach in Hawaii with bookings from folks that circle the planet. Sandwich Islands Composites (better known as SIC) has recently (and wisely) contracted with Jeremy to represent their company and use their boards. A good move. Great teacher, great boards.

It is not an exaggeration to say that I learned more from Jeremy in an hour and a half about downwind runs than in the last year and a half on my own. Jeremy is gifted with the patience, insight and skills to teach. The world needs more good teachers, the world gained one in Jeremy.

I paddled the 7 mile Maliko to Kanaha run on the SIC 14 ft. Bullet which Jeremy brought with him. I'll be writing more (including a video interview with Jeremy) on this board (and the unique Maui developed fin that was installed) but for now let me just say that this board is a competitor. Fast, maneuverable, durable and light, it will get you where you want to go in a hurry. That said, it is not a beginner's board. But more on all that later.

We made the 7 mile run in under 90 minutes, which for a dedicated downwind paddler is slow, but we stopped three or four times for some "classroom instruction" and pep talks. If only all our educational experiences could include a classroom environment sitting in emerald seas over a multicolored reef with big turtles poking their curious heads at you at random times, we'd probably all be a lot smarter.

The take out at Kanaha was classic Hawaiian culture. We're carry our boards in, and a hoard of youngsters and their teachers are hauling their outrigger canoes out, to the sea from which we have just departed. The never ending cycle of spiritual and physical sustenance the ocean has provided since the beginning of time, is on display, now, in real time, for those who have eyes to see and ears to hear.

Jeremy needed to get going, time to pick up his beautiful girls from school. Mariposa arrived right on time to pick me up for the ride back to the Sugar Ranch. It was all over too soon. But then, it's only day two. Stay tuned.