SavageMan Swim-Deep Creek Lake, Maryland I took out the paddleboard this weekend to the DeepCreekLakeState Park trying to get a different perspective on the SavageMan race. My focus was on the opening event both days, which was swimming. Saturday the swim was .9 miles and Sunday was 1.2 miles. Let me tell you that this is an amazing feat to accomplish before you go on and bike and run the afternoon away! The thing that I found most treacherous besides the obvious distance of the swim was the conditions that you have to swim under. Unlike the control you have in the direction you choose during the biking and running section, swimming is organized chaos. Most take a wiggly, zig zaggy line back and forth often kicking or stroking into, over, and under the other competitors. It seems very tight throughout the race as packs of swimmers “school together” at different levels and speeds, often colliding and finding newer, safer paths to follow. My hats off to all the contestants who challenged their mind, body, and souls to finish this demanding start to this mythical race. Much respect of congratulations to all that participated!!!
Betsy Spiker Holcomb Deep Creek Lakes Favorite Realtor
129 Walnut St-Perfect Small Town Living-Newly Renovated. Newly renovated early 20th Century Colonial-style home on a large town lot in Friendsville. Covered wrap-around front and side porches, partially fenced and level rear yard, stacked stone entry steps and main level room that could easily be converted to a fourth bedroom. Two blocks from the Youghiogheny River for amazing whitewater expeditions or fishing. Easy town living!
If you have any questions please call Betsy Holcomb at 301-616-5022
Betsy Spiker Holcomb Deep Creek Lakes Favorite Realtor
Deep Creek Lake-Paddleboarding-The Sport-The Lifestyle-The History. I know that you know that this up and coming sport of Stand Up Paddleboarding (or SUP for short) is picking up steam among the masses, but unless you have tried it you will never know how simple it is to have a Zen like experience and keep your body in fantastic shape. Entry level folks need not be discouraged. You do not have to be a triathlon athlete to start your way toward bliss in a sport that discreetly sneaks in fitness while putting emphasis on FUN!
There is a movement happening worldwide involving people who are pushing the limits to the many different activities this sport can touch. You’ll see SUP’s cruising lakes, bays, sounds and oceans, as well as surfing mighty to mild surf breaks. There are racing Sup’s, fishing SUP’s, River Sup’s, and thankfully for you beginners, rental SUP’s!
Stop!Let’s look at the history of the paddleboard..,.
Thomas Edward Blake is credited as the pioneer in paddleboard construction in the early 1930s.
While restoring historic Hawaiian boards in 1926 for the Bernice P. Bishop Museum, Blake built a replica of the previously ignored olo surfboard ridden by ancient Hawaiian aliʻi (kings). He lightened his redwood replica (olo were traditionally made from wiliwili wood) by drilling it full of holes, which he then covered, thus creating the first hollow board, which led to creation of the modern paddleboard. Two years later, using this same 16 ft (4.9 m), 120 lb (54 kg) board, Blake won the Pacific Coast Surfriding Championship, first Mainland event integrating both surfing and paddling. Blake then returned to Hawaii to break virtually every established paddling record available, setting half-mile and 100-yard records that stood until 1955.
In 1932, using his drastically modified chambered hollow board (now weighing roughly 60 lbs), which over the next decade he would tirelessly promote as a lifeguarding rescue tool, Blake out-paddled top California watermen Pete Peterson and Wally Burton in the first Mainland to Catalina crossing race (29 miles in 5 hours, 53 minutes). During the 1930s, Blake-influenced hollow boards (called “cigar boards” by reporters and later “kook boxes” by surfers) would be used in roughly equal proportion to solid plank boards for both paddling and surfing until the new Hot Curl boards led wave-riding in a new direction. For paddleboarding, however, the basic principles of Blake’s 1926 design remain relevant even today.
Now that you know more about the history of paddleboarding, lets gets back to how it can relate to you here at Deep Creek Lake. Go to Deep Creek Marina Rentals and rent a 12’0” (which is the largest) Doyle paddleboard and launch the board by getting on your knees and slowly paddling a few strokes on the left then the right side. Get comfortable in balancing and paddling around the quiet coves nearby the rental docks until you feel confident enough to stand up. There is a handle to pick up the board directly in the center that can serve as a guide point as to where you stand. Stand up dead center on the board and slowly pull the paddle easily through the water until you gain a little glide through the water. As you gain speed, you will also gain control just as you do as you start peddling a bike. Now you are all set to start to begin to follow a new road in life that may become a passionate addition.
This morning before work I got out on the lake at 6am sharp and was rewarded with a windless, glassy lake which makes for optimum conditions for many water sports. A friend and I paddled the length of McHenry Cove to the 219 bridge and then turned up toward the direction of the DCL Dam. The sun was peeking through the clouds and there was not a boat on the lake to interrupt our morning therapy. On the way back in, we saw a magnificent Bald Eagle gliding over us in search of his morning snack. I can only think of one other time that I saw a Bald Eagle here at the lake. Take some time out of your busy life before or after work to discover and submerge yourself into a sport that may have you hooked for a lifetime.
Betsy Spiker Holcomb Deep Creek Lakes Favorite Realtor
92 Ryans Ln, Swanton, Md-Off the Beaten Path. tPerfect first-time, one-story home on a private lane. Berber carpet and padding, interior painting and interior doors were all newly installed in 2011. Open kit/din/liv area ideal for everyday living. Detached 1-car garage, firepit and almost one acre of level grounds makes for excellent outdoor family gatherings. Or, purchase as an investment/rental property – currently producing $800/month.
