• Support
  • Advertise
  • Locations
  • Contact
Tuesday, September 26, 2023
No Result
View All Result
NEWSLETTERS
Dana Point Times
  • Calendar
    • Event Calendar
    • Submit an Event
  • Sections
    • Eye On DP
    • Soapbox
      • Submit a Letter
    • Getting Out
    • DP Living
    • Sports & Outdoors
    • DP Surf
    • San Clemente Times
    • Capistrano Dispatch
  • Digital Edition
  • Best of DP
  • Legals & Classifieds
    • Locals Only Business Directory
    • Classified
    • Submit a Classified
    • Obituaries
    • Announcements
    • Legal & Public Notice Advertising
    • Legal Notices
  • Special Publications
    • A New You
    • Aging Well
    • Best of Dana Point
    • Crib to College
    • Dana Point Trolley Information & Route Map
    • Dolphin Football Preview
    • Festival of Whales Event Guide
    • Go See Do
    • Good Eats
    • Graduation Special
    • Holiday Happenings & Gift Guide
    • Home Improvement Guide 2023
    • Money Matters
    • Ocean Institute Jazz Festival Fundraiser
    • Summer Camp Guide
    • Swallows Day Parade & Mercado Event Guide
    • The Green Issue
    • Turkey Trot Event Guide
    • WSL Rip Curl Guide 2023
  • DP Guide
  • Real Estate
    • South County Real Estate Guide
    • Real Estate – Who’s Who
  • Calendar
    • Event Calendar
    • Submit an Event
  • Sections
    • Eye On DP
    • Soapbox
      • Submit a Letter
    • Getting Out
    • DP Living
    • Sports & Outdoors
    • DP Surf
    • San Clemente Times
    • Capistrano Dispatch
  • Digital Edition
  • Best of DP
  • Legals & Classifieds
    • Locals Only Business Directory
    • Classified
    • Submit a Classified
    • Obituaries
    • Announcements
    • Legal & Public Notice Advertising
    • Legal Notices
  • Special Publications
    • A New You
    • Aging Well
    • Best of Dana Point
    • Crib to College
    • Dana Point Trolley Information & Route Map
    • Dolphin Football Preview
    • Festival of Whales Event Guide
    • Go See Do
    • Good Eats
    • Graduation Special
    • Holiday Happenings & Gift Guide
    • Home Improvement Guide 2023
    • Money Matters
    • Ocean Institute Jazz Festival Fundraiser
    • Summer Camp Guide
    • Swallows Day Parade & Mercado Event Guide
    • The Green Issue
    • Turkey Trot Event Guide
    • WSL Rip Curl Guide 2023
  • DP Guide
  • Real Estate
    • South County Real Estate Guide
    • Real Estate – Who’s Who
No Result
View All Result
Dana Point Times
No Result
View All Result

Paddling in Peru: Dana Outrigger team heads to South American Championships

by Dana Point Times
November 10, 2017 12:00PM
in SPORTS & OUTDOORS, Sports Headlines
Paddling in Peru: Dana Outrigger team heads to South American Championships
0
SHARES
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Dana Outrigger Canoe team heads to South American Championships

By Steve Breazeale

The six-member team of Dana Outrigger Canoe paddlers are excited about the new hats and shirts they will be taking with them to South America next week.

Standing on the sand of Baby Beach in the Dana Point Harbor, their large outrigger canoe hoisted up and ready for transport, they talk about how cool this year’s designs are. The outline of California, with a red star highlighting Dana Point’s spot on the Golden State, is embroidered on the side of the cap.

Their new shirts feature the American flag alongside the flags of countries they will be competing against in a few short days. The flags of Brazil, Chile, Peru, Argentina and a few more line the backs of the shirts.

The Dana Outrigger team will be representing not only that small, red star and the Golden State when they travel to Lima, Peru for the South American Canoe Championships. They’ll be competing for the entire United States as the country’s only representative in the field.

The Dana Outrigger team will paddle against some of the best teams in the world off the shores of Lima on Saturday, Nov. 18.

The local team competed in the event last season and placed fourth overall. While they aren’t technically eligible to compete for the top prize (this is a South American competition after all), the Dana Outrigger crew is feeling confident with its chances at a top-3 finish.

The team includes John Skorstad, Bryan Pesartic, Dave Brosowski, Gerald Montes, Ray Owen and Manny Barela. The six-member group ranges from age 34 to 60. All of them are devoted paddlers with multiple years of experience.

The group has been training nonstop since September, logging at least 25 miles together in a large, 400-pound canoe. When they are not training together, each paddler sets off on one-man canoes to log extra work, Pesartic said.

They are going to need to be in synch and in shape come next Saturday.

The race in Peru will be nearly 15 miles long and will be out on the open ocean. The Dana Outrigger group will land in Peru on Friday, find a boat to borrow for the race, learn the course and be ready to compete by Saturday morning.

Pesartic identified the teams from Tahiti, Easter Island and Brazil as their toughest competition. Dana Outrigger finished fourth overall behind those three countries, respectively, last year.

The addition of Montes, the group’s steersman who has over a decade of racing experience, and Owen, another experienced paddler who hails from Hawaii, gives this version of the Dana Outrigger team added depth.

“We got a little bit older with our crew but we have a lot more experience with this group,” Pesartic said. “Our speed has been averaging at least a mile quicker than last year. That could be the difference between winning and (fourth place).”

The group competed in the unlimited class at the high-profile Another Dam Race in Arizona on Nov. 4. While paddling in the 400-pounder against a field full of 100-pound canoes, Dana Outrigger placed fourth. Both Pesartic and Skorstad, the group’s oldest member at 60, indicated the finish was a tremendous effort and a good indicator of the team’s current strength.

“We’ve gotten so much better. It’s going to be interesting to see how we do in Peru. I think we’ll be rock-solid,” Skorstad said.

As evident by their excitement to show off Dana Outrigger swag, the group is looking forward to the social aspect of their now-annual trip. Last year, Dana Outrigger spent time swapping stories and mingling with their fellow paddlers from the other side of the world. Trading shirts, hats, and even paddling techniques, is a huge part of the event.

“It’s a sport where all these countries come together. It doesn’t matter where you’re from,” Pesartic said. “Everybody is doing the same thing and we love what we do. (Outrigger paddling) is a big passion for everyone there.”

Following the race, the Dana Outrigger group will travel to Cusco, Peru to hike Machu Picchu, Huayna Picchu and Rainbow Mountain to soak up as much culture and fun as possible.

 

 

 

 

Share this:

  • Share
  • Print
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • Reddit
  • Tumblr
Tags: Bryan PesarticCaliforniaCompeteDana PointDana Point Outrigger Canoe ClubJohn SkorstadOceanOrange CountyOutriggerpaddlingPeruRaceSan ClementeSouth American Canoe Championshipssteve breazealeUnited StatesUSA
ShareTweetPin

Dana Point Times

Related Posts

Dana Wharf Whale Report: Feeding Frenzies Showcase Incredible Volume of Species for Whale, Bird Watching Trips

Dana Wharf Whale Report: Feeding Frenzies Showcase Incredible Volume of Species for Whale, Bird Watching Trips

September 25, 2023
GALLERY: South County Cleanups Up Waterways, Beaches

GALLERY: South County Cleanups Up Waterways, Beaches

September 25, 2023
Dana Hills’ Offensive Fireworks Propel Dolphins to Homecoming Win

Dana Hills’ Offensive Fireworks Propel Dolphins to Homecoming Win

September 23, 2023 - Updated on September 24, 2023
Dana Point Resident Looks to Bring Longtime Local Perspective to Planning Commission

Dana Point Resident Looks to Bring Longtime Local Perspective to Planning Commission

September 22, 2023
Next Post
Dolphin Report: X-C Wins Sixth Straight League Title, Tennis Edged in Quarterfinals

Dolphin Report: X-C Wins Sixth Straight League Title, Tennis Edged in Quarterfinals

Discussion about this post

No Result
View All Result

DP Times Daily
Get important news and updates delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up here.

Subscriptions
Don’t get the DP Times delivered to your home? Subscribe today.

Advertising
Get new customers and drive traffic to your business. Advertise with us.

Support Local Journalism
For less than the cost of a couple of cups of coffee a month, become an “Insider” member and continue to get “Local News You Can Use” from the only independently owned, dedicated local news organization in South Orange County.

Contribute today.

Picket Fence Media is a proud member of the SoCal Media Network.

  • Contact Us
  • Terms of Use
  • Dana Point Times
  • San Clemente Times
  • The Capistrano Dispatch
  • DP Chamber Directory

© 2023 Picket Fence Media

No Result
View All Result
  • Calendar
    • Event Calendar
    • Submit an Event
  • Sections
    • Eye On DP
    • Soapbox
      • Submit a Letter
    • Getting Out
    • DP Living
    • Sports & Outdoors
    • DP Surf
    • San Clemente Times
    • Capistrano Dispatch
  • Digital Edition
  • Best of DP
  • Legals & Classifieds
    • Locals Only Business Directory
    • Classified
    • Submit a Classified
    • Obituaries
    • Announcements
    • Legal & Public Notice Advertising
    • Legal Notices
  • Special Publications
    • A New You
    • Aging Well
    • Best of Dana Point
    • Crib to College
    • Dana Point Trolley Information & Route Map
    • Dolphin Football Preview
    • Festival of Whales Event Guide
    • Go See Do
    • Good Eats
    • Graduation Special
    • Holiday Happenings & Gift Guide
    • Home Improvement Guide 2023
    • Money Matters
    • Ocean Institute Jazz Festival Fundraiser
    • Summer Camp Guide
    • Swallows Day Parade & Mercado Event Guide
    • The Green Issue
    • Turkey Trot Event Guide
    • WSL Rip Curl Guide 2023
  • DP Guide
  • Real Estate
    • South County Real Estate Guide
    • Real Estate – Who’s Who

© 2023 Picket Fence Media