An Ode to the OC-2

I bought an OC-2 (2 man outrigger canoe) two years ago.  And just sold it.  Going to get an OC-1 (1 man outrigger canoe) to replace it.  The OC-2 was great fun the last 2 years, paddling on it with friends and family.  It definitely requires good teamwork to get it moving.  And the old saying "the boat doesn't lie" definitely applies here as it only takes one slight off rhythm paddle stroke to disrupt the flow and speed.

Paddling outrigger really forces you to get the paddle stroke technique right so that the boat really moves.  It also helps with the SUP stroke and you can tell a big difference paddling SUP after paddling the outrigger.

My daughter and I raced it for fun in the 6 mile Money Island race at Carolina Cup in 2016 (the only OC-2).  My friend Rob and I raced it at the last two Chucktown Showdown 9 mile Harbor races (two first place finishes although it was a very small field of OC-2s both times), and the 2017 Cold Stroke Classic (we were the only OC-2).  Rob and I trained a lot on the OC-2 and got a good flow going on it.  In the last Chucktown Showdown race, we really put the hammer down and made our last race together on it count.

I'll miss it but I'm looking forward to putting the hammer down on an OC-1 and seeing where that goes.  The new owner of the OC-2 is a paddle person and will take very good care of it, and put it to good use...so that feels good.

So here's to the OC-2...and great memories on it....Cheers!