2006 U.S. Surfski Championships, Crissy Field, San Francisco, California

As people started gathering at Fort Baker for Friday’s Surfski Demo Day and Paddling Clinics, I am sure a few of them were thinking, “ What have I gotten myself into?” The winds were howling through the Gate at speeds of over 30 knots, whipping the bay waters into frothy whitecaps. While these west winds promised some great downwind surfing, they also meant a long haul into the wind outside the Gate to the usual #4 turn Buoy off Fort Cronkite. As predicted and quite the contrast, Saturday found racers waking to blue skies and calm conditions. The San Francisco Bay resembled a glassy mountain lake rather than the treacherous surfski playground it had been the day before.

No boat resembles a guided missile more than a surfski. The fact that a "'ski" is propelled, not by a rocket motor, but a human swinging a paddle, adds cachet. Slim, light craft invented by lifeguards to aid in offshore rescue, surfskis evolved into race vehicles that have begun to take the California kayaking realm by storm.

On Saturday and Sunday, the 2006 U.S. Surfski Championships came to heaving waters on both sides of the Golden Gate Bridge, on a course reaching from Alcatraz past Point Bonita. This event drew more than 100 participants, including local stars, an Olympic medalist from the East Coast and surfski experts from South Africa, Tahiti and Japan.

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Going by my memory, here's the top spots in day one (single ski day) of the US Surfski Championships.

Click the article title for the Top 13 places 

The 2006 U.S. Surfski Championships is starting to take form and this year we will be holding the event at an exciting new location, Crissy Field in San Francisco. Crissy Field is located just inside the Golden Gate Bridge on the South side. This location will offer spectacular views of the Golden Gate Bridge and Alcatraz Island, a large sandy beach for launching surfskis and much better viewing opportunities for spectators.