oscar chalupsky

The ski tilted forward and I felt an overwhelming urge to accelerate my cadence so that we’d catch the run, but “Timing!” growled the big man up front.  “Take it easy!”  I was paddling with one of world’s greatest downwind paddlers and it was proving to be a fascinating (and surprising) experience.

On March 6, 2011, the 22m catamaran K20 will set sail from Fremantle, Australia bound for Exmouth on the remote north-west of Australia.  On board will be Oscar Chalupsky, Dean Gardiner and ten surfski paddlers bound for a trip of a lifetime.

[Editor: Oscar Chalupsky made the long trip to Italy to take part in the Ohana Mana Cup event in Sardinia. He found some tough competition and even tougher paddling conditions...]

Olympian Tommy Karls won his second consecutive Seamasters Swedish Surfski Championships in testing conditions, holding off a charging Oscar Chalupsky who ended up second.

[Editor: Paul Rosenquist, a Dutchman living in Sweden, sent this hysterical study of the ongoing culture clash that ensued when Oscar Chalupsky arrived to take part in this weekend’s Seamasters Surfski race.]

Editor: "Ok," I thought, "the big O can do it on one day on a shorter course.  But the Tahitians are long distance specialists - especially in the flat and the heat.  I just hope he doesn't take it hard when he loses tomorrow."

But if there's one thing you should NEVER do, it's write off Oscar Chalupsky.  Before he signed off on Skype on Saturday evening Tahiti-time, I said to him, "Don't flog yourself to death tomorrow."  The reply?  "I always do!"

Here's the big man's story of Te Toa Nui, in his own words:

Oscar Chalupsky - 'Te Toa Nui'!

It appears that the big O, as he's affectionately known, is retiring from surfski paddling at the top of his game.  Unconfirmed reports suggest that he's tackling a much bigger challenge...

Has the big man finally bitten off more than he can chew?

[Editor: or "The Continuing Adventures of Oscar the Paddler".  Say what you like about the big man - and people do - he's the most amazing global ambassador for the sport.  He flew straight from Molokai to attend the Japanese Surfski Championships.  This is his story of what he found.]

Epic's new race gear?

We've been trolling around YouTube and found a couple of Molokai videos.  Check them out!

Do you ever find yourself with an injury and you have to stop paddling?  Does your routine get thrown off and then your training program lapses?  Well, who you gonna call to get it back on track? 

Who you gonna call?