This is a printer-friendly version of an article from Zip06.com.
07/31/2024 08:30 AMWhen Pete Martin took up paddle boarding, he got to stand up. He had been a surfer, but he realized it was far more comfortable to stand on a paddleboard than to lie on a surfboard.
Pete will not be surfing or paddleboarding on Saturday, Aug. 10, at the Conquer the Current 2024 race sponsored by the Connecticut River Museum. This is the seventh year of the event, and Pete has been the race director and chair for the last six years.
The race is not just for paddleboards but for canoes, kayaks, and any other kind of paddling craft. One year, the craft that entered included a traditional Irish currach.
“They had a wonderful time, very festive,” Pete recalls.
Conquer the Current, nonetheless, is not a race for those new to paddling sports; participants should have some paddling experience and be prepared for the elements one may expect on the river. Pete points out there are safety boats that accompany the racers.
Pete hopes the race attracts 100 entrants. “Paddle boarders come from all over for these races,” he says. Still, he would like to see more people from the local area participating.
Entrance fees for participants support educational activities, including a wide variety of school-children visits, both to the Connecticut River Museum and with museum educators visiting classrooms. In all, the museum’s varied educational programs serve some 3,500 children every year.
Unlike most paddleboard races, which Pete explains are circular courses starting and finishing at the same point, Conquer the Current is a nine-mile straight course on the Connecticut River, starting at Eagle Landing State Park in Haddam and finishing in Essex at the Connecticut River Museum Dock.
According to Pete, the dock would be an excellent place to watch the race as would the Deep River Landing.
The race is scheduled to take advantage of the outgoing tide, making paddling somewhat easier. (The Connecticut River is tidal for at least 60 miles.)
Pete used to carve medallions out of driftwood that he and his wife Deb collected along the river for all participants, but this year, for the first time, the first 60 racers will get the classic reward for race participation instead: a t-shirt. Winners, however, will get driftwood trophies that Pete has carved. He particularly likes that the river is the source of the awards.
For Pete, the benefits to all participants of paddling along the river go beyond trophies and t-shirts.
“It’s the amazing beauty of the scenery, the eagles, the fish, looking at the beautiful houses,” he says.
Though Pete will not be competing at Conquer the Current, he races at other events. Recently, he entered a master’s race, thinking against older competitors, he would be able to place. That is not the way it turned out.
“I got my butt kicked. I was humbled,” he says. “There were guys there who were 75 who looked like they were 50.” Pete himself is 60.
At another paddleboard race this summer, in difficult conditions Pete dropped out. Then, however, he reentered the race and finished. He was one of only 13 finishers. In all, 30 entrants had started.
For Pete, trim and fit, paddle boarding had many advantages.
“You don’t have to be a football player to do this. It’s great for lighter weight people, a lean athletic body, and it’s not high impact,” he says.
All that, along with the inevitability of middle age, made paddle boarding seem like a good choice for him.
“When the midlife crisis hit, I realized I needed to have more fun and reach out more to the community and help people with my own personal love of the outdoors,” he explains.
Being outdoors for Pete is not something just for the warm weather. In winter, he skis on ski patrol, usually at Ski Sundown in New Hartford. Once or twice a year, he likes to trek up Mount Washington on skis, then take off the coverings, known as skins, which allow for climbing, and ski all the way back down.
He also likes to golf but admits with all his other activities, fitting it in is a challenge.
“Maybe once or twice a year,” he says.
Pete grew up in Plainville and graduated from Eastern Connecticut State University. He and his wife have both an adult daughter and son, also an enthusiastic paddle boarder. Professionally, Pete is a risk management executive with Travelers Insurance.
For him, it is important to maintain a good balance between his working life and his other activities. His power boat, which he moors in Essex, is part of that equation.
“Work, play, it’s all about balance. Balance, you come home from work and go on a boat ride, wake up, and watch the sunset on a paddleboard,” he says. “It gives you a chance to stop and listen to nature.”
Conquer the Current
A Downriver Paddle Regatta
Saturday, Aug. 10; participants should arrive by 8 a.m. The race starts promptly at 8:30 a.m.
For more information, visit ctrivermuseum.org