The maiden voyage of the Sirocco

Christmas Eve I met Brian and Dennis at Columbia Island to go for a lovely mid-afternoon paddle. Well, it was a bit windier and colder than I normally like but I was keen to get my new boat on the water. I had bought a Current Designs Sirocco on the 22nd and hadn't had a chance to get it in the water. I could not think of anything I would rather do than paddle, even though it was a blustery day and the temp was hovering down near freezing. http://www.cdkayak.com/products/template/product_detail.php?IID=149&SID=a1e978b83e7e26571ee6a9b8f227609b

I also had my new Werner Corryvrecken paddle with me. Maybe, in retrospect, the new paddle is a bit much. It gives me a totally different feel than my low angle Kalliste. I will likely keep the paddle and learn to use it, at least some times.

Deke called me, as I drove over, and canceled as he had lost his pants! (!!??) There's a story in that somewhere...

Madeleine made it to the Marina and decided it was a bit too windy and cold for her taste. Discretion really is the better part of valor.

So we three went on out. We decided to go up the Channel and pop out into the Potomac near the Key Street Bridge, continue up river to the Three Sisters before turning down river and into the Marina via the humpback bridge. Even though both the interwebs and the tide book said we were putting in near high tide the Channel was low on water. We had to portage an easy 12 foot section. Indeed Jesse, who went out after us, found even less water in the Channel. http://onefootoutside.blogspot.com/2013/12/christmas-eve-on-potomac.html

We felt that the high wind had pushed the water out, at least some.

We had the wind coming at us from the front and some chop. The conditions were just a tad challenging, appropriate for a maiden voyage of a boat I had bought expressly to challenge myself to rise.

After we turned around at the Three Sisters my GPS read 5.2 miles per hour. This was *without* paddling! Holy cow! It was both the wind, the tide-enhanced current, and the following seas at our back providing us with a boost of pretty epic proportion.

Brian using his paddle as a sail

Look at that sky!

Dennis catching Brian

I really think Dennis is brave to pull his DSLR out on the windy river

Dennis has a way of capturing Brian at his most photogenic. This is the scene he was capturing in my photos of him above this one.

In another moment of retrospect, I am a little surprised I managed to take any good photos. Wow. And when we turned under the humpback bridge I was wiped out. We had only paddled 7 or 8 miles but between the new boat and new paddle I had pushed myself close to the edge. I have only bonked, "hit the wall," once or twice since I switched from a rec boat to a sea kayak. I didn't think I was going to bonk. But.

When we got back to the Marina I was grateful to Brian when he offered to stabilize the Sirocco while I figured out how to get out of it without dumping on the ramp.

I should have paid more attention to how I was feeling. The wind had picked up steadily. When we got to the Marina the trees were whipping back and forth in a 30 mph wind. It was icy cold. I pulled my gloves off to deal with my equipment and quickly found my right hand going numb. I was tired and couldn't feel my right hand. It was a mighty struggle to load the 60 pound Sirocco on to my Hullavator. But I made it, barely.

My reward: a maiden voyage, an appropriate christening of my new boat.