Just A Paddler: Last Tuesday in Southport

I previously talked about my coach buying this 2012 carbon/Kevlar NDK Romany Surf. This boat has an interesting history. It originally belonged to my favorite surf coach, Dale Williams. After paddling it a year he sold it through Sea Kayak Carolina. It was owned by another paddler for a couple of years. That gentleman mainly paddles on lakes and so this boat's bottom is in great shape. He bought a Tide Race Explore and put this babe on the market. Coach scored it but quickly found he was uncomfortable paddling it, knowing he would bang it up. Also, he has really become a Classic paddler, now having two Romany Classics in his quiver.

I strongly hinted of my desire for the boat but needed to sell my roto Necky Elias and my Kevlar Current Designs Solstice GTS. Luck would have it that he held on to it long enough for me to sell two of my three boats as well as two bikes to cover the purchase price. I had been meaning to reduce my footprint and this worked out perfectly, pushing me to reduce my load while funding a new much lighter boat.

I assure my dear reader, I too am uncomfortable with the idea of banging the boat up. I will be keeping my ivory and teal Surf for taking classes and teaching. My new boaty will be just for pleasure, my own pleasure.

Paddling my "war horse" at Mallows Bay, where I would never bring my new baby

Last week I headed down to Southport to pick my "baby" up. It was the first time I had gone somewhere to paddle without a boat on my Roo. It felt odd, that empty rack system.

I had not rolled the boat yet nor spent more than an hour paddling it. Tuesday we met Dennis, Rick, Luci, and Greg to take an easy paddling tour around the "triangle" of Oak Island-Southport-Bald Head Island. This is the bay area we so often play in. The tides and wind were very mild that day and we did not find much surf. But it was a glorious day, with a cloudless deep blue sky, warm water, and cool breezes.

I rolled the boat once in the Harbor at Bald Head, and we played amongst the piers and pilings.

Credit R Dennis Green 2015

We stopped on West Beach of BHI to visit the Sand Piper Coffee Shop for snacks and coffee.

From there I was first to launch, intending to roll again. Coach critiqued my roll and I ended up rolling seven times with only one blown roll. Not bad. The boat was not padded out yet and so was a little loose, disconcerting during the roll.

Credit R Dennis Green 2015

Gotta work on keeping that head down!
Credit R Dennis Green 2015

After coffee we first went to the southern tip of Bald Head to view the "groin protection project." Then we turned right, out into the channel and played in the little zipper soup popping up on the sand bar between Bald Head and Oak Islands.