Some Birds and Dolphins to Lighten My Reader's Monday!

The wild life around Southport is endlessly entertaining to me. It is not just the challenges of sea kayaking that draw me on to the water. It is the water world we live on that thrills me and entices me. I am not exactly a "birder," although I do sometimes exhibit the symptoms. Sometimes I am taking pictures when big waves break over me. I have risked a flip many times in order to get a dolphin or bird photo. What can I say? I am enchanted by nature.

There are these comical looking birds that "hang out" around Southport.  I believe they are American Oystercatchers. They have a vaguely Puffin-like appearance, or maybe I am thinking of Penguins? Either way, their long bills almost look like they are holding carrots in their mouths. Like all the wildlife around Southport, they are skittish, as any smart wild animal should be. So I was happy when I off-loaded my photos from last week this morning, and I had a few good shots.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_oystercatcher


Dolphins. What can I say? Show me someone who is not fascinated by dolphins. I admit that I would be curious and somewhat appalled by such a person. Dolphins represent intense intelligence that is not human. Just spending a few minutes with them close to my boat thrills me, and fills me with awe and appreciation. Coach feels the same way. We always pause and watch when they are near.

Some random shots from recent trips to Southport

just a silly slide show from last week

Coach

A tropical paradise, eh? Our coffee destination on Bald Head Island.

Live oak out the guest room window at Coach's house near dawn

I heart this bunny sculpture seen in Coach's neighborhood

A range light at the northern tip of Oak Island

The channel between Bald Head and Oak Islands

View from water front at Southport

Same range light, from the ocean side of Oak Island

Can you see this fog-bow? The "pot of gold" is the marina at Southport. Coach hit the jackpot!

The other end of the fog-bow

A chance encounter with fog

I have been scooting off to Southport NC to paddle with my coach whenever possible. His family has been quite accommodating. Southport is a lovely town. The water around there can be flat, or challenging, depending on where one paddles.

We got a good dose of fog last Wednesday. It was a total white out. I have very little experience with paddling in fog and am just learning navigation. The fog gave me its own peculiar challenge, trying to discern where waves were breaking or land might be.

Most of my photos from the day appear to be black and white. But I assure my dear reader that the color was missing due to conditions, rather than editing.

A break on the shore of Oak Island, not much to see in the fog

Lighthouse? Nah, wait, really? We could NOT see the light at all

Finally, after all this time I get a photo of a dolphin, kind of.

Then for a brief moment the fog lifted and everything turned blue

Another view of the lighthouse, before the fog descended to white out again

The weather man had told us that morning that the fog would burn off by 10 am. This did not happen. Instead, it hung around all day making our planned attempt on Frying Pan Shoals unsafe. We hand railed along a set of small islands until we made the tip of Oak Island out through the fog. After an abortive attempt on crossing to Bald Head Island we decided to stick near Oak Island. We had found good quality rollers on the ocean side of the island and we ended up playing in those as the fog wafted around us. Coach had me practicing turns and I had some challenges not getting knocked over broach by the waves.

When we get off the water there is a coffee shop with this incredible crumb cake just waiting for us. Hot decaf with cream and 1/2 a slice of crumb cake...nom...

The fog lifted as we were packing up at the marina. Rearing up behind the water front, the fog waits only a few minutes before descending again.

I can not express clearly enough how well Coach chose his locale. Dolphins, birds, wind, pop corn water, big big rollers...and somewhere in there flat calm water, all just waiting to be paddled.  This was yet another magical day in Southport. I think I am in love.

I have noticed a trend

I once practiced an esoteric sport with few participants and all those most likely crazy. It is a gear-heavy sport; one where each piece of gear is designed to either protect one's self or break one's opponent.

me, leaving the field 2005 credit bogpages.com

Krov and I back to back 2006 credit bogpages.com

Keegan, myself, and KooKoo 2001 credit bogpages.com

Notice the elaborate equipment? The gear alone could take a gal two years on average to build and acquire. She might make some herself while relying on more experienced fighters, advising during the building and buying phase. Regardless of how she came up with all her other gear her helmet would have to be purchased, because very few people have access to the kind of equipment needed to shape and weld 12 gauge steel. My particular helmet, which I am rather proud of, was custom made for me by Johann Blau. It is a dinky little thing, an "English Lobster Pot."

So now I no longer fight but I still have a sport that is equipment intensive. I mean, look at this:

Okay, I KNOW your attention was grabbed by the bright red English phone box! So I cropped it out. Now, *look* at "Coach." If ever there was an embodiment of well-used and worn equipment it is on this guy. He is wearing the BCU (British Canoe Union) standard for every last item. Each piece has a function, a purpose.

When I first found this photo while editing my pictures from a recent trip to Southport NC, it rang a bell. A loud bell, or maybe that sound was the boom of a battle-starting cannon...

I really am a gear-head. Holy cow, Gulfstream Dennis is right! I have some weird gear-fetish. The buying, the maintaining, the using, of said gear bringing me great satisfaction, even joy.

Well, it could always be worse. At least it's not drugs or alcohol, or gods-forbid, cigarettes. Even chocolate is not as dear to my heart as my boats. What a strange life I have. I hope you, my dear reader, are entertained in some small part.  There is a phrase that I feel embodies my style, my gear-style: it is an Italian phrase "Bella in Selle," which means "beautiful in the saddle." It is a term applied to cycling but in this case I think it fits paddling as well.

Welcome to my beautiful life. I hope you enjoy the tour.

Action shots from Tybee Island November Session 2014

I am planning to buy a GoPro or something. It tends to be risky to reach for my camera in the waves. Hard to hold on to one's paddle and take a picture at the same time. Also, I seem to have taken many shots of my deck. Gee, how did that happen?

Full moon the night we arrived in Tybee

Lining up to launch

um

Kevin catching a little one

climbing a wave

Looks like Sandy Bottom and Tom heading back out to line up

This is mostly what I saw of others, disembodied heads over the top of waves.

Tom explaining towing

Heading back to the house, our rental is far right 

the beach was quite steep in front of our place

New deck lines for the Romany Surf

old deck lines and bungee

Also note the minimal style. I want more lines, this is not a white water boat.

The Surf sitting on the work rack in our drive way. And while the lines look loose in these shots, when they get wet the sag is really appreciable.

Example of the bungee just hanging loose

Our drive way is insanely bright before 1 pm on any given sunny day. Shades and a hat are a must for me personally.

Torvald literally slipped out the door into the garage and out on to the driveway. He just had to know what his Man was up to.

Torvald Boondoggle

The job is coming right along. One can just make out the new blue and white reflective lines he installed for me. He also replaced the bungee with solid blue, rather than black, bungee.

Finished project:

He does good work! I think I'll keep him!