Saturday was another foggy day

I guess I have to resign myself to winter. Le sigh. Even though I have several adventures in warmer locales lined up for this winter I still greet the grey with a groan.

We paddled out of Leesylvania on Saturday. We did not mind the rain as we say "kayaking is a water sport." Below is a link to a video, which I hope will work.

snow geese are noisy neighbors!

credit JK 2014

The Lorax was game to go for a paddle despite the foggy rainy weather.

Me, credit JK 2014

Quiet waters

The point at Leesylvania looms through the fog

Returning to the beach

New Kokatat Drysuit and Other Thoughts on Gear

So I bought this used dry suit:
http://bodyboatblade.com/shop/gore-tex-front-entry-dry-suit-drop-seat-women

Not sure if that link will keep working once they sell the medium suit that is still available. So here's a link to the suit on the Kokatat site:

http://kokatat.com/products/dry-suits/gore-texr-front-entry-dry-suit-with-drop-seat-women.html

It is red and black. Not my favorite colors but I really appreciate the design of this suit. The Gore Tex is more supple than my Kokatat paddlers suit which is made with an in-house fabric called Tropos. My new suit has the metal zippers and latex neck. It is water-tight, and faired quite well during my trip to Southport last week. Yes, I went in the drink with it, and yes, it kept the water out.

I was not convinced at all that I would like the rear end zipper. Basically, I was worried that it would add bulk between myself and the seat stabilizers on my boats. So far, though, it does not seem to cause me any problems. And I do like being able to use a restroom without taking everything off.

But in adding a new suit to my gear, my "coach" Brian suggested that my Astral Sea Wolf PFD was "a bit much." So, following his suggestion I switched to a solid Astral vest that was the first vest I ever purchased:
link to similar vest

I gave it a re-visit but I am just not comfortable in it. In watching video Marc shot of a recent 12 mile trip I could tell I was not rotating my torso as I normally do. I think the issue is something in the one piece design. I have a really short torso, something like 14 inches from the notch above my sternum to my crotch. The Astral Norge being all one piece from the top to the bottom is too restrictive to my really short torso.

Of all the PFDs I have owned the first one that really worked for me was the Astral Bella.

Here one can really see how short this vest is in comparison to the red Norge vest. Astral calls this design "freestyle tectonic panels." Basically, the top and bottom front pieces move independently. The Bella is their low-end vest without the rescue features. Because I know how well this design works for me I choose the Sea Wolf when I wanted to step up into a rescue style vest. I have worn the Sea Wolf non-stop since I purchased it about a year ago.

Well, in this one case I think I am going to back-track from Brian's suggestion and return to my Sea Wolf. I miss it. Period.

But one thing I am going to do is remove the tow-harness from it. Both Brian and Dale Williams said that the tow harness feature on the Sea Wolf is too high around my middle. It actually rides around my rib cage. Dale explained that having the harness as high as my vest could potentially throw me off balance. He wanted to see my harness down around my hips. When I switched to an independant tow kit I was able to hang the harness MUCH lower on my body.

The Lorax built out my NRS tow harness with a 35 foot floating line with a 30 inch bungee and a big paddle-biner as well as a much shorter (12 foot) static "cow-tail" line with a second 'biner. I like this set up. It is low on my body, essentially riding on my spray deck behind me without interfering with my paddle-strokes. And it can not get any lower on my body, down where I am the most centered.

Win.

Being grateful for what we have should be an every day thing. But here in the States we have a special day to be thankful, so Happy Thanksgiving, and be safe.

Who the BEEP turned on winter over here?

(insert groan of misery)

So all day yesterday I am running errands, spending huge chunks of the household budget on dentistry, getting stuff done. Yeah. But the whole time I am thinking "ah but tomorrow I go to yoga and then paddle in the afternoon. It will be lovely."

At some point I realized it was going to rain. Rain, for me as a paddler, is no big thing. I am already wet from getting in the boat, the dripping from the paddle. Kayaking is not a "dry" sport. If I needed to stay dry I would take up, say, golf. So rain, not a problem.

I scramble outside at lunch time, yeah it is already raining but still no big deal. The car parked in the drive is warm and my garage is warm. I "load de boat" as my husband says in his comical way, and all is well. Hey, life is good.

Before paddling, I still have an errand or two to run on the way to the Marina. It must have been somewhere around the Vet's office when I realized, "Hey, it is cold out here." Wait a second? Did not the weather guy say low 70s? It is bleepin 57 degrees out here! Wait, I just looked again and it says "high of 68." Dude, there was no 68 degrees here today. 58 maybe. But now, it is sub 57.

I do not want to come off as a wimp, even though I AM a wimp. My main problem is that I still have my summer kit. I have sun hats and sun block and fingerless paddling gloves, all neatly stowed in my "go bag." What I do not have is my dry suit, my fleecy layers, my wool caps. Ah, alas and woe upon the underprepared. So now I am back home. Errands run and I sadly returned, knowing the smart and safe thing to do is to get my winter kit packed.

I call this "fluffing my gear." Yeah, I know in human slang "fluffing" usually means something entirely different. But for me, "fluffing" is very much like an osprey cleaning, preening, and fluffing her feathers. This fluffing thing is a necessary part of every bird's life. It is what keeps them warm and dry even in bad weather. See? Fluffing is a good description of what I now must do with the rest of my afternoon.

Let the "fluffing" commence.

Tomorrow I paddle no matter the weather.

Wreck of the Bermuda Tour LOL Kayak Symposium 2014

I have never taken so many photos in a "classroom" before. There was so much beauty it was overwhelming at times. The water was so clear and blue on the days when the sun shone and the sky was clear. The lake and sky were in tune though, turning gray at the same time, changing the mood from Caribbean to Arctic in a snap.

Our first event was a tour with guides that would be our teachers during class. The weather and wind shook up the line up and most of us ended up on the Wreck of the Bermuda tour. The water was a bit lumpy, but that did not apparently slow down my ability to snap a hundred plus photos of this tour. It was hard to decide which photos to post and which to keep just for myself. Even as I ruthlessly weeded the out of focus shots I still found I have about 75 of this tour.

"Eagle" Kris in her Current Designs Vision

Jaclin in her Impex Cat Force 3

Random paddlers

We stopped for a lunch break on a barely-there spit of land.

The wreck laying below my boat. The water was very clear so the wreck wasn't quite as close as it seemed.

It was very spooky paddling over it, knowing it had once been on top the water. It was very large, taking longer to paddle over than I expected.

Paddling back towards the spit of land where we had left some of the paddlers who were not interested in seeing the wreck

Paddling back past amazing scenery

That night the eight of us met for dinner at Sydney's before going upstairs to the meeting room for the Symposium Introduction.

Becky took this so she is missing. From left to right, Jaclin, Kris, Joan, Patrice, Karen, Debi, and myself. Here's a picture of Becky below, just because.

Becky in her Current Designs Gulfstream. 

The lead up to Ladies of the Lake Symposium 2014

Well, hmm, the time between my last blog post and this one was roughly 3 weeks. Time really ran away there. Leading up to LOL I was pushing myself (in my Romany Surf) on longer or faster paddles, trying to simulate long days of class on the water. Often this meant paddling by myself on the calm Occoquan Reservoir. Still I never really found the time to do the back to back 20 mile paddles I had planned.

Changes in staffing at work meant that I had less time for yoga and biking just as I was making my final push to train. Those last few weeks right before we went were full of stressful days at work, rather than end-of-summer bike rides and hours at the yoga studio. I don't think I've seen my favorite instructor, Fred, in at least 3 weeks. Sunday starts a new week and I hope to return to walking my dogs, yoga, maybe a bike ride here and there.

Of course washing and waxing the Romany, cleaning and inspecting my gear, and packing and stowing began to suck up time as the event drew closer. Myself and Becky were riding up to the Symposium in my Outback, so the car needed a little care as well.

washed and added new reflector tape

Feeling like all my ducks had lined up, I had a fitful night's sleep before we got on the road Tuesday morning the 12th August. Tuesday morning found me groggy but excited. Becky arrived, we loaded her stuff and her Gulfstream and we were off! Like a herd of turtles, as my dad would say, we launched straight into an intense downpour that snarled traffic in every direction. But a few hours later we were clear of WDC traffic and into the rather pretty low mountains of Pennsylvania.

Leaving home

We stopped for the night in Ann Arbor at family's house, before finishing our trip on Wednesday. We pulled into Munising (starts like municipal). We had reservations at the Days Inn which was located next to Sydney's, headquarters for the Symposium. While the hotel wasn't anything to write home about the scenery sure was! Being next to the Symposium headquarters was handy, allowing us to make evening events there without much hassle at all.

Arrived at beach for Thursday tour

And here I will pause before getting my photos together for the next part. But in the meantime let me say I am pooped. Work has been a load of, well, work! Well, at least I suspected I would have a job to come back to!

Sold my Sirocco and bought, drum roll please, an NDK Romany Surf!

I say that with an exclamation as I am really excited by the boat. Some pictures...

Out with friends Friday 5-2-14. Credit R Dennis Green

Kat in her n-used NDK Explorer, Becky, and myself. Credit R Dennis Green

House shopping from the water. This is the one! On Massey Creek Fairfax County, VA. Credit R Dennis Green

Just for comparison: My Surf is supposed to be 16' 3" and Kat's Explorer 17' 8". While the size difference looks obvious in this photo it eluded us in person. I think the Explorer was trying to bamboozle us into thinking "she" was fun-sized, rather than the stately lady "she" is. One can also see the difference in the key hole cockpit size. While I find the entrance to my Surf roomy, the Explorer is more cozy, aka, tight getting in and out.

Here the silky slack waters at high tide beckon us out from Leesylvania to cross to Mattawoman Creek. Once there we practiced bracing and turns. James's CD Gulfstream is still pretty new to him as he doesn't get out as often as I do.

Charmed by the new boat

Selfie 5-3-14

James tried out the Surf and declared the seat more comfortable, and cockpit more roomy, than his Gulfstream. This, despite the fact that the Gulfstream is a full two inches wider (23.75") than the Surf (21.75"). I believe the issue with the Gulfie is the plastic stabilizers that run from the cockpit coaming down to the seat at the hip area. While my CD Solstice GTS has the same kind of arrangement, it is not tight while the Gulfstream is. As a matter of fact I cannot sit in the Gulfstream for more than a handful of minutes before I am threatened with severe hip pain. My hips are crap, that's a given, but I find it odd the seat area is so tight when my Solstice is not.

Why so serious? He says, "Meh, my Gulfstream turns more easily." He and I never agree on boats. This is good as we will likely never share a boat. This is bad for the same reason. We will eventually run out of room.

I hope my CD Sirocco suits her new owner better than me. She was just too big. The gal who bought her found she fit just right. Every one deserves some new boat joy!

Sea Kayak Surfing and Other Open Water Skills

Last weekend I went down to SeaKayak Carolina for the first time, in Charleston, for a Sea Kayak Surfing class. The instructor was Dale Williams, a well known surf kayak teacher. Brian and Pete were taking the class as well.

Saturday morning started out with a weather and locale briefing. Dale explained where we were going and why. This is where I found out that I had signed up for an ACA L5 course. Um. When Dale digressed for a moment I went back quickly to re-read the course announcement. Nope, no mention of L5. Way to go kiddo, dropped yourself right into the fire.

Lesson 1: next time I will *ask* what level is expected.

I had, with Brian's input, arranged to borrow this very nice Romany Surf for the class. Thanks for the loan Scott!

Mmmm, red and white, my fav boat colors too!

In the briefing room:

L to R: Dale Williams with chart of coast, Lee

These morning discussions of gear, weather, and navigation were fascinating to me. I am reading Gordon Brown's "Sea Kayaking" right now. Hoping it covers some of those topics but if not "the Sea Kayaker's Handbook" is next up and I might find more coverage there.

 Lesson 2: more to learn. I love learning, look how much more there is I need to learn! No wonder I like messing around with boats.

On the shore:

L to R Paul, Lee, Paul

Dawn aka "Sandy Bottom," Dale, Tom

Pete, Brian, Trey stretching

Heading out to the surf spot

We are just now beginning to find some waves but they aren't yet breaking or ridable

Wave rising up between us makes the first paddler look like a disembodied head

Now you can really tell we are getting into the waves

It was a few miles out to the surf spot. We rounded Fort Sumter and continued along the coast on to the right, south of the city. With the lighthouse as a landmark, down coast of us, we went out a few miles from shore to find swells. These were fast moving rollers that were hard to catch. I had many near misses or partials but got two really good rides in. Both times Dale was near me and was able to direct me on to the wave. These were both amazing rides-amazing for me anyway.

Brian pointed out tendrils of mist on the shore. Soon we had almost complete fog cover. The light house disappeared. Brian advised me what heading to look for on the compass if I had to bale and make my way back alone. I'd never paddled with a compass on the deck before, now I want one. Yeah, yeah, like all the other things I want, right?

Lesson 3 lean forward, 

Lesson 4 bring a short paddle with big blades, like the Werner CorryVrecken and paddle fast, 

Lesson 5 stay on the crest: My tendency is to lean back. Lean forward, paddle fast, let your boat settle on the crest of the wave. The boat is too long to ride down the face like a surfer on a board so the best spot for a sea kayak is right on top. Both bow and stern will be out of the water.

6th thing, let the boat turn a bit in one direction or the other as the ride is finishing. On the second wave this took me over the shoulder and now I was pointed right at the oncoming face of a similarly big wave. I didn't know what else to do so I charged right at and over it. Just as I got to the crest it started to break into my lap. I leaned forward and pushed hard, dropping neatly down the back of the wave. I repeated this maneuver several times. I enjoyed the doubt that I would make it over the wave before it broke, carrying me backwards into a reverse endo. Okay, I'm an adrenaline junkie. I already knew this.

Lunch time came and we pulled out on the beach. I botched the landing. Stuff went awry and I found myself broaching, then flipping, wet exit with really no room between me, the boat, and the sand. The already heavy Romany was full of water. Just as I got it up on the beach I coughed up some sea water and there was a perfect sand dollar nestled in the sand. Treasure. I'm okay, dry suit isn't full of water, I'm surprisingly warm. Lunch. I am not unhappy. I was a little glad I wasn't the only one who botched the landing or the take off. Better paddlers than I wiped out as well. 

We played around in the waves some more and then the long paddle back. My low point struck about 1.5 miles from our take-out. I was just on empty.

We debriefed in the parking lot and then off to the hotel for a shower. Then we went to the shop's open house, where we caught an hour long film about Dale's 2013 trip to Wales, and the NDK factory, among other things. Filmed mainly by Joe Campbell, and well edited by him, it was a blast. Just really really cool.

I slept like a rock.

Next morning, briefing, and then off to play in Elliott Cut. This is an entrance to Wappoo Creek, a place of truly fierce tidal currents. Rips really, as in "tide rips through." Here we practiced ferry glides, eddy hopping and turns, as well as peel outs.

While yesterday I felt very little fear and indeed felt well in my element, here I had doubts just putting in. The currents were ripping down stream at about 5 knots, while boat traffic was coming through without slowing down. The numerous docks and pilings, all encrusted with barnacles and other shells, made for dangerous obstacles. Always at the ready to grab your boat or paddle, these things suck mightily. 

Dawn, Paul, and Dale watching "Group A"  acclimating to the rip.

First group ferry gliding across to the first eddy. Look at those currents churning!

This was highly educational to me. I really got up close and personal with my need for better boat control. While the first day of class had been exciting and fun this second day of class was a stern reminder that I need to get my sh*t together. I would feel this class in my chest muscles the next day. And my brand new paddle left class somewhat worse for the wear. Thanks barnacles!

A good class, money well spent, that gave me tons to think about and ruminate over. Plus, I think I fell in love with Charleston; just like that, on the first date with the first kiss.