If you just go for a paddle than you can stop thinking about wanting to go for a paddle.

Saturday, April 23, 2011

2011: Post 11 – A little picture revenge

We paddled today from South Dildo to Southern Point, then crossed over to Dildo Island and then back to the put in; total of just over 22 kms by my GPS.  It was a beautiful sunny day with some wind, but we paddled mostly in the shelter from the west winds. 

I finally got to use my new camera.  I bought an Olympus 3000.  I got it on sale for just under 125 dollars, taxes in.  So today I got to get a little revenge on Tony and Clyde who have taken plenty of pictures of me on the water.  I must admit it was fun trying to look for good shots to take.  I read somewhere that you should just take lots of pics and hopefully you’ll get a few decent ones.  So I took 44 during the day.  Here’s a few I thought I would share.

Come on guys.  I got pictures to take...

Me taking a picture of Clyde taking a picture of Tony

Tony just paddling along

Just gotta rock hop

The picture taker gets caught

  
Hey Dean, please let me use one of your Greenland paddles?

If you jump you can use one Clyde...


Well, he did not jump but here he is really enjoying the GP

Okay, so maybe there aren't any photo of the month winner pictures in the bunch, but hey - you can only work with the subject matter that decides to paddle with you!!!  Thanks guys.  It was a fun day.



Sunday, April 10, 2011

2011: Post 10 – Long time in a kayak for me

Last weekend I did not paddle.  Not sure if I had a bug or if my mind and body just decided it was time to relax in a big way.  I felt rather lazy unenergetic, and uninterested and so I opted to stay home and vegetate.  I watched some television, ate some potato chips.  I did not even go to the Saturday pool session.  Shame!

But Tuesday seen me back at the pool and then on Thursday we started up our St. Philips Thursday evening practices.  I was looking forward to that.  We had eight people show up; six were regulars but two were new to our practices.  Not bad for April 7th.   I do enjoy seeing new faces within our practice group.  I hope they stick with it.  I believe they both bought their kayaks last summer so they are fairly new on their kayak journey.  One of them did their first salt water roll.  I do not clearly remember my first salt water roll but I do remember the feeling of accomplishment when I did it.  I would imagine he probably felt the same…

Today we paddled.  Participants did not want to drive any distance and so we paddled out of St. Philips.  We spent about three hours in the kayaks without an opportunity to get out.  There was swell and the waves were dumping on the shore so there was nowhere to easily land for a stretch.  If we really had to get off the water we could have managed it, maybe getting thrashed around a little, but it could have been done if push came to shove.

I have spent three hours in my kayak before, and as long as four hours once, but I find after about two hours I really like to get out and stretch my legs, even for just five or ten  minutes.  By the time we got back to St. Philips my legs did not want to cooperate right away.  I guess it takes practice to get used to being in the kayak for longer periods of time.

But it was a good day on the water.  It was sunny with some wind, the temp was 4 or 5 C, there was a decent swell in places, and plenty of clapitas along the way.  It was a very good way to spend a Sunday.