Round-bottomed boats; just outside of the comfort zone

Had a great final class with my girls last evening. I wasn't really sure what we would be paddling quite frankly; I knew that the hurricane heading into the Gulf definitely had the potential of kicking some wind our way.  I noticed as I drove over Clark's Bridge that the water looked a little bit choppy, but it quite calm on the boathouse side. Gooood.

The back-up plan had been to take out the big, heavy orange rec k-2's that we usually use for moonlight paddles and the middle school league. The weigh about 70 pounds each and have no steering system to speak of. I don't usually like to take these on a paddle of any distance, because they are wide and force you to paddle outside of your usual motion. It hurts a little after a while. Glad we could avoid them.

As we got down on the dock, the Terrapins middle school team was just finishing up. This times out well for us, because they have the trainers that we need, and we don't have to carry them down!  Before too long, we were able to get out onto the water.

Sarah had brought her husband along to take some photos, which tells me she enjoyed the class to the extent of wanting to document it, although the water is really low and you can definitely see that in the pics. At this point the girls are both really comfortable in the boats, so we paddled around the beach area and headed toward the course.

What a difference! Really windy on the course side of the bridge. We all decided that if this was going to be a paddle about enjoyment versus balance, we should turn around and head back by the boathouse. The difference was crazy. It was becoming obvious though, that the tropical winds were headed our way. We paddled for another hour, in and out of coves along the way. On our way back, the winds were beginning to gust a bit; that combined with a push from a speedboat just out of the no-wake area definitely gave us a crazy ride back. Up and down, and a little bit sideways...too cool! Even Charlotte, who was a little more nervous when it came to balance, commented on how much of a rush it was.

When we got back to the dock, we switched out one of the trainers for one of the "homemade" k-1's, the Leviathon. These boats were locally made from a Wenonah mold. This is one of the first "tippy" boats that we put people in. The Leviathon is actually flat along the hull, and therefore is a bit more forgiving when you think you are going to flip. It actually gives you a third option besides the tried and true slapping of the water or the "one hard stroke" method, which I tend to use. If you feel you are going to flip, give a jerk of your opposite hip and it puts you upright. It's really kind of neat, but the boats feel a little clunky, so most paddlers tend not to stay in them long-term.

As I thought would be the case, Sarah took to it like, well, a fish takes to water. She did great! No flips, no issues at all. Charlotte, not so much. But I was really, really proud of her for pushing off of the dock and going for it.

It was a great last night of class. I bet both girls are equally proud of the way they got into that boat and went for it.

In life, you only regret the things you DON'T try.

TKM