Monday and back at it

I was going to post yesterday after my initial post, then decided, in memoriam of those that didn’t make it through that horrible day, I would leave things be.

And I was busy as heck getting things done around the house and dealing with four four-feets that had been feeling abandoned over the previous three days. *eyeroll*.  (they had food and water, but my Unc doesn’t really spend any time with them, and they were attention starved.)

And I have 96 hours before I take a roadtrip to pick up another deal of a lifetime kayak,,,,    Feeling just a touch itchy; like a kid at Christmas,,,

B and I had some good paddle time, in the rain, on the lake on Saturday.  Both of us in longs, He in Selkie, self in BlueJean.  We had 5 paddles between us, three I made, one he made and my carbon-fiber greenland.   I brought the Aleutian paddle I made, that I wasn’t real keen on and let B use it:  It is now his.  After the initial flutter mania of a new paddle, he dropped right in with it and I was doing all I could to keep up with his powerstrokes that he is infamous for.   (doesn’t help that he was in Selkie; that boat is quite a bit faster than Blue Jean.). Even with the ‘race paddle’, I was pulling hard to keep up with him when he found his stride.   I have some learning (unlearning) to do too.  I was able to keep up better when I stopped trying to ‘pull’ and started using my abdomen and ‘sweeping’ the paddle, but its harder in a boat that starts getting squirrelly the closer she gets to hull speed.   Since the Nordkapp has a much better defined keel/permanent skeg, it will track better and that stroke will need to be refined on my end. (and I can’t wait to get my narrow butt into it. BTW, the boat is 38 years old, and looks like she was just on the showroom floor.) As is, I felt like I had done a thousand crunches that night (gee, wonder why? >Sarc<) and thats not a bad thing, but I certainly am not in the shape I need to be if I want to race boats.

We both played with the Storm paddle.  Its a shortened version of the Greenland, almost no loom and you use a sliding stroke side to side to use it.  You literally slide the paddle from one hand to the other and grab the paddle end on your ‘offside’ stroke as the push side. Its VERY different, but once you get a feel for, not that much different from a fullsized GP in speed.   

Neither of us did any rolling.   Just not in the mood I guess.  I certainly wasn’t.   Just wanted to get out and stretch the muscles and get some seat time in, on water with good company. (and the rain was an added bonus though it didn’t last long.)

And the conversations we had, All of us,,,, Lots of laughter,,,  Always the best medicine.

I so needed this weekend, and yeah, I will admit it, THIS was the best birthday weekend that I have had in over 20 years.   They are usually on the lonely side and this one was not.   And I can’t articulate the words for how grateful I am for that.

All I can say: when you find good people, HOLD ON TO THEM.