July 12, 2003

What happened to my 'risk assesment' sense?

When we arrived at the launch we stopped in at Atlantic Kayak to pick up a pfd light for Katie and to sign me up for my 3 star BCU assessment. I had tried to squeeze it in before I left for Japan but the timing didn't work out. So in 2 weeks we'll know if I have the skills to pass. Over the next two weeks I need to get my high brace on the move in order...

We loaded Katie's kayak on the cart and I tossed all the gear in it before wheeling it down to the water. Katie stayed with her Mystic while I went back for the Sirocco.

At the shore we had several hours to kill so we ate our dinner and played a game of trying to hit a boulder in the river with small rocks from shore. Time passed quickly and it was soon time to get on the water.

As we were leaving the Atlantic Kayak tour group was beginning to gather. We got underway and within 100 feet Katie mentioned she was scared of the waves. The 'waves' were barely 4 inches. This made me a little angry. She's been paddling in much bigger waves before. The first set of boat wakes that came by had her begging for me to stay closer to her.

Things slowly got better for her as we paddled down river. Past the park where the fireworks were to be held. Past the marina and the dinner boats heading out for the evening. Before long we reached the Woodrow Wilson bridge, and beside it, the barge carrying the fireworks. As we turned to head back north to find a spot to watch the fireworks I noticed in the distance dark clouds rolling in with a front. If I were alone, I could have easily beat it back, but Katie paddles at a much slower speed. The best I could hope for was that it would only bring rain.

I reached over my shoulder to turn on my PFD light and discovered that after 3 years my batteries were finally dead. This LED light had lasted a long time and I probably had left it turned on after the 4th of July paddle. On my deck was a monster 6v flashlight, which would be more than enough to warn boaters of my presence. I reached over and turned on Katie's pfd light and we started making tracks to try and beat the storm.

Straight ahead I saw lightning jumping in the clouds.

We did our best to beat the lightning, but it finally got close enough I told Katie we would have to wait it out under a large pier. This worked fine for all of 5 minutes until Katie noticed the underside of the pier was covered with spiders. Katie isn't afraid of much, but spiders terrify her. "Dad, we have to go"

I made her stay a bit longer. The worst of the lightning gone we headed for the launch to try and beat the rain. As we passed in front of the park the Marines set off their cannons. Jeez that scared the piss out of me! I thought for sure it was a lightning strike.

After passing the park the wind began to rise rapidly. We pulled in to the boathouse and rafted up against the low dock. I thought if the wind got too bad we could take out here and walk down the 3-4 blocks to the car. As we were waiting for the wind to pass I guy came out to the dock with his family and mentioned to me the fireworks were cancelled.

The entire trip back, even though there were some fair waves and a good wind, Katie not once complained about them. Either she had gotten over her fear or she was afraid I was going to make her duck in under another spider filled pier. She handled the following swell from the boat wakes and the head wind with no problems at all.

A few minutes later with a lull in the wind we paddled back to the launch. The AK folks were starting to carry their kayaks back up to the store. I don't know if they ever got on the water. Katie and I carted our kayaks back to the car and walked to the shore for just a few more minutes. The parade of boats leaving was a sure sign the fireworks would not be held tonight. We walked back to the car and got back on the road for the trip home. Within minutes the rain began to fall in such quantity it was often difficult to see the road.

The trip home gave me a chance to reflect on the night's events. I was pissed at myself for letting us get caught in the storm. In Japan, the weather forecast was always wrong and I paid great attention to the sky all the time. Since I had been back I had been lulled into a usually accurate forecast system. I couldn't remember the last time the 24 hour weather forecast was so wrong. If I had been alert, I could have seen this front approaching long before it ever became an issue. Although I believe the pier provided the right protection at the right time, I haven't been able to dismiss the fact that we shouldn't have been out there in the first place. It will give me something to reflect on for some time.

Woody