September 17, 2005

Learning to Stand (Part III...or is it 33?)

No one was around so I took advantage of the moment to stand up in my kayak while holding on to a piling near shore. I'd lift my hand up off the piling and balance as long as I could before grabbing hold of the piling to regain control before lifting off my hand again.

This led to a remarkable jump in my ability to stay balanced. Away from the piling but in very shallow water I stepped in to my kayak, using my paddle as a crutch. With increasing confidence I paddled about 20 feet before turning the boat and paddling back. The water was perfectly flat, which made things easy.

I can't recommend this method of learning. Falling over in such shallow water could lead to injury. But for me the advancement was significant and probably replaced falling out of my kayak about 30 times in deep water.

I went out and practiced rolling a bit. My ankles were sore from standing up in the boat so after another 15 minutes I went ashore to rest. A family arrived and let their baby girl play by the water. I waited for them to leave before working on the standing again. The tide was out and the hydrilla thick so I didn't paddle far while standing up.

Again on shore I watch as two women pull up in a convertible and unload a wind surfer. The wind had been building for the last hour, but the hydrilla made it difficult for one of the women to get out in open water. When she came ashore I went back out for one last rolling session before calling it a day.

I won't get my standing skills up to where I want them before the end of the season, but I'm beginning to see the goal coming in to view.

Woody