Brian can round up a good turn out and even when there are the numbers he is still out busy recruiting. Today the congregation gathered at Point Halloran before heading across in a 10Kn SE to the NE beach on Coochiemudlo for a falling out session.
It is one thing to paddle a kayak, something else to fall out and get back in. A fact that is not lost on me, hence I try and not fall out. Today is the day that you find out;
How good your shoes are to swim in (need a new pair).
That your life jacket has to be boa constrictor tight so that it doesn't ride up when lifting the snout of your boat out of the water to drain the cockpit.
That clambering onto the back deck is not all that easy and comes with a new set of bruises.
When crawling up the back deck your life jacket takes on Michelin proportions and has a love affair with deck lines or anything else that isn't fibreglass.
That sitting on your skirt in the seat is not a good look and would not that be that easy to wrench out whilst bobbing around in rough seas
That there is something to be said about having a boat customised
with the front bulk head next to the foot plate or rudder controls - a full size cockpit takes a long time to hand pump.
That to be effective an electric bilge pump needs to operate, not
require a big head of water to prime and shift a large volume quickly.
A loop placed around the cockpit combing with a foot loop over the side makes it easy to get back in your boat so long as the person next to you has a vice like grip and doesn't get the giggles and let go at the critical moment.
That attempts to roll are a great antral wash out.
That people who play canoe polo make it look easy.
Scarla got to try out her for sail for the first time. Blessed with a large surface area it will sure scoot her along. The design could be enhanced by having a canopy knuckle to link the boom to the mast overcome the problem of the sail over or under
riding the mast and eventually wearing a hole in the sail material. Ted overcame his darling's thirst for sea water turning his boat into a water tight Fort Knox sealing his hatches with security screws. Maybe another turn key in someone else's pocket wouldn't go amiss. Cheryl's retractable skeg with hydraulic controls looked like something the Artic Raider could do with.
After a morning of bottoms up, lunch was had in the shade and finished by carving up a by now warm Isabella. Back on the water it was time to round the island and catch some fun in the wind and cross currents. Once the water had settled, Scarla's sail
went up and three more rafted up for a colourful floating pontoon which tended to veer off in the wrong direction. Scarla and I continued to be blown along, chatting away, so much so that neither rudder was pulled up by the time we were blown onto the beach.
These 'play days' are a great way to find out your limitations. We are fortunate to have experienced people like Kate, Darryl (son of The paddling deity) and Dave floating advice and suggestions. Time to get that sculling brace more confident, and if not successful morph it into an attempt at rolling, or maybe just a
wet exit and a few more bruises.
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