Whitewater Practice @ USNWC

I spent the later part of the morning and early afternoon at USNWC trying out the Burn in the training channel. It took a while to get familiar with the new boat while getting acclimated with whitewater kayaking again. Between injuries and scheduling demands, it has been several months since my last roll clinic. Fortunately, it was a Family Rafting session, so the center was set to very low flow.

I started by practicing rolls in the pool by the launch, and quickly realized how much I had lost in the past several months. The off-side roll was completely gone and the c to c roll was a little shaky at first. Over time, I was able to get my confidence back up and decided to venture down in the training channel. It was exciting to get back in moving water where I could practice ferrying and peeling out in front of the features.

The water at the center was a balmy 67 degrees and the water has really started to clear up compared to previous seasons. I am looking forward to my next session at the USNWC and plan to get back there every week to keep sharpening my skills.

Ocean City / Fenwick Island Ocean Paddle

 

I signed up with Coastal Kayaks for the Ocean Paddle Tour. We started out on 136th Street in Ocean City, MD, where we unloaded the equipment and drug the boats in the sand to the beach. The launch from the beach was fun and challenging in the pounding surf. Once we walked the sit-on-top kayaks out past the breakers, we were able to climb aboard and paddle hard before the next wave. It was a relaxing paddle as we stayed parallel to the beach and drifted up and down in the swells. The wind was constantly pushing the group out further, but our guide, Jim, was able to keep everyone in safe distance from the shore by keeping an eye on specific landmarks along the way.

We were greeted a couple times on our journey by dolphin coming in the opposite direction, 50 yards further out from the beach line. There were also many Pelican out circling the area and fishing along with the Osprey. Once we made our way back up to Fenwick Island Beach, we were guided in one by one. Each of us was asked to paddle in close to the shore, just before the breakers, and bail from the kayak. Once we were carefully behind the boat, we simply pushed it in ahead of us to let the next wave carry it to the beach.

Eco Tour Paddle

Photo by Jackie Spinner

My goal was to incorporate a few different paddles into the family vacation, so I signed up for the Eco Tour with Coastal Kayak in Fenwick Island, DE. The tour started out at the main location in Fenwick Island State Park, and we were shuttled in a van down to the salt marsh launch location. We put in at the designated location just off Rt. 1 near Bethany Beach, where we were guided into the grass lined trails of placid water. Wildlife was abundant and we were treated to a serenade along the way by many species of birds. The mid-point of our trip was a destination on Burton Island where we took out and walked around in search of natures hidden treasures. On the way back, we were escorted by dozens of turtle peeping out above the water line.

I thoroughly enjoyed this relaxing and informative paddle.

Catawba River/Long Creek Paddle

 

Put In: Dollar Put-in along NC27 in Mount Holly
Distance: 2.8 Miles

It was a relaxing paddle along the Catawba River today. There were a surprising number of other paddlers out on the river, who were launching from the USNWC Flatwater site. I effortlessly paddled up to the entrance of Long Creek where I turned in front of a few fishing boats. Long Creek was quiet and void of any other paddlers, but I was in the company of mountain bikes rushing along the trails just 20 feet above the water line. On the return, I was greeted by several Dragon Flies who seemed like they were trying to challenge me to a race. One even took a break and perched on the bow of my kayak before jetting away in an instant.

Mountain Island Lake

 

Put In: Neck Road Boat Launch
Distance: Wasn't Counting

I met up with Jim and Debra Dandro for an after-work paddle on Mountain Island Lake.

USNWC Subaru River Jam

The Subaru River Jam has started for the season. It is great to see all of the kayaks back in the water while taking in a night of good music and company.

The Burn has arrived!!!

 

Whitewater Rafting at USNWC

 

Winter Roll Clinics

 

After my summer adventures, I decided what I really need is to tune in the roll...

The USNWC offered a weekly Roll Clinic at the Charlotte YWCA November - December 2008, and again in January 2009. The instruction was great, and I feel like I got a lot of personalized attention to help diagnose my roll. Coming out of the clinics, I am now very confident with my C to C roll, as well as a pretty solid off-side C to C roll. I won't be doing tricks any time soon, but it is reassuring to know I can consistently roll up on my own.

Whitewater Adventure Begins

 

During the summer of 2008, I collected many stories and injuries at the US National Whitewater Center. I decided I really wanted to taste the adventure of whitewater kayaking, so I signed up for a series of lesson packages with different instructors. I admit...I was hooked!

However, during one lesson I was overturned and my head collided with an artificial rock at the entrance to the Big Water Channel. My one confession is this really shook my nerves. I stayed the course. However, things went terribly after this experience, and it seemed I spent more time upside down than enjoying the adventure.

My sessions got progressively better, and my confidence is returning, so we will see what this year brings at the USNWC. Look forward to more updates as I continue to tune my skills and regain my confidence.