Surfski Knowledge Base

Shane Baker
11/20/07 #3782

Hi Guys,
My daughter, Nadia, a graduate of Western, has returned to B'ham after living in Japan, South Korea, Thailand and China for five years. She has been spending time with Jim Z. Here is a story she wrote about their kayak experience last weekend.
Shane.

My friend called me the other morning with a teasing invite, “you in the mood for an adreline rush??!” I hum and haw, then agree to play along….“kayak-sailing” is the days activity. a new form of cross training that neither one of us are really experienced at. Jim's done it a few times solo, but not double, in the manner that he has planned for us this day…'what the heck' i think to myself, i love both sports, and have always wanted to try combining them, sure, i'm in.

so, we set off late in the day from Marine Park in Fairhaven with a plan to head down to Chuckanut island and try to to sail the kayak back…this was our second attempt to do so in the 'beluga' touring double this week. The first time out, we forgot the lines for the sail and the wind died, so it didn't really work out.

This time, we had the weather forecast on our side- afternoon storm rolling in, winds expected to pick up to 20 mph from the SW. So, we head south, paddling the four miles at a good pace (I'm at nearly my racing speed at times to keep up with Jim's powerful strokes!)

It was calm waters as we put in. I wore a dry suit for the first time & and was immediately thankful, as predicted the winds picked up dramatically and i got pummelled by the waves in the front seat of the boat on the way down…the tide was quite high when we arrived on the leeward side of the island, so we only had a small beach to land on…we rested for a just a few min's, rehydrated, shared a banana & gu, then put the sail up and jumped back in the boat…

I was now paddle-less, and in charge of working the sail that was suction-cupped to the front deck, as Jim did all of the steering from the back with the foot peddled rudder and his paddle…as soon as we leave the island we're out in the most exposed part of our return journey, cross winds & currents making some crazy choppy waters.Then, kinda the worst case scenerio immediately happens- I lose hold of the line with one of my hands, (i've also just put on gloves that are about 4 sizes too big)…. I'm admittedly a bit sketched out now, feeling vulnerable, with the sail flapping out of control in the increasing gusts and worried about the possibility of rolling if we take a wave wrong. I grab it with my left hand, then just as quickly lose it again. then, accidentally, somehow hooked it…not as planned, but suddenly a new opportunity was presenting itself- we'd tied small knots in the ends of the line, right at the last minute, to prevent it from running through the sail…well, now, i had a hold of it in the middle, with the knots holding, and i could hold onto it like i was windsurfing. so, i quickly loop the line around my wrists for added bracing, my arms spread as wide as they can go, my body flattened down all the way back, on top of and over the left side of the deck, as i'm trying to use all of my weight to counterbalance the winds, and jim is taking us further away from shore!! What!! NO!! I'm a bit scared I admit to him. 'Don't be scared“ he replies. I steal quick sideways glances towards the shore line and then out to bay and islands. The calm waters we set off in now transformed into dark, white capped, large swells…..my eyes return and fixate on the sail. nature humbling me to the core, the only thing that matters in my life now is keeping control of this freaking piece of fabric!

I'm getting the hang of it and loving it. Memories of working dingy sails two decades ago are flashing back, or is it instincts are taking over. i pull up the lines left and then right, together, apart…still, only looking at the top of the sail and trying to keep it full and and not fluttering. It's taking every ounce of strength I have- my feet pressed with all their might against the foot braces, my thighs hugging the inside of the hull, my arm and back muscles burning from the powerful gusts pulling against my small frame. I won't give up. I've lost feeling in two fingers. But we're flying!! I look back every few minutes to see Jim's face beaming, and we share hoots and hollers. He's got us surfing on top of some big sets. Only once does the bow of the hull go completely under a wave! and only a few times do I feel like I'm unable to control the sail. perserverance and the will to live prevail.

We made it back in about 15 minutes….reckon we were at speeds of 10-12 knots/hr… share giddy laughs and giggles for the rest of the night, proud of our newly discovered abilities. We talk about design modifications on the line (adding a few knots & foam wrap so I can keep a hold of it easier), leave the boat on the truck, keep checking weather forecasts for wind, and eagerly anticipate our next outing, hopefully this week.

although, i just played my first indoor soccer game last night in eight years, and now can barely move. i may have slightly sprained a wrist, from getting slammed against the wall in a tussle. and a flu seems to have chosen this as a good time to invade my system, so i'm feeling a bit shaky and delusional at the moment. still, the thoughts of getting back out on the bay to sail the kayak have me feeling anxious with anticipation nevertheless. or is that the fever? :)

~cheers,

Nadia

superdogcurtis
11/20/07 #3783

“The Baluga” I went $1000 negative in my checking account to buy that boat at the Bellingham Auto Auction Current Designs Libra Xt, use to belong to Whatcom county parks. What a deal I got on that . Would have gotten it cheaper had there not been a bunch of goofballs jacking the price up. Oh well still an awesome deal. It almost got sunk once on the north end of Deception Island. “Faulty Bulkhead” Glad they had fun in it, I got it up to about the same speed up in BC over the summer, (I also ripped Jim's sail) But found a lady to sew it up at the sewing store in 100 Mile House.