Kayaking

K and I just completed a short introductory sea kayaking course offered by Cascade Canoe and Kayak. Our instructor turned out to be Dan Henderson, owner of the school and lifelong kayaking and canoeing enthusiast. The course was 2 evenings and then a full day kayak. My first day was pretty miserable. K thought kayaking was great, but after the first class I could barely manage a smile. I couldn't steer straight and nothing I did seemed to work. It seemed that for every one stroke I took, I had to take three on the other side to get the kayak moving straight again. Finally towards the end of class, Dan said he'd try bringing a different boat for me. *sigh* Thank goodness. I was about ready to give up on kayaking after that first long lesson. Day 2 with a smaller boat was great. I could go fast, slow, forwards, backwards! What an amazing difference the boat made. We took turns tipping into the water and then getting an assisted rescue back into the boat.
So... problems solved right? If only. Apparently I don't have sea legs. Our lessons culminated in a full day trip today from Southworth (just past Vashon Island) to Blake Island and back. The first half of the day went smoothly. I practiced proper efficient stroking technique while K attempted to push the pace. Blake Island is a small island accesible only be private or tour boat. Even so, the shoreline was heavily populated with tents and campers at the Blake Island State Park. We landed on the beach and took in views of Seattle, the ocean and other neighboring islands. One of my coworkers had brought me some homemade summer pickles (onions, cucumbers and green tomatoes I think) that I had put into roast beef sandwiches. Yuum, they added a bright refreshing flavor to the sandwiches. Good food always tastes better outdoors on a nice day. However, the heavy lunch was probably a mistake since partway back to the ferry landing just as we crossed from Blake Island back to Southworth, nausea and motion sickness set in. I've been prone to motion sickness on small boats, but for some reason it never occured to me that it would happen in a kayak. So after a miserable paddle across the sound, I skipped the assisted rescue portion of the class and headed back to shore.

Anyhow, I'm already trying to picture kayaking in Hawaii (with dramamine) since my trip is coming up soon!