Jim Moy

First paddle outing of the year to Boyd. Clear, 70 degrees, slight breeze. Water slightly chilly to the touch, for lack of a more objective measurement. Felt like it had been such a long time since I’d been in, but maybe that’s just missing it speaking.

Lots of nice trees taken out on the North/North-East end. Replaced with what appears to be the beginning of a white-sand bar for the new development. It looks “nice” from a real-estate brochure point of view. But it’s sad too, I’ve chased many fish and fowl through there on my little paddles to the North end and back.

Can feel the burn through the shoulders and abs. A nice, smooth ache though, just my speed.

First paddle this year was this past Tuesday. 70’s. Water temp 58F, which felt just fine, though I’ve been reading about cold shock recently and so have been a bit paranoid. Shoulders are sore, but boy was it nice. And today’s it feels like it’s going to snow (snif).

Was out paddling on Boyd Mon/Wed/Fri last week. Mon seemed like the ideal, glass-water day, but I actually liked Wed a bit better where there is enough of a breeze to keep some ripples flowing on the water. Seems like less scum is just floating around when it’s not like glass…

But then Fri demonstrated why I need to be looking into some sort of wet/dry suit. The water was nice and warm as it’s been all summer, but the combination of cool air and wind gusts made for goosebumps and a cold, wet trip. I’m not sure about the terminology and differences yet, I’ll have to start researching it.

I bought a couple of bars for the pylons on my Thule rack, but the gutter mounts don’t quite fit, there’s a nut sticking up about a millimeter too high for the door to pass as it’s shutting. I was proud of myself for keeping those pylons for so long after selling the old car, but it looks like I’ll be buying new ones for the Maxima.

Today and this past Monday, hardly anyone at Boyd Lake at lunch time! Clear blue skies, the closest clouds were over the mountains, a very slight breeze to put some ripples on the water, and mid-80’s temperature so I only the occasional splash kept me comfortably paddling.

I realized today that I can “steer” my kayak by very slightly leaning away from the direction I want to turn. It’s a bit tricky, keeping up a paddling rhythm while doing this, and not tipping so much as to pour water into the cockpit, but it’s very effective. The tilt apparently lifts on side of the boat’s “curve” out of the water so the other one is what is cutting through. Normally both sides offset each other, but with one slightly out of the water, the remaining one steers the boat. This is good because it lets me keep my speed up, as opposed to ruddering with the paddle which slows down.

This is for my last weeks worth of trips out to the lake. One common thing about them (including today) is the speed of the waves moving across the lake. They’ve been slow enough that on my way North I can actually “surf” them, and it seems to make for a quick trip to the North end. I haven’t actually timed it yet, and I’ll have to do it over a number of trips to really see if my impression is right.

If I match speed with the ripples, then slow down just slightly until I’m tipped slightly “forward,” I can then paddle somewhere between gently and moderately vigorously and ride the wave for five to ten seconds before it either moves sideways from under me or I get behind it. And then repeat! Not as impressive as kayking in the surf of the Atlantic, but hey, this is fresh water and local.

Was on the beach in Florida for a week. Got to kayak in the ocean! Riding the surf without getting creamed is fun. Seeing dolphins up close is cool, a few in the morning within 15-20 feet of where I was paddling.

This was my second time in the ocean paddling. I was able to try out a more expensive paddle than the $60 starter one I have, could definitely feel the difference in how much “pull” I was getting.

Decided to go paddling on a weekend, something the last time I tried to do I ended up just turning back because of weather. My thinking goes, “okay, it’s not such a nice time to be out in the crowd, but at least I get my workout and out on the water.”

And so it was crowded at the boat ramp, since Heron Cove is where the jetskiers go (and was actually funded partially by a local watersports business), I paddled out in-between them and continued on my usual path.

But surprise, once I got past the north-most no-wake buoys, there was nobody there! Well, a couple of fishing bloats floating around, but nobody moving around except me. And the farther in I got, the more secluded it seemed, with nobody else there. The North end of Boyd Lake is a calm, serene place to paddle. Even on weekends. I’m going to bring my lunch some weekend and just float around.

Time: 39:08

Took my Mom with me Kayaking a couple of times last week. She tried it out too, but didn’t get enough practice to really get into the rhythm of the paddling.

Yesterday there were waves! In the past, I haven’t been quite sure when to classify a ripple as a wave. Now I have a definition – if I’m just sitting there, not paddling or otherwise maneuvering around, and water sloshes up over the bow and into the cockpit, it’s a wave. In this case, the wind gusts were the primary cause, and I’d say peak to valley the waves were about a foot high at the most.

And it was fun. A face full of water as you’re paddling about is quite invogorating, and there wasn’t so much as to swamp me so I was happy. More waves!