Week Two - 01/06, 01/08 & 01/10
01/06 - Monday “Morning Exploration”
Location: Huntington Harbor, Launching from Davenport Beach
Board Used: 12’ Vesl Prone Paddle Board
Distance Paddled: 4.9 miles
Time: 1h 47m 02s
Weather Conditions: windless. The tide was high. clear sunny skies.
Training Goals:
• Paddle 5 miles in under an hour.
Paddle Party: Solo
Mondays are my chiller training days. In his kayak, my brother can’t go as fast as I can on the prone board, so Monday became a good day to explore the harbors, see about going for distance, and work on my paddling form and technique.
We set out from Davenport Beach again; the tide is low enough to get below the bridge connecting Davenport Island to the “mainland.” Winding our way to a private cove. Left, then right, then left again. the water is cold, and my hands are almost numb, the temporary relief they get from the moments out of the water keeps them from going over the edge.
Making it to the cove, I loop around, and large schools of small silverfish fly beneath me. Dancing sea grass swaying to the motion of the water. Homes line the sand. Signs announcing the private property you’ll be trespassing on should you decide to set foot on the sand.
A left out of the cove takes us closer to PCH, a small tucked-away section of the harbor that brings Creedance Clear Water Revival’s Born on the Bayou to mind. Moonshine and Fireflies set the scene. I find an “alley” way closer to the highway, obviously just used by the homes that live along this narrow canal of water. Passing under one of the bridges, one can see coral growing.
We find ourselves at a crossroads with the main channel, but wanting to keep the trip into new areas going, we cross over into more back residential areas. The sun is coming out, warming our skin every time we pass into it. The water is still cool, but my hands have long passed and stopped caring.
01/08 - Windsday
20 knots winds so training was canceled.
Since the winds have been crazy all over Southern California. I did a bit of extra work on boards.
I missed the paddling but was stoked to make head way on some projects.
01/10 - Friday
Trooper, a friend who comes over and is learning to work on boards, had wanted to surf. I however missed his voice message the night before about not being able to meet up. I didn’t want to skip out on the chance to ride a wave so I headed to blackies anyway.
The surf was pretty walled. I grabbed my little yellow jelly bean bellyboard and got out there. That’s when I realized, while bobbing and flowing, that it wasn’t just about being a surfer or a prone paddler. It’s about being a waterman completely.
That riding the waves, flying over the water, swimming in the energy. It all had to be to be in balance. I have to be in balance. I had to make it a point to not to let paddling take over my life, just like I can’t let surfing take over my life. I love the glide and flight of paddling, but I also love the exploration of it. The ability to find places you wouldn’t normally get to see from land.
This journey is about being a waterman. While I can’t deviate from my training plan. I want to accomplish this goal I’ve set for myself and not make excuses for quitting in any way. I did realize in this short time that to accomplish this goal I must make time for the other avenues of being a waterman or I’ll fail for sure.
