So I’ve been watching the little red dot move slowly away from the green silhouette that is Tasmania. Andrew is still very much on the uphill side of his crossing of the Tasman sea. Yesterday his wife wrote;

“While we’re lounging around, sipping our warm tea and maybe having a bowl of ice-cream while reading a novel before bedtime, Andrew is still clocking up the miles out there.

He’ll bunk down around midnight — not much else to do really, other than paddle. He has no books, no mini DVD player, he didn’t even take the ipod this time. So I guess he’ll be singing to himself (it’s a good thing he’s so far from civilization!) He’s cruising along, averaging around 50 km a day, and feeling good.”

That left me thinking. What would my brain do? Not that the ocean is not stimuli enough. In fact today the poor guy had an unplanned capsize! But still, we’re talking about a month here. Even the Ocean can’t hold your complete attention for a month. I mean, even newly weds have to eat. I know what I’d be thinking about. I’d suddenly realize how far from land I was. Nothing big really. Just a passing thought. I’d paddle on day dreaming away for a time. But then it would pop up again. I’d think, “You know, even if I wanted to give this up it would take me days just to get back to land”. I’d probably muse awhile about the size of the planet. I’d play games where I would try to see as far as I could on the top of each wave. But it would come back. . “I couldn’t get off the water if I wanted too”, I’d think and then I’d realize my belly felt a bit heavy. I’d keep paddling while going over and over my estimates of how long it would take to get to solid ground. “Days. . .” I’d think. I’d feel a bit of a churning sensation mixed with a little light headed dizzy thing going on. I’d have to dig out a cracker. I’d try to just concentrate on paddling. One stroke at a time. But it would keep niggling at me. “NO Land, No Land” a little voice would whisper. I’d start feeling like I had to get out of the boat. Just for a moment. I’d feel like I was going to fall over. I’d know there was no reason to feel tippy and yet I would just sense my shoulders suddenly getting heavy. . . “Am I leaning??” I’d think to myself. I’d take a big drink of water. “no land, no land” . . . I’d have to stare at the tip of the bow. Still I’d feel gravity pulling me over. . .

Funny. I had that exact experience once a couple years back. I was just about 2 miles off shore and suddenly my brain decided it was like 200 miles. I just totally lost my balance. I’m sure it didn’t help that I had not eaten anything except a nasty Crispy Creme thing that morning. In the end though, I realized I could roll. I just fell over and side sculled for a bit and came back up. It was like pushing the reset button. I felt great again. Finally when I did get back to the shore, my belly rumbled. I thought, “wow, I could really go for a donut.”

As you know I’ve written here about Rockpool kayaks pretty much from their inception a few years back. I was enamored of the Alaw and later the Alaw Bach which is not only the most beautifully painted of kayaks but also comes from a long bloodline of exquisite design. In some of my early posts about Rockpool kayaks you’ll remember me lamenting not having them available in the states. Since then Rockpool has earned a reputation for beauty and high quality construction. I couldn’t help but envy those guys who were kickin it up with their Rockpools in the UK. And that brings me to today.

When planning our trip to Puerto Rico in August Wendy Killoran and myself immediately thought, “Wow, wouldn’t it be perfect to have those beautiful craft in the tropical seas of the Caribbean?”. Wendy set about putting in her order for a new Rockpool. That’s when things went off in a new direction. After telling the guys at Rockpool what we were up to they offered to sponsor Wendy!! I was so happy for her! She was going to get that beautiful boat she dreamed of. She pushed me to give them a ring. I had in mind ordering one of the new rolling boats they’ve been working on for Freya. No way I could take a roller around Puerto Rico though. . .

So last week I tried to call Rockpool. If you recall Wales was having some serious weather. I couldn’t get through. Finally I got through to Aled Williams but the phone was so bad I could only hear monosyllables and bits of something that sounded vaguely like English. The weekend passed. So this morning I tried again. Aled answered the phone and I broke out in a sweat. . . Next thing I know I’m joining Mark Tozer, Freya Hoffmeister & Wendy Killoran as a Rockpool sponsored kayaker!! Which brings me to breathing into a brown bag! I can’t begin to tell you how thankful and humbled I am by the experience. I’m certainly the least deserving of the group, and really I’m sure owe each of you for what I consider an immense honor. Thank you for being here. Thank you to Mike and Aled! I can’t wait to show off my new Alaw Bach.

Mondays are indeed good days.

Zen of Water – Darren Bush paddles early Sunday morning for “worship services” on the Mink River Estuary in Door County, Wisconsin. It was a beautiful, foggy morning and Darren explains why getting up at 6:00 AM is worth it.

The Healing Power of Water – Ed Janus goes paddling with a group of breast cancer survivors, who talk about the healing power of water and its role in their recovery.

Door County Paddling Trip – Ed Janus paddles with kayak guide John Browning (JB to the rest of us), who takes a group of paddlers (some of them perfect novices) for a day-paddle on Green Bay.

Why Paddling Isn’t Extreme – Jeff Weidman paddles around Rowley’s Bay, Door County, visiting classes in progress at the 2nd Annual Door County Sea Kayak Symposium and discusses why paddling is, literally, for everyone.

Click here to listen.

The other big local news of course is that the 2007 Canoecopia Gazette has gone to print and will be in the mail any day now. Very cool. 53 days until the doors open. . .

Expect a couple more posts today. I have some kayaking stuff as well, but as we know life, youth and beauty are fleeting. I did’nt want to let any more time pass without remembering Yvonne.