Thought I was the only one
First we had the third Hundred Year Flood in two years, then the heat, then I got poison ivy. Man, I’m aching to get on the river!
the comfort zone
it’s worth staying in it to enjoy what you’re doing.
Have You Considered Lessons?
Trish,
One of the best confidence builders would be for you to take a lesson from an ACA Certified Instructor. In addition to learning proper paddling skills you would also be trained to re-enter your boat from the water. Once you have this down, you will have a good feeling of confidence with your yak and will have a great and safe time on the water regardless of the wind conditions.
Other P-Netters on this site can probably recommend a good instructor in your area or you could go to the ACA website for sources. Regardless, it would be well worth your time.
check around…
…most of us enjoy accompanying relative newbies
and helping them break into the sport.
Besides…it’s always nice to find someone who
hasn’t heard our stories; stories in which the
truth quotient is in inverse proportion to the
difficulty of feats of derring-do allegedly
performed.
stay close
– Last Updated: Aug-13-06 6:24 AM EST –
if the conditions are wacky you can stay close to shore and/ or the ramp. maybe you can watch your car. its good to spend time in your boat, manuver, get comfortable. when i'm paddling or sailing, its not about going somewhere. i am where i want to be.
Keep trying
- Find a paddling partner or partners, or start your own paddling group via Yahoogroups (I did). Put out as many feelers as possible to find people to paddle with.
-Join a local club that paddles. I joined an outdoor club that hikes, bikes, and paddles - just for the paddling outings. Now I’m one of the Waterways Co-Coordinators for the local chapter.
-Get some lessons to build your confidence. A local outfitter probably offers them, (and you’ll meet others in class) or contact the ACA for an instructor in your area.
- Stop by your local outfitters and see if they offer weekly paddles you can sign up for, or if they know of others you can paddle with.
- Practice, practice, practice. Small waves/chop can be fun in warm weather, but stay close to shore or in shallow water and ALWAYS leave a float plan. WEAR your PFD and make sure it fits properly so if you do “swim” it won’t pop over your head.
Don’t give up! If you wait til conditions are perfect, you won’t hardly get out! If I were to wait til Lake Erie calmed down to paddle, I’d paddle one day out of every 3 weeks!
As for the unsavory elements who break into cars, we have that same problem here with a particular launch in the city of Buffalo. Try to find a safer launch if you will be going alone. If not, then go EARLY in the morning, don’t ever plan on being there at dark or dusk, bring a friend or many friends, don’t leave anything in sight in your car that would be tempting to steal, and make sure your car insurance is up to date.
Good luck!
– Ness
Going to take a lesson
and I’m looking forward to it. Thanks for all of the helpful and thoughtful comments.
~Trish