Adventures in surf
kayaking
Everything I ever needed to know about life I learned while
surfing. I learned that no one approach will work every
day. I learned that some days are going to be better than others,
but even in the worst of days there is an optimal flow.
Harmonizing with this flow may mean being aggressive or yielding, bold
or cautious. It may require a physical approach or a cerebral
one, and it may even mean not going surfing at all. I've
learned that when I fight the flow I get punished. Most of all
I've learned that when I lead
from my soul I generate opportunities for myself, as though there is a
broader knowing inside me,
something beyond cognition.
Similarly kayaking is also a microcosm of life. One can choose to
specialize and master a certain type of boat to it's full expression,
but to grow in breadth as well as depth we must expand beyond the
boundaries of the familiar. Every day I challenge myself
with the idea, "Maybe I'm doing things wrong?" By becoming
comfortable with this notion, I minimize the cognitive dissonance
between
my preconcieved notions and the new ideas that present
themselves. By exploring the unusual,
new life is breathed into the creative process. That, and it's
just a lot of fun.
This is called a Vulcan, it's an extinct squirt boat once made by
New Wave. It's original mission was to provide a more bouyant
cruising kayak for the squirt boat afficionado. It is 11'6"
long, 24" wide, and shallower than the lowest volume
greenland boat. I bought it sight unseen from a guy on the east
coast for $650 and when it showed up in the mail it was full of ants
and spiders, this thing was old and raggedy! After some
initial misgivings I gave it a good wash and discovered a very
good kevlar lay-up beneath the grime. I then drank a HUGE
MARGARITA, and with no idea what I was doing I cut the bow and stern
off with a jig saw.
Committed, I then set about glassing in a new bow and stern and
adding fin boxes under the seat. I'm not really a fiberglass guy
but I think I did a good job. Finally I spray painted the whole
thing flat black for a very batman sort of aesthetic, and it was time
to go surfing.
Like everytime I ever bring a camera to the beach, the surf sucked.
But even in this small mushy blown out surf the Vulcan ripped, slicing
effortlessly and completely in control. When it got up the speed
the water blasted off the rails with a very satifying hiss to let me
know I was really smoking.
The landings and closeouts were very soft. The kayak just knifed
under and the wave passed by.
This is a very fun little boat and I can't to get it out in bigger
conditions. It has the kind of control I need for those must make
drops and is slippery enough to cut under the evil shorebreak. Of
course when I do get out there I probably won't have a camera ready but
that is certainly better than the opposite, having a camera, but no
kayak.
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