In late-September Eliza and I drove to Sandbridge, Virginia for two weeks with a bunch of friends, food, beer, and of course the kayaks.
The first week was a wet, raining, windy disgusting mess. But that didn’t stop my niece from Florida, Leyana, and I from getting out and doing some paddling in the rain.
I remember Leyana saying “It is OK that it is raining I’ve been trying to get this mascara off for three days.” What a trooper!
My friend Justin and I went out for a rainy paddle a few days later.
I didn’t even bother wiping off the lens of the GoPro as there was no use.
Fortunately the second week of the trip the sun wasn’t nearly as wet and we had beautiful, if windy, days for the rest of the trip.
Since I was with five girls for the entirety of the second week I ended up paddling every single day alone save one — Eliza felt bad for me and went out for a bit.
Can we talk about wind for a second? I learned a lot about wind and how it affects the water in a bay and also my general ability to survive while paddling. Two times I got caught with my pants down while paddling. Figuratively speaking.
First, I was caught in the bay when the water was pushed south out of the part of the bay that I was in. So, I spend a while walking my kayak back through the bay in a few inches of water… dodging slithering characters that have a bit of venom at the ready. Second, I got caught when the water was pushed north into the part of the bay I was paddling in when suddenly the wind stopped and the current of water going back down south had me moving at around 10mph in the wrong direction. Interesting moments both.
What an incredible area to paddle in… far too large to explore in just a few weeks with my general abilities as a paddler. I hope that if we return to this area I can find a local to show me around.