more of the same

Same place, different day, oh yes today was just as good as yesterday

today Racheli came to take pictures with her nikkon

the surf was dramatic, and just getting out was an adventure

The theory is clear, but when you are pounded by the waves and get washed back time and again you begin to wonder just what you are looking for

the answer is the ride back to shore

it`s exciting

and a lot of fun

everybody gets flipped sooner or later

so use nose plugs

and learn to roll

thats what makes it fun

after an hour or so I had to break for coffee

the petrel is a great surf kayak

the surf was so powerful that Israel broke his paddle in one of the large waves

Dror enjoyed himself too

mickey was out there too until his spray skirt got ripped as well

sometimes its flat and sometimes its not

Sometimes our sea is as flat as a pancake, the water is like glass and you can see to the bottom These are days for  meditating, practicing rolls and forward strokes and anything else that you may want to do.

Today was not one of those days

The first of the winter storms was supposed to start last night, seas were predicted at 3m with strong winds. In actual fact the storm didn`t materialize, but the sea was not your mirror like lake.There were nice big juicy waves breaking all over the place. Nothing like order, just wild surf and pounding breakers close to the shore

Out at the rock we were the only surfers

It was like our private playground.

Lucky for me i met Lynn walking on the beach and asked her to take a few photos of me in the surf.

Seeing it was her first time as a sport photographer I think she did ok

It was like playing in a washing machine

And if you were not careful you could easily get thrashed by the dumping surf

Tomorrow we should have more of the same, goodie goodie

who let the dog out

I have come across this dog swimming with his best friend  from time to time. It always makes me smile. I guess its a variation of taking the dog for a walk, and they go for about 2 or 3 km. that`s a long swim.

Today was a perfect  day to go rock hopping,

I was looking for every passage between rocks that I could find

Some of our paddlers followed me, most didn`t.

With the flat water and low tide it looks impressive

plastic boats are perfect for this as they are pretty tough

a slight swell makes timing important

the more steering strokes you have the easier it gets

we all had a good time though

friday and saturday at sdot yam

Friday morning the sea was quite high with surf about 1+m.

Mission of the day was to get the group out and back in in one piece

for some reason there was good discipline on the water and the group stayed together all the time.We even got to practice some rescues in more than flat water.

coming back can be a challenge in the large surf, but we all made it successfully

Lunch time at the Optimist kayak club

In the afternoon the wind had picked up to a strong northerly with wind waves of over 1m

when this happens the rest of the world comes to play , making paddling an extreme sport

We went out against the wind for about an hour

going against the waves they seem much bigger than the other way around

going home we ran with the waves surfing all the way. What a great day

Again we stayed in a tight group.

the movie

thats all folks

Helen showing how you can get tangled up in a Greenland paddle, better not try this one at home

Ben had us doing all sorts of rescues on the water

this is the scoop rescue

A rare picture of Ehud, our big BOSS

Dont lift the boat , keep it on your deck to drain the water out

all in and cowboy rescues all day long

towing into the wind

cleopatra`s needle and rescue was quite a challenge

there was a lot of discussion

Izzy was very patient while his kayak was being emptied

more cowboy rescues

keeping the group tight and close together

Helen and Hadas  having a ball

Our guests of honour
Now its all over till next year, and we have a lot of stuff to practice and pass on to all those who didn`t get to come and meet Ben and Helen. I must say it was a great experience, to eat sleep and drink kayaking for 4 days. Many thanks to Ben and Helen for the great lessons and company and also to the Optimist club, Ehud Avigail, Yossele and of course Hadas.