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| At 1m53 Zohar needs a smaller kayak than Izzy and so she shrunk the Matunuck plans by 10%. |
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| this made it a prefect fit |
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| After launching her Matunuck we went for a paddle as the waves were not great for surfing |
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| On the way back we stopped off at the rock for a spell |
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| Ran was there playing in the surf |
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| Izzy too, In fact there were so many kayaks that it felt a bit too busy , so we made it a short day and for sure will be back tomorrow morning. |
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| Pre paddle instructions were clear, due to windy conditions and rising seas, we were to stay together and at the turning point we would decide on whether to return or continue |
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| Going out against the wind and the waves was a joyride, the ups and downs caused shouts of enjoyment |
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| Keeping a large group of Israeli kayakers together is an impossible task at the best of times |
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| We eventually regrouped at the end |
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| And some posed for a photo |
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| Half the group returned and the rest continued going out for a short while. When we turned to return the wind had gotten stronger and the sea was rougher, Yiftach was in the lead and I was the collector at the back.In no time at all the group had surged ahead leaving a relatively new paddler behind. I stayed with him and suddenly he capsized. Rescue went ok but I saw he was having difficulty controlling his boat in the conditions and had no control over his direction. I decided to tow to help. The first tug on the towrope caused another capsize, and then I realised that I needed help. A loud call on my whistle was heard by the now distant group and some came back to see what was going on. I decided that the troubled kayaker needed another to assist him in balance and began towing both kayaks back to shore.The wind and waves were helping me and so I declined having another kayak tow me, preferring to have him in the area just in case something happened and we needed another hand. |
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| All went well, the following sea brought us closer to the shore and more kayaks came to assist. |
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| Most importantly I handed my camera to Hadas to get the necessarry pictures, this after we had passed the reef. |
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| Suddenly a large wave caught the towed kayaks and swept them shorewards, puling me, the tower backwards and flipping me over |
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| The tension of the towrope prevented me rolling so I had to release it while underwater and then tried to roll, failed and by this time had no more air and so had to bail out. We were close to shore so it wasn't too bad |
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| Everyone got home safely after an exciting morning out on the water and then all the discussion began. Lessons learnt. 1. important to keep the group close together in rough conditions 2.There should always be 2 sweeps at the back, one is not enough in rough water. 3 .Whistles are a good thing 4.Towing in a following sea is like having a Heimlich maneuver being done on you every few moments 5.Maybe I should have had Izzy tow me as well to make the trip quicker and easier, I decided rather to have him free in the water in case of need.6.There should be at least 2 cameras on each outing |
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| Yesterday the sea was pretty wild, with large waves and confused surf. We went out anyway just for the fun of it.Yosi was out at the rock and heres his video |
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| This morning there was still a nice wave out at the Rock and we managed to get some nice surfing |
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| Here`s Shalom catching a cool ride |
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| Looking at the rock from the downward side, then Yoni decided to do some rock hopping, watch him fly over the rock with an incoming wave. Something I am not going to do with my newly repaired Petrel. Maybe if Ehud will lend me a plastic kayak I will give it a try. |
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| A new petrel gets launched on our beach this morning, water on my lens blurs the photo but its a great boat |
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| Ilan tries out his new boat and is impressed, wait till he tries it out in rough water |
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| I used Rachel`s Tiderace while my boat is getting some repairs, its an Xcape s, |
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| Eyal has a Tiderace Xcite, which I also tried out this weekend. the Tiderace series of kayaks are terrific, well built and durable. I like the small hatch on the front deck for small items like sunglasses or snacks, its a very convenient storage place and no need to twist round to open it. both kayaks that I tried were easy to paddle, but the Xcite was more sensitive to the wind and I had to work hard to keep on track . The skeg does help a lot but then makes quick turning more difficult. I am not used to using skegs or rudders at all. Notice that winter or summer Eyal paddles in a short sleeve tee shirt while Hadas and I both wear fleece long sleeves and Reed storm cags. I guess the youngsters don`t feel the cold like we do |
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| And finally can you spot the new paddler , despite numerous reminders to keep that hand lower it continues to reach for the sky. I guess it takes a good while to get it right |
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| Another winter storm giving us confused seas and wild waves. The water takes on a brown color from all the runoff. Here`s Yosie Wolfsons photo from yesterday .There were a couple of kayaks out there too, I heard about some injuries as well. |
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| Today the sea was still confused with messy waves in the bay and large surf outside |
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| We played in the choppy waters for a while |
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| Not real good surfing conditions |
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| But it was still nice to be out on the water |
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| And every now and then someone managed to get a ride |
