Woman on the Street

Put me back in the water. I have had too many Cate vs asphalt encounters in my life to enjoy antics such as sea kayaking down the street. Some how the guys convinced me that I should be the test dummy for this little project. Yes, I was wearing my helmet.

Stir Crazy for the Sea

Ahhhh . . . rainy days don't get me down but our website being down might. 10 days ago our Liquid Fusion Kayaking website finally said "ENOUGH!!!, I am old and just can't take another update." It still has our calendar, our Mendocino Coast sea kayaking video, and information about our classes, but the time has come for a new site. So this woman on water has been woman on the computer and has been consumed with rebuilding our site.

As I develop the pages, write the descriptions, and upload photos; I long for the water. I am getting excited about how the new site is looking but am anxious to launch it and to be able to get more time in on the water.

Need for Water?

Just finished reading the article from Newsweek titled "Why We Need More Time in Nature."

I couldn't agree more and reading the comments posted indicated that many agree.

Even more interesting would be research on why many of us feel such a draw and connection to water. Perhaps it is because our bodies are over 70% water or maybe that our planet is mostly made up of water and our lives depend so greatly upon it.

Regardless, my recommendation is to get out there and enjoy it.

Rolling, Rolling, Rolling . . .

Yes, remastering the Eskimo Roll was my New Years Resolution. My partner Jeff says that it takes about 100 rolls to have a "reliable eskimo roll." In January, I made an effort to do at least 3 rolls each time that I paddled. Of course being a perfectionist, this usually translated to 5 to 7 rolls. I would often ask for one of my paddling partners to spot me so that I could get an eskimo assist if I missed my rolls. They have been very supportive and encouraging.

This week I hit my 100th roll since January 1st. So do I feel that I have mastered the roll? Yes, I am very confident in my on-side roll. Lately I have started kayak surfing in a decked kayak (which I never thought would be in my paddling scope) and am having a lot of fun rolling in the surf. Jeff tells me that rolling in warm water is even more fun. Our water here on the Mendocino Coast is usually in the mid-50's.

It was quite a commitment to make myself roll in that chilly water, but it has helped me to get used to it so that I am not shocked by it when I do roll over. I definitely recommend learning the eskimo roll in a pool with an instructor, goggles, and nose plugs. We had several sessions last fall at the Fort Bragg Recreation Center swimming pool and are looking forward to teaching rolling this summer at the STARR Community Center - Fort Bragg's new aquatic center.

Rolling on though, now it's time to work on the offside roll.