Today was my first outing with East Coast Sea Kayaking Club, which I joined this week. They planned an “Easy Meet” for Bulloch Harbour, heading out to Dalkey Island, but there was a lot of chop outside the harbour and the organisers decided it didn’t qualify as “easy”, so we moved to Dún Laoghaire Harbour.
There were three first-timers there (Duncan, David and me – all relatively new to kayaking), as well as one other beginner (Emma). There were four more experienced members (Pawel, Robin, Adam and Seán). They took it very slowly due to the first timers and Robin made it feel a bit like being on a course as opposed to paddling with peers, but I get that – some people automatically slot into roles like that and I think you just have to roll with it until you get to know each other a bit better.
In general the experienced members were fairly welcoming and helpful. I could sense Pawel and Robin very much sussing me out in terms of my experience and comfort. I think I got singled out for some advice on my paddling technique and I’m not certain why. The advice was definitely welcome and useful – I just don’t know if I was really that much worse than the others, and I suspect it was more because, at times, without the rudder, I was struggling to stay on course, so I earned more attention – that and the fact my boat is a bit outside the norm for the kind of kayaking they do.
My Boat
For the second time now, my boat has been the subject of some disdain from more experienced kayakers, which is pretty disappointing in some ways. I understand, but I thought I was getting something that would hold up better in the company of veterans. The main issues were its excessive volume/width and short length, lack of deck-lines and it having a rudder rather than a skeg.
The main problem with its short length (it should probably be about two feet longer) is speed. The width makes it harder to turn. The lack of deck-lines make it problematic in a rescue situation. The width/length issue also means that I need to use the rudder in some conditions, which almost completely removes the need to steer with my body/paddle, and that is essentially making it “too easy” for me – but I can’t raise the rudder in those conditions because the boat doesn’t track well enough.
Pawel told me that next year I will need to upgrade if I’m serious about this, especially given my goals of longer trips and camping. That is not what I intended when I bought the Zoar, but I understand and I agree. I’m more at peace with this than I was after the Shearwater course last weekend. At least the comments today were not derisive (though when I first arrived in Bullock Harbour, Pawel did make a kind of snide joke, asking about it being a sit-on-top, which felt a bit shit. I think he may have been half serious though – after all, he had no idea what it was and it was way across the harbour, upside-down on the roof). That is not to say the Shearwater crew were derisive either. As an aside, Shearwater seem to be the go-to people for learning to kayak outside a club. All the beginners today had done their Level 2 course with them and comments were made by the others to the same effect.
Voyage
The trip itself was grand. The locale is a bit boring and the outward trip was partially spent in following sea, which is a pain. I deployed the rudder and it helped a lot. We landed at Seapoint for a break and chatted, drank coffee (generously supplied by Emma). Adam spent that time in the water practising his capsize recovery. We then headed back. The return journey was more enjoyable, heading into the waves.
When we got back to the harbour we spent some time amid the columns supporting one of the piers. That was pretty cool – it had a great urban exploration feel to it, with the concrete construction and rusting steel shuttering. There were a number of seals down there as well. The first one we saw was very close to us, lying in the water with its two hind legs and one foreleg out of the water, waiting for a high-five! After exiting the pier area, we returned to the slipway to land.
Technique
I focused on the advice I got on my technique on the return journey – rotate my core for a more efficient stroke, keep the paddle at a lower angle. I also widened my grip, which certainly felt it added more power, though I wasn’t going especially fast (I was keeping up though, and my boat is naturally slower). I think I did better, though I didn’t get any feedback. Hopefully next time I’ll get more detailed advice. I’d love something along the lines of “you know you’re doing it right/wrong when…”
Adam suggested a practice technique where you hold your arms completely straight and try to just paddle with your core. I tried that and it’s very hard to actually stick with – the instinct to bend your elbows is too strong! I had to stop though, because I was losing ground. But apart from that, I definitely felt at times I was getting a better “grip” on the water and making more efficient progress. The main features I think I need to work on are: blade position in the water, length of stroke together with core-rotation, and keeping my grip on the loom more loose. I could see Robin’s and Pawel’s fingers splayed in the air on the off side, only gripping the loom with thumb and index finger.
A Good Day
All in all it was a good day. Pawel very nicely offered to give me some rope for adding deck lines, which I accepted. I put them on after I got home and I’m pretty happy with the result, though I may change them for a different colour and smaller-gauge line.
One very inspiring aspect of the day was learning that Adam built his own kayak from wood. It was beautiful, light and very impressive. Definitely something I would like to do. He mentioned that he got the design from (I think) CNC kayaks. I haven’t looked them up yet, but I will. It would be a fantastic project. Adam, Robin and Seán were using wooden paddles as well, which was a real surprise. They have much less surface-area and I was surprised that they are so good despite that. Apparently they are much lighter, though I didn’t pick one up. Something interesting to learn more about…
The club meets most Wednesday evenings in the summer, so I may look into attending those, even though it’s a bit awkward with work. I’ll just have to see, but I may do a half day in Lucan on Wednesdays, then a few hours at home, then kayaking – or I may take Wednesdays at home and go to Lucan on Fridays instead, though I don’t like that fragmentation.