This year Wilderness Guides are spending the winter months in Great Exuma, Bahamas. Chris has come back to work for Dallas and
Tamara Knowles of Out Island Explorers
and is leading sailing and sea kayaking trips along the beautiful cays. Meanwhile, I'm taking this opportunity to get my watersports skills
up to scratch – something that is long overdue!
I haven’t been sea kayaking in over a year and I worried
that I might have forgotten any skills I had previously learnt. So while very
excited I’m also feeling quite nervous. The goal is to improve my skills
sufficiently to be ready to accompany Chris and his clients on a three day
kayaking trip. I need to know that I’m not going to be the slowest paddler out
there. And there’s not much time – the trip is in just under 2 weeks!
Chris is, of course, my trusted instructor and I thought,
not for the first time, that it’s a very good thing that he’s so patient! We
arrived down at our beach to find two kayaks waiting for us (thanks again
Dallas!) but the sea was wild! A heavy wind was blowing on shore but Chris was calmly
encouraging as we kitted up with our buoyancy aids and spay decks.
The kayaks here in the Bahamas use rudders which are
popular in the US and Canada but not something I have seen in the UK. After a few minutes adjusting the rudders we
were all set and ready to go….
Not so fast I’m afraid – the wind was so strong I ended
up beaching myself before I even managed to get my spray deck secured to my
kayak – a rookie mistake not to paddle out far enough to ensure this doesn't happen! I sat there laughing at my predicament while Chris came back for me and
suggested we try launching again. Take two and with a little help from Chris, I
was safely on the water.
We knew before we had set off that this was going to be a
baptism of fire as the winds were so high but with only two weeks until the
trip we didn't want to postpone. We had set ourselves a short route of 0.6
miles to a cluster of sail boats. They seemed so close when we were on shore
but the high winds meant I struggled to keep my boat going in the right
direction. In fairness though, I think this also had quite a bit to do with a)
forgetting to use the rudder and b) confusing my left with my right when I finally did start to use the rudder.
I battled the waves for almost an hour without reaching
the sail boats – that’s right; it took an hour for me to go less than 0.6 miles!
Meanwhile Chris stayed nearby, expending minimal energy keeping pretty much
stationary!
Of course I found it incredibly frustrating that I was
making so little progress but I still managed to laugh throughout - perhaps another
reason why I was so slow?? Being out on the sea and feeling the
warm water splash onto my face was exhilarating. I had forgotten how much I
loved it.
We turned back for the shore just in time to see the last
of a beautiful sunset. I was quicker now as the wind was behind us and I felt
sturdy in my boat, pretty confident that I wasn't going to capsize. As we came closer to the beach, Chris warned
me about rocks to the left of our landing spot. He paddled between them and me
as he knew my control of the kayak was still far from perfect. Eventually he decided to clip a rope to my
boat and tow me the last few metres. It was a deflating end to a hard paddle but
in these conditions it was the right decision for our safety – and his sanity
I’m sure!
I clambered out of my kayak and looked back out to sea.
Lesson one was over and I was exhausted. If things continued like this I
definitely wouldn't be ready for the trip. Chris put his arm
around me and assured me that if I could stay upright and keep smiling in these
weather conditions then I could manage anything. Either way, I’m looking
forward to our next outing!
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