The best stories come from when things don’t quite go according to plan, so with that in mind, I am pleased to bring you tales from my weekend of kayaking. I have just renamed this post as I saw the daily prompt was ‘helpless’ and that is how I felt for most of the weekend. Despite my best efforts, I could not make the kayak go in a straight line for more than a few paddle strokes. As time went on, this went from being a great laugh, to slightly less amusing and culminated in me feeling totally frustrated with the equipment, the situation and myself. I certainly contemplated abandoning the kayak in the middle of the river and swimming to shore more than once.
If you read my previous post, you will realise I was a little concerned that I didn’t have the right kit for this endeavour. I was actually pleasantly surprised to find that everybody on the course turned up wearing old clothes they didn’t mind getting spoiled in the river. The only ones with any special kit were the instructors and I believe they are entitled to it.
Looking back, my previous encounters in a kayak were not exactly successful. Last time I sat in a two-seater one (is that a canoe? honestly the technical vocabulary escapes me) was on the Amazon when a friend visited me in Colombia. I had a hissy fit when a fish leapt out of the water and into my lap and nearly tipped us both in the river in blind panic. The time before that was on a school trip, where I was dealing with a number of homesick children, whilst simultaneously trying to paddle upstream. Unfortunately I conveniently developed selective memory loss when I signed up for the course!
So here are some pre-requisites and facts about kayaking in Singapore:
- You need good balance in order to keep the boat steady
- You sit with your knees out and feet together in a diamond shape whilst in the boat
- If you capsize the boat, you will lose your suncream and water bottle in the river
- It takes a lot of upper body strength, co-ordination and time to travel short distances in a kayak
- Travelling in a straight line is apparently considered quite important
Below are some facts about me:
- I find it hard to balance myself evenly whilst trying to paddle a boat (note how I avoided saying I am unbalanced here)
- I get pins and needles after about ten minutes of sitting with my legs in a diamond position
- I get sunburnt easily. It was a blisteringly hot day and I felt dehydrated for most of the weekend
- I am not the most co-ordinated of people and I get grumpy when I get left behind
- I spent half the time spinning around in circles
See the disconnect here?
I would rather be on the boat on top with a cocktail, thank you very much!
Both photos courtesy of David from the course, who kindly shared them with everybody.
On the bright side, I enjoyed meeting the other people on the course and a few have invited me to join them next time they go kayaking. Perhaps if the trip was only a couple of hours it would have been more bearable, but two days of six hours was too much for me. I spent most of Sunday thinking of more pleasant ways of spending a Sunday, but as quitting isn’t in my nature, I battled through. In the end I kayaked around 4km . I also managed to get back in the boat when playing the victim and rescue other people. So if you are ever in need of a semi-skilled kayaker, don’t hesitate to give me a call!
Continental Drift 