Ask and you shall receive

Hate to admit it but I really am a socially-driven animal.  Just a few days ago I was wondering out loud (in my blog anyway) what happened to me, how come I have to paddle alone all the time?  All of a sudden, it looks like I've got more paddling buddies than I can handle.

Phil just called to book me for an early-morning trip on his tandem; Sam, Ester, Wai and I just sneaked out to the Brothers Is. after our CLG exam today, came back to find ourselves in trouble (not surprising.  tsk tsk.), but Angel got all excited none the less -- she can't seem to find anyone to paddle long trips with her either!

And Sam is keen to paddle more trips too.

Not to mention James, and Winfry, and Grace.   Turns out I was just hiding under a rock, trying to be apolitical.  

Got lots to blog about, not to mention a lot of trip logs to write, and I want to write a detailed report about the CLG exam; but I better turn in early if I were to paddle a tandem with Phil at 0530 before I go to SK for K1 with Man Sir.

Adventure or Risk?

Was supposed to study for CLG theories but ended up reorganizing my k-related bookmarks and dumping them into my blog instead.

Not sure how I can read all these and not wear a PFD.  Then again, when you get down onto the July inferno water, with every intention to push your body within a hair of your physical limit and then some, you do have to weight the risk of heat stroke versus drowning.

The Howe Sound accident brings out the question that's been brewing in my head for a while: how can you tell a threat from a challenge?  How do you know whether to dress for training or for survival?  

The survivors in the Howe Sound accident made a conscious decision to leave the capsized victims in the water in order to go get help. (whoever trained these "adventure-racing athletes" needs to be spanked anyway.  Kayak-safety 101: you * * * just don't let go of your kayak after a wet exit. * * *)  Maybe it was a wise decision, some of them were saved.  I think it's admirable that they can calmly access the situation and make the judgement call during the crisis, it takes strength to know your limit, to know when to back down from nature.  But I wonder if they ever second-guessed their decision to leave their friends for death.

I know and agree that the first rule of any rescue is to ensure the safety of the rescuer(s); but I also know I will never be able to make the decision to leave my patient.  It's not a case of romance over logic; it's just that, when you're fighting for survival, you don't ever consider the possibility that you can fail.

When you paddle solo, and you run into troubles, you don't think about death; you focus on identifying your problems, and what you need to do to solve your problems.  You don't make a judgement call to abandon self-rescue efforts.

So you're trying to save your friends, how is that any different?  Yes, at some point you realize you can all die in the exercise, but you don't think about that, do you?  You think about getting your friends out of the water, you think about getting them away from harm, you don't even consider the possibility that "I can't solve this problem," you only analyze why your current method doesn't work, and what you need to change to correct that.

I know I'm not making sense, but I also know I'll never be able to "do the right thing" and concede defeat in survival.

Which means I'm a lot more committed to meticulous trip planning, because I don't want to be caught in the wrong shoes again.  I'm willing to face calculated risks alone, but I will no longer allow myself to drag others into the plot. 

Siu Ming kept saying, "lead people into adventures but not risks."  I'm not sure how you can have adventures with zero risk; but I'm starting to see, from a leadership point of view, you're wise to abide by this motto.

First trip with Phil

Just a quick one before I drop into TMT for CLG.  Paddling with Phil was a blast this morning; he's really nice, more to the point, his kayak is really nice :D

Got a minor emergency his morning in the form of a cockroach in the cockpit; was running late so finally gave up evacuating it before I launch.  Paddled head wind out of Sam Pak, then port beam towards Tai Pak.  Had the wind and waves behind me when I entered Tai Pak.  HKO announced the monsoon this morning but I thought the sea condition was no worse than a strong BF5.  (Officially it says BF 5-6 from the East.)  But Phil wanted to launch his tandem, which is just fine with me, and we tried to chat with the strong wind in our face.

Phil had a winged carbon paddle, whereas I was stuck with the heavy plastic/metal shaft paddle.  I took the back seat and tried to follow his ultra-rapid cadence, my god, it's punishing!  I'm going to have to take Kiska home from Fred's. (and even with Kiska, I don't think I can paddle comfortably with that kind of cadence.)

We launched around 0720, circumnavigated Peng Chau, and got back to Tai Pak around 0830, so it wasn't much faster than my pace when I paddled Martlet last month.  Having said that, we paddled under some pretty strong (but steady) wind today.

Tried to roll Martlet on my way back -- and failed.  Tried twice and decided to go home, after all, I do have CLG to practice this afternoon.

[edit: decided to call off CLG.  Not feeling well, am cold, clammy, stiff and weak, suspect over-training, and still got an exam to sit this Sunday]

CLG snafu, and first paddle with Phil

Am supposed to take Martlet and meet Phil at 0700 tomorrow for some DB paddling; but the monsoon is back and I want to do something aggressive, like a visit to HK south.  I've never worked with Phil before though, so I don't know if I can even work out a rescue with him under fair weather condition, let alone a monsoon in turbulent HK south.

To complicate things, I'm also supposed to practice CLG in TMT with Sam and his gangs ... again, I'm caught in the eye of the club-politic storm.  Turns out the CU didn't post an official memo on the first aid requirement, so TM continues to defy verbal instructions from the CU and certify lifeguards w/o recognized FA certificates.  It's a sensitive issue, and Siu Ming wasn't supposed to know about it, but I already told him that I'm sitting the CLG exam this Sunday at TM, sans FA certificate.  You really can't be friend and be up front with everybody these days.  It ... sucks.

Anyway, was on the water in SSB today, windsurfing a full batton 5.5m shell.  I did okay in the morning, but was thoroughly whipped in the afternoon, when the wind got gusty and shifty.  I felt sure that I would be fine with a kayak though.  Having said that, I'm still not familiar with Martlet, so I shouldn't assume I can perform as well as I did in a tiger.

Better get some sleep soon.  I'm going to have another stressful day of fighting the monsoon plus trying to please everyone in the world. 

Some thoughts about paddling New Zealand

My dad is retiring next year, and so my family is thinking about a retirement adventure trip in NZ.  (Are you sure your knees are okay with it though, daddy?)

They asked if I can join them.  At first I thought why not.  Then I saw the pamphlet and was sad to see that only one of the 18 days will be spend in a kayak.  So I thought, why don't I do my OWN kayaking trip along side?  Hopefully I can time my expedition so that I can meet them somewhere for food and fuel supplies.  That's what parents are for, right? (anxiously waiting for the next thunder to strike O_O)

Which means I'm planning a circumnavigate NZ trip for early next year.  I don't even know if my parents are going to go for sure, but if I do go, I need to start preparation now.

Just some random thoughts about what to train for, but I should probably consult someone with a bit more experience before I go.  Then again, my entire life has been a long string of suicide-attempts anyway.  So why stop now? :-)

1. Landing/ Launching in surf zones, esp. seal landing/ launching skills.
2. Continuous paddling in big swells
3. paddling a fully loaded sea kayak
4. weeks or even months of paddling without a break
5. self-rescue in rough sea with a fully loaded sea kayak
6. Get that stupid ham license and VHF radio already, c'mon!
7. get a reverse osmosis pump
8. [on-going updates]

Not sure about item 4, because it's also known as over-training.  I've been on the water nearly every day in May and my back is screaming bloody murder.  Petroleum jelly can help with salt blisters, but not fully eliminate them.  If I can't extend my tourist visa, I'll still have to finish the trip within 90 days -- and that includes waiting out the storms, pre-trip planning time, replenishment, etc.

Still pondering about sponsorship.  Don't really want the trip to be a huge advertisement gig, but it can be a stepping stone to getting helps with the transpacific epic that I hope to paddle somedays.  If I can't work out sponsorship, I think I might just get Fred to paint a tiger for me and ship it over for the trip.  If nothing else, circumnavigating NZ with an old tiger has to be a bit of a dare-devil stunt.

19km into a Monsoon and a T-storm

I'm still trying to recover from the paddling in the last two days.  Privately, I think it's the swimming last Thursday that got me toasted.  

The paddling on Sunday the 24th was a lot of fun.  I got up just before 4am, had breakfast, checked the weather, packed my gears, and was ready to launch by 0530.  It was still dark when I left the house, and raining rather heavily, too.  I slipped when I climbed down the hill in the dark, and ended up rolling down the hill with a paddle and a gigantic prijon drybag. ^_^;

There was no monsoon warning when I left, but I think it was at least a BF6 (East), if not more.  I was a little discouraged by the headwind, I thought I was going to be late for sure.

Things got worse between Sze Tei and Nam Fung Kok.  The starboard side beam wind pushed me into NF Wan; I leaned into the wind and pointed upwind a bit to compensate for the sideway drift, but apparently that wasn't enough.   The dark sky did nothing to lighten my mood either, I seriously thought about ringing Ng Siu Ming by that time to call the whole training day off.

But I reasoned, I'll be near shore up till Hoi Ha, so why not give it a try?  The worst that can happen is that I'll have to make an emergency landing and huddle under a space blanket until the weather improves.  

Once I rounded the corner at Ocean Point (Kwun Choi Kok), the wind was behind me.  That would have been a nightmare for a lot of paddlers, but that's what I live for.  The wind and the waves squirted me forward like a bar of soap, and I picked up so much speed I thought I could have raced the police patrol boats :-)  

But I'm only human, and had to work constantly to control the course, and failed repeatedly too.  Which means I had to stop the boat, correct the course, and try to catch the next big push. The one nasty thing about paddling a following sea is that you can't have fun and choose your pace too.  I had to work with the rhythm of the sea, so I couldn't slow down my cadence even though I was getting tired.

The police at the Tolo Barrier were used to seeing me by now, they confirmed that I was paddling alone, and I paddled on.  As I squirted forward, one of the guys shouted, "but it's a following sea!!"  (wai, so mei long lei goh wo!) I turned around, shouted back, "so it is!"  He laughed, they waved behind me, and gave me a couple of thumb-ups.  I thought that was really nice of them, and it lifted my spirit a little.

But my back was already sore by that time.  I was nervous about capsizing and didn't want to lean out too much to correct course, so I ended up using the stern rudder a lot.  The wind followed me all the way up until I got to the dam (Lo Fu Wat?), at which point it turned into a port side beam wind.  That was rather punishing, I leaned on my paddle a little to rest, and a port side whitecap sneaked up to slap me in the face.  

Then it suddenly started to rain heavily, and I sat in my boat, too tired to worry about a capsize anymore, and admired the rain that danced and flew across the water.  I didn't realize how strong and fast the wind really was until I saw it with my own eyes.  It looked like an army of faery flying at full speed in high spirit.  It was supposed to be frightening, but I thought it was majestic and beautiful.   It's one thing to watch a storm behind a picture window on Lamma or in Tofino, it's quite another thing to be in the thick of that storm, right on the surface of water where it rages, and be part of that powerfully-charged beauty.  If I'm not careful about this, surely I can get addicted.

The rest of the journey was just mindless hard labour; all work and no fun, I tried not to think about the dull pain in my back.  Once I rounded the corner at Pak Sa Tau Tsui into the shelter of the second dam, the water was relatively calm, and I felt safe enough to lay back on the stern deck and rest.

Made it to the WSC ahead of schedule, I was so worried about being late, but the wind answered my prayers.  Sai Kuen and Ng Siu Ming both laughed their heads off when I got into the lobby, they thought I was "brave" to paddle in a monsoon, I tried to convince them that I was scared shitless, which was somewhat true, but don't think they believed me.  Sai Kuen asked me whether I realize there was a monsoon and a thunderstorm raging outside, I thought that was a bit tactless of her, but I faked innocence and told her that the observatory hoisted no severe weather warning when I left my house.  Siu Ming said he would trust his own judgement rather than that of the HK Observatory; well, that's what I did.  I trusted myself to handle my kayak in a storm.

24 May 2009 (Sunday, KA training day 3, with NSM)

0533 Fred's (0km)

0544 Sze Tei 

0603 Nam Fung Kok (3.2)

0623 Ocean Point (5.2)

0633 Flat Island (6.5)

0641 Heung Lo Kok

0651 -  0655 Tolo Barrier (8.5) -- stopped to bail water

0757 - Pak Sa Tau Chau (15.2)

0808 - PST Tsui (16)

0834 - Girl Guides Slipway

0900 - 1700: KA day 3 with Ng Siu Ming

(just lectures in the morning, because the WSC hoisted a red flag.  In the afternoon, I managed to chain-roll over 10x under the instructions, and jests, of NSM)

Monsoon Paddling

Gosh, the thunder cracking over my head scared me shitless!

What with the monsoon and BF 6-7, I thought I should proceed with caution.  Turns out the most frightening thing was the thunder and lightning.  

I left WSWSC heading into the wind, it was tough pushing the blade forward despite the feathering angle.  Once I got past the East Arm of Chek Keng, the wind blew relentlessly from my starboard, and I had to consciously remind myself to lean into the wind.  I was really worried that I might lose my paddle -- the gusts kept changing direction, and I didn't know which way it's gonna snatch at my paddle at any given point.

Launched from WSWSC at 1619, got to Tung Sum Kei by 1628, and turned around in KLW by 1703.  I was going to go for Kung Chau, but as I turned North towards Grass Island in the KLW passage, I suddenly heard a familiar roar -- at first I thought a motorboat was nearby, so I turned my head and looked, only to see a large wave breaking to my right and slightly behind me.

I managed to turn around and rode the waves out of KLW back towards Nam Fung Kok before the whitecaps hit me.  It seems funny now, but I felt a sharp pang of fear and panic as I realized what that roar was.  It's an old friend alright; we've met on Tung Ping Chau.

I decided to go home while I still can, instead of pushing on to Kung Chau.  I'm half-ashamed of myself for being such a wimp, but all the same it turned out to be an excellent decision- the thunderstorm deteriorated and I got seriously nervous about being struck by the time I got to Sze Tei.  It also got very foggy and I had to struggle to get the strobe light out.

I recently changed my e-mail signature back to the navy seal motto: the more you sweat in training, the less you bleed in battle.  Trouble is, I don't even get to decide when a training session would turn into a battle.  I headed out this evening with the intention to train, but the adrenaline still coursing in my bloodstream tells me that it might have turned into a battle at some point.  I was tense the whole time, worried about the ever-changing gusts.  I struggled to get my gears out from behind my seat -- I packed my boat with the intention to practice rolling near shore, but curiosity (killed the cat and) took autopilot and I went where my heart desired.  

Next time, if I change plans half way through a training session, I need to think about repacking my gears before spontaneity takes over.  It was a major struggle to get the gears out from behind my seat and at the same time, struggle against the strong gusts and rapid current.  The fact that I forgot, again, to bring a paddle float, also adds to my anxiety.

I sincerely hope the sea calms down a bit tomorrow.  I'm not going to give up KA training at TMT, trouble is, the journey to the WSC might turn out to be more than I can handle.  I'm sore and tired from that 8km into KLW already.

Monsoon Season

Here comes a familiar case of a bad situation getting worse, and it comes to a show down between exercising my sensibility versus my stubborn determination.

I knew to expect thunderstorms this weekend, and I was prepared to cancel TPC on saturday and do near shore rolling practices if it comes to that.  But now, we are expecting thunderstorm on both Saturday and Sunday, and on top of it, a monsoon warning.

I've never capsized in a sea trip before, but on a training day during a monsoon, I once sat in my Europa with my paddle laying idle on my cockpit coaming, waiting for my friends to catch up.  The monsoon gust caught me off guard, blew my paddle away, I tried to snatch the paddle back, which, along with the gust that pushed at my hull, threw my center of gravity out of the boat and left me with no workable blade to brace for support.  It quickly deteriorate into an ugly wet exit that resulted in my kayak being blown away at a speed far faster than I can swim. 

That's a long way to say, I'm a bit anxious about paddling solo during a monsoon.  It's just like me to open up a can of worm and have to eat it too.  Didn't I say I was committed to practice hard, everyday, despite mundane excuses like a T8 typhoon warnings? 

I'm just hoping the monsoon / thunderstorm warning drops by Sunday, because I'm paddling to TMT to train with NSM.  And yes, I'm still going to get down to the water to roll today.  Last time I trained with NSM (winter 2007), I ended up learning some pretty bomb-proof sculling skills.  This time, I'm hoping to rub off a bit of his brilliant rolling as well.  So the pirate mustn't sleep!

Rolling practices

Paddled with Vincent to Grass Island for lunch.  I was annoyed at first, he came late, then he took forever to change and put his things in his locker.  By the time we launched, it was well past 1100.

I paddled Bobby and let him take the tiger on the way to TM.  It was a bit of a struggle, but I managed to keep just slightly ahead of him with a very rapid cadence.  On our way back, we switched boats, he paddled the folding kayak and I took the tiger.  I don't think he likes Bobby at all :-)

He left around 1430, I stayed to roll and roll and roll until well past 1700.  Had to do a wet exit once, when I chain-rolled 4 times and my kayak turned into a submarine.  I also find it much easier to perform full roll without a PFD -- the momentum of falling in drives me all the way to the other side through the water and gives me a nice inertia to complete the roll with.  With a PFD, especially when my tiger is filled with water, sometimes I can't even get it to fully capsize. (Well, I managed, by pushing the wrong knee and even pushing at the cockpit coaming.)

Took what NSM said to heart and kept working on my weaknesses.  Picked up a leaf off the water (and the raccoon turns into a catfish!) and kept it in my left armpit to help me focus on keeping my elbow down.  If I really were to use a 100 dollar note, I'll be broke by now... But once I got used to it, my rolls feel much more solid -- I can tell I was using my torso rotation to right the boat, and not my arms.  The paddle also stayed afloat for much longer.

Next, I worked on the aft-to-fore scull on my way up.  At first I felt sure I was cheating -- my CoG was already inside the boat by the time I had to execute the forward scull, but as my kayak gathers water, I found the forward scull quite helpful and reliable.

My left hand still tends to push out too far, I have to remember to keep it close to my collar bone.  I still can't manage to keep my chin on my shoulder either, I like to take a long, calm, slow break while sculling at 90 degrees before I plunge into the water, so I didn't like having to put my nose under the water as I scull.  Tried a few times to focus on keeping my chin to the shoulder as I roll, I managed it, but it felt all wrong, like I was using too much force.  I'll have to work on that again next time.

The tiger really is beyond repair, the duct tape starts to fall off at an alarming rate to reveal a couple of gigantic holes.  I think, I'll have to look for another tiger soon, I don't even know if I can trust it to take me to TMT and back next Sunday.

Oh, and NSM wrote back.  He's happy to have me in his workshops for now, but he isn't interested in having his own fellowship yet.  Not sure if he's just trying to be humble, or if he didn't want to associate himself with an accident-prone maniac :)

Fred's to TMT (solo) take two (KA)

Instant noodles with an egg for breakfast, 1.5L water with sugar in it.

0614 - launch

0643 - Nam Fung Kok

0701 - Ocean Point

0713 - Flat Island 

0722 - Heung Lo Kok

0732 - Police Check Point (Tolo Channel)

0839 - Pak Sa Tau Chau 

0847 - Pak Sa Tau Kok

0910 - TMT slipway

1520 - launch

1701 - Police Check Point

1710 - Heung Lo Kok

1721 - Flat Island

1731 - Ocean Point

* * * Entered Nam Fung Wan to muck around and checked out a tiger-kayak that ran aground.

1758 - Nam Fung Kok

1830 - Fred's

The tidal current was so mild I could hardly feel its effect.  Plus, the wind was mild on the way back, at least it was so compared to the sea condition last Sunday (May 10) when I had to paddle against the wind and current/spray.  In terms of time/speed, I'm much quicker on the return trip this time around -- no doubt due to the current that I couldn't feel at all.

I think I'm in much better shape than when I was in Japan.  Just last week, my upper back was protesting rather pathetically by the time I paddled past Ocean Point in the evening.  I kept needing to take breaks to stretch my back, and at the same time, had to worry about the tide/ sunset too.  This time, I nearly regretted coming home so soon - I could have stayed till 1545, I reckon.  Then again, I can't always predict the wind and current condition, so it's better to play it safe than to risk coming home in the dark.

Got cut up when muscling the kayak up that rocky hill after landing.  As usual, most or all of my kayaking injuries happens during launching and landing.

KA day 2 was excellent.  I really enjoyed Ng Siu Ming.  Funny he told me about the book, "Sea Kayake's Deep Trouble," I've read it already, though I think, I'll do well to read it again.  With him nearby, I felt safe enough to try rolling the tiger, and turns out it's easy anyway.  Oh, and I managed to roll a CLG yesterday.  I'm fairly confident that my RHS sweeping rolls on a tiger is bomb-proof now, though I still need to work on the finesses and coordinations, because I still don't know if I can roll an ultra-heavy kayak loaded with gears.  And my LHS rolls are still very shaky.

Wrote Ng Siu Ming a letter requesting apprenticeship, and I'm surprised at how anxious I feel about this.  I guess it's about time I concede that I can't do everything on my own and I need discipline and instructions if I were to commit myself to the New Zealand and trans-Pacific project.  The great thing about Ng Siu Ming is that he isn't rigid about regulations, so if I were to do something a little off the wall, like paddling big waves solo in a leaky kayak, he'll still sit down calmly with me and analyze what I can do to make a bad situation better.  And at the same time, he's sensible enough to walk me back to the first lesson of risk assessment and management.

Gonna paddle with Vincent tomorrow.  Funny I'm relying on Dennis so much in kayaking, yet I met him through sailing.  I retook the sailing course recently, and met Vincent, who seems interested enough in kayaking.  Hopefully I'll find more regular partners and I won't have to paddle solo so much.  I also met James today in TMT, the legendary TMCC kayaker-ran-amok.  Sounds to me like he's another free-spirit who just wants to paddle and have fun, instead of sitting exams and winning tournaments.  So here I am sitting around waiting for him to call.

Fred's to TMT (solo) take two (KA)

My butt is still sore from the previous Fred's-to-TMT-back-to-Fred's-with-CLG-in-between trip, and I'm about to pull off another one tomorrow.

But I'll be rolling with Ng Siu Ming tomorrow (KA day two), I'm counting on it being a very laid back training day.  Then again, I'll have to roll a tiger...

Sun rises at 0543, sun sets at 1856, quarter moon so very mild tide with only one HT and one LT,  If I were to launch at 0600, it'll be flat tide at KLW, with very mild rising tide from 0730 on (i.e. following sea).  I can launch any time after 1500 and the tide will follow too (ebb).

Last time (May 10), a fairly strong East wind (BF4) with rising tide gave me a good push towards TMT in the Tolo Channel, but I had to paddle against the wind and current on my way back.  Wind isn't going to help me tomorrow, but am certainly counting on the rising tide from 0730 0nwards in the morning.  It's gonna be my lucky day, because the tide starts to ebb at 1500, about the right time for me to head back.  Which means I'm expecting a following sea both ways.

A break

Today is the first day I'm not on the water since May.  I was going to do a month-long water-logged marathon, the Cheung Tsui disaster is as good a motivation as it's going to get.

My muscle aches a little but I'm not complaining, I think my body is doing what it can do get used to it.  What really irks me is the salt blisters.  I don't think I can work my skin the same way I work my muscle, in other words, I don't think the lesion would "just go away" if I bite the bullet.

So I made a decision to stay dry today.  Stayed home to surf the Internet, squabbled on the forums, and trying to finish the last book of Ender's saga (it's actually Bean's saga now.)  Oh, played my "childhood game" FF7 too. (Spend maybe an hour or two chocobo racing, didn't advance the game plot though.)  And I started downloading ebooks on the mule again.  Dang, if I'm not careful, I'll get sucked into buying another harddisk again.

Back on the water tomorrow, but am going to take the easy way out and take advantage of the wind (sail).  I'll paddle again when the wind dies down this weekend.

Fred's to TMT (solo) Trip Log

10-May-Sunday: Fred's to TMT and back to Fred, with CLG day two in between.

That said, I mostly played the patient and let them rescue me during CLG.  Making me tow boats and carry patients on a 38km day is just a little bit mean.  And even though I'm getting more efficient at emptying my kayaks in deep water, it still drains a lot of energy -- especially since you have to jump out into the water.  

Oh, and lunch was goOOod.  I was so hungry I could have ate the plates.

Forgot to bring a bottle of water, was as dehydrated as a sun-dried tomato by the time I got to the Police Check Point in Tolo Channel.  They seem really nice though, invited me to take a break on the pontoon and gave me a bottle of water to drink.  They seemed surprised that I paddled all the way from Tai Tan, I didn't even tell them that I was heading for Tai Po, or that I had to head back to Tai Tan on the same day!

On my way back, another kayaker with a winged racing paddle on a tiger kayak came alongside me and we chatted for a while.  Gosh, he paddles fast!  But he thought I was crazy to paddle to Tai Tan.  You know, grass really is greener on the other side!

• 0600: struggling to keep my eyes open, let the dogs out, had to rumble through the pile to look for a tiger that looks like it could maybe stay afloat.
  
• 0705: launched from under the bridge (Tai Tan)
  
• 0730: Nam Fung Kok
• 0747: Ocean Point
• 0820: Police Check Point (Tolo Channel), 5 minutes water break
• 0925: Pak Sa Tau Tsui (South Tip of the dam) --> current picked up around 0900, it was a following sea
• 0950: Landing in TMTWSC slipway
• 1000 - 1515: CLG practice (Tow, carry, throwline), lunch
• 1515: Launched from TMT boy scout slipway
• 1543: Pak Sa Tau Tsui -- much stronger wind once I was outside the protection of the dam.  Head wind an current.
• 1729: Heung Lo Kok
• 1746: Sam Po Shek
• 1756: Ocean Point
• 1810: Nam Fung Kok
• 1825: ...? (Part of Lion Ground?)
• 1850: South tip of Lion-Ground
• 1856: Landed (low tide O_O)

Fred's to TMT (solo)

Plan to hop onto one of Stephen's tigers for a joyride to TMT tomorrow for my CLG day two.  Apparently there will be some sort of triathlon competition tomorrow, so the road will be busy.  Oh well, kayaking is free.  What with the traffic jam, I might even save time (haha).

Weather is supposed to be sunny tomorrow (10-May-2009), BF4-5 East, 23-28C, the sun sets at 1853.  

It's two days after fullmoon so tide is supposed to be crazy, but the crux is between 0310-0600 (rapid rising tide), and between 1100-1500 (ultra rapid ebbing tide).  I should be at home or near shore with my CLG group during that time.

The plan: 

Fred's -> TMT at 0500-0900 (19km)

CLG and lunch in TMTWSC 

TMT -> Fred's at 1530-1930, if I push myself hard enough, might even be able to land with the last ray of sunlight. (19km)

Still dizzy

I only paddled between Tai Pak and Sam Pak today; pushed myself too hard yesterday trying to roll repeatedly.  My sinus still hurts, and my head aches.

Used the non-feathering paddle today (Richard's), gosh, it's HARD WORK.  It's about BF4-5 today coming from the East side, I had to push really hard to move each paddle stroke against the wind.  I don't think I'm ever going to use that paddle again, except for as a spare set on long solo trips.  Then again, I don't even know if I'm really going to bring a spare. 

Thinking about pulling off a Fred's to DB sometimes this month.   Will post again when I have the details worked out.

-Lia

May 2nd Trip Plan (Fred's to Cheung Tsui)

Wind is supposed to die down tomorrow (BF 3 -> 4 -> 2), if I can get up early enough, I'll try to brave Cheung Tsui.

One thing I notice from this couple of days, it's sort of pointless to practice "skills" near shore.  despite playing with Bobby for hours, trying out all sorts of self-rescues, I didn't feel comfortable with the boat at all.  Today, I paddled a short day trip for real (23km), even though I was slow, for the first time, I feel comfortable and confident that I can handle it.  In fact, I felt comfy enough that I had the spray deck on all day.

Fred's to Double Is. Trip Log

Trip Log today:

1053/ 0km - launch

1133/3.2km - Nam Fung Kok

1157/5.2km  - Ocean Point (aka Kwun Tsoi Kok)

1230/9km - Bluff Head (aka Wong Chuk Kok)

1243 - break and snacks in sheltered area between Bluff Head and Double Is.

1250 - resume paddling .. oh no, I lost my pencil!

1306/11km - Double Island Tung Wan

1311 - chatted up by foreigners on speed boat.  They fed me a can of pepsi cola.  The way the girls were screaming, you'd think I'm a humpback whale...

1343 - Bluff Head ... and day dreaming.  I bet the cola was spiked

1402/ 14.5km - suddenly notice I was heading into Tolo Harbour, OH NOOOO (change course)

* * * kept stopping to talk to tourists on boats and sport-fishing geeks on shore.  Seriously, do I look like a whale?

1340/ 19.3km - Nam Fung Kok

1615 / 23km - Fred's

Distance = 23km

Duration = 322 minutes (5hr 22 mins)

Average speed = 4.3km/hr O_O

Well okay, I didn't deduct the timeout from my snack/ chatty break, the jump-out 'n reentry toilet break, the breaks I took to bail out water, and the time I wasted losing and recovering my paddle (knot on paddle leash slipped).  But still, 4.3km/hr, that's ... appalling!

I shall go and die in shame now.