21km route from Tai Tan (and fecked by the HKO)

Got fecked by the HKO AGAIN.  What "moderate" wind blows me completely off course and into the pit of Nam Fung Wan!?

Very strong wind, at least a BF6 IMO.  Had difficulties maintaining course in the beam wind, especially in the stretch along Nam Fung Wan where it was directly exposed to KLW.  Also needed to use stern rudder to maintain course between KLW and Sze Tei on my way back.  I can't be that out of shape, I only "rested" (hiked instead) for a few days.  But I'm awfully tired from the short 21km journey.  I don't believe for a second that the wind out there is "moderate."

Tai Tan: 12:44

NFK 1:20

Ocean Pt 1:39

Bluff Head 2:15

Check Chau East ??? <-- was admiring the energy waves pounding against the rocks and got so distracted that I nearly paddled into the exposed rocks myself.  Didn't remember to check the time at all.

Kung Chau 3:20

KLW  3:56

Sze Tei: 4:32

Fred's: 4:38

TMT to Tai Tan with a violent squall hot on my heel (Aug 31)

Just a quick one before I catch the bus back into town.

TMTWSC 3:31

* * * stopped for 8 minutes to rearrange the floaties in/ on the kayak

Pak Sa Tau Tsui 4:11

Dam 4:35

Lo Fu Wat 4:50

* * * stopped for 5 minutes to talk to Sam on the phone.

Tolo Barrier 5:43

Ocean Point 6:15

Nam Fung Kok 6:43 

Sze Tei 7:11

Fred's 7:15

Tai Tan to TMT (CLG) back to Tai Tan (Aug 22-23)

Aug 22

Tai Tan to TMT

Decided to launch early to avoid the brazen sun.  The VERY HOT weather warning has been blasting continuously in the last few days. 

0451 Fred's (got my feet wet but had to fight my way out of the mud)

0454 Tai Tan (finally started paddling)

0519 Nam Fung Kok

0535 Ocean Point (Kwun Choi Kok)

0559 Flat Island (Ngan Chau)

0605 -00611 Police Barrier (BS, photos, water break)

0708 Dam

0731 Pak Sa Tau Tsui

0758 TMT Slipway (Yuck, yuck, yuck!  My boat is full of fire ants x_x  took me 45 minutes to clean most of them out ... and some of them point-blank refused to leave!)

Very very slow progress because I kept stopping to snap photos.    Besides, the mood of predawn SK is so tranquil and beautiful that it's a capital crime to spoil it with mundane, dreadful things like obsession over speed, postures, breathing, cadence ...

TMT to Tai Tan

1614 TMT (Boy Scout shore)

1636 Pak Sa Tau Tsui

1710 Lo Fu Wat

1745 Tolo Barrier

1831-1840 Ocean Point (mucked around waiting for the sun to set.)

1901 Nam Fung Kok

1923 Sze Tei

1928 Fred's

Aug 23

Tai Tan to TMT

0512 Fred's (Ouch!  Scraped my heel against the barnacles in the dark)

0538 Nam Fung Kok

0557 Ocean Point (Kwun Choi Kok)

061x Flat Island (Ngan Chau)

0645 Police Barrier (Funny, the officer said to me, "hmm, aren't you a little later than usual today?"  . . .  as though I paddle past his station every morning XD)

0732 the Dam

0751 - 0754 Pak Sa Tau Tsui (water break)

0817 TMT Slipway

Very very slow progress again because I kept stopping to snap photos.    This morning, I saw a big jellyfish with 3 fishes in its bell.

TMT to Tai Tan

Had to wait for the squall to pass.  My friends Sam, Esther, and Ling weren't impressed with my decision to paddle home, but I knew the squally thunder wasn't going to linger, so it's not so much that I was at risk of being struck by lightening; it's just a matter of finishing the Tolo Channel before total darkness.

Right, had to race against the sunset, so I snapped very few photos and otherwise tried to race home.  Funny how when you are in a hurry, everybody decides to call and SMS you ... (yes, YOU, kyocera, Cameron, and Carol!)

1703 TMT (Tai Po Boat Club Pontoon)

1723 Pak Sa Tau Tsui

1740 the Dam

1833 - 1835 Tolo Barrier (stopped to get my C-Strobe, and to bail water)

1844 Heung Lo Kok

1855 Flat Island

1858 Mo Chau

1908 Ocean Point (mucked around a little snapping pictures.)

1922 Nam Fung Kok

1947 Sze Tei

1953 Fred's

It's a calculated risk, but it still sucks to have to move my seahorse up the hill in the dark @_@

Tai Tan to TMT (CLG) to Tai Tan

Wed (19) - Lantau Peak Hike: 1006 (Pak Kung Au) - 1301 (Big Buddha) 

Thur(20) - KA -- rolling practice all day with Candy (Europa/ Master)

Fri   (21) - Gym with Carol

Saturday (22) trip plan

"Trip" as in commute, honestly.  It looks like the only environmental hazard is heat exhaustion/ heat stroke.  Will paddle with my MP3 and hopefully finish the morning leg before the sun rises.

Since my team cancelled our weekly night hike tomorrow, I might paddle the sea horse back to Tai Tan.  Will have to check to see if Fred is okay with that though.

Plan to finish before the temperature rises, so ... maybe launch at 0430 ish?

0430 Tai Tan

0500 Nam Fung Kok

0520 Ocean Point

0530 Flat Island 6.5km

0550 Police Check Point 8.5km

0640 Pak Sa Tau Tsui 16km

0710 TMT Slipway 19km

Very rapid flood tide before 0700 tomorrow, so the sooner I launch, the better I will be able to make use of the following tidal race, especially in Tolo Channel -- so, will try to launch by 0400 if I can wake up.  

Unfortunately, flood tide again after 1630, so either I leave early and get out of Tolo Channel before the tide changes, or I will have to paddle against the very rapid post-new moon tide.  The most likely scenario is that I will paddle against the very rapid flood tide; otherwise I will have to drag the sea horse through the mud when I land in Tai Tan in the dark.

Another issue is shorter day light ... believe it or not the day time is shortening, which means we are entering Autumn -- it certainly doesn't feel that way to me!!!  Anyway, sun going down around 1850, so I need to be at Ocean Point before that, which means I should launch from TMT no later than 1700.

1700 TMT

1740 Dam past Pak Sa Tau Chau

1830 Tolo Police Barrier

1900 Ocean Point

1930 Nam Fung Kok

2000 Tai Tan

20.5km after my 4-days sabattical

Paddled the exact same route as last Friday (no whitecaps today though.)  I didn't train for four days in a row.  I spend time with dad on father's day (Sunday,) then I trained with my CLG group from Monday to Wednesday.  I couldn't launch when I got back to Tai Tan after CLG, due to unbelievably crazy low tide (new moon.)

Which means I should be fully recovered, right?  But no!  I was a mess, a symphony of pain.  I launched in the evening (to avoid the brazen sun) and felt very tired and lethargic.  My lower back ached, one of my toes is inflamed, my butt also started to get really sore after the first 15km (no padding on the hard seat this time -- I lost my foam!! *cries.*), to alleviate the pressure on my butt, I gave up pushing with my feet, which means I had to brace my thighs against the cockpit, and my legs started getting cramps after locking my legs in the thigh-braces for so long.  I noticed I paddled very slowly in the last 4 km, though that's mostly to avoid aggravating the pain in my butt.

Hate to admit it, but I think I got a bit chewed up at CLG practice.  I had two humpback-whale sized patients (both boys are well over 200lbs); Michael told me to "work on endurance and power by rescuing both of them at the same time" -- so I ended up with close to 500lbs load on my stern and bow decks, and they thought it would be funny to wiggle around while I was paddling.  It was all I could do to not capsize; I could hardly plant my blades down.  In fact, even as I sculled for my life, and leaned my body all the way to the port side, I still couldn't correct the starboard tilt of the kayak.

Then I decided to practice rolling with a heavy, leaky CLG boat.  I did okay, at least on the right hand side, but my back is still killing me right now.  I don't think my body is made to roll for three days in a row.  

1536  Launch (Sze Tei) 

1558  Nam Fung Kok

1638  Bluff Head

1706  Chek Chau NE

1736  Kung Chau East

1800  Grass Island South

1834   Landing (Sze Tei)

Again, I paddled well over 8km/hr in the first hr, but slowed down significantly afterwards.  Tsk tsk, need to drill on endurance...

Very anxious about trailwalker training this Saturday; section 3 is supposed to be "very difficult," took me long enough to recover my "morale" after section 7 & 8...

evening trip: 20.5km from Fred's

Decided to launch after all - no rest for the wicked!

Fred's 0km 1635

Sze Tei (the rock outside Tai Tan) 1639

Nam Fung Kok 3.4km 1701

Ocean Point 5.3km 1714

Bluff Head 8.5km 1740 (following sea/starboard side wind up to this point) 

Chek Chau NE 11.5km  1812  (strong head wind heading towards CC)

Kung Chau 14.13km   1847 (even stronger port wind with long whitecaps)

Ko Lau Wan 17km  1917 (same as above)

* * * headed towards Nam Fung Wan until I couldn't see the WS Pier light to make sure I stay well away from the ferry lanes, because it was getting dark.)  

Sze Tei 20km  1946  (following sea up till NFW, then flat water towards Sze Tei.)

Fred's 20.5

The whitecaps East of Chek Chau took me by surprise; my seahorse took in quite a bit of water, I'm not sure what the observatory is playing at, but the wind certainly didn't feel like a BF 2 (and the whitecaps agreed with me!)

Got stopped by the police patrol boat just before I reached Nam Fung Kok, they questioned me for a bit (are you alone?  are you really paddling alone?  Where are you going?  When are you coming back...) and then let me go.  

Managed over 8km/hr in the first hr due to a mild, following sea.  Then struggled against the head wind -- what with the choppy waves, I started zoning out.  No point thinking about posture and movement efficiency, I just had to react to each wave, one at a time.  

Got quite nervous, because I didn't expect the sea to be choppy.  I launched without a PFD (not even in the boat!), paddle float, drinking water, and spraydeck; I wasn't sure whether Dennis got my message for safe-call either (he didn't.  Duh!) It was also very very foggy (especially towards the north)... I kept thinking I should turn around, but at the same time I also felt I need to push myself to learn to handle the unexpected.

Glad I finished the trip, but need to commit to pack better next time. (had trouble getting the head light out of the dry box, didn't use it at all in the end.  So it's like I didn't pack it in the first place.)  Also need to confirm safety calls before I launch.

Oh ya. My new year resolution, to "never land in the dark again," ha!  so much for that.  I suppose I could modify it into never "accidentally" land in the dark again, ever.

KAT with Fan Goh (WSWSC, 21.5km)

 Took the seahorse out to paddle a KAT with Fan Goh, Cho Kau, Ka Bo, Stella, Ah Ho, and a young man (forgot his name.)  The trip went surprisingly smoothly.  

Stretched for about an hour before I get down to the water, also did one set of twenty sit ups, and rolled around a bit on the pontoon (aikido ukemi forward rolls).  I think the stretching did me much good.

I was still a little sore, but was able to perform more or less normally.  Was slightly behind Ka Bo and Cho-Kau, but didn't feel like racing ahead to catch up, so I paddled at my own pace.  Found the entire trip rather easy and comfortable.  I even beat Ka Bo as we crossed the Tolo Channel, because we were paddling with the wind/current behind us.

Fan Goh and Cho Kau both said I rotate too far back ... actually, at first Fan Goh said I wasn't rotating, so I went out of my way to rotate, and duh, they said I overdid it.  My head also tend to follow my body when I rotate, which means my boat wiggle around a lot.

Really need to learn to navigate; kept getting blown downwind and off course.  Ka Bo and Cho Kau both kept teasing me about that.

I feel fine, I did a reasonable workout but not tired.  Also drank quite a bit today, so am only mildly dehydrated.  If I feel well after a good night's rest, I might even be able to paddle to TMT tomorrow for windsurfing.  (28k return trip.)

Fan Goh said I over trained (both the 60k and the gym work out), so I need to slow down on that and focus on CV training.  Am allowed to take a day or two off to rest, then work it up gradually (no more over-training though.)

For full day training, he advised to paddle a very short course in the morning if I've already worked out in the gym; and then do a longer course in the afternoon.  No need to work on weights morning and evening; in fact, I shouldn't work on them everyday (I should do them every second day), unless it's really light.

Gonna get dinner, read a book or two, then go to bed.

Crooked Island trip log

Breakfast today:

• scrambled eggs x2, with tomato paste,  half an onion and half a green bell pepper
  
• 1 can of blue mountain coffee

Lunch:

• 1x G-granola bar, 1x Y-granola bar, half a tube of chocolate-condensed milk. (on water)
• 1L water

Dinner:

• 1 jumbo can of pork with preserved veggies, stir-fried with 1 head of lettuce.
• Dark Chocolate

Got down to the water just before 1100, but the thunders were cracking over my head and the WSC also hoisted a red flag.  The kayak actually trembled as the thunder cracked.

Stayed in the WSC to wait out on the storm.  Relaunched just before 1400, I did arrange for safety call this time, but I told Dennis I was going to use the same route as yesterday (i.e. turn around at Raft Head of Ngo May Chau), but in the end, I decided to follow my trip plan for today (except I didn't go into Tap Mun for lunch.)  If they did have to pull a SAR on me, I think they might have quite a task.  That said, I don't think I'm capable of drowning in Double Haven.

I know I didn't perform so well today, stomach hurts and am a little dizzy.  When I landed my hands were shaking, I wasn't scared or cold or anything, I was just ... weak.  That, or maybe it's the coffee.  I honestly can't remember the last time I had coffee.

Also had to stop to drink after about 15km, also took a granola bar and some chocolate-milk, but my stomach continued to hurt.  So I was distracted after the snack break, trying to deal with the burning sensation in my stomach as I paddled.  

Then I had to stop to read the map with the help of the compass, I got sort of nervous once I headed South from Crooked Island. 

Then I had to jump out to use the gigantic toilet (I sincerely hoped there was no shark in D-Haven, because I would have been a bright and shiny beacon for those bloody man-eaters.)  I think jumping into the water and pulling my pants down caused some of the petroleum jelly to come off, because after I climbed back into the kayak, I start to really notice the painful irritations of my abdominal skin.  The shirt/pants kept rubbing it every time I rotate my torso, as of right now, it's covered with red, angry sores.

I noticed I was really slowing down by the time I got to Grass Island; had to get out of the way of a fishing boat that was towing nets so I dashed as fast as I could between Port Island and Grass Island.  Again, I had to dodge a ferry that was heading to WS Pier from KLW, so I had to dash for my life between Tung Sum Kei and Tai Tan.  Otherwise, I slowed to a crawl, barely had the energy to even sing a song.

More or less followed the original route plan, except I headed straight to Crooked Island without stopping at Raft-Head; I didn't land on Grass Island for lunch either.

I'd say today is a trip-day, not a "training day."  The "oh no I'm lost" and reading the map part totally distracted me from thinking about rhythm, cadence, and postures.  I knew I was way behind schedule by the time I got back to WWC (Wong Wan Chau), and I couldn't care less.

1121 launch 1 -->T-storm cracked

1130 returned to pontoon (Like Siu Ming says, save the forest so you don't have to worry about running out of firewood!)

1254  Launch 2 (pontoon)

1323  NFK

1408  Bluff Head

1451  Peaked Head

1505 - 1512 * * * snack/ water break * * *

1523  Au Si Kok (Crooked Island West)

1548  Pak Sa Tsui 

1553 Butt Ka Chau

1616 - jumped out (toilet break along WWC)

1624 Zik Mun Tau

1641 Bluff Head

1709 Port Island NE

1736 Grass Is. Dragon's Tendon

1755 KLW

1809 Wong Mau Kok

1822 Tung Sum Kei

1827 Tai Tan

37.6km / 5hrs 33 mins = 6.77km/hr  (sniff sniff)

Crooked Island Route

Trip Plan for today:

0 Fred's

3.2 Nam Fung Kok

5.2 Ocean Point

9 Bluff Head

12 Raft Head (Muk Fut Tau)

13.5 Peaked Head (Gai Kung Tau)

17.4 O Si Kok

19.6 Pak Sa Tsui 

22.8 Zik Mun Tau

25 Bluff Head

28.1 Port Island NE

31.2 Grass Is. East (Dragon's Tendon)

34 Grass Is. Pier (lunch)

35.4 Ko Lau Wan

36.7 Wong Mau Kok

38 Tung Sum Kei

Fred's 39.4

Sai Kung Evening

I can't believe I forgot to arrange for safe-calls today.

Didn't launch until well past 1100, then I found out my tiger has turned into an ant-hill (in two days!!  I paddled it only last Sunday!!)  Took me forever to get them out; they were hiding in the built-in styrofoam floatie at the back, I had to sink the boat, then drain it, then sink the boat, then sink it, again and again and again.  Some of them still managed to hang on by clinging onto anything that floats, like the paddle leash that's still tied to the deck, or, well, the floatie.

After a long battle, the bay surface was covered with swimming red fire ants, and I had no choice but to paddle the anthill away -- it made no difference anyway, my body was already crawling with ants by that time.

Sat on the stern deck while I paddled.  No matter, ants still crawled all over my body.  Brings back fond memory... =_=  Anyway, washed it down a few more times on the WSC slipway, then paddled out for a few, um, half-rolls to wash the ants off me and the boat.  By the time I emptied and repacked the boat, lunch time was already over, which means I skipped lunch O_O

Sailed the Laser 13 with Joie, but it's rather painful, the SW wind was so feeble, I was getting drowsy all afternoon.

Finished derigging the boat just before 4, sort of hesitated about launching, because I was hungry and thirsty, and the sea has little patience for those whom are poorly prepared.  But I decided that hunger and thirst aren't going to keep me from committing to my assignments; I'm sure I'll have to keep paddling despite hunger and thirst at some point when I get to NZ, so I might as well get used to it.

Launched at 1608, was anxious that I wouldn't have enough time to finish 20+ k before sunsets.  But Sai Kung evening really is breath-taking.  A thin layer of fog descended around the waist of the small islands, the sky was clearing up after the thunderstorm, the sea was calm and water flat, the breeze was mild but cooling nevertheless.  It was easy to make-believe that I have found my way into utopia.

So I tried to focus on training, on posture, on driving with my feet, on rotating my torso, on synchronizing the strokes with my breathing, on driving the vessel with my lower back ... caught myself trying to sing a few times, bullied myself into training mode again, but at the end, I decided it was a losing battle, the entire experience was so beautiful, it's criminally stupid to mar it by being anal about such mundane things as techniques and postures (ahem.)  

My only regret was that I launched too late, had to worry about sunset as it was still rather cloudy and I knew I couldn't count on the moon to show up.  Funny, turns out my timing was perfect -- I made it to the rock just outside Tai Tan at 1926 -- not a moment too soon, because by 1927, everything was pitch dark, I ended up running aground (at rather high speed too), and then it started raining hard (with thunder and all).

Must remember to arrange safe call from now.  It's one thing to spontaneously decide to train in the dark in Shek Mun, but it's a scary thought that I was paddling alone when not a soul in the world knows where I was.  Well, it made my adventure into utopia more private, more secretive,  more magical.  But still, safety comes before romance.

1608  WSWSC

1638  Nam Fung Kok

1720  Wong Chuk Kok Tsui

1749   Ngo May Chau Northern tip (turned around)

1823  Wong Chuk Kok Tsui

1906  Nam Fun Kok

1927  Sze Tei

1929  That rock just outside Tai Tan -- stopped to pull out strobe light etc.

1941   WSWSC pontoon (low tide)

That makes 12.4x2 = appr 25km over 3hrs 21mins = 7.4km/hr

Oh ya, food.

Breakfast: hot and sour soup, dark chocolate, soy milk.

Lunch: nada

Dinner: cucumber, a can of fish in olive oil, 1 can of pocari sweat, 1 green granola bar.

Training Plan

I'm going to write this blog, and then I'm going to bed.  

Paddled a typical KAT launching from WSWSC, went from WSC to Hoi Ha to Grass Is. to Chek Keng back to East Arm and then back to WSWSC.  It was fairly uneventful.  Siu Ming took a 15HP power boat out (instead of a kayak), so there wasn't much room for messing around.

What I want to write about is the discussion we had after everybody left.  First we talked about seal launching/ landing, he reckons we can probably get some practices, or at least experimentations, in Tung Ping Chau.  (Of course we can, I did it accidentally in 2007!)  He isn't willing to teach a course, but might be willing to come along for some mutual experimentations if I can find a power boat and if the wind condition is moderate.  So, I'll either have to ask Paul, or So-Goh (sampan).

The thing that really excited me was the discussion about the circumnavigate New Zealand South Island trip -- apart from Dennis and Horia, I don't know anybody else who would take me seriously.  Siu Ming thought I was suicidal to contemplate such a trip, he describes it as self-torture rather than adventure, but he conceded that it would be a good experience to have, and so we talked about a training plan.

He advised I should definitely work on endurance through gym workouts (dope!!!! I *hate* the gym with a passion!) and not just on-water type work out.  At the very least 40%  (preferably 50%) of my training time should be allocated to on land training, like rowing machines, resistance training, etc.  

So a typical training day should go like this: wake up early in the morning, spend 2 hours on gym workout, then get down to the water to paddle until lunch time, have lunch, after lunch, spend two hours on studying and researching, then get back to the gym for two hours, then get back down to the water.  

Have five training days and then take a day or two off to rest. 

If it's stormy (I say have fun paddling it!  But...) Siu Ming suggests to go jogging/ running.  Not sure how that helps me paddle but, oh well.

As for the water part, apparently I need to adjust my mentality - no more leisurely cruising; I need to get mean.   So much for my resolution to focus on rescue.  Siu Ming thinks I need to set a speed goal -- I have no control over time, I'll get 24 hrs a day and there is no way around it.  So the only factor I can control is speed.  Get to TMT faster on the same boat.  Then get to TMT with a loaded boat.  Then paddle to TMT while dragging a mass and I still have to get there on time.  Then paddle a shitty, loaded foldable kayak while dragging anchor to TMT (yeah right.) 

But don't just paddle on water, because it's going to end up damaging the muscle that I overuse all the time.  It's better to work on overall strength and endurance than to just focus on the muscle groups that I use when I paddle.

Research about weather patterns in NZ, look into the details and kinks in at least the last few years.  Also look into all the possible landing/ bailing sites.  Look into difficult spots and rough water warnings, etc.  Really study the blogs of the adventurous souls who already managed the trip before my attempt.  Look into the psychology and physiology of it -- see what difficulties others run into.  Look into all possible mental issues that might hold me back --  like trying to launch a boat alone while leaving a hypothermic patient behind. 

That's all I can remember for now.  My brain is shutting down and I need sleep.  Which might as well, the sun is setting, I'm going to work on my circadian rhythm if I plan to camp for 3 months.

K1 at DCC, and a night time stroll in Tai Tan Hoi

Paddled K1 at DCC with Winffy, Grace, and May today -- it was so hot I nearly didn't go. 

Got there at 1400 anyway, tried out a few K1 kayaks -- including a tiger-K1 and also a tiger K1 with a high seat.  Didn't capsize but not particularly proud of it either, obviously I didn't try very hard.  In fact, I was bracing and slapping for support the whole afternoon, I was too chicken to really plant the paddle deep into the water, and I wouldn't dream of pushing the blade behind me.

Towards the end, I paddled a really stable K1 (woodpecker), and thought I would push myself a little harder and allow myself to go a bit farther out -- I did that, and ... got ... lost u_u  I know, stupid as stupid do.

Started panicking once I rounded the Island and realize I don't remember what DCC looks like =_=  Decided to pull off my sun glasses, which was a pretty mean task when you're clutching onto the paddle shaft for dear life.  It was past 1800 so the wind was picking up, and the stupid wake-board duo that kept zapping past me didn't help either.

Heard the girls calling out for me to come back at one point, but as I removed my sunglasses to look for them, my lanyard got all tangled up with my paddle shaft; tried to correct it a few times by wrapping it around my left pinky and tried to yank the sunglasses away, and nearly got myself capsized.  Finally decided to move to a rocky island nearby to fix the lanyard. (lined with oyster shells too, so typical...)

At that point Winffy came out to where I was with a green plastic kayak, I had to be rescued u_u  SOOO typical.  She helped me to turn around so that I could get away from the oyster-island, then I followed her back to DCC ... yeah, I had to follow her.  Because ... her stubby little plastic boat still coursed faster than my K1.  I was *that* pathetic.

Bused back to WSWSC to pick up my tiger, launched it at 1904 from the CAS patch, got to Nam Fung Kok by 1930, but there was enough daylight/moonlight for me to see where I was and even read my watch without the backlit on (HKO claims the sun sets at 1905).  Got back to the Orange buoy towards To Kwa Peng by 20:03 and stayed till 2030 to practice bow-rudder and high brace turns. 

Felt fairly comfortable playing around the boats in the dark, but that's with the full moon shinning over my head.  Landing in Tai Tan was still a struggle though, especially with the lowish tide.

Comfortably tired today, looking forward to a KA trip with Siu Ming tomorrow.

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.

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.

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)

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.

Trip Plan: Fred's to Wong Wan Chau to Tap Mun

Trip plan for May 1st 2009

Member: Solo (Cordelia)

Distance: Ad lib, but anywhere from 22km to 31km

Time: whenever I get up, and must be home before 1600 or else... (low tide!)

The plan is more or less ad lib, the idea is to see what kind of mileage I can get out of Bobby on flat water. 

Fred's: 0km

Wong Wan Chau Tung Wan: 11km

Circumnavigate WWC: 20km

Grass Island Pier: 26km

Fred's: 31km

Will bring power gel, snacks, paddle-float, cell phone, and I'll DEFINITELY wear a PFD ^_^;; 

If it gets late, I will turn around at Tung Wan.  

If I get there before 1130, I will circumnavigate WWC.  

If I have time, I will have late lunch on Grass Is.  

If not, make a beeline to Fred's for dinner.