Second C&O training ride

[Zen]

Can we be at White's Ferry to ride at 9?

NINE!
Maybe, but someone will have to pour coffee over my head.
I'll figure this all out later, I have to get to PT.

[divingbiker]

So are we on for 9am tomorrow at White's Ferry? And we're driving separately, Regina, so you can go to the cyclocross race?

[7rider]

So are we on for 9am tomorrow at White's Ferry? And we're driving separately, Regina, so you can go to the cyclocross race?

Yes. 9 a.m. TO RIDE - White's Ferry.
I wish we could drive together. There is a CHANCE Kathy won't race tomorrow (40% chance of rain through much of the a.m., and she's not such a gung-ho racer as to race regardless of the weather or conditions). If she raced...it'd be fun to watch. Lilipons is about a half hour north of where we'll be. If she didn't race...we'd just go back home after our ride.

[divingbiker]

Yes. 9 a.m. TO RIDE - White's Ferry.
I wish we could drive together. There is a CHANCE Kathy won't race tomorrow (40% chance of rain through much of the a.m., and she's not such a gung-ho racer as to race regardless of the weather or conditions). If she raced...it'd be fun to watch. Lilipons is about a half hour north of where we'll be. If she didn't race...we'd just go back home after our ride.

After my long day kayaking and failing to rescue myself today, I don't think I'm up for extra driving or waiting around for the races.

So I'll just drive myself, if I can figure out how to get there.

So you're saying we should be ready to ride at 9am, not just get there at 9am, right?

[7rider]

After my long day kayaking and failing to rescue myself today, I don't think I'm up for extra driving or waiting around for the races.

So I'll just drive myself, if I can figure out how to get there.

So you're saying we should be ready to ride at 9am, not just get there at 9am, right?

Yes...riding at 9 is my plan. I hope to leave the house at 7:30. I figure with wet trails and possible rain, it's going to be slow going. Call my cell at 7 - maybe Kathy will have pulled the plug completely by then, and we can carpool.

[withm]

After my long day kayaking and failing to rescue myself today, I don't think I'm up for extra driving or waiting around for the races.

So I'll just drive myself, if I can figure out how to get there.

So you're saying we should be ready to ride at 9am, not just get there at 9am, right?

so tell us about the kayak lesson? Where was it? Was it with Atlantic Kayak? What did they cover? At least you survived. Hope the water wasn't too cold.

[divingbiker]

so tell us about the kayak lesson? Where was it? Was it with Atlantic Kayak? What did they cover? At least you survived. Hope the water wasn't too cold.

It was with REI, and we were on the Potomac at Riley's Lock.

We reviewed a few strokes, then did self rescue using a paddle float, and also helped someone else by turning over and emptying their boat, then stabilizing it while they got back in. The latter I could do, with a bit of struggle.

But oh my, the self rescue ate my lunch. I was doing something wrong, and couldn't get the paddle (with float) to stay perpendicular to the boat, so I kept falling back in. My boat has a big cockpit so there's not much room at the front of the boat, but I think the problem was with me and not related to the boat I've got. I told Kalidurga and 7rider that I can never go kayaking alone, because there's no way I could save myself. I am extremely sore today.

The water was in the high 60s and there was a lot of "salad" in the water. It wasn't bad unless you had to stay in the water forever as you tried over and over to get back in. By the end I was a bit chilly. The rain held off till we were done, so that was good.

All in all, a frustrating day.

[Kalidurga]

I wondered if your cockpit would make it difficult to hold your paddle in the proper position. But you can go kayaking alone, because you'd have to lean pretty hard to swamp a rec boat like you and I have. And, depending on where you go, if you did manage to swamp the boat you could just swim and pull it to shore, then drain it and get back in there. You may not want to go out in the middle of the Chesapeake alone, but there are plenty of other places where you definitely can.

Did REI mention the paddle sling? That's one of the options that Potomac Paddlesports showed us.