Of course, I came away from my Discover/Explore weekend full of plans and ideas and the first one was to hire a kayak down at Studland and have a go at everything on my own. Try out my new strokes, get properly comfortable in a kayak, maybe even have a go at some self-rescue.
I had a minor problem with getting the kayak. The place I planned to hire from was closed – and I’ve since discovered that a) they demand photo ID before they’ll give you a boat and b) they’re really strict about how far you can take it. I suppose that’s not necessarily a bad thing but I wanted to go all the way to Old Harry, or at least to have the option! So off I went to Studland Watersports at Knoll Beach, where I took out a single sit-on-top and a plastic tag on an elastic loop, containing emergency contact details in case I needed to phone them for help. Yes, I had my phone in a waterproof case in a drybag. Would it have floated if I’d capsized? I hope so but I’m not actually sure. Maybe I need to invest in a miniature Daren drum? What do paddlers call them? White plastic containers with red lids designed to be handled with gloves. Definitely float.
Anyway. I took my boat and I headed out to sea. Did I practise any rescue? Nope. Partly because I really dislike going in the water but also because I had a vague idea that the kayak owners might panic if they saw one of their hirees flapping around in the water. I was quite happy to paddle at my own pace, doing what I wanted, having a go at the new strokes. I didn’t quite master my draw strokes – still haven’t, really. That’s a job for 2024, I think. I could go forwards pretty comfortably. I could go backwards – maybe not as smoothly as you might like but it’s hard to see behind you in a kayak. I can turn. I hadn’t quite perfected the stern rudder as a means of going in a straighter line but I was getting a feel for it as a way to prevent the kayak turning like a broken shopping trolley, which I guess is actually keeping it going in a straight line.
I was definitely feeling more comfortable in a kayak. Looking back at my log, I’d actually jumped into personal performance awards really quickly, with two bad trips, one good trip and an attempt at piloting an inflatable as my sole kayaking experience. I’d realised that Discover doesn’t actually take much paddle experience or skill and I’d put off even thinking about Explore because that seemed too advanced but actually, it wasn’t. Not at all. These are actually pretty basic entry-level qualifications, the bare minimum, surely, for taking a kayak out on your own. This was the first time, really, that I’d felt like I had any idea what I was doing. Good thing it was the first time I was out on my own.
To be honest – and it took a few years to remember this buried memory – part of the reason I got into kayaking was because a nemesis of mine was refused kayak hire unless she came back with a friend. Someone who looked like they had any idea what they were doing, I suspect. I enjoyed that I did have some idea what I was doing, and that I was treated as if I was reasonably competent. I guess turning up to hire a kayak with your own wetsuit & buoyancy aid does give an air of “this is not my first time”. In hindsight, I do wonder if letting someone go all the way to Old Harry, well out of sight of the hire hut, is such a good idea on the strength of a buoyancy aid (that they might have bought on the way down here today) and a “Yeah, I’ve done this before” that could mean anything. But I’m not arguing because it suits me.
I don’t think I actually did go to Old Harry that time. From Knoll Beach, it’s a tiny bit of an expedition out there, although I always seem to fly back. On that particular day, I was out there to practice my newfound skills, not to pit my strength and speed against the sea. Besides, I have no photos at or near the cliffs. I think I really did just go out there to see what I was capable of, to see how my confidence had improved, and to have a go at draw strokes. I don’t know a lot about paddling qualifications yet but I know that when you do a walking/mountain qualification, there’s a period of consolidation between the training and the assessment. Consolidation is a great thing, going out on your own and putting your skills into practice. I’ve done a lot of consolidation since.
In fact, I went out for another practice a week or two later. No point in it getting its own post but I did go all the way out to Old Harry. I’d practised my skills; now I wanted to put them into practice with my own mini expedition. I’d been to Old Harry with the pros two or three times; now I wanted to try it on my own. It felt like a long way. It felt like an achievement. I’d paddled out there all by myself! I hadn’t capsized. I hadn’t got into trouble. I’d practised my strokes on the way back. I’d managed the time to make sure I wasn’t overdue. It was a good trip. And finished, of course, with a giant cheese baguette at the Bankes Arms at Middle Beach.
Bumblebee Paddles 