Wind on the water
July 24th
Once there was a “Wind in the Willows” and “Smoke on the water”, today there was a wind on the water with an added danger. I went kayaking this morning, the weather was gorgeous with sunshine and a few clouds, and a strong breeze. I could feel the wind getting stronger while bicycling to the reservoir, my bike was pushed to the side several times. But the power of the wind was really noticeable when I was on a kayak on the water. At first, I had a lot of fun — going against the wind, skimming on the tops of the small waves, then going full speed ahead pushed in the back by the wind. But then the fun ended. The wind picked up speed and power when I was at the far end of the reservoir. The waves got bigger and more frequent. My kayak started to bounce and sway from side to side more than I had ever experienced. I decided to cut my kayaking short. I had to go against the wind to get back to the dock, and I actually felt in danger for a while. Ok, I had a life jacket on (as I always do), and there were local cops on a water rescue training session in two motorboats nearby (as they do there every Sunday morning in the summer). But my kayak felt unstable and there were moments when my furious paddling didn’t move me an inch, just kept me at the same spot against howling the wind. The wind was also pushing me to the shore, and I had to put a LOT of effort not to get tangled in the reeds and rushes. I made it back safely, but so tired that I had to sit on the dock for a good ten minutes, gathering my wits, before tying up my kayak to a berth. I checked my heart rate afterward and for the first 30 minutes it was steady at 110–120 beats per minute, and for the last 20 minutes as I was struggling to get back it was raising with each minute to more than 150 beats per minute in the end. It is interesting to look back at what happened from the safety of the dry land and my desk — it is another reminder that nature can toy with us, with just some wind gusts, to put us, or in this case me, in a dangerous and unexpected situation.
Before the wind picked up today, I was able to record this short video:
