First Ride

Yesterday I caught my first wave on a standup paddle board. I've been doing a lot of flat water paddling and can now paddle six miles or so at a clip without much fatigue. I'm hoping to race in the 2nd annual PaddleNYC which is a 28 mile race around the island of Manhattan in August.

http://www.seapaddlenyc.org/

So I've been working on my endurance...which, in paddling sports, for me seems to come very naturally. But I had not ventured into the ocean, which is much trickier than flat water, since early Spring, still in a thick wetsuit. Yesterday, in beautiful, warm turquoise water, I was paddling in board shorts. And after paying my dues with some serious wipeouts and lots of falling off going on, something clicked. My timing is better. My acceleration is better. I'm using the paddle to brace myself, recover and extend my ride down the line. I caught three or four nice long rides. Even got two compliments from the beach! So right now my stoke level is sky high.

Another sport to master. Another art form to explore. Another step forward in my quest to be a waterman.