Beach chores

I’ve been meaning to bring a kayak around to the house for a few weeks now, just never got around to it. With all the wind we’ve been getting in recent days – it is winter, after all – my morning SUP ritual has been sporadic. The Tacoma Narrows is an active canvas and it can be a tricky place to paddle, in the dark, in the winter and on a stand up paddleboard.

The darkness and the winter kind of go hand-in-hand, and there’s not much I can do about that, but I can change the vehicle. It may be that, after 25 years of sea kayaking, I just feel more comfortable being out in marginal conditions in a kayak. I like the power that I get from two blades in the water, the stability that a lower center of gravity provides… I know what the boat wants to do and I feel like a dancer following its lead.

So I brought a boat around yesterday afternoon. Left from the Pt. Defiance ferry launch, past Owen Beach. Saw some damage there from the storms we’ve been having lately, trees knocked down across the boardwalk. (Our winds usually come from the southwest and this north-facing bluff isn’t used to the gales.)

Past the point and into the Narrows. The rip was evident farther out in the channel but the flood wasn’t a big one and the smoother water nearer shore looked more inviting. Besides, we’re always in need of more firewood, so I wanted to stay close in to see if I could find a little something to tow home. I ended up with a little section of pecker pole, about 10 feet or so, easy enough to haul the half-mile back to the house. I tethered it to the back of the kayak with a strap and finished the paddle at half-speed.

The sun was setting as I got home. Most of the snow from yesterday had already melted away, but the icicles dangled from the line like frozen art.