The Floggings Will Continue Until Speed Improves

I spit some vomit out of my mouth and rinse with salt water. We’re on the downwind portion of an upwind/downwind run. During a short break on Richmond Beach after a steady 1.5 hour paddle into a 12 knot headwind, Nick has suggested (bless him), that we focus on paddling into the wind. You could be forgiven for thinking we have been doing that for the last hour, but Nick means really paddling into the wind, at a good 7 to 8 kilometres an hour, making every stroke count. Off we go again, heading into the wind, the plumb bow boats crashing down over the tops of a steepening sea until we are about 1.5 kilometres off shore of Flat Rock Point and the turn around point.

These downwind runs are actually harder work than the upwind segment. There is a tacit agreement that no-one brings a sail so catching runners involves all out sprints to get the kayak onto the following waves. If you can keep the average pace up near 10 kilometres per hour, you can catch a brief “micro rest” – even Nick acknowledges the rest is vanishingly brief – as the kayak surfs along the following sea.

Mentally, I’ve broken the return leg into two halves, the first half to North Head will be the hardest technically as the sea is confused by swell and rebound, while the second half, within the shelter of big, broad, Batemans Bay, is simply a matter of trying to keep output high as the runners – with luck – become more regular and somewhat easier to catch.

Within half an hour of turning, we have covered the six kilometres to North Head, I’ve vomited into my mouth, and am hoping my heart, weakened by two enforced clot shots, does not give out on segment two. Apparently, a False Killer Whale had swum right by the bow of my boat but in my concentration to keep apace with Quick Nick – or at least not too far behind – I saw nothing.

The final kilometre into Sunshine Bay my body has taken on the consistency of a wet noodle. Doug and Nick actually do some rolling but I’ve completely lost any connection between different body parts and simply float in the warm ocean drifting with the seaweed. Day 26 of the Hard Things project is over.