In my last post, I promised I would also share some paddling highlights of the past two years, which didn't make it onto the blog. Here you go! Lots of photos, not much explanation...

Iede and I taught this intro course together in 2019 - it was one of our first instruction groups that followed the more structured introduction process. To be honest, I don't remember a lot of details about the course itself, but I remember the participants were (are) fun!

Eric and Joost co-taught a really fun introduction to canoeing course that summer. It was a series of 3 Wednesday evenings, and members from both kayaking clubs attended. For several months after that, it was hard to find a canoe at the club - everyone wanted to try canoeing! We actually acquired a second solo canoe to meet the increased demand.

This trip is a tradition at Never Dry - I think it's something like a rite of passage. I however, didn't actually paddle on this trip (too far, and too much wind for me). But I did camp! I drove along and met the motivated paddlers at each campground. Over 3 days, they paddled 130 km from the Dutch-German border to the club in Rotterdam.  The first day was the most intense: 50+ km with a strong (I think BFT 6?) headwind. The second day was much less windy, but also roughly 50 km. The last day was shorter (~30km), and brought the paddlers into Rotterdam city center, and eventually back to the club.

For me, on the other hand, the intensity of my days increased! On day 1, I was reading my book in the car, parked at scenic locations between the campgrounds and buying plants at local nurseries. On day 2, I had a second passenger in the car with me (his hand/wrists were really swollen). On day 3, I had two passengers in the car! I guess it's good I was available as chauffeur. ;)
 
There's a slightly different assortment of photos on the club website.

This was one of two trips I lead in 2019. I had always wanted to paddle Veerse Meer. It's long and narrow and comparable in size to some of the smaller Finger Lakes (Canandaigua/Hemlock) in New York, where I started my kayaking "career". 

We didn't circumnavigate the whole lake, but we covered a good part of it. We visited Veere - a cute historic city on the south shore of the lake. The docks were crowded when we arrived; there was an outdoor festival going on. It was fun to explore the lively town and eat some ice cream. Of course I remember the ice cream, and not much else. We also saw a roaming group of horses!

At the end of the summer, the club booked an outdoor pool for a practice session. We did wet exits, assisted and solo rescues, and some rolling. It was fun! I think it was my first time doing a pool session outside.

This one is a stretch, but it's too good not to share... In November 2019, Henk and I flew to Texas. I was a bridesmaid in my friend Toni's wedding in San Antonio (that typical American experience could be an entire post of it's own!). While looking at the map for potential outdoor adventures to combine with the wedding, I noticed that San Antonio was the nearest big city to Big Bend National Park (still a 4+ hour drive). Ever since my freshman year roommate had gone backpacking in Big Bend, I'd been curious about it. I asked my paddling friend Jeff if he wanted to join us - he's usually up for a good adventure. He agreed, and we looked for opportunities to paddle down the Rio Grande. Unfortunately, we were not able to figure it out in time... Instead we camped and hiked all over the park. We DID, however, manage to sit in a boat, to cross the Rio Grande into Mexico at the Boquillas border crossing. SO COOL. You can only cross on foot (by row boat), and it brings you to this incredibly remote Mexican town which sells souvenirs to day visitors. 

I've been taking Fridays off this year, to make up for the lack of longer vacations, and to test my affinity for part time work (hint: amazing). I used several Fridays to go paddling. A few times on the lake, and a few times on the Rotte River. See photos. There's also a screenshot from a "Cold water paddling webinar" organized by Susanne, Claudia, and Debby - three awesome paddlers who joined the club this year :) 

When Covid-19 was relatively under control in July/August, we organized a few beginner trips. Long-time member Jan, who is also a member of the Gouda kayak club, took us on a tour of the Reeuwijkse Plassen, a bunch of lakes near the city of Gouda. It was a fun route, taking us over choppy open water, through narrow canals, and around/between small islands. Mike even convinced me to practice rolling after lunch. Brrrrr. 

I finally managed to join one of Harm's multi-day Maas paddling trips, which he organizes every year. It was a fun and low-key trip, with a basecamp at a waterside campground and two long day paddles - one on the Maas (big river) and one on the Niers (a small tributary). It was a new route, and we encountered and overcame several "obstacles" along the way :) Mike wrote a full trip report for the club website (including more pictures).

Sensing lots of new member enthusiasm, Marianne organized a late summer sunset paddle to the city center. A big group of paddlers, many of whom had never paddled in the city center before, departed the club on a Wednesday evening. The paddle to the center was beautiful - the sun slowly setting, highlighting the buildings and cozy lights inside. Feeling festive, I brought my purple kayak lights and dangled them across my boat (These were gifted to me by Doug when we "attended" a San Francisco Giants game back in 2014 - they still work great! That's the main reason I bought another purple kayak on this side of the ocean...)

The paddle back was, on the other hand, an adventure! It started raining shortly after turning back, and the downpour didn't really stop until we reached the club. The group split in two, with some people's paddling speed doubling at the onset of rain. Luckily we managed to find each other again under a bridge.

It was a twinkly and memorable paddle!

Marianne organized yet another well-attended beginner trip in September! We visited the nearby Vlaardingse Vlietlanden. I hadn't been there before, so it was fun to paddle in a new location. We launched from kayak club NatSec - I always enjoy checking out other club's accommodations - this one was pretty ideal! Read Marieke's trip report here.

This fall, I organized another beginner trip on the Rotte (trip report for 2018 paddle). It was a fun and enthusiastic group :) Half of us made it to the café, and the other half turned back a bit earlier. It's always nice to eat a hot cup of soup half way through a somewhat chilly paddle! 

Susanne initiated a sunrise paddle last month - the first I can recall since joining the club. While I would normally complain about the late sunrise times during Dutch winter, it does provide one benefit - getting to watch the sunrise from a boat without having to get up too early. Though the sky became cloudy later in the day, we were welcomed with a clear sky and scenic sunrise. I shared a canoe with Merel :). Let's do it again!

There's one more highlight that hasn't been captured in photos (yet). This fall I tried racing-style kayaks for the first time (other than that one time I sat in a K4 with Emily Wright and two of her teammates at Bay Creek Paddling Center). Given the ongoing collaboration with our neighbor club, and that several of the new members at Never Dry were also giving it a try, I thought this might be a good year to put my butt in a racing kayak. Alexandra, instructor at RCC, has been offering different types of kayaking courses on Sunday mornings to members of both clubs. Every other Sunday she teaches a racing course, which includes paddlers with some racing experience, and experienced-but-new-to-racing-paddlers (like me). I signed up for one of the courses, and in the mean time, Iede offered to give me and Susanne a quick introduction, so we would at least know which boats and paddles to grab, and how to not embarrass ourselves. He showed us several of the Never Dry club kayaks that are suited to new-to-racing paddlers, and we went for a paddle on the lake. It went well! I also tried paddling his super-tippy racing boat, and flipped after several minutes of spastic bracing ;) The water was cold...

A couple weeks later I attended my first racing course, and it was really fun! It was refreshing to be the student and go back to the basics of the forward stroke, and focus on using my legs for paddling. As a sea kayaker it definitely felt weird to paddle without thigh braces and with knees in the air. I used all kinds of muscles that don't seem to have been used in a long time... I now understand where the "boat pose" comes from in yoga/pilates - ouch! 

Unfortunately all the courses have been stopped until at least February, due to the new Covid-19 measures. Hopefully once the Netherlands manages to get the pandemic under control again, we can keep learning and playing outside in tippy boats! 

I have two more blog posts in the works, which will share a couple more paddling adventures from the last couple years. Stay tuned :)

​When I first (naively?!) became secretary of Never Dry paddling club in 2018, I had one goal in mind. I wanted to bring a bit more diversity to the club and grow the number of young members. This was (and remains) a very personal goal for me. In my experience, kayaking tends to be a pretty older-white-male-dominated sport. That's not a problem in itself - I've made lots of great paddling friendships in these communities!! But I also wanted the club to be a place where I could also form friendships which would have the potential to more easily extend into other parts of my life. Since moving to the Netherlands in 2014, it had been harder to find outdoorsy/adventure-seeking friends, compared to my experience California. And looking more broadly - the club doesn't really reflect the diverse and dynamic population of Rotterdam, which is one of the things that I really love about this city. 

After thinking about it for a few weeks, I walked up to the then-president and said "I want to be secretary!" and he said "Awesome!" and seemed very relieved, since the position had been vacant for several months. 

And so it began. When I started in early 2018, the club leadership wasn't very active, so we didn't have regular meetings. Over the first few months I focused on the administrative/secretarial side of things:

• Cleaning up the membership lists, which had been a bit neglected
• Setting up a Google Drive for club documents, as I was somehow never able to get access to the previous club DropBox
• Setting up an email list-serve (via Google Groups) - previous communication had been using BCC for nearly 100 people, which regularly led to accidentally putting people in CC, forgetting people, and emailing people who were no longer members... 
• Automating the emails that remind members to clean the club house when it's their turn
• Setting up the framework for a monthly newsletter, and gathering/generating content
• Getting access to the club website/Facebook, and starting to post more content

Once that was done, I turned my attention to my main goal: improving the new member experience and retention rate. I started by setting up a more standardized introduction process, with the help of Iede, the club's main kayaking instructor. I also wrote about it at the time in this post. I won't go into the details here, but these are the main components:

• Teach the intro course in small groups, rather than individually. This was previously done in a very ad-hoc way - potential members would show up on club evening and get instruction, often alone. While the technical instruction was good, participants didn't always feel like they were "part of the club" at the end. 
• Communicate regularly throughout the introduction, to explain the introduction steps, and how to become a member (I think we often forgot to follow up with people who finished the intro class, to explain how to become a member!).
• Set up small WhatsApp groups for each intro class, and a general New Member group where new members can feel free to ask beginner questions, and instructors can share paddling information.
• Offer plenty of beginner-friendly activities, especially towards the end of the summer
• Ensure new members meet many other members during the introduction process, by having different volunteers host them for the test paddle, teach the introduction to kayaking course, and guide beginner trips. 

​And our efforts are working! I recently analyzed the past 10 years of club membership. At the end of this year we had 99 members, the most the club has ever had. This is up from a low of 78 in 2016. Part of the growth in 2020 is definitely due to COVID-19, with people exploring local alternatives for their hobbies, but I hope this fun group of new members will stick around for a while :). While the average age grew by approximately 1 year per year between 2010 and 2016 (from 45 to 52), the average age has stabilized at 50 over the last 4 years. That means that we now have just enough incoming younger members to offset general aging of the club (we still have work to do here - three new 7-year-old members probably helped these numbers!). Finally, and the thing I'm most excited about: women now make up 45% of the club, up from the recent low of 30% in 2017. 

Over the past two years, several active and enthusiastic club members joined the club board, and it's been incredibly motivating to see what we can achieve as a team. We have really complimentary skills, everyone is responsive and reliable (does what they say they are going to do), and we're constantly generating and acting on new ideas together. As two women and two men, over a range of ages, and of international/Dutch backgrounds, I think we adequately represent a large part of the interests in our club. We meet regularly and are in almost daily contact through a WhatsApp group, which we use to quickly address issues and questions as they come up. It's really energizing! 

​The biggest project we've been working on is to develop a closer connection to the kayak club next door (literally), Rotterdamse Cano Club (RCC). I only know a bit of the history of the two clubs from some of the long-term members. Without going into detail, the often-cited (and simplified) explanation is that one group of members wanted to focus on racing, and the other group wanted to focus on touring. There are all sorts of stereotypes floating around about who the typical member is of each club. As is the case with many new members, I didn't understand why there were two clubs next to each other. I had previously been a member of three other kayak "clubs" (in the Hague, in San Francisco, and in Rochester NY), where both types of paddlers were part of the same club (though, interestingly, the us v.s them/racing vs. sea kayak mentality also existed a bit in Rochester...). 

The funny thing is that while the generalizations about the two clubs may be valid on average, there are plenty of members in both clubs whose interests span the full spectrum of paddling styles. Plenty of other clubs in the Netherlands encompass all types of paddling (and more, like whitewater, polo, surfing...), so why can't we? 

Since ~2015, when it started to become clear that our clubhouse would require major renovations to address issues with a rotting floor, an idea started drifting around. Why not rebuild the club house together with the neighbors? This idea was floated by a group of (non-member) architect students who were given the assignment to design a new clubhouse. They didn't understand why there were two tiny clubhouses sharing a wall, both of which have changing rooms, kitchens/bars, and a lack of boat storage space. They came up with a beautiful design for a combined future clubhouse, with more boat storage, a canteen near the water, and a big shared open space for paddling activities in the yard. Over two(?) semesters, groups of students continued developing the designs, with occasional input from our club. At the end of the process, around 2017, the club decided to propose the joint construction plan to the neighbors. However, this was more or less a complete surprise to them, and felt like it was coming out of nowhere. They had only recently renovated their showers/changing rooms and did not feel the same urgent need to rebuild their cozy clubhouse. I'm missing a lot of the details and nuance in this history, but I think that captures the general storyline.

Instead, it was decided that the two clubs would spend some time and effort getting to know each other better. It was often referred to as "dating" before "moving in together" or "getting married". ​We would reassess the cooperation at the end of the year. 
​
​​That's roughly when I decided to take on the (3-months vacant) secretary role. I volunteered to put together a survey that was sent to members of both clubs, where members could indicate which types of joint activities they would be interested in attending/organizing. We (RCC+ND) used the results to put together a year-long (2019) schedule of joint activities, roughly once month. The clubs organized several fun and well-attended workshops (separately and together), focused on understanding each club's identity and identifying opportunities to grow closer.

Over the next year (2019) the two clubs did lots of activities together!

• A New Years polar bear plunge in the frigid lake
• Three pool sessions (though these were mainly attended by Never Dry members)
• A big Spring Cleaning event, which was well attended by both clubs
• Hosted an Open Day for paddling in Rotterdam
• Learned the basics of canoeing during a popular jointly-taught introduction to canoeing course
• A few Never Dry members paddled in the RCC evening marathon
• Trained for and came in second in the Rotterdam Dragon Boat Race!
• Did weekly winter fitness training together

In each of these activities, individual Never Dry members were meeting individual RCC members - putting names to faces and having fun on (or off) the water together. Though not all members participated in one or more of the events, it was still a success in creating familiarity and connections between the two clubs.

​In early 2019, Iede and I had also met with an employee of Rotterdam Sport Support, which is an organization that helps sport clubs improve their long term sustainability, by providing help related to financing, club mergers, attracting new members, and more. That turned out to be the start of a cooperation that continues today.

During the general member meeting in 2020, which was held outside at 1,5 m distance, during a deluge (see photos), Never Dry members voted to continue pursuing closer collaboration with our neighbors. RCC members voted the same during their annual meeting. We also voted to add a fourth person to the Never Dry board, who would be dedicated to this collaboration. This kicked off a series of (mostly digital) meetings between the boards of both clubs. Rotterdam Sportsupport has hosted most of the meetings and guides the discussions to make them as productive as possible. Each meeting investigates different aspects of collaboration, and before each meeting we have homework to do. For example: Q: What are the different sub-cultures in your club? A: It turns out that we have a long list of sub-cultures, counter to the stereotype that the two clubs each have "one" culture! We also learned about the benefits and challenges that would come with a merger, and also about the legal technicalities of what actually has to happen to merge two clubs. ​

It was really interesting to see how the tone of these meetings evolved over time. This felt almost unbelievable, given that I didn't even know who was on the RCC board for the first 2 years of being secretary(!). Though I did not attend all the meetings (I didn't play a large role in these conversations), I saw that the two boards were coming to a consensus and a common goal: we want to ensure the long-term sustainability of the paddling community in Rotterdam. It became increasingly clear that this goal would be much easier to achieve as one club (THE paddling club of Rotterdam). Why?

• Many duplicate roles (e.g. board members, various committees) would no longer be needed, freeing up many motivated volunteers to pick up new types of tasks and opportunities.
• All members would have more options in terms of paddling styles, club equipment, and paddling buddies.
• Even when both clubs are combined, we would remain a relatively small club (<200 members), so we don't think the "small club feeling" would be lost.

However, at the end of the day, it doesn't matter what the boards think! The members decide with their votes at the club meetings. But before we can vote, there are so many things we need to investigate about what a potential merger might look like. We're defining various joint working groups (like communication, instruction, and finances) who will spend the coming months investigating these topics. The first working groups have already gotten started. I'm part of the communication and instruction teams. We're about to publish our first joint newsletter; from now on members of both clubs will be invited to/aware of all activities. The instruction team is putting together a joint instruction calendar for next year. We also co-developed an updated Introduction to Kayaking course, and we plan to introduce all new members to both clubs. Other working groups are busy looking into financial implications of a merger, and whether members can become a member of both "kayak unions" in the NL (I won't go into that now, but it also has a long and complicated history! Maybe something for a future blog post, once I understand it better...). 

Over the past two months we (the two boards) have shifted gears to start sharing our enthusiasm for this future vision with more of the members. Some questions started coming in, and we realized we have not been doing the best job of keeping members informed. Given the Covid-19 situation, we decided to organize a series of small online meetings to catch-up with the members. Last week we finished the last of the four sessions. So far, roughly a quarter of Never Dry members (~25) are now fully up-to-date. And, the vast majority of them are also excited about our proposed plan! We got a lot of good feedback about things to keep in mind, and suggestions for additional ways to continue improving the collaboration.

We haven't only been talking in 2020, though. We've also done several activities together (even with limits related to Covid-19 safety), such as a very well attended New Member Evening, several intermediate kayaking courses, and online fitness trainings. 

All of this is thanks to an awesome group of volunteers who put soooo many hours (mostly behind screens this year) to making this move forward. 

In the midst of all this, especially in 2019, I almost entirely stopped paddling. Our new apartment was a bit further from the club, so "dropping by" became at least a 1-hour activity. I was low on energy because of renovation work. I was going to the club so often for non-paddling reasons, that going there started to feel like work. There was an intense period in the spring, when a LOT had to be organized for the influx of potential members who were looking for a new Covid-19-friendly hobby, and when work was particularly busy.

Luckily it feels like Covid-19 has also helped. This spring, Henk and I suddenly had a lot more time and made a lot of progress on renovations - we're now at a point that our apartment feels cozy and comfortable.  ​A lot of the club-related meetings went online, which made going to the club feel more exciting/fun, because it was for paddling instead of meetings. I asked if we could have less evening meetings (I wasn't sleeping well with running through my head after our late-night meetings), and the rest of the board agreed to this :). And most importantly, many enthusiastic and active new members joined the club, and it's been really fun to paddle with and get to know them!

All this to say: being club secretary has its ups and downs. There have been plenty of times I've been close to stepping down, so I could focus more on my own paddling, friends, and this page. At some point I will, but for now I've committed to being in this role for 1 more year, and I'm going to give it all I've got :) 

I did go paddling occasionally, though! In the next post I'll share a few paddling highlights from the past two years. It's unlikely these will ever make it into formalized "trip reports" on this site, but I don't want to forget them, and I want to share some pretty kayaking pictures. Coming soon... hopefully!

On April 7th, 2019, the first kayakers of 2019 set foot on the Marker Wadden islands. The islands are nestled in the northeast corner of Markermeer, a large manmade lake east of Amsterdam. 

The Markermeer was born in 1976 when a larger lake (Ijsselmeer, also manmade) was divided by a long east-west dike. The plan was to drain the lake and create more agricultural land, to feed the rapidly growing Dutch population. By the time the dike was completed in 1976, twenty years had passed, and politics and public opinions were evolving. Though the population was still growing rapidly, concerns about food supply were alleviated thanks to increased international trade and more efficient agricultural techniques. The Markermeer was becoming popular with bird populations and water sports enthusiasts. Moreover, the project could not be justified from a financial perspective. The plan to drain the lake was dead.

The Markermeer remains today but is not without problems. Given its limited connectivity to other rivers and lakes, it suffers from poor water quality. In 2012, Natuurmonumenten (a Dutch organization that buys, protects and manages nature reserves in the Netherlands, not unlike The Nature Conservancy), proposed developing a nature reserve in the lake, and the idea for the Marker Wadden islands was born. The goal was to build an archipelago of five new islands. The islands would provide unique habitats for fish, birds, and other wildlife, generate recreational opportunities, and improve water quality.

​Construction of the Marker Wadden began in 2016 and continues today. In September 2018, the first of the islands was opened to the public. It is only accessible by boat, and the first ferries will run on April 20th this year! Here's the most recent time lapse video I could find of the islands, which stops in 2017. I'll update when I find a more recent one! Even the Google Maps image is quite old...

It's a unique experience to visit a place as "remote" as the Marker Wadden in the densely developed Netherlands. Without easy public access, you (currently) need your own boat to reach the islands. Luckily, as kayakers, we are equipped with small sea-going vessels perfectly suited to the 10 km paddle from the mainland! 

On Sunday, April 7th, 2019, nine Never Dry kayakers (Nena, Henk, Berend, Iede, Elsbeth, Mike, Eric, Marianne, and Erik) convened in Bataviahaven in the city of Lelystad. It was easy to access the boat launch. We drove our cars close to the put-in and unloaded the boats, before parking in a nearby garage. The adjacent shopping center opens at 10am, so the harbor was quiet.

It was an unusually beautiful day, with warm temperatures (20C) and light winds from the northeast. We paddled out of Bataviahaven and made our way up the coast. The first stretch was noisy and unpleasant. A highway runs along the top of a rocky dike next to the lake. A few kilometers later, we spotted the buoy line surrounding the islands and began the 3 km crossing. 

As we approached the island, we noticed a few large ships, barges, and platforms stationed along the shore. Construction is still in progress on the east end of the islands. 

​The buoys were topped with red and white markers, prohibiting us from paddling closer to the islands. We followed the buoys to the harbor, as the sunny sandy beaches beckoned to us from across the no trespassing zone.

We passed ~11 buoys before arriving at the small harbor entrance. Some sparse sailboat masts protruded from behind the breakwater. Past the sailboats, we found a small beach and ramp for smaller boats (none of this is visible on Google Maps yet). We landed our boats and took our first steps on the new island, which we later learned were the first kayaker steps of 2019! 

An ongoing theme of the trip was the "Blue Water App," a mobile app allowing visitors to pay the small visitor fee (6 euros). Plenty of debate ensued about how to use this app as a kayaker. We never figured it out. This was not for lack of trying! Instead, we arrived armed with old fashioned cash to bribe rangers, if needed. Contrary to expectations, we met two extremely friendly rangers who promptly pulled handed us a small debit card machine. This should not have been a surprise, given that the Netherlands hates cash.

A loud generator was running near the boat ramp. It provided power to a small temporary shelter containing an office, sleeping quarters, and a composting toilet. Two park rangers are always present on the island, working in 1-week shifts. The rangers had arrived recently and were very excited about their new jobs. Their enthusiasm was contagious!

The first order of business was, naturally, lunch. We hunkered down behind the shelter, protected from the wind but basked in the sun. 

During our walk, it was apparent that the islands are still at a very early stage of development. There were pumps, construction vehicles, generators, and poor drainages at various locations along the trail. Vegetation was sparse, but clearly growing and spreading. We spotted a number of birds, some of which, according to Marianne, are rare! I am curious how it will look in a few years, once construction is complete and nature has more fully moved in. A small campground will open on the island later this summer. Never Dry will return next year to see how things have developed!

The Marker Wadden islands are a perfect example of highly engineered Dutch nature. It's a step in the right direction to address the destruction of the natural estuary in the early 20th century. It's clear that the islands will become a valuable asset for both nature and recreation. It would never exist without human interference and will require ongoing maintenance in the future. But the birds, insects, fish, sailors, park rangers, dredging companies, and kayakers seem to be happy!

The paddle back was smooth. We followed a similar route but made a more diagonal crossing back to Lelystad to avoid the highway. Back in Bataviahaven, we tested the boat ramp. This was also an easy spot to get in and out of our boats, but we had to carry our boats a bit further to reach the cars. 

We quickly loaded up the boats, and then realized that we could not return to Rotterdam until after 7pm. The annual Rotterdam Marathon had closed the access road to the club. What to do? Erik swiftly appeared with a few cans of beer and snacks, which we shared and enjoyed before driving home. At the club, a small group of us ate delicious Indonesian take-out at the picnic table by the water. The sun was still shining and the air was warm at 7:30 pm. Amazing! 

Date: Sunday, April 7th, 2019
Distance: ~20km
Duration: 10:30 - 16:00, including a lunch and walk break on the island
Weather: 20C, moderate wind from the northeast

​It's late november, but the sun still seems to come out every weekend. 2018 has been a gorgeous year, and it doesn't seem ready to give way to winter yet. Yes, the nights are getting colder, but as long as it's not raining, you'll still find me on the water, with a few extra layers!

​This weekend, a group of intrepid paddlers headed out for a local paddle on the Kralingse Plas (lake in Rotterdam). Fiona inspired Marieke to go for a paddle, and Bonnie inspired Nena. And Iede is always self-inspired! 

Bonnie, a friend from California who joined me in the Hague and Utrecht a couple years ago, is back in Delft for a month. Apparently, she was not scared away by the torrential rain we endured in Utrecht, and was ready for another adventure. After brunch at Man Met Bril Cafe, we stopped by my apartment to grab piles of non-cotton fuzzy or waterproof layers before heading to the club. It was a crisp fall/winter day, and our bare fingers did not enjoy the bike ride. 

Marieke, Fiona, and Iede were already at the club when we arrived. Fiona is a friend of Marieke's who is visiting from Melbourne for work and is training for a kayaking race back home. We layered and layered, with Fiona setting the record at 4 layers on her legs. Armored with our wool hats, mittens, and spray/dry-tops, we launched into the breezier-than-expected lake. Getting my sprayskirt on with cold fingers was more of a struggle than usual. It's really time for me to get a different sprayskirt which better fits my boat... 

Have I mentioned that I'm really missing my old boat lately? I've really been craving a chance to paddle the same model (Valley Avocet RM) again, to see how it compares to my new boat. I haven't had the opportunity to make a direct comparison, since there was a 2-year break between the two boats. There's a lady at my club who has the same boat and doesn't seem to use it, but I've never met her. Maybe  I should email her...

​​We paddled around the lake twice - the first time with all 5 of us, and the second time with Bonnie, Iede, and myself. The slanted winter sun lit up the north side of the lake, highlighting a few remaining yellow trees. ​Iede surprised us by practicing 3 rolls before getting out of the boats. His onside roll was looking great! Nice and smooth. Someone's been practicing :) 

Back in the warm clubhouse, we ran into Anaïs (Never Dry member) and Wiebke (mutual friend), who came for a run around the lake. We sipped on tea and had a good chat before parting ways. It was a satisfying glimpse of the role I hope the club will play more and more in my life: a warm space for spontaneous meetings of friends with a common appreciation for spending time outside. 

Back in October 2016, after two years living in the Netherlands and Belgium, I made my first trip back to the US. My first stop was San Francisco, to visit friends and colleagues and my favorite sites around SF Bay and the open coast. Some of my favorite California kayaking buddies and I spent an afternoon on the water in Sausalito. Two years have passed since this trip, so this post will be more photos than words... 

We met at the (then) new Seatrek kayak rental location. We all rented some nice sea kayaks (except Alice, who had her own boat). They even let me rent a purple Avocet! The same as Big Purple. It had previously been located a bit further down the coast, but was now adjacent to the Bay Model. We paddled up the coast, exploring the always-quirky houseboats along the way. We crossed the bay to reach a small beach that is accessible at low tide, and ate our lunch. 

On the way back, we passed by Dunphy Park, where Doug and Kathi were planning to get married the following spring! (Fast forward: they're now married! Unfortunately I didn't get to go back to California for the wedding, since I'd just been there a couple months earlier). 

It was a gorgeous sunny day on the water, and fun to reconnect with old kayaking buddies. I hope I get to visit and paddle in the Bay again soon! 

The next day(?) I met up with Dan, a friend from my summer in New Hampshire, and we went surfing for a few hours in Pacifica. I really just wanted an excuse to share this non-kayaking-but-still-water-related photo with you, in which I look way more badass than I am:

And a few other nice photos of my visit to California... 

After that, I headed north to Seattle, where I met up with Henk and Sara for some other hiking and kayaking adventures in the Enchantments and Vancouver (Vancouver #1, Vancouver #2).

Date: Saturday, September 25th, 2016
Distance: 4 miles (6.5 km)
Duration: ~3 hours?
Weather: Hot and sunny

Today we have a guest post by friend and fellow Never Dry member, Nathalie! She writes about a beginner day trip on the Rotte River that I (Nena) organized for new members of the club. Edited and commented by Nena, with comment in brackets [].

Today I went on my first official kayak tour with Never Dry!! Destination: Café Oud Verlaat along the Rotte River. [Nathalie and I were joined by Marieke, Francisco, Berend, Kim, Anais, Anton, and Iede, a very energetic, happy, and enthusiastic group!]

The day began with a lot of rain and even some thunder, which made me unsure of whether we would make it to our destination (easily). I rode my bike to the club, arriving damp but excited to paddle and ready to prepare for the trip.

Trip preparation includes: 

• the scary ladder to reach your life jacket, [we really need to fix this system…]
• some hesitation about what to pack or what to wear, [layers, extra clothes, fuzzy hat!]
• finding a good boat, paddle and a fitting sprayskirt [always a challenge at Never Dry],
• adjusting your footpegs, 
• putting all the gear in drybags and 
• squeezing everything (including yourself hahaha) into your kayak. 

Actually getting into and out of your kayak, without capsizing, requires some experience. But I am proud to tell you I am already improving a lot on this skill!

Our first challenge was to pass the lock between the Kralingseplas and the canal that leads to the Rotte River. [I like that she calls this a “challenge,” as the real challenge is to portage the boats over the lock, if it’s not in operation… we got lucky, because the lock stops operating after November 1st!] We needed to rise two meters upwards! Nena told us we should not be too close to the lock doors (very valuable advice to prevent a dangerous situation). However, she also gave me some slightly less valuable advice to hold onto the wall… I can tell you: these walls are totally covered with algae and mud, so there is no chance to hold hold, but a lot of chance to become really dirty. [fair enough…} Luckily there is plenty of water available to rinse your hands.

After the lock, we could really start our tour! For me, everything looks totally different from the water. As soon as I am in my boat, it does not feel like I am so close to a city at all. [So, so true!] In the end the weather was great and sunny, so we really got lucky!

​I was chatting so much that I sometimes forgot to look around. However, I got some really useful kayaking tips from Berend! I still have a lot of room to improve. My first point of attention will be to move more with my upper body (making a D with your paddle and arms [as opposed to?]). Soon I was so focused on my technique that I started bumping into everything… ;).  

​A big highlight was a beautiful house across the Rotte with number --- [Backstory: Henk and I put an offer on this house on Thursday! We will know some time next week if we get it…. Removing the actual number in case I actually end up buying the house!]. Can you image what it would be like to live along the Rotte River?! You can kayak as soon as you wake up!  And you can sit on your roof terrace and enjoy the view all entire day. 

After lunch I put some snacks in my life jacket (I learned it is not so easy to get them while paddling ;)) and I was ready to go! The way back actually went even quicker. Before I realized we had eaten the snacks, passed the other café, the two windmills, the beautiful house, we were back at the lock. I borrowed the straight and light paddle from Iede, which was weird and nice at the same time. Suddenly you don’t have to turn your paddle anymore, which is quite a challenge for your brain…

​After we cleaned and put away our gear at the club, I was really satisfied. I secretly hope this was not my last tour this year ;).
​​
[It’s fun to hear about a trip from another person’s perspective! I have a few things to add. First of all, everyone kicked ass today. We stayed together as a group and kept a pretty consistent pace over the course of the day, even though it was the longest distance that many had paddled before. Well, except that one time that I turned around and realized four paddlers were rafted up and eating chocolate. But I love a good raft-up (and chocolate), so my drive to keep paddling quickly waned. There was plenty of laughing and shouting (cough-Anais-cough) and smiling.]

Date: Saturday, October 27th 2018
Duration: 5 hours (with a 1-hr cafe break)
Distance: 18 km (11 miles)
Weather: Initially cloudy/just after the rain and 7C, followed by shining sun and pretty clouds and a bit warmer. No wind. 

Last May, Anais and Anton invited us to join them an a couple Canadian friends on a canoeing day trip and BBQ in the Biesbosch. Fully aware of the culinary abilities of A&A, we enthusiastically said Yes! 

We rented canoes from Jachthaven van Oversteeg, where we had also rented kayaks in the past. This time we did a slightly different route, to the Biesbosch Museum and back. 

We paddled for a little while, looking for the ideal lunch BBQ spot. It was really hot and sunny, so shade was a requirement. Anton fired up the grill and Anais made a salad. We ate lots of good food. I don't remember all the details...

When Anais goes canoeing, she goes all out. Hence the BBQ, sofa, and large barrels full of delicious food and gear. We wanted for nothing!

After lunch we made a quick stop at the Biesbosch Museum, where we had a drink and were too cheap to pay the entrance fee... 

At some point in the day we passed a herd of cows chilling by the water's edge. We also saw to backpackers cowering off to the side, looking forlornly at the trail ahead, which wound its way directly through the cows. Suddenly, we had a mission! We paddled up to them and offered to give each of them a ride - one backpacker in Henk and my canoe and one backpacker in Anais/Anton's canoe. They were very grateful, and we were very amused/feeling useful. 

Date: Sunday, May 6th, 2018
Distance: 12.5 km
Duration: ?? 4 hours? The majority of which was BBQ time...
Weather: ​Warm and sunny!

This weekend was abnormally warm for October. Actually, record-breakingly warm. A few of us decided to spend it on the water! Tom, Berend, and I spent Sunday exploring a new (to me) part of Haringvliet, a former estuary-turned-lake just south of Rotterdam. 

This weekend was also record breaking for the kayaking club, with 3 trips headed out on the same day! Some folks went on an overnight camping trip in the Biesbosch and some others to Kinderdijk. Tom, Berend, and I were craving some bigger water, especially with winter approaching. We settled on Haringvliet, since it's only a short drive from Rotterdam. 

Haringvliet is a former estuary-turned-freshwater-lake, which was dammed from the sea between 1956 and 1970 in response to the devastating floods in 1953. I write a bit about this, as well as some related restoration efforts, in my previous post about circumnavigating the island of Tiengemeten, further south in the lake. I also visited the locks when I first moved to the Netherlands, and describe them briefly in this blog post. 

​We departed the club house in Rotterdam at ~9:15 to drive to the launch site in Hellevoetsluis. There is a small beach just west of the canal which enters the town from Haringvliet. It was a new launch site for all of us, so we were pleased to find a very accessible beach, with adjacent free parking and a paved walkway to the water. Easy peasy! Behind the road was the moat which surrounds the traditional star-shaped city (zoom in on map below). This moat was lined with undulating green bunkers, built (or maybe just expanded?) by the Germans during WW2. You can see the bunkers in the photo above, as well as the quintessential windmill and church. 

We quickly unloaded the boats and launched from the little beach into calm water blue water.

We paddled across Haringvliet with our noses in the wind, towards the west end of Slijkplaat.  Slijkplaat is a low-lying island designated as a bird foraging/breeding area. It is managed by Staatsbosbeheer (I guess the Forestry/Conservation Service of the Netherlands?) and access is prohibited. In an otherwise heavily developed/impacted area, it's one of the few areas where birds and other wildlife go undisturbed. As we approached the island, we stuck to the buoy line encircling it, keeping our distance. As a paddler there's not really so much to see, as the island is held in place by unappealing rocky offshore breakwaters. But I did find some nice photos of wildlife/vegetation online :)

After reaching the island, we turned more east, towards Middelharnis. Now that we no longer had a direct headwind, Berend could hoist his sail and catch some wind. Tom and I stuck to the old fashioned method and slowly chugged along! There were many sailboats out and about, so we had to stay alert and out of their way. 

After a couple hours, we approached Middelharnis. We crossed the narrow channel linking the town to the lake and opted to stop at a small beach just east of the harbor entry. It was a small beach with wind turbines in the background (see first photo). We sat in the grass and had lunch and chatted for a relaxing hour or so. Tom gave me lots of helpful tips/info about being secretary of the kayaking club, since he used to be the voorzitter/president. We all discussed our latest favorite Netflix shows. 

We didn't get any good photos of the paddle back, probably because it was quite windy (bft 5) and we were trying to surf the waves. The wind came from the southeast and increased during the day, giving us quite an advantage on the paddle back. We focused on tracking straight in the following/quartering seas (always a challenge), and I stubbornly held out as long as I could without my skeg. Berend flew ahead with his sail (still need to find out how fast he was going, according to his tracker!). There were some decent sized waves, and I managed to catch a few of them. It was fun! Berend strapped a GoPro to his stern on the paddle back, so I'm looking forward to seeing some of that footage. Maybe he'll even let me post some snippets here on the blog :) 

I was definitely sore on Monday... Next weekend (and possibly the following weekend as well), we're planning another "big water" trip. Stay tuned! 

Date: Sunday, October 14, 2018
Distance: 18 km, 11 miles (very approx)
Duration: 5 hours (including a 1 hr break on the beach)
Weather: Warm and sunny!  23C, 4 bft in the morning, 5 bft in the afternoon

The goal was to write an average of two posts per month. It's early October now, so I should have 2*9+1 = ~19 posts. As of this post, I'm at 24! So I've already met my goal for the year, and expect to exceed it by at least a few posts. 

Verdict: Complete!

Obviously meeting Goal #1 requires, to a certain extent, Goal #2. However, let's look at the data. I wanted to paddle in 10 new locations, and a total of 350 km. Here are the new locations:
​

1. Bay of Islands, New Zealand (15 km)
2. Kenepuru Sound, New Zealand (40 km)
3. Fiordland National Park, New Zealand (21 km)
4. Rotterdam Centrum, Netherlands (10 km)
5. Stellendam, North Sea, Netherlands (20 km)
6. Ijssel River, Netherlands (45 km)
7. Ionian Islands, Greece (58 km)
8. Linschoten, Netherlands (18 km)
9. Ameland, Wadden Sea, Netherlands (22 km) including a new lake in Friesland - does that count for 2?
10. Lake Geneva, Switzerland (5 km)

Additional distance covered in non-new locations:  20+ ~8 km + 10 km + 4*8? = ~70 km

Total distance so far: ~324 km (probably a bit more). I think I will manage to paddle in ~2 additional new locations this year, and the distance goal should not be an issue given trips that are already on the calendar!

Verdict: On track! / basically complete

I wanted to paddle in two different locations on the open coast in the Netherlands. Success! Went for some fun trips on the North Sea (again in a few weeks) and on the Wadden Sea. 

Verdict: Complete!

At the time of the goals blog post (which I wrote in the US), I had presumptively written that I'd brought my Greenland paddles with me to the Netherlands. However, that did not actually happen, so this goal quickly hit a wall. I've been thinking about giving up on bringing my paddles over from the US (big hassle), and instead making my own here. That's something I've always wanted to do, and I have a few friends who I can rely on for email-based paddle-making advice (Ben & Mike!). Let's see how that evolves over the rest of the year... I really miss Greenland paddling and rolling, and I would get back a big part of my kayaking identity by bringing it back into my practice. 

Verdict: No progress, but hopeful

This was my main goal for the year, and I'm proud to say that it's the one I've made the most progress on. It's certainly nowhere near "complete," but some concrete steps have been taking!
Some specific updates:

• I joined many group trips this summer, including a couple overnight trips. It was a blast! In my experience, this is the best way to get to know fellow club members well.
• I volunteered to be the new secretary of the club. There was a vacancy, and I saw a chance to use some of my skills/hobbies (writing/organizing) at the same time as chiseling a spot for myself in the club. This has immediately led to me getting to know many other members. Somehow, once you get an official label like "secretary," people spontaneously strike up conversations with you at the club, and don't inadvertently treat you as a newbie.  As an introvert, that's been a really nice development!
• I taught an introduction to kayaking course, getting to know 3 new members quite well.
• Getting know know members of RCC, the club next door. 
• Partly because of my new role as secretary, I've been diligent about attending pretty much all club meetings (brainstorms), where I've learned a lot more about the inner workings of the club.

Verdict: Going well, can always improve!

​Hmmmm how do you define a "few"? I would say 3. SO far this year, I've written one new Water Nerd post, describing sandbar migration near Stellendam, the first place I paddled on the North Sea. I'm not really hopeful that I'll write two more posts this year, as the motivation isn't there, and I'd prefer to direct my energy towards #4 and #5... When I first made the Water Nerd section of the website, I was really excited about my work as a coastal engineer and its intersection with kayaking. Now that the content of my work has changed a bit, I"m a bit less inspired/excited to write about it or research things I encounter during my paddles. It's sad, but I hope that, as is so often the case with my non-kayaking hobbies, this is a temporary phase that will pass, bringing a new phase of inspiration!

Verdict: Not on track, but that's alright?

While this may sound like the easiest of the goals above, I'm finding it quite difficult. I got so many good suggestions, but a good name just needs to stick. My terrible memory isn't helping, either. There have been a few occasions when a name is mentioned during a paddle, and I say "yes, that's the one!" and promptly forget it... After requesting help in naming my new kayak, the suggestions rolled in - thanks everyone! Many of them play to the name of my first kayak, Big Purple.  Maybe it's fun to share the full list with you - feel free to vote in the comments! 

Complete (and growing) list of potential names (my favorite names in bold):

• Bigger Purple
• Purple Humongous 
• Purple Hugo
• Lila Pause (after a purple candy bar made by Milka, and Lila means Lilac in Dutch)
• Purp 2.0
• Polly
• Various flower names: Daisy, Iris, Lilac
• Freya
• Lucy (thanks EP)
• Mystic Merlin
• Cheshire Cat
• UK-inspired names: Norbert, Barnaby, Felix, Hamish, Seamus, Rupert, Clyde
• Groot Paars (equivalent of Big Purple in Dutch)
• Deep Purple (after the English rock band)
• Purplicious (after a children's book)
• Purple Pioneer (I like this, though there's a kayaking brand called Pioneer that makes ugly kayaks...)
• New Purple (Thanks Jeff!)

Verdict: Not on track

When we recieved an invitation to Tanya and Ken's wedding in Switzerland, I jumped at the opportunity to go on another kayaking and hut trip in the Alps! My first kayaking trip in Switzerland, on Lake Brienz, was (and still is) one of my most beautiful paddling experiences, and I hoped to recreate it on another Swiss lake. We planned to attend the wedding on Saturday, do a hut trip on Sunday/Monday, and go kayaking on Tuesday before flying out Tuesday evening - busy to say the least! Before building it up too much, I'll warn you that the paddling experience was a bit disappointing, but the wedding and hut trip were wonderful! 

We spent a first short night in a small B&B in Geneva before getting a ride with one of Ken's friends (in a blue striped mustang) to the wedding in Sion. The wedding was threefold: a ceremony at the town hall in Sion, followed by a party at a ski resort at the top of a mountain (via gondola!), and a cozy evening with a super-Swiss raclette dinner at a winery (?) close to Tanya and Ken's new house. We spent the night in a beautiful B&B in Grimisuat before getting up very early to start our hut trip... Scroll to the bottom of this post for some pictures from the really scenic wedding!

However, I'll start with the kayaking, since this is a kayaking blog... After an intense two-day hut trip (described below), we were ready to relax a bit in Morges, a small city on Lake Geneva near Lausanne. Passion Nautique in Morges was the only kayak rental I could find on the lake. I was hopeful, as the website says they have "advanced equipment," and the rentals were only 18 euros/hour (though I now realize I was given the 12 euro rate, so apparently they thought I was younger than 18...). I made a reservation by email, which only required giving my name and phone number - it took them a few days to respond, but that wasn't too much of an issue. 

​​The morning of the rental, we walked 20 mins with our very sore legs to the rental shop, only to realize upon arriving that we were at the shop rather than the rental base. Oops! That was my fault. At some point I had been aware of this discrepancy and had saved the correct location on my phone. But in my morning laziness I simply typed Passion Nautique and blindly followed the directions. We then walked another 30 minutes along the lake (nice views, at least) to the rental shop, which was adjacent to a city campground. 

​After having walked up and down the lake twice, we weren't so optimistic about the paddling scenery being much different. The lake is huge, and the big mountains line the southern shore.  After standing at the Passion Nautique desk for a while and finally approaching one of the employees who seemed to be ignoring me, I asked one of the high schoolers running the rental stand if she could recommend a destination. Her response wasn't particularly enlightening. She pointed me to city parks in each direction along the shoreline. By this point, Henk had bailed for a more relaxing afternoon sitting in the park. Still determined to have another Swiss paddling experience, I signed myself up and picked out the most sea kayak-looking boat available. 

​Off I went! I paddled a short distance west, sticking to the shoreline. As expected, it wasn't particularly interesting - similar to paddling a short way along the more developed parts of e.g. Conesus Lake in New York (+big mountains in the distance). However, there was one castle, so that was a bit of a highlight (see below)! It was pretty and green and there were plenty of swimmers out enjoying the day. I watched as a few ferry boats made their way from Lausanne to Geneva and back. 

Worn out from the previous days hikes, I returned after only an hour. However, it was still nice to get on the water. It was pretty and blue and clean enough for Henk to jump in for a refreshing swim. I've put the stats and map at the bottom of the page, past the hiking write up!

The morning of the hut trip we awoke early (~6am) to catch the first bus down to Sion from Grimisuat. From there we caught another bus to Chalais, where we took a very old-fashioned telecabine (gondola) up the mountain to Vercorin. In Vercorin we bought some lunch supplies before catching another telecabine up to Cret du Midi! Even before starting the hike, we'd experienced an elevation gain of 1775 m (5800 ft). *Cue foreboding music...* In Cret du Midi we had coffee at a scenic ski resort before starting our hike along the ridge to the hut. 

The hike to the hut was a gradual uphill along a ridge, with a fairly steep section towards the end. The views were breathtaking, and we got lucky with the weather (rainstorms waited until we reached the hut).  In every direction we could see snow capped mountains. We passed a few other small groups of hikers, but mostly had the trail to ourselves. 

​There was still a little snow in shady areas at high altitude. By the time we got to the hut, we were tired but not too terribly worn out. Thanks to all the gondolas, we only had about 5 hours of hiking to reach the hut.

When we arrived we checked in with the cook, who seemed a bit exasperated. His fellow hutkeeper had deserted him for a resupply, and he asked us to wait a while until they came back. He spoke essentially no English, so I had a chance to practice my French! With the exception of a couple visiting from Taiwan, all other hikers seemed to be quite local. When the other hutkeeper came back, he gathered everyone into the common room and explained how the hut was organized. Most memorably, he described the bathroom situation, which was a simple system that separated pee from poop. This separation only works if you properly position yourself on the toilet, with the pee going through a grate at the front, and the poop going straight down into the put below. We also couldn't drink the water, so we were required to buy water, at 10 euros/1,5 L. In the end, we spent 40 euros on water for one night! I didn't see others buying as much water as we did, but they sure drank a lot of wine! Tough Europeans... 

At dinner time we all went to our assigned tables and had a large meal of bean salad with some sort of potato/cheese/tomato/beef casserole. By this time, Henk and I were both getting a headache. Initially we thought it was dehydration, but quickly realized we had ascended from essentially -2 m to 3000 m above sea level in 24 hours. This proved to be true as our headaches only worsened throughout the night. We also got stuck with the top bunk, which meant we were cooking. I did descend the scary ladder in the middle of the night to open the window... but then couldn't fall asleep because I was worried someone else would close it!

After a fitful night of sleep, we were happy to drink coffee the next morning! We didn't stick around the hut long, as we both wanted to descend in elevation asap. The descent followed the beautiful Vallon de Rechy - a wide green valley dotted with wetlands, rock features,  and spectacular views. The trail followed a creek, which formed just below the hut and grew along the way. Flat expanses ended in steep drops and waterfalls, followed by more flat open wetland areas. It was gorgeous! 

To make the rest of the (long) story short: we ended up deciding to hike all the way down to the bus, rather than taking two gondolas. The lower part of the trail included steep forested hillsides appearing to be on the brink of a landslide (we got through that part quickly), then eventually a long, steep, dirt road along a number of uninhabited huts and vacation homes. Our knees and soles were not happy with us... We finally hobbled to a busstop and caught a bus to Sion, where we had dinner at a tasty falafel place run by a Syrian(?) refugee who had lived in the Netherlands for 4 years and spoke Dutch! 

Here are some more pictures from the wedding and the hike... 

The Paddle:
Date: Tuesday, August 21st, 2018
Distance: 5 km
Duration: 1 hr
Weather: hot and super sunny, breezy

The Hike:
​Dates: Sunday & Monday, August 19 -- 20th, 2018
Distance: ?
Duration: 5 hrs on day 1, 8 hrs on day 2
Weather: hot and sunny, a bit cloudy later in the afternoon