Paddling highlights of 2019 and 2020

Just a bunch of cows curious about those big colorful things on their beach.

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...

Teaching the intro to kayaking course (Summer 2019)

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!

Selfie on the Kralingse Plas with Jeroen, Anna, and Clara

Some of the non-new members watching our antics. I'm not sure what everyone is watching in this photo, but it's probably Iede demonstrating some rolls :). I think this was the day we practiced wet exists and rescues, and the water was a bit too cold...

Introduction to canoeing course (Summer 2019)

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.

Eric, possibly demonstrating a draw stroke? That's Joost just to the right of him.

Chaos! During the first minutes on the water on day 1. haha :)

Caroline, Marlon, Hanneke, and Emil

 De Grote Rivieren Tocht (June 7-10, 2019)

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.

 Veerse Meer (July 21, 2019)

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!

Arriving in Veere and making a plan - we didn't want to leave the boats unattended on the busy docks.

Outdoor pool session (September 1, 2019)

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.

Crossing the Rio Grande from Texas to Mexico (and back) (November 2019)

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. 

Henk, Jeff, and our rowboat captain on our way to Mexico.

Misc paddles with friends on the lake and Rotte in 2020

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 :) 

Reeuwijkse Plassen, Gouda (August 30, 2020)

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. 

Lunch break on one of the small islands in the Reeuwijkse Plassen

Niers en Maastocht (September 4-6, 2020)

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).

Our campground had particularly scenic views of the Maas.

Sunset paddle to the city center (September 23, 2020)

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!

Checking out the Rotterdam Markthal. Purple lights on boat.

This beautiful photo was take by Joelle. I always love this view when heading into the city center - it's even prettier at night. Joelle lives in one of the apartments to the right :) Her daughter waved to us from the balcony!

Vlaardingse Vlietlanden (September 27, 2020)

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.

Beginner paddle on the Rotte (October 3, 2020)

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! 

Everyone in the sluice, leaving the lake and heading to the river.

Given the wet weather, we were happy to have the option to sit in a covered space outside! Inside also looked awfully cozy, but I insisted we sit outside. The restaurant owner turned on the heat lamps for us :)

Sunrise paddle on the Kralingse plas (November 13, 2020)

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!

Introduction to racing!

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! 

But there's more...

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