(1) Above left. Was in Pensacola getting a pedal unit replacement and wanted to go out for a nice long trip along the beaches to test out the replacement unit. Red flag warning was up for swimmers and the wind was steadily increasing although it didn’t seem strong. It was a long tote, but I managed to get the kayak and gear to the beach after parking along the closed Fort Pickens road. Waves don’t really look big do they? (2) Look closely at the guy in the water. It wasn’t until I was in the water trying to figure out how to time it to get on the kayak and haul ass to avoid the breakers before realizing, these waves are huge and non-stop. Well, before I ever got the chance to hop on the kayak, it wasn’t the waves, but the whitewater that caused me havoc. It is one thing when you are in the water and you can duck under the water to let the wave pass. It is entirely different when you are holding on to a kayak that the wind wants to push one way and the current wants to pull another. In the blink of an eye, whitewater knocks me over in the water and the kayak is gone. I detest beach launches and today only served to reinforce it. I’ll stick to sheltered launch sites. Gathered up the soaked, sand caked gear, some of which bystanders help pick out of the water, trudged back to the car, and headed back to Mobile for a flat water trip. Arggg! How embarrassing...
hah! even an athlete like yourself has a bad day now & then, eh bro?
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