THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, July 13, 1994 TAG: 9407120063
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E1 EDITION: FINAL
SERIES: THE WATER LOG
What can you do on the water in Hampton Roads? This is the fourth in a
weeklong series of firsthand experiences by staff writer Craig
Shapiro. Thursday: wind-surfing on the Chesapeake Bay.
SOURCE: BY CRAIG A. SHAPIRO, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 94 lines
IT DOESN'T SEEM like a big deal - fishing a half-submerged, rusted tin can out of Owl Creek - but there are two reasons why it made my first time in a kayak such a success.
Explaining one is like trying to define the Age of Aquarius:
The kinship that comes with cruising so close to water level is real. There's something about the space and quiet, broken by the sound of the paddle rhythmically cutting the water; about pulling for Mom and her ducklings, lined up bills to tail feathers, as they navigate past a powerboat; about chatting with the fisherman in his skiff and those on shore.
You are there.
Removing that can, even though it took three passes, went beyond ecological duty.
The other reason couldn't be more tangible. Thirty summers ago at camp, I climbed into a canoe for the first time. It was also the last time, because right after shoving off, I broadsided another canoe and went into the lake. Haven't been fond of canoes or lakes since.
I figured if I felt sure enough to go after the can, then I'd aced my two-hour intro to kayaking.
Linda Elleson sensed my apprehension when we met that morning at the Owl's Creek boat ramp off General Booth Boulevard. She also probably had a few days earlier when she had called to find out if I'd ever kayaked (no) and if I could swim (yes) and to see what size kayak to bring for my height (5-feet-11) and weight (175 pounds).
Before paddling off, there were things to learn on land.
We'd be in ocean-going kayaks - mine a wider, molded plastic Aquaterra Sea Lion; Linda's a lightweight Necky Arluk with a foot-controlled rudder, similar to the one Virginian Pilot/Ledger-Star staffer Earl Swift is using on his tour of the Chesapeake Bay. (Linda was in the party that accompanied Earl across the bay on the start of his 50-day trek.) She also brought along a shorter, rounder whitewater kayak.
I learned about the parts of the kayak, how to support myself with the paddle when getting into it and the equipment you need. I didn't feel good about the bilge pump.
Moment of truth.
The first half hour was spent in the water off the Marine Science Museum while I got the feel of the boat. I practiced turning and paddling - the broader strokes used for leisurely cruising and the deeper, more powerful type that make for a good aerobic workout.
That's the beauty: Kayaking is what you make of it.
Making our way down Owl Creek and into Rudee Inlet, I learned the biggest risk in kayaking is hypothermia; if the water and air temperatures don't add up to 110 degrees, use a wetsuit. I learned about Linda, too. She grew up canoeing on Wisconsin's flatwater lakes and didn't take up kayaking until moving to the East Coast. Her first love, though, is mountaineering and rock climbing. She teaches both at the Virginia Beach Rock Gym and has scaled Mount Rainier and Mount McKinley.
I also got a short course in the lifeline that is Hampton Roads' waterways. Rustic Owl Creek led into Lake Rudee and its pricey houses. We passed under noisy Rudee Inlet bridge. Restaurants and bait shops dotted the shore, and jet-skiiers steered into open water.
As we sat in the middle of the inlet and stared out into the Atlantic, Linda offered one more challenge.
And made another point as we headed back to the boat ramp: It's better to go with a friend, but soloing on the shallower inland waters is OK. Then she demonstrated two important techniques if you turn over: The Eskimo rescue, in which you're assisted by another kayaker, and the Eskimo roll, in which you use the paddle as leverage to right the kayak yourself.
Linda's going to show me the roll next time.
When I get my feet wet, literally.
When we go out on the ocean. ILLUSTRATION: Color photo
BILL TIERNAN/Staff
Linda Elleson demonstrates techniques for rolling a kayak.
Graphic
GETTING STARTED
Linda Elleson gives private lessons in ocean and whitewater
kayaking. Rates, including the kayak and equipment, are $30 for the
first hour and $15 an hour after that.
Call 430-1351
Also, Wild River Outfitters, Rosemont Road and Virginia Beach
Boulevard, Virginia Beach, offers free in-the-water tryouts for
people interested in kayaking and canoeing. Tryouts are held monthly
and by appointment. Call Mark Williams or Lillie Gilbert at
431-8566.
by CNB