Seriously, it couldn’t get any hotter outside.

Feeling like shaving my head…but the minute I do that it’ll snow.

Last ‘big’ paddle before the race was yesterday (Wednesday) — just under 15m.  I’d like to say that it just flew by and that I wasn’t alternately tired, bored, and anxious, but the truth was that I was all of those.  I guess one of the reason is the weird weather that we’ve been having over the last week.

Alternating between hot and still in the morning and temperamental winds out of the south and the west during the afternoons, nothing has been consistent for more than one or two days.  Mother Nature isn’t going to tip her hand on this one.  The funniest part of playing the ‘guess-the-weather’ game is talking to other paddlers.  “Oh, it’ll be perfect come race day…” they say with a wink and a smile.  But the truth is so much more simple.  It’s going to be cold, and hot, and still, and windy… all of it.  Guess away, little man.

Because we all need to remember that adventures are not tidy…those are called picnics.

We should all be reminded, occasionally, that even the most meticulously planned afternoon, at your favorite beach-side restaurant, might include a visit from a seagull that will steal your blueberry muffin and crap on your table.  It is at these times that you can choose to 1.) consider your day ruined and pack it in, 2.) accept that the rat-with-wings that just made off with your buttered muffin is pretty good at what he does (which may include pissing you off) or, 3.) laugh and consider the whole thing a numerous side-note to an otherwise great day.  (We can talk later about shooting the seagull out of the sky, which, in all fairness, is an occupational hazard of being a seagull.)

The point is that all plans are, or should be, fungible.  Wherefore this little insight?  Well, with less than 13 days remaining to the Catalina Classic Paddleboard Race, I find myself without a boat and without a crew.  I should be freaking out but, in this case, well…wait, no: I’M TOTALLY FREAKING OUT.  Rat-with-wings freaking out.

On second thought, however, I have a board and few hours in the water, and, as of this weekend, a skipper.  The latter is thanks to the help of one Steve Washburn, who has stepped in to guide me across the channel and keep me safe.  For this, I’m smiling…a lot.  The rest, as they say, will come.

“Wash” (not a seagull, for sure)

The 17th Annual Waterman Challenge Traditional Paddleboard Race was held on Saturday, June 30th, and Reno and I decided to represent.

Apparently, neither of us took a looked at the sign-up form very closely because, the day before the race, we were horrified to learn that the race STARTED at 7:00 a.m.(?)!  That’s a 3:50 a.m. wake up call to make it down to Encinitas, sign in, and warm up (warm up, right…).

Nevertheless, we made it on time and in good spirits and the weather seemed to be cooperating for a nice paddle — flat water, but not too hot, nor too windy.  We were ready to go.

The start…wasn’t.  We were 40+ paddlers making our way through the kelp when the gun/horn just sort of went off.  Those fortunate enough to be on the outside got a good jump.  The poor folks stuck in the kelp went immediately to the back.  Some, like Reno, would eventually claw their way to the front (he eventually finished 3rd), while others (*ahem*) would stay put for the remainder of the training paddle race.

As I said, the race drama was out in front but not all of between guys on boards.  Apparently, “The Man in The Grey Suit” showed up and took interest in a fast moving paddler.  The water was exceptionally clear on Saturday, so seeing a shark off of the tail of your board would have been akin to seeing it through a dirty sheet of glass — heart stopping no matter how it happens.  I saw a couple of nice yellow tail and was amazed at how pretty it was in La Lolla; perfect diving conditions (if you don’t mind big predators swimming around).  Here’s me doing the look-around for critters 🙂

Reno killed it, I finished, and fun was had by all.