tri prep

the tri that we're running (as a relay team) is coming up in a few weeks, and k, the friend doing the swim leg, wanted to get in an ocean swim. she'd never done any open water swimming, and she didn't want her first experience to be the actual race. so, early saturday morning, k and i headed out to corona dell mar, me with my kayak and k with her wet suit, to spend some time on the high seas.

i'm beginning to learn that surf launches aren't all they're cracked up to be if you don't have a full skirt. i had a wave crash on the bow and dump about 10-15 gallons of water into the cockpit. the bilge pump made quick work of it, but still, not the best of launches.

we headed out to a buoy about a quarter mile out and k started swimming parallel to the coast. we started pretty close to a jetty, so the swells were pretty tame. as we progressed along the coast, the swell got noticeably larger. k spent some time getting used to spotting and swimming with the swells. after about a half mile of swimming, i stopped her as we were heading into some pretty heavy kelp beds. i wasn't too sure she wanted to be swimming through them. we chatted for a few minutes before turning around to do some laps. k mentioned how strange it was to make a stroke, expecting there to be water and have your arm fall into thin air as you come over a swell. i'm sure it's tough to get used to after training in a pool.

she was starting to get the hang of things, and decided to hit a series of buoys without stopping. she cruised along at a pretty smooth and quick pace and really seemed to be getting the hang of it. i pulled out the camera and took some quick video of her swimming and got a couple photos. her last lap was about a half mile circuit of buoys and then back to shore. total distance for the swim was about 1.5 miles with moderate effort. it was fun to kayak along, too. watching k cruising through the water got me wanting to give it a shot, too.

after k got to shore, i headed in. with a shore break, it's tough to see the waves and their sizes. i moved over close to the jetty so that the surf would be as small as possible. i sat just outside the surf zone, trying to gauge the sets. i edged closer and closer, back paddling to keep my spot. i tried to time coming in right behind a wave, but the one i tried to follow in actually took me with it. it lifted the boat up, tipped it's bow down into the water and flipped me. i ended up between the sand and the kayak and wasn't able to move fast enough before the next wave hit.

the kayak filled up with water pretty quick and it was a struggle to pull it out of the surf. i kept getting hammered, since i was pulling the kayak up the shore and the waves would pound the boat onto my feet. i munched both of my big toes and my shins and knees took a beating. it was an ugly landing, but i learned some valuable lessons from it.

first, waves are surface water moving and they'll take anything on the surface with it on their way in. second, it is wise to clip all your gear to yourself or the boat. and third, avoid a surf launch or landing if you can...and if you can't, have a skirt on the boat.

the runs of the past few days have let me know that i didn't injure anything that would keep me from running. the toes feel okay and the shins and knees just superficial injuries. whew!

Posted by jeff at June 13, 2005 9:34 AM