something to sink your teeth into

close call

2012-01-27T08:53:00.000-08:00

The weather report was for stormy conditions, high seas, 4 to 5m, and strong winds. So even there was no paddling this morning I went down to look at the surf and feel the power of the storm

Soon Hadas and Pupik came strolling up to the clubhouse, and over a cup of coffee I heard all the details of yesterdays close call

Yesterday morning the sea was beginning to turn from calm to stormy, G and R went out first on their Fenn surf skis and Shalom was on his short surf kayak out at the rock. By the time they came back the waves had gotten bigger and the sea was rougher. Just as they were turning to shore G capsized and from then on things went from bad to worse to dangerous.
Mind you this is all second hand info, but I heard it from 3 sources so its pretty accurate.
After failing to get back on his surf ski and floundering in the now cold water G was beginning to feel pretty wiped out and worried, to say the least. R had not managed to help him and had been capsized by the attempts too. G had not worn a pfd and by now was feeling helpless. By this time Shalom had seen what was happening and come to help, he separated G from his kayak because of the danger of getting pulled onto the reef , and towed the kayak back to the beach, in the meantime Z and I had arrived and Z gave G a pfd to put on .Z had to jump into the water and help G put on the pfd, in fact the first time he put iit on backwards and then had to jump back into hte water to correct this mistake. He got no help from G all the while. Then he towed G out of the danger zone until shalom arrived.
This helped him float and gave a bit of warmth. they could not help G in the water without danger of more capsizes and so tried to give moral support and encouragement.
By this time Shalom had managed to get a dingy out and with some difficulty in the rough water pulled G into the boat and got him back to shore. G was badly shaken by the incident , suffered from beginning hypothermia, exhaustion and panic, but after a hot shower managed to feel a bit better. He lost his paddle but his surf ski was saved.
I'm sure that there are a lot of lessons to be learnt from this incident and will leave by saying that the least you should do is wear your pfd ALL THE TIME , especially in rough water.
The picture above shows Israel demonstrating how to hang on to your surf ski in rough water.
Good if you can do it.

Pancake day at Optimist Kayak Club

2012-01-25T04:27:00.000-08:00

Today Jan.25, has just been nominated as International Pancake Day by the Optimist Kayak Club.
If you want to join in the celebrations but missed the day, you can celebrate any time this year but next year it should be on the right day.

Its ok to eat as many as you want after your morning paddle as the calories you burnt up need to be replaced as soon as possible.

Most of us could not stop after the first one

Hadas showed off her kitchen skills

And then we both got into the swing of things with synchronized pancake flipping

Even the Boss got stuck in and enjoyed himself.
See you next year.

Withdrawal symptoms

2012-01-18T01:58:00.000-08:00

After 2 long weeks of stormy weather most of the Optimists have been showing withdrawal symptoms.
I have seen them in the bath tub in full paddling gear and paddle in hand looking at the running tap water with longing. There have also been reports of them taking up walking, jogging or yoga, which is not too bad.
Some of us braved the cold wet and stormy weather and did get some paddling done .
Today we finally broke the dry spell with an early morning outing, calm seas and small wave out at the rock.
Yossele shows how to surf with a delicate back, and the surfskis were out there too.

I cant imagine living in some countries where you have to stop
paddling in winter
How lucky are we to be able to paddle all year round

so cold the birds froze in mid flight

2012-01-17T01:16:00.000-08:00

I went to the beach this morning ,admittedly later than usual. It was a cold windy morning with rough water predicted.The office was nice and warm and Hadas and Ehud were drinking hot drinks.

Out on the water Aram was the only one playing in the surf.

I stood on the beach and tried to take a few pictures but my hands were too cold

After watching him struggle against the wind and current I decided that today was not a day for me to get in the water

So I went home and made pancakes for breakfast.

cold wet and rainy, just right for a paddle

2012-01-14T00:52:00.000-08:00

Gold at the end of the rainbow, maybe we can get there by boat.

So we debated whether to go out or not

No question about it at all, we went out to the rock

The waves were messy, big and strong, not suitable for me in a long kayak, but the shorties had some fun for a while

There were some separations

Yossie was a bit cold but still smiling, I think his smile was frozen on his face

These little surf kayaks can take pretty rough water with ease, and they are a lot of fun too. It was definitely the right thing to do today despite the initial difficulty to get out of bed.

Photography by Rachel Einav

2012-01-11T11:28:00.000-08:00

Rough water on Tuesday, Racheli came to take some pictures

Mostly I am the photographer and therefore am not in the shots

So its nice to actually have some pictures of myself playing in the surf

Thanks to Racheli, who had to get out of bed on a cold windy morning

She got some good ones too.

what a difference a day makes

2012-01-07T05:46:00.000-08:00

Yesterday the sea was one big mess, today a different place altogether, nice well ordered waves with flat water in between and gentle swells. Next week storms are predicted again.

Racheli and Kid .. just two of the famous Optimists girls

We had a large turnout for the 7am outing.

Meanwhile the surfing out at the rock was a lot of fun

why you should always wear a helmet in big surf

2012-01-06T08:54:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Yossie for the video.
Lessons learnt, always wear a helmet in big surf, or make sure that you are on the sea side of the kayak.

experiment in the Guillemot Fast Double

2012-01-06T01:48:00.000-08:00

Israel and I getting ready to go out in rough seas

Yossie Wolfson was the photographer on the beach

He was using a panasonic lumix

I invited him into the water but he declined

We tried to stay close to shore so that he could get some good action pics

No doubt a real SLR with telephoto lens would have been ideal

We will work on our roll together

All in all it was a great outing, video to follow soon

out with the old and in with the new

2011-12-31T00:59:00.000-08:00

Friday morning , pre paddle group instructions before setting out with a large group of about 30 paddlers.The plan was to paddle to Habonim beach, about 17km north of Sdot Yam

With such a large group of paddlers its impossible to keep the group together , especially at the beginning . Waiting to go the group inches forwards while those late starters still on the beach are in danger of being left behind. We usually have one leader in front one at the back and another in the middle

We had the company of our surfskis as well, its not often that they get to paddle such long distances

Dor Beach was the first stop for breakfast, this was after about 2 1/2 hours later and the weather had turned quite cold. Paddling conditions were fair but there was an easterly wind blowing offshore making life a little tough for some .

From Dor to Habonim there is a nice reef and small caves which make for interesting paddling

Racheli brings a real camera with her, secured in a pelican box and only takes it out for pictures in calm waters.

In flat conditions its easy to go into the caves eroded in the rocks along the coast.
After exploring them for a while we made for home.
All in all about 35 km round trip , nice for a change and a bit of a challenge . Its not everyday that we get a chance for such a long day trip and the fact that almost 30 of us were out there shows that there is a demand for this type of trip. Hopefully we can organize more like it.

Saturday 31st Dec, last paddle of the year and the day begins with rain. Its cold and the seas are getting wilder. Just the stuff for an interesting outing

We stayed in the bay and had some fun in the surf

The smile tells us that all is well

There were some waves to surf

The tent on the beach housed an all night party that was still raging with very loud trance music that could be heard out at sea

In cold weather its advisable to dress warmly ,hence the pink socks that Vered is wearing.
The year ended with 2 great outings .
I wish everybody a happy new year and lots of fun out on the water.

there`s no speed limit in a kayak

2011-12-24T09:19:00.000-08:00

All these exercises have one aim, they are designed to help you paddle FASTER
I sneaked into a lesson today, given by Roei Yelin, one of our olympic kayakers who was invited to give some tips to our surfski paddlers. Actually I was invited and so didn`t have to sneak in. I figure if its good for the olympic paddlers then it should be good for us regular paddlers too.

The lesson was divided into two.First the basic 4 parts of the forward stroke, this is the same for all kayaking if you want to get maximum effect from your effort
I wont go over this again except to pay attention to the pushing hand and its importance in driving the paddle into the water, helping to plant the blade and then turning the body while pulling the boat towards the paddle.Also the exit is vital as when the paddle passes vertical it drives the kayak downwards and so slows you down . These subtle movements are more pronounced in the olympic kayaks and surfskis as they are so light on the water and less so on the seakayaks. But the effect is there and if you paddle more perfectly you will benefit.

Shifting weight from one bum to the other is also part of the deal and this exercise helps to get those muscles in good shape. Sit on the floor in a kayaking position and then by wiggling your ass move forward as fast as you can, go ahead and try it, its not as easy as it looks.

Stretching the paddling muscles with rubber bands and sitting on an exercise ball all help to develop balance and strength

All the stretches are combined with rotation

An then you need to get out on the water. Thanks to Kid for organising the day and to Roei for the lesson and also to Racheli for the photos

Rough seas

2011-12-23T01:33:00.000-08:00

Rough seas predicted for the weekend,so we went out to see if the surfing was any good

Out at the rock there were some nice rides

Zviki joined us in his surfski

The short kayaks had a lot of fun

The waves were a bit crowded

I was out there in my Night Heron, and had to dodge all those little things

Some waves were quite strong

Inon was on the beach teaching his kid to fly, but he couldn`t get him to come down

choose a holiday

2011-12-22T02:04:00.000-08:00

So its Hannuka, Christmas and New Year all at the same time. Some of us will be celebrating all 3, others will have to choose, but to all I`d like to wish
Happy Holiday , have a great year and lots of paddling.
Somehow all problems seem to melt away when we`re on the water, so spend as much time out there as possible.
Thanks to Ori Lahav for the picture , I havent had much chance to take the GFD out , but now there seems to be more oppertunities and so I will be getting out there more and more. One thing I have found is that it takes some time to learn to paddle with a partner and it matters who sits where. It`s fast and its fun and very long, maybe I will have to put a rudder on for better control.

for the birds

2011-12-14T10:52:00.000-08:00

This is the time of year when the birds are pretty active, we see them flying around and sitting on the water. As we close in on them with our kayaks they fly away. Its pretty intense seeing so many birds taking off all at the same time

Then there are the Herons scrambling on the reef looking for food

And here`s a picture to remind us of summer, warm water and sunshine, it will come again.

so where would you rather be, home hanging curtains or facing a 3m wall of water?

2011-12-09T03:18:00.000-08:00

Friday 7am, not many turned up to play in the waves. The sea was wild and angry and not conducive to good surfing

Beyond the reef the breakers were throwing up spray, so I stayed out of trouble.

Israel Yossie and I after a morning in the wild surf, not great for surfing but another day out on the water. That`s way better than staying home and hanging curtains.

toffee apple at low tide

2011-12-07T01:43:00.000-08:00

The low tide uncovers the reef allowing the algae to become bleached by the sun. Pools formed keep the algae hydrated for the most part. From Rahelis explanation these pools have been formed by the algae themselves. Pretty clever if you ask me.

Our resident seaweed expert Racheli Einav, so here`s the question, what is this red thing in the next picture?

To my untrained eye it looks like a toffee apple that some kid has thrown into the sea and got stuck on a rock.

These reefs become a wonderful playground

I found this lure caught up in an old fishing net floating around the reef and thought its better to remove it before it snares some bird or turtle.Luckily I had a knife handy

Michal also had fun round the rocks

Then we saw Izi and Idit holding hands while paddling, whats that all about guys?

I did some support sculling and a few rolls

Balance is a problem for some of us, Ive seen people doing headstands in a kayak, standing up in the cockpit and jumping from fore to rear deck. Its impressive but not too useful

I`m uprightly challenged

Maybe this is easier

A helping hand and a fast shutter speed makes it look good.
All in all its a lot of fun on the water these days.

follow the leader

2011-12-03T04:32:00.000-08:00

Today the wind had dropped and the low tide made all the reefs accessible.
While most of the group made a run for Jasser, the Arab village just north of Cesearea, 4 of us played follow the leader through the gaps in the rocks

Some of the gaps were small

Others were a bit more complicated

Boat handling had to be precise

Some turns were pretty tight

Some gaps took a bit of paint off the boat

But we all got through

Some gaps were huge

Every gap was examined

The rising and falling water made some of the passages like a lift, or elevator for my American friends

Timing is vital when going through these gaps

The sun sparkled on the water

And even the Channel of Death was accessible today

We all had a lot of fun today , hope you did too.

and now for something mildly different

2011-11-30T02:32:00.000-08:00

Today,a cold wintery day, perfect for paddling in the warm waters of the Israel Electric Company.
Off we went, and after a short dip in the current we decided to go up the river.
Alongside the power station is the Hadera river, a park has been created for recreation, and on the weekends it is quite popular, but today its deserted.
There is a small estuary where the water runs into the sea making a portage needed and then you can paddle upstream for about 15 minutes till you come to a barrier. I have not been past this but others have and it leads into the industrial area of Hadera.
There were lots of fish jumping all around us and the river was brown and who knows how clean, but it made for something different .
Too often we just do the same old stuff day in and day out, so a different route can suddenly turn your day into one of adventure and discovery.
What a great way to start the day.

can you explain this one?

2011-11-26T03:11:00.000-08:00

This is not what you would expect to see while paddling along the shore

So we came in closer to get a better look

If parking in the surf zone,its advisable to close your windows.. Now how to explain this one to your wife??

perfect practice makes perfect.

2011-11-25T04:48:00.000-08:00

Going through the rocks today we had a capsize

Luckily Efrat had learnt how to do a rescue at our symposium and now was her chance to put it all to good use

Everything went according to the plan

Its good to practice from time to time

And everyone got home safely .
Its not too difficult but if you don`t practice, when the time comes for a fast rescue things can go wrong. At least the water is still not too cold and the days are still warm.
Good one Efrat.

Application of symposium lessons in real life

2011-11-19T00:58:00.000-08:00

The first thing Jeff taught us about incident management is prevention. And this makes a lot of sense, for if your preparations are good and your decisions are based on good experience then your incidents will be minimal, hopefully so.

Today we had wild rough seas with dumping waves, not conducive to good surfing, especially for a long kayak. My decision was to stay in the bay and just fool around in the breakers

Yoni on the other hand was on a Chaos surf kayak and spent some time at the rock trying to catch the waves. He had some successes but didn`t stay too long

Dror was there too

And now back to incident management
. Do you carry a repair kit with you when you go out?
Can you fix a broken paddle if you are miles away from home?
Well this little agricultural aid may just be the thing you need to keep handy. It`s for joining irrigation pipes, this one is 32mm, just the size of my Werner paddle.

these are the components

Heres` my Werner, actually its a few years old and the original joint had broken, and it was just sitting around because I hate to throw old stuff away. I always think that some day I`ll be able to use it, fix it or do something with it The one day Izzy showed me how to fix it.

Here`s how the parts go together

And finally , also you can have any angle feather that you like.
Now I realize that it`s a bit bulky, but so what, it can get you out of trouble and may save your day.
Your paddle remains a 2 piece and the cost is minimal.
Something to think about if you go out in rough water or play in rock gardens.

what did you learn at kayak school today

2011-11-14T11:13:00.000-08:00

I learned to do a Eskimo roll with Helen Wilson

We learned the secrets of the forward stroke with Ben Lawry

And we learned leadership, incident management and rescues with Jeff Allen

There was always someone in the water

We were always getting into and out of trouble

Kayaks had to be repaired on the water

We played in the waters round ancient Ceaserea

Jeff likes to be in the moving water

Zviki being rescued by Jeff

We swam our kayaks onto the rocks

This was a first time for most of us

Don`t scratch your new kayak on those rocks
Everybody who took part in the symposium went home with a deeper understanding of the art of kayaking.
For some it was the Eskimo roll, others improved their paddling style and stroke and others learned rescues and incident management. It was a fantastic 4 days of total immersion in seakayaking and I loved every minute.
Thanks to Ehud and Avigail, Hadas and Yossele and of course to Jeff, Ben and Helen and everybody who took part. See you again next year.

at first and then now

2011-11-05T03:53:00.000-07:00

2006, Kid was a beginner kayaker

Now she`s progressed to surfskis and is taking part in races and beating the boys. That`s progress, just look how the style has improved. Rotation,. straight arms, legs working ,and all the right stuff, great work Kid.

Today ,wind waves and clouds and a big group

Nice big swells out in the ocean

Setting out and punching through the waves

Yossie has this bright orange flap on his hat,fantastic visibility, I can see him from a great distance

Big boat, small boat.

wooden boats, wind and rescue and a race, but someone has to watch the store

2011-10-29T10:04:00.000-07:00

There are more and more wooden kayaks on the water these days, heres Ori and Vered in my double meeting Etai in his Night Heron

Then Izzy gets into the picture with his stitch and glue Chesapeake as well, so now there are 4 of us together, I`m in my Night Heron too

Off they go , practicing for tomorrows outing to Michmoret to watch the surfski competition

Later that morning I took out a small group, the wind was picking up and there were choppy seas.
In order to keep the group together we used a tow rope to help the slower kayakers to stay with the group. This also keeps the impatient paddlers with the group.

The wind picked up all morning and by the time the afternoon group went out it was gusting at 18 to 20k.I was not there {someone has to watch the store} but have managed to piece together the events after talking to those who were.
As the group began to paddle into the wind and surf some realised that the conditions were beyond their abilities and turned back. Those that went out of the bay passed the reef and also decided to return. The group had one surfski with them. The surfski capsized in the waves and wind and could not remount. This resulted in them being swept downwind in increasing large seas, making them not visible for periods. Most of the group made it back to the shore with a few capsizes along the way . A couple of the more experienced ones tried to help the surfski but to no avail.A kite surfer with a dislocated shoulder was rescued along the way. The surfskier held onto her kayak ,was swept downwind about 2km until she managed to swim back to shore and then had a long haul back to the club. There was a boat in the water looking out for them and the surfer.
All ended well and lessons were learnt.
Know your abilities and trust your instincts, when you feel that you shouldnt be out on the water go home, unless your`e with an instructor who is helping you get better and can rescue you if needed.
Be sure that you can rescue all in your group if the need arises, surfskis and seakayaks are incompatible in rough water unless you have practiced and learned to help each other.
Listen to your group leader and don`t endanger yourself by trying to help if you cant manage in the conditions. This just complicates the whole rescue procedure.
Get more training in rescue techniques and practice practice practice.
That`s why we have symposiums , there are still a few places available, so hurry before its too late.

Looks like surfskis are the next Hot thing at Optimist

2011-10-26T07:52:00.000-07:00

They are fun in the waves

Easy to jump into the water for a pee

Make you look good

And now even Avigail is getting into it