On the cloudy and windy afternoon of February 21, Janet and I went kayaking in Banks Channel of the Cape Fear River from the Wrightsville Beach public access between Wilmington and Cape Fear. The wind was quite breezy at 12 knots and kicking up a substantial wave chop, but no white caps.
The view was mostly motor boats tied up at private docks on our (eastern) side of the Channel and beach houses on the other side of the Channel.
This weather was the strongest wind in which I have paddled. I was pleasantly surprised at how efficiently and smoothly my long and slender boat held its orientation against the quartering wind and cut through the waves. I felt comfortably stable. Janet in her short and wide fishing kayak did not have the same advantages, but being a strong paddler, she held her path through the water and kept up with me.
Going out, we paddled upstream almost directly against the wind. Our progress was smooth and sufficient. Coming back, the wind shifted. Instead of being directly behind us, it was quartering from our starboard stern (right, back side).
At one point for a test Janet and I were beside each other and paddling at the same speed facing into the wind. Then we quit paddling at the same time. Janet’s Old Town stopped moving immediately. My Excel coasted 15 more feet, showing the efficiency of the narrow boat. Nicely, I had no pain from my pinched nerve sciatica, or from the sharp seatback.
Almost predictably, at the takeout when I pushed back in the cockpit to exit my boat, I struggled to do a backwards pushup, and could not quite rise up high enough to sit on the back deck. My butt got caught on the cockpit lip, I lost my balance, and went over into the chilly water. Fortunately, I was wearing a full wetsuit with neoprene gloves and boots and felt fine.
Afterwards, we took Janet’s Golden Retriever Gracie to the beach and let her play by chasing balls and sticks. A good time was had by all.
