New talent on the block

A huge welcome to new paddling talent, Super Boo! Do have a look at her new blog. Many of you may be keen followers of her dad and his blog, Capt' of the O'Dark 30, so it's great to see an 11-year-old out making her own adventures happen, and dragging big daddy along with her!

And all for a good cause - not only her only self-awareness of the fun of life, but also raising awareness for breast cancer, of which her mother is currently fighting.

Big adventures are on the horizon for this wee lass, some which can't even yet be talked about! (I hate it when other folks write things like that on their blogs ;) So stay tuned!

Blogger's block

After some fierce words from the Capt'n, I figured I'd better put fingers to keyboard. It's got to be a blogger's block of some sort - perhaps a new phrase for the lexicon. There's certainly been a fair bit running on inside my head, which I could have made a few comments on. Dang it, I couldn't even find the time to do so on Blog Action Day. I've even been out on the water since the last entry, but that went by the by.

Mostly, it's been block thrown in with little time. Work's a bit busy at the moment (what's new), with our upcoming annual meeting in Orlando in a fortnight and various other projects on the boil. And, of course, there's this wee 5.5-month-old at home that seems to take up an inordinate amount of time. Go figure. I have him for an hour in the morning, after getting up at 0530 (waaay pre-sparrow fart) to take the dog for a four-mile run, so FliesWithKiwiBird can catch up on some sleep; and then as soon as I get home from the office around 5pm, he's mine until we share bath, books and bed (I now know Brown Bear, Brown Bear and Goodnight Moon off by heart). During the weekends, I have him pretty much most of the time, to give FliesWithKiwiBird a much needed break. And frankly, the wee one doesn't care two hoots whether I have a daily blog commitment or not. But above all that, he's just so darn-gone-gorgeous!

So there you go. There are my excuses. At least the world keeps turning without me. Phew.

Learning from tragedy

Two experienced kayakers have died in Howe Sound, northwest of Vancouver. I'm not keen on going into the wherewithalls - it's well covered in this newspaper report and others - and I'm sure all the forums will soon be well abuzz.

But once more we can learn from the tragic mistakes made, and work to make bloody sure that this isn't you or me in the same position. As always, it comes down to wearing the right gear for the sport and the occasion, and not dicking around with the weather.

People depend on us coming home at the end of the day.

Four more years

Turned out not to just be the day we wore black to support the All Blacks' quarter-final match against France in the Rugby World Cup currently being played in Europe, but a day of mourning as well.

Earlier in the day, the Aussies had been trounced by England 10-12, the same England who had lost 36-0 to the Springboks earlier in the tournament. That was a real shocker. And then last night the favourites to win the Cup, the NZ All Blacks, lost to France 18-20. Couldn't believe it. We were all over at Pete and Lauren's watching the match - the wee one wearing his black NZ shirt for the first time. Pete's a Maori - how amazing is that - two Kiwis in Durham (there are more) and we live behind each other.

Never mind that the Pommy ref was just terrible, even allowing a forward pass try from the French, and not carrying through the penalty for NZ in the dying seconds of the game, we just didn't play well enough.

The bookies, and fans, had us tipped to win. And somewhere in the US is a very unhappy chappie who's just lost $4.2M.

But we'll continue to wear black. For another four years.

Shopping for gear

Sigh. The ever-so-slight shiver that runs through one’s spine when new gear is wanted. Nay, necessary, even. And every kayaker needs a PFD. For a couple of years I’ve happily worn Patagonia’s Lotus, now discontinued. But I noticed the other day, after nearly losing a wee maglight torch and my ever-so-necessary stick of chapstick, that the bottom of the zip pocket had frayed away to near nothing.

Of course, we never get too sad about having to replace gear, because that means some happy hours spent researching just the right replacement. Which I did. When the wee one is asleep in his sling across my shoulders, I’ve devised a system where I can rest the laptop on top of a good-sized carton, and then that atop the dining room table. Thus standing I’m just the right height to ‘research’ and not disturb the sleeping babe, who, of course, will know how to Google just as soon as he can sit up and move a mouse all by himself.

I needed a few more pockets this time, and bigger ones too. I particularly wanted a pocket that would fit my McMurdo 406 PLB EPRIB, not the smallest in its field, thus not having to carry it in a bumbag around my waist. I also wanted another separate pocket for my VHF. And then another pocket for a few other goodies, such as a whistle, stick or two of chapstick and three or four small flares. I’ll still carry the bumbag, but that’s for snacks and a bit of this and that – that system worked really well in this year’s Everglades Challenge. And if the new PFD could be yellow, to match my boat (I’m a girl) and to stand out in a potential rescue situation, even better.

A few happy hours later, Kokatat’s MsFIT Tour PFD it was. All the pockets I wanted and one more to boot, and I also like the fact that you can have it clipped across your chest with the two chest straps and the zip undone, and apparently you’re still USCG-deemed safe – for those hot steamy days. And it comes in yellow – mango for the fruits among us.

Being an REI purchase, and having saved every receipt ever spent on all my kayaking-related gear over the last two and a bit years (just to shock myself one cold rainy winter day when I add it all up), I trotted off to our local REI and turned in the old PFD for the new one awaiting me – I’d previously ordered it on line (using last month’s members’ special 20% discount offer) and taken advantage of the free shipping. And I learned that I didn’t even need the receipt as every one of my purchases is stored away on REI’s system. Rather scary. But what I loved is the no questions asked – you’ve used the kit for over two years, it falls to pieces, and presto, you’ve a new – maybe even better – one.

Oh, and actually using it to paddle in? A dream. Hardly even knew I had it on.

Sigh. The smell of new gear.

Out on Wednesdays

Just stunning out on the lake Wednesday. I get into the office pre-sparrow fart so I can leave earlier, usually around 1500, to be paddling by 1540 or so. There was a slight breeze on my tail for the first two miles from Ebeneezer's put in to New Hope Overlook, and then it died. Which was just fine as I'd forgotten my sail. I've been dying to test out the new base I'd had made for me in California - but more on that when I've actually tested it out!

For the first time in months there were rain clouds on the horizon, but they slowly drifted off to the south (lucky South Carolina, if so), leaving us as dry as ever. Once more, the level of the lake's dropped, and even more counties have banned any watering or car washing whatsoever. In Durham County here, we're restricted to certain watering times on Wednesdays and Saturdays. We're also allowed to top up the pool, but I'm inclined to think that's rather a silly thing to be allowed to do when others are suffering, including Durhamites, so we're not.

The pink hues as the sun slowly died behind the clouds made for beautiful reflections as I made it back to Ebeneezer, 12 miles later.

It's good to get out on Wednesdays.

NZ's the place to be

Just amazing. No woman has ever paddled around New Zealand's South Island, and only three men have, and now three sheilas are making a go of it, all within the next few months.

I mentioned Freya Hoffmeister's journey a few posts back, and now the renowned Justine Curgenven (Wales) and to me unknown Barbro Lindman (Sweden) are also taking up the challenge.

My responses are entirely irrational:

• One was fine, now three are 'competing', and I'm not one of them
• Three sheilas and not one of them is a Kiwi, and I'm not one of them (but I'm a Kiwi)
• This trip is probably one of the most challenging any paddler could make, and I'm not one of them
• With the most beautiful scenery to view, and I'm not one of them
  

Kia Kaha!

Argo project

Did you know that today there are 2,917 Argo floats bobbing around the world's oceans? I didn't, but exploring the Web site devoted to the Argo project had me gripped.

An Argo float is a 25kg free-drifting profiling float that measures the temperature and salinity of the upper 2000m of the ocean. This allows, for the first time, continuous monitoring of the temperature, salinity and velocity of the upper ocean, with all data being relayed and made publicly available within hours after collection. The power of the Internet!

The battery-powered autonomous floats spend most of their life drifting at a depth where they're stabilised by being neutrally buoyant, usually 1000m to 2000m. This "parking depth" pressure means they have a density equal to the ambient pressure and a compressibility that is less than that of sea water. A typical model operates at about 10-day intervals - the floats pump fluid into an external bladder and rise to the surface over about six to 12 hours while measuring temperature and salinity. Satellites determine the position of the floats when they surface, and receive the data transmitted by the floats. The bladder then deflates and the float returns to its original density and sinks to drift until the cycle is repeated. Ingenious! Floats are designed to make about 150 such cycles, so they typically last about 3.5 to four years.

Another factor that picked up my interest, is that New Zealand has a role to play in the Argo project. The R/V Kaharoa, based out of Wellington, has recently returned from its seventh Argo mission since beginning the program in 2004, and has now deployed 439 active floats. Altogether, the 28m Kaharoa has spent nearly a year at sea for Argo.

UPDATE: October 2nd: The 3,000th Argo was launched today!

BubbaGirl rules

First, a big thank you for all the birthday wishes - much appreciated - great fun with calls afar from NZ to Shanghai. Great to finally turn 39. Once again. Again. Times a few more...

So it's a good day to announce that BubbaGirl has again agreed to sponsor me for WaterTribe's Everglades Challenge for 2008. Woohoo!

BubbaGirl's an acronym for "Be Unique By Being Adventurous: Get Into Real Life", and a BubbaGirl is someone who seizes opportunities to grow and experience life. She's always looking for chances to learn about herself while fulfilling her dreams and potential. I'm always hoping that when I grow up, I'll be a BubbaGirl, and hopefully encourage other women of all ages to be BubbaGirls too.

A bit more about the sponsorship in some later posts.

Callinectes sapidus

If when we die we're dead,

then the world is ours like gaudy grain

to be reaped while we're here, without guilt.

If not, then an ominous duty to feel

with the mite and the dragon is ours,

and a burden in being.

Late at night the ghosts of the crabs patrol our intestines,

scampering sideways, hearkening à pointe

like radar dishes beneath the tide, seeking

the safe grave of sand in vain, turning,

against their burning wills, into us.

from Crab Crack, by John Updike

When we were in Beaufort for our summer hols, Tim invited us around to a crab crack, of blue crab. My very first. I'm not a great fan of crab, and refuse to eat the imitation stuff, which isn't really crab at all but mostly pollack fish. And it wasn't easy getting stuck in with the wee one fast asleep on me in his sling. But I was slipped a morsel every now and then, and had to admit it was good stuff.

What really astounded me was the blue crab's colouring. When we first arrived at Tim's, the crabs were fresh from the steamer, and orange. Then when he loaded a second lot in, I saw them for the first time in all their glory. What a lovely creature. Tim taught me the difference between a male (Jimmy) and female (Sally) blue crab and, which are better for eating (Sally, of course, or possibly even Sook).

North Carolina is the number one producer of blue crab in the US, and apparently it's the most economically valuable fishery to the state. But in less than five years, over half of the state's processors have been forced to shut down and a coastal way of life is threatened.

And then there's the other side of the argument; and I quote from Sylvia Earle ("Her Deepness"), who I've met a few times and respect immensely: "I personally have stopped eating seafood. I know too much. I know that every fish counts at this point. Some more than others... If we value the ocean and the ocean's health at all, we have to understand that fish are critical to maintaining the integrity of ocean systems, which in turn make the planet work. We have been so single-minded about fish, thinking that the only good fish is a cooked fish, rather than recognizing their importance to the ecosystem that also has a great value to us."