Standup Paddleboarding as therapy

[stoneaxe]

I remember back when I learned to sail at community boating if you fell in the Charles you had to get a tetanus shot...

Here's the latest post in my quest for standup therapy.
http://newenglandsup.wordpress.com/2009/04/21/newport-jazz/

[stoneaxe]

12 mile training paddle session today in preperation for CCBC 2009. 1st 7 were easy then the wind kicked up...headwind of course...last 5 into a 10-15 mph wind and chop was TOUGH. Good training though. Should have brought my fishing rod. Saw a large school of schoolie (small) striped bass that were cruising the shallows for bait fish. An ultralight rod with a plug on it would have been a lot of fun.

[yardtick]

Me too Cheri 

Anne Marie

[Keri]

Me three, Cheri and Anne Marie. I thought, 'gee, this brain looks a bit different - is that big white thing problematic?' I hadn't seen the subject line or Bob's explanation because I was just breezing through all the new posts starting at pg 10 to pg 1.

Bob, when you do these long training sessions, do you stand up the whole time? Or sit and rest some? You're 12 mile training session has inspired me to go out for a long run today!

Have fun!
Keri

[leapyrtwins]

I'm with you guys.  I couldn't figure out what the picture was either 

Jan

[Kaybo]

Holy Moly - I thought that it was a scan too - I thought it was VERY new, CLEAR technology!!

K

[stoneaxe]

LOL....boy that would be one scary scan.....

Keri...yes I stand the whole time. I did take a short break at the end of mile 9 where I hit the beach after crossing the inlet. Miles 8 and 9 were the start of a stiff headwind and crossing the edge of the bank (the big white thing) always has strange seas with weird currents and chop. I didn't have my hydration pack on (silly) so I stopped to drink the small bottle of water I had in a fanny pack. I also stopped once to talk to a fisherman I see often to let him lnow about the fish I saw.

Went surfing for 4 hours today on Cape Cod...very messy choppy surf. It's an even better workout than the long distance stuff. It's a constant fight to stay standing and you have to fight your way back out through the whitewater...that's fun though. The surfing part while still good exercise is actually the easy part.

Very cool...I had paddle out a bit further than the waves were to look at some of the seals that were out there and as I'm standing there two minke whales surfaced about 50 ft away. It looked like they were having a race...just flying down the beach...man they are fast.

[NancyMc]

You DON'T do this ALONE, do you?  And seriously, stay hydrated!  It's the mother in me.  I love the image.  What a glorious experience it must be, especially the marine life.  We paddled out to visit the bald eagles yesterday.  They seem to have something brewing in the nest as they are no longer sitting on it but rather tending something in it.  Good luck with the training, Bob.  There must be a little waterproof camera you could take along for the whale and bass sightings.

[stoneaxe]

Nancy...yes unfortunately I'm often alone for my training sessions. Occasionally I'll get together with someone but most of the distance paddlers around here are fairly widespread. I do have one friend close by but its tough to match schedules. Good news is my daughters boyfriend wants to start going out with me and he is on the way to the beach. He is thinking about joining me for the CCBC. We'll see if I encourage that or not. He is in good shape but has never surfed or done this before. I'm going to take him out one day this week with no wind and calm seas.

I usually surf with others...I was with two other guys on the Cape Saturday.

Amazing watching the raptors. We had a family of red tail hawks behind us years ago.  I had been watching the hawks for a few weeks. 3 chicks, I'd seen them all learn to fly. One day I was outside with the girls amongst our trees (they were little then). We were sitting in the grass watching them...the parents flying in circles above the nest and then each of the young ones joined them. They caught a thermal just above us and started a lazy spiral higher and higher. As we watched the one that had flown the highest of them just flew off. We watched until it dissapeared. I remember telling the girls that that was what parents did, that it was our job to teach them how to fly and that it was their job to fly as high as they could. That someday they were going to have to fly without our help and we wanted them to be able to take care of themselves

[NancyMc]

And now they do.  Congratulations!
But I still think it's inadvisable to go out on the ocean by your lonesome.  You do leave a flight plan, I'm sure.

[Seal]

Nancy,

I think we would call it a float plan just to be correct!     We leave a float plan when we go offshore for the night.   I tell my wife not to call the Coast Guard until I don't come home by the second evening!!         Bob, just after this picture, we had six out of eight rods go down when a pack of albacore tuna came through our wake just after sunset!!

Keep paddling!!

Steve

[Keri]

Seal - beautiful picture.

Bob - I'm with Nancy, I wish you wouldn't go off miles at see by yourself! How much 'stuff' can you take with you? Does it just sit there on your board or is it tied to it in case it goes overboard? Or do you just take water, gatorade, etc and no food and could you really fish from your board? Not that you would, if you're trying to go do a marathon on a paddleboard, just wondered if it were an option.

Nancy - your boating trip sounds great too.

Have fun!
Keri

[stoneaxe]

Flight/float plan for sure. I call Suzanne just before I hit the water an tell her how long i think i'll be out and call again when I'm back in. In the winter I call the harbor master as well...great guys...and wear a PFD. I'm about 2-2.5 miles from shore at the furthest point out on this route. It's actually pretty safe. Deep in Cape Cod Bay so even if something happened and I was forced out I'm still in the bay. I had to paddle back in against a sudden unexpected offshore wind of about 25 mph last year and while it wasn't particularly fun it just made for a great workout. 2 hours of hard paddling back to my car...in an emergency I could have gone north or south easier to land. I do usually carry my hydration pack and a few energy bars but foolishly went light on this one...won't do it again. I could feel the effects of dehydration working on my stamina ond balance 3/4's of the way through. I also need to hydrate better beforehand.
I've been thinking of getting a SPOT device so Sue can track me. Actually I'm hoping to get them to sponsor the CCBC so the kids can follow our progress. http://www.findmespot.com/en/

I'm really waiting for the iPhone to work a deal with Verizon...I'd love to have that with me for all kinds of reasons...emergency device, music, GPS, geocoded camera, web access for surf reports, weather....and 30,000 other apps. My brother just did the 1st of a few articles on his web mag about using the iPhone for SUP. Definitely has me sold. Amazing device...so much more than a phone....you can even use it as a kindle.
http://www.kenalu.com/2009/05/04/iphone-for-sup/

[NancyMc]

Okay, I understood that whole thing until the last word.  What's a kindle?  Surely not kindling! 
I have the iPod Touch, but wish I had gotten an iPhone now that I see what it can do, especially since I already have AT&T.
Oh, well.
It sounds as though you have the safety issue covered, so we'll let you go out and play now.
Moms of the ANADF

[joebloggs]

Hey Stoneaxe - I'm back paddling, 9 weeks post op!  Have popped a pic up on my update thread - it's a good feeling!  So far so good... will put more pics up soon!!