Yesterday we FINALLY took the OC1s that we purchased on Friday out for a spin. I also for the very first time got a chance to paddle with my new Kialoa “Hoku” Carbon Outrigger Paddle! I’ve been wanting to paddle with my new “Hoku” but haven’t had the time to make it up to Bellingham to paddle with the Bellingham Bay Outrigger Paddlers, so now that we have our very own OC1s, we can go out whenever we want to.
It felt so good to be able to paddle by ourselves, that, we spent ALL DAY out on the water and I was loving every minute of it! We started around 10:30 a.m. and it was still a bit gloomy, but the all the clouds and fog started to burn off and by noon the Sun was high in the sky, shining as bright as can be and by the end of the day I was completely burnt to a crisp. But it was all worth it!
We launched the OCs from the Oak Harbor marina and headed south towards Maylor Point, as we turned the corner out of the harbor, Jason called out to me to look at one of the channel markers. As I looked up, I saw a Bald Eagle perched high keeping watch over the water. I have seen Bald Eagles before but never one up close. We both slowly paddled our way to the marker to get a closer look and as we got within a reasonable distance we took the opportunity to take some photos with it in the background and just sit there and admire such a magnificent animal. We didn’t want to bother him so as we were done taking a couple of photos we headed back on our merry way hugging the coastline and just enjoying the views. We paddled about a mile and a half more south before we decided to cross the channel and head towards the westside of the harbor.
We cruised the harbor at a slow and steady pace every so often stopping and laying out on our OCs just to soak up the Gorgeous weather we were having. By this time is was already 12:40 pm and we had been out on the water for a couple of hours. So we decided to head back into the marina, park the OCs and grab some lunch before our Dragon Boat team starts to show up for practice. To the left of the marina there is a section by the boat ramp that had a little sandy beach where we could park our OCs and not worry about it getting scratched up. So we kept them there while we sat up top on the picnic bench to have a bite to eat.
After lunch, Jason took his OC out of the water, washed it off and loaded it back on the truck since he wouldn’t be using it while we had our Dragon Boat Practice with the team. I on the other hand, got back on my OC and waited in the marina for the team to load up so I could follow alongside. While waiting for the team to load I figured i’d have some fun and started to do my version of “donuts” in the marina. Some of our teammates saw me and started laughing when I answered their question as to what I was doing.
Once the team loaded up the boat and headed out, I followed right behind them, keeping right on their tail. As we got out of the marina and into the harbor I was able to watch them from the water as oppose to watching them from the dock. I was able to get some photos of the team before the winds started to kick up, the water started to get rough and I started to feel the effects of paddling for a few hours before practice time, so I decided to head back into the marina and wait for them to return.
It was our first paddle with our Kaku Elua’s and we both loved every minute of it! Now that we are back in the Pacific Northwest and the weather is starting to be amazing I am looking forward to many more paddle sessions around the island and the state!
2live 2love 2Laugh 2getfit da life of an island girl 