Kayak School 101

While Mr. & Mrs. NYC are riding the waves in Hawaii, Mrs. RFD also had a watery adventure. Early Sunday morning, I checked in at the Annapolis Sailing School for a full day course in kayaking.
Right off the bat, we learned how to do a wet exit - that's when the kayak rolls over and the paddler manages to undo the spray skirt and exit the upside down canoe. It looks totally terrifying, but actually was a lot of fun to do !
Fortified with that comforting knowledge, we learned all kinds of paddling strokes and toured around the Chesapeake Bay and enjoyed the beautiful day. Sitting low in the water gives you a completely different point of view and the kayak itself makes you feel at one with the water.
After a delicious lunch, we learned how to get back into a kayak after being dumped out and how to save other kayakers. It was surprisingly difficult to maneuver with a PFD ( that's a personal flotation device or life preserver ) strapped tightly to your chest and a spray skirt attached to your middle and shoes and pants on. But we all managed to master rescuing, which again was very confidence inspiring and comforting.
The rest of the afternoon we spent paddling around the harbor, a creek and the bay, We met large and small boats and let me tell you, even a fairly middle-sized boat looks like the Titanic from the viewpoint of the kayaker ! There are the most amazing boats in Annapolis, it's not called the Sailboat Capital of the World for nothing.
At the end of the trip, the wind kicked up and we even had some surf to maneuver and ride into the beach, which was tremendous fun. I am now a confirmed kayker - I want to do this again !!