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Force majeure!

11/6/2017

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A wonderful time, sea, sun and beach, surfing great waves, spending a late summer day at the beach, that was the plan. Except what happened was this:
Picture
One of the first times in my life I was drinking seawater while remaining in an upright position. As people who have taken a look around our website may know, we don't have that much experience in traversing big swells. Sure, we spend a lot of time on big waters but, the Northsea @ Domburg with a NW wind of around 4 Beaufort was a bit more then we could chew. I can hear you thinking, that wave doesn't look that big. Well that's exactly what I was thinking while standing on the beach watching the foam of the waves blowing past us. Apparently there is a big difference in standing in front of a wave and sitting on your bottom in a very small vessel.

Picture
 The first try with my Scorpio failed miserably, I could not stay upright even with a lot of praying. Maybe to the wrong guardian angel, who knows? After being swept out of the sea like a piece of driftwood I asked my friend, who was trying to take some action pictures of me before I drowned, if it would be smart to change boats. The answer was, stay out of the sea you crazy bugger. Normally I am the most prudent and careful guy that is out there but this time, I chose a different approach. Probably tumbling around like a washcloth in a 1950's dryer only moments before was clouding my judgement a bit. So instead of packing in my gear and drying of my Scorpio I went for the smaller, more agile Pyranha, an easier boat to handle in big swells. Or so I thought...

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So again into the swell, hi ho Silver! Away! My head still a tumbling mess, my brain unable to comprehend why its body wanted back into these waters. Secretely I wasn't all that chippy about it anymore, but I had to try with the smaller boat, otherwise I would never be able to look in the mirror again... that day. But after paddling like mad, taking the first wave like a pro, the second, the third, feeling exhilarated about my paddling skills and my ability to remain upright even though at that time I had not a full grasp of the meaning of the word upright because I was gobling up large quantities of seawater. Suddenly after the fourth and biggest wave I saw my friend standing next to me, in the middle of the sea,...?

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So ends well all well I suppose, next time I'll come back when the waves are a bit smaller, hopefully it will be a bit easier to buff up my skills then, until next time, mighty Northsea!
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    De Kozze

    Built: 1979
    Seakayak start: 2014

    P&H Scorpio LV
    ​Pyranha Z-one M
    Stipyaks Eagle (tandem)

    MTTWIM

    Built: 1972
    Seakayak start: 2014

    Nordkapp Sirona 16.1
    Nordkapp Jubilee (retired)

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  • HOME
  • Blog
  • gallery and wiki
    • channels >
      • Albertkanaal
      • Kanaal Bocholt - Herentals
      • Kanaal Dessel - Schoten
    • gulfs >
      • Morbihan
    • lakes >
      • Boeretang
      • De Biesbosch
      • Kanaalmeer
      • Oude Zandput
      • De Paalse plas
      • De Poel
      • Rauwse meer
      • Schulensmeer
      • Veerse Meer
      • Zandput Witgoor
    • rivers >
      • Aa
      • Amblève
      • Dommel
      • Nete >
        • Kleine Nete
        • Molse Nete
        • Witte Nete
        • Zwarte Nete
        • Werbeekse Nete
      • Maas >
        • Grindgat Oost Maarland
        • Kessenich-Stevensweert
        • Maasmechelen-Stein
        • Stuw van Lieze
      • Scheldt >
        • Breskens - hooge plaat
        • Paal-Verdronken land van Saeftinghe-Westerschelde
        • St. Anneke-Schelde-Antwerpen
      • Zaan
    • sea >
      • Noordzee De Haan
      • Nieuwpoort-bad
      • Westkapelle
      • Nieuwvliet-Bad
  • NIFTY LINKS
  • gear & stuff
    • Kayaks & Paddles
    • kayak clothing
    • electronics & accessories
    • camping gear
  • contact
  • Environment
  • ❤ SWEDEN ❤
  • The great escape