Let There Be Light

Of course, Thomas Edison didn't actually invent the light bulb, but he did improve on the existing unreliable and expensive light bulbs to produce the incandescent bulb, and the entire electricity system to actually make light bulbs practical for home use. Like Thomas Edison, I have not failed, I have just discovered 10,000 ways that you cannot do an eskimo roll in a sea kayak.

When we got up today, the wind was blowing at a desultory 8 to 10 knots and we began to wonder if there would be enough waves off Yorkeys Knob to catch any with the kayaks. But, by about 11.00 am, the wind (recorded at Cairns airport) was blowing about 28 knots and we started wondering if it would be too windy. I find the wind really tears at my paddle when it is blowing in excess of 25 knots. After a couple of weeks of calm weather, however, we were keen so we went off to Yorkeys Knob. 

Photo D. Brown

There was only one other fellow out riding the waves on a stand-up paddleboard. The waves weren't huge, but much bigger than last time and a lot more regular so we were able to ride pretty continuously into shore without the long waiting periods we had last time. I only managed to catch a few really good rides all the way in, as some configuration of the seascape here means the waves tend to spill for a bit, and then ease up, then spill again. 

I showed great restraint when, after missing three consecutive rolls, I quit and went surfing instead. At the end of our paddling session, I got Doug to guide my paddle around and I think (although I have certainly thought things before that ended up being a crock – like the whole “healthy whole grains” debacle) that I finally started to work out what I am doing wrong. I may, however, just have found the 10,001 way that you can't eskimo roll a sea kayak.