Keeping the boat dry

This morning I did six laps of the February strength circuit and paddled for 90 minutes.

It's sunny and warmer today, but rather windy.  The wind is from the south, and for some reason that makes the Mississippi a lot rougher than a north wind does.  I guess it's something to do with the current flowing against the wind.  If there are towboats pushing barges upstream, the river can get extremely rough.  The wind seems to push up the waves and make them last a long time.

Today the river was free of towboat traffic, so the conditions were not big as much as they were choppy and confused.  I spent some time working on keeping my boat gliding over that stuff.  Back when I was doing a lot of whitewater racing, one of the things I learned was the importance of keeping your boat "dry," or running on top of the water.  Waves splashing over the deck will slow the boat down.  The worst thing you can do is plow through a wave and have it smack you in the chest: that will stop your boat dead in its tracks.

The sort of racing I do now is not nearly as technical as slalom or wildwater racing, but I figure keeping your boat dry in rough conditions is just as important.  I always enjoy finding ways to apply my whitewater experience to the challenges of flatwater or open water racing.