The results of yesterday's race have been released on the event's Face Book page. I'll make a note of it here when they go up on the Gator Bait Race website.
Ross Barnett Reservoir was formed by building a dam across the Pearl River upstream of Jackson. The three races I have entered on the "Rez" have all been on the lower part of the lake, just above the dam. When I got up this morning I wanted to paddle somewhere, but preferably a place I hadn't been before; I also wanted to go someplace that would put me on a good path toward home from my motel in Brandon. After studying the map, I decided on a place farther up the reservoir where Mississippi 43 crosses over.
The water was dead calm when I arrived, so I finally had my chance to take the K1 off the car. As I set off on my 60-minute session, I felt relaxed and comfortable, and that continued for a half hour or so. Then the motorized traffic began to pick up, and even though I was far from the main navigation channel, the waves that came my way were enough to shake my confidence a bit. I was a good two hundred meters offshore at that point, and I started thinking about the long swim I would have with my swamped boat if I flipped.
The fact is I'm still spending a lot of energy just concentrating on balance, and I therefore have reservations about competing in that boat. In order to compete well I would have many things to occupy my attention besides just the basic motor skills. I guess it's possible I'll never do a race in the K1, and if so, so be it: I got the boat mainly for a new challenge, and there's no doubt I'll be a better overall paddler as a result.
I finished paddling before eleven o'clock. I had some 20 miles of secondary roads to travel before catching Interstate 55, and I admired the lovely central Mississippi countryside on this beautiful morning.
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