I think I've been participating in this little family trip to Dauphin Island for four years now, and at least at this time of year the weather seems never to be dead calm. So far this week it's been breezy with occasional heavy storms moving through. I'm a fairly regimented guy by nature, but doing an "outdoor" sport has taught me to make some adjustments on the fly when the conditions aren't what I'd like them to be.
Yesterday I paddled with my 11-year-old niece Rachel. Right now she seems to be the most enthusiastic of my sister's four kids for paddling, and she did very well even though the boat I'd brought for her to paddle was really designed for a heavier-set adult. The wind pushed her around some but she handled it well. After we paddled for a half-hour or so I helped her with some deep-water self-rescue technique.
This morning some very strong storms passed through, and outside our window Mississippi Sound looked as violent as the open sea. I stayed in and did two sets of the May-June strength routine. By this afternoon things had calmed down and I embarked on a 60-minute session in the sound. After warming up and doing three 8-stroke sprints, I did eight 30-stroke sprints at three-minute intervals. I still had some waves to deal with that were big enough to make me open my surf ski's drain plug, but I was able to paddle with good power for most of the workout.
After that I stayed in the boat and paddled some more with Rachel and with her 12-year-old brother, Ben. This additional labor of love finished me off for the day.
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