Is Today the Day?

 I’m writing from the relative safety of bed.

About 2 hours ago shit went sideways.

When I set out on my kayak 3 hours ago, the air was still and the water calm. Checking weather, I had at least two hours if not more of the same. I packed some water and snacks—along with both phones—into my dry bag and set off for the far side of the peninsula—perhaps 2 klicks as the crow flies.

A leisurely paddle and wind from the East got me there in about 15 minutes. I hugged the shore and watched all the birds. Looked up at the sky. Marked some milestones in my head and talked some things through and allowed the truth to hit the air—a pretty productive few things in it of themselves.

I noticed the drift and where I was in the bay at about the same time the winds started picking up. My point of return lay on the other side of the peninsula, so I started paddling….

And…shit. A stiff wind greeted me on the other side of it and banged me against the shore.

Shit. I jumped out of the kayak and ported it to the nearest beach. That was slightly more eventful than expected, mostly because the ground underneath the water wasn’t solid, meaning I had a whole other world of trouble if I didn’t keep moving.

That’s about the point where I wondered if this is how it ends.

I dragged the kayak onto the beach and sat for a moment.  Flailing about in panic wouldn’t get me anywhere. I took a drink and looked around. Checked the wind and realized that even if I did a hard paddle straight for our dock, the wind would make sure I gained no ground.

Tacking would work, though.

I put in again and hugged the shore. This was about triple the distance, but I didn’t care. I just needed to get back. I sent hubby a picture and my location. Then paddled.

At some point the wind died down. I passed some paddlers coming out. They were four in two, and with an outfitter so would be okay. I paddled until all I needed to do was drift south to our pier.

And I did.

So today was not the day.