(May 17) Outing #4

We begin Saturday, May 17, with high anticipation. The last row was so much better than previous ones; we think we might get the hang of it yet! The temperature is a bit cooler.

The transportation setup doesn't start so well. How come this ding-dang dolly can't seem to stay horizontal with the shell on it? The thing keeps angling down and the boat tilts - all while I'm trying to secure the ding-dang straps. I say several bad words. It takes me a little while to realize I have the dolly too far towards the stern and the shell is narrowing rapidly. Duh! Triangle + parallel tracks = "unstable situation" to paraphrase a Greek grad student colleague. I shift the dolly to the middle and try to remember the position with respect to the rigging so I don't do this again. Finally, I'm off to the lake.

We're hitting the water a little later than usual. It's windy. The chop isn't too bad. We got our routine started the usual way - first one, then the other, then both together. But, in no time, we're having "disagreements." "Easy" she says, "Stop strong arming it." I'm not using my arms at all - trying to use proper technique. After a while, I realize she means that I'm driving too hard. As we pick up speed, I'm driving harder with my legs to keep increasing our speed. I'm counting out loud but only on the return leading up to a simultaneous catch (when both our oars go in the water to propel us forward). Since I'm "driving" harder and faster, she's getting pulled along and is having a hard time getting her oars out of the water on the release (when we've finished, turn the oar 90 degrees, and get them up above the water).

I slow down on the drive and we do much better. We are puttering into a different cove on this outing. It's wide and long and rather sheltered from the wind. This works out really well. We can go longer without having to turn around and are getting the hang of looking behind us a making adjustments as the cove makes its slight curves. My legs are a bit tired. We go back and forth a few times and turn back to the access ramp. We even make it to the ramp without bumping into the dock or having to make several attempts to "back in." Whew!