Windrider
Plus-sized tuxedo model
Kayaking has become my number one way of getting away from it all. There's something wonderful being out on the water no matter what the conditions. I live a very short distance from the ocean and am lucky enough to work from home. Since I start my work day at 6:30 AM, I can be on the water by 4:00 most of the time.
I'm a big guy and have been through a lot health-wise. I was always pretty big, but when I was diagnosed with bladder cancer a few years ago the treatments made me feel terrible for two years. I consoled myself with food and video games and ended up packing on over a hundred pounds. Now, I'm losing the weight slowly and getting active.
I started out, mainly because of the weight, with an inflatable kayak. We called it "the pool toy" and it really wasn't much more than that but it got me out on the water. The next year, I bought a Sit on top kayak that I still use for fishing. Sit on tops trade speed for stability so my kayaking friends with their ten foot recreational boats and I were about even in speed. Last year, I bought a 14 foot sit inside boat that is quite capable of handling almost anything short of small craft warnings and is the fastest boat I've owned. I leave my friends in their ten footers in the dust.
I took a self-rescue class and carry every piece of safety equipment I can afford (I'm saving for a VHF radio). I wear my PFD so much that I often forget to take it off on shore. I carry an extra paddle, paddle float, bilge pump, whistle, paddling knife and rescue stirrup along with a first aid kit in my dry bag.
The thing I love about paddling is the sense of working with the sea. I had a rough day with some customers last week so I told my wife I was going to take it out on my paddle . I put in at one of my usual spots, a boat ramp at the most protected part of the harbor, and paddled out to an island a couple of miles off shore. The seas were running at about three feet and my boat was punching through some of the waves and riding over the others. It was amazing, it was dangerous and an absolute blast.
The next day, the water was like a mirror. I paddled out of the harbor into the open sea while gentle swells lifted and cradled me like being embraced by the Grand Architect Himself. The Cormorants were diving for small fish and a gentle breeze kept me cool. An Osprey flew by with a fish in his talons. Feeling the water flow under me and using the power of my whole body to glide along brings me closer to Him that made me and saved me.
I'm a big guy and have been through a lot health-wise. I was always pretty big, but when I was diagnosed with bladder cancer a few years ago the treatments made me feel terrible for two years. I consoled myself with food and video games and ended up packing on over a hundred pounds. Now, I'm losing the weight slowly and getting active.
I started out, mainly because of the weight, with an inflatable kayak. We called it "the pool toy" and it really wasn't much more than that but it got me out on the water. The next year, I bought a Sit on top kayak that I still use for fishing. Sit on tops trade speed for stability so my kayaking friends with their ten foot recreational boats and I were about even in speed. Last year, I bought a 14 foot sit inside boat that is quite capable of handling almost anything short of small craft warnings and is the fastest boat I've owned. I leave my friends in their ten footers in the dust.
I took a self-rescue class and carry every piece of safety equipment I can afford (I'm saving for a VHF radio). I wear my PFD so much that I often forget to take it off on shore. I carry an extra paddle, paddle float, bilge pump, whistle, paddling knife and rescue stirrup along with a first aid kit in my dry bag.
The thing I love about paddling is the sense of working with the sea. I had a rough day with some customers last week so I told my wife I was going to take it out on my paddle . I put in at one of my usual spots, a boat ramp at the most protected part of the harbor, and paddled out to an island a couple of miles off shore. The seas were running at about three feet and my boat was punching through some of the waves and riding over the others. It was amazing, it was dangerous and an absolute blast.
The next day, the water was like a mirror. I paddled out of the harbor into the open sea while gentle swells lifted and cradled me like being embraced by the Grand Architect Himself. The Cormorants were diving for small fish and a gentle breeze kept me cool. An Osprey flew by with a fish in his talons. Feeling the water flow under me and using the power of my whole body to glide along brings me closer to Him that made me and saved me.