Apalachee River to Causeway 2005 LXXXIX
Thursday, December 1, 2005 brint.adams@us.army.mil
Finally a little real competition as Roland showed up tonight for a workout paddle. We got away at 4:39 PM as the sun was already setting behind cloud cover. There was very little wind, 60 degrees, medium water level and a rising tide, so the water conditions were ideal for fast paddling. Even though Roland had been off the water for two weeks, he is always ready to push hard and did so tonight in his K-1.
We started paddling east down Pass Picada against the tide, reaching the Apalachee in 8:55 and flew back in 6:23 for a split of 15:18. Roland took the lead and I attempted to hang on, although I could not gain any ground on him. We pressed on past the Causeway (no fishermen tonight) and back into the tide on the other side of the culverts. The water level was deep enough, we did not have to hit a perfect line, which was just as well in the dark. We picked up time, making the bridge turnaround in 31:15.
Since it was already dark, we didn't hang around long and started our sprint back. I got a little too close to the shoreline in a couple of places on the return, which slowed me down a little. Once past the culverts again, the tide slowed me down to 5.3 mph, but we were still able to cross the 5 mile finish line in a good 49:15. Having a faster partner along made a big difference in my performance, as we are starting preparations for a race in Florida in about two months.
Finally a little real competition as Roland showed up tonight for a workout paddle. We got away at 4:39 PM as the sun was already setting behind cloud cover. There was very little wind, 60 degrees, medium water level and a rising tide, so the water conditions were ideal for fast paddling. Even though Roland had been off the water for two weeks, he is always ready to push hard and did so tonight in his K-1.
We started paddling east down Pass Picada against the tide, reaching the Apalachee in 8:55 and flew back in 6:23 for a split of 15:18. Roland took the lead and I attempted to hang on, although I could not gain any ground on him. We pressed on past the Causeway (no fishermen tonight) and back into the tide on the other side of the culverts. The water level was deep enough, we did not have to hit a perfect line, which was just as well in the dark. We picked up time, making the bridge turnaround in 31:15.
Since it was already dark, we didn't hang around long and started our sprint back. I got a little too close to the shoreline in a couple of places on the return, which slowed me down a little. Once past the culverts again, the tide slowed me down to 5.3 mph, but we were still able to cross the 5 mile finish line in a good 49:15. Having a faster partner along made a big difference in my performance, as we are starting preparations for a race in Florida in about two months.
posted by brint @ 3:12 PM
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