A Paddler's Journal Cumulative Joy
Southern food with Caribbean flair, prepared repared with fresh local ingredient ingredients!
By Marsha Hensen Certified Instructor: Kayak, SUP, Canoe and Yoga
P
eople come into my shop, Sea Kayak Georgia, or call and ask, “When is the best time to go out kayaking?” Wow! What a wonderful question! It took a long while to come up with an answer that allows each person to determine their own course of action rather than just taking my word for it. The best time to go is when you have the time to go. Step one: look at the tides. Step two: look at the weather. Step Three: look at a chart. Add all three answers together and based on your skill level you’ll also be able to plot where to go. Tides plus weather plus chart equals destination. As your experiences on the water accumulate your abilities will grow and your adventures will expand. I call this cumulative joy. We used to have a t-shirt in the shop with the message, “The journey is the destination.” What better motto for cumulative joy? Paddlesports have a daily appeal to get out and see what’s going on out there – and the process adds up. It’s always different; two daily high and low tides, constant breezes, and the passage of time, all give a slightly different experience with each visit. The water has reached that magic temperature of 68 degrees and nature has awakened. Fish are active, terns and pelicans are diving, dolphin are fishing, and diamondback terrapins are showing their adorable little heads. Recently I’ve seen five sea turtles come up for air, eagles stealing fish from osprey, egrets lined up along the marsh banks, oystercatchers letting me know their eggs are on the beach, dolphins with babies, and the green grass of the marsh is extra tall due to our mild winter. The warm water has increased nature’s activity and ours, too. We have been leading tours, instructing surf and rough water lessons, and selling boats for other folks to go adventuring. All
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georgia Kayak, SUP, & Canoe Tours Instruction Group Educational Tours Sales 1102 Highway 80, Tybee Island
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Southern Tides Magazine
May 2019
