My Physiotherapist said my hip injury was coming along nicely and I was given the all clear to try a little gentle kayaking. The COVID lockdown has been lifted and we are allowed to travel so it was an early start on this warm Wednesday morning, heading for the South Coast.

I was invited by James Fishers and Steve (King of England) to join them for a short surf kayak session. There were  some big, fat waves on offer so the youngsters were burning off excess energy for a couple of hours, but I would restrict my water time to under an hour.

My long suffering photographer, Robyn, was trying hand held photos with a Tamron 400 lens. Her best vantage point was standing on a park bench above the beach and I think she did a great job of balancing that lens that normally resides on a tripod.

Now that the body is holding together I can get back in the Sea Kayak for some longer paddles. Anyway, here’s a few photos of our gentle session.

Gaining some speed down the face

Launched off the lip the kayak is still bouncing

Easy Rider

Cool and relaxed

Getting a bumpy ride in the soup

Still hanging in there

Some waves were bigger than others

Have a great Wednesday. Stay safe.

I was on the treatment table with the Physio trying to prove that he could indeed push his fingers right through my hip joint. He smiled and exclaimed “yep, that’s the spot”.

My body has been squeezed into a small “Playboat” for the last 10 years as well as various other surf kayaks, sea kayaks, polo kayaks and marathon craft over the years, so it was no surprise that eventually I would strike a problem.

What did come as a surprise was the fact that he said it was probably “age related”. Cheeky Bugger I thought, it’s not like I’m pushing 70 or something and  I expect to keep paddling surf kayaks and sea kayaks for at least another 20 years.

I told him it’s ok, I have a friend called Rexy who will fix this problem.

“Exo Rexy” arrived at my place and we were soon on our way to a local surf spot. Rexy the somewhat larger WW playboat, my new friend, from Exo kayaks of Italy is imported by Roy Farrance at Canoes Plus.

We hit the waves, which although sort of smallish, gave me a good idea of how Rexy would handle. Plenty of leg and foot room, easy rolling, fast down a wave and most importantly comfortable. Here’s a few photos.

Nice clean waves provided long rides

Nice waves and Rexy stayed right in the groove

I would paddle back out just in time to catch another nice ride

The waves were not huge but they still had some punch

Hard turns and Rexy handled it with ease

Not quite the maneuver I had in mind

Of course with a clean wave and a photographer around you will likely get a visit from another retiree paddler. Yep, Steve (King of England) paddled out to join me. You just can’t have a photographer around without him knowing and getting in the frame. I think he haunts this coast looking for opportunities to paddle.

Trying to stay on the wave and smile at the camera is not easy

Dropping into another green section

Eventually it was time to call it quits so we both surfed back to shore. Happy that Rexy had come to the rescue.

Homeward bound

The Covid Handshake

After the session we heard that Covid 19 had raised it’s ugly head again and the whole state was in a 6 day total lock down probably extending to 14 days. Stay home, no paddling, no exercise outside your home. I guess it’s back to home Guitar sessions and polishing up the “Lockdown Blues” and “All by myself” songs.

I hope to see you on the water again soon-ish. Stay safe.