Adventures Down the Shore: Kayaking and Paddle Boarding

After our hiking antics on Friday, we weren't quite done adventuring yet so Saturday morning, on
Burak's actual birthday, we woke up early (ish) and my brother brought us over to the bay for Kayaking and Paddle Boarding. We had a big day planned to make sure he had the best birthday possible this year!  So many adventures, so little time!

I'm very lucky that my brother is a super outdoors adventurer with crazy quantities of gear including 2 kayaks and 2 paddle boards which he loaded into/onto his van for our adventure. If we had wanted, he could have borrowed some more kayaks from a friend but I've really been wanting to try paddle boarding. The last couple of times we've gone down to mom's we've gotten rained out or otherwise waylaid, so this past weekend we made it happen.

I did it!!!

My baby brotherrr

I finally got to paddle-board!  And so did Baros, Burak and my brother, Paul! So we checked off Bucket list (Kayaking and Paddle-boarding)! The only person who wouldn't go paddle-boarding was the mamma bear.  She tried it once last year and apparently had no balance so she stuck to the shoreline with our camera to be photographer for the day.  She got some sun and watched us be silly in the bay.
another two items on our

I assumed that paddle-boarding would be pretty tough, especially since in general I have no balance whatsoever.  I regularly trip and lose my balance... sometimes while standing perfectly still.  I definitely thought that I would spend most of the day face-planting in the water.  I was prepared for it.  And then it didn't really happen.
Paul gave me a 5, maybe 10 minute lesson on where to put my feet and where to sit on the board and then he ran back up to the van to grab something. In the couple of minutes, he was gone, I got myself on the board and into a kneeling position.
Within another couple of minutes, I'd fallen once attempting to stand and then suddenly I was standing.  It was so cool
I had no concept of how to turn or the best way to paddle (when I made it back to shore my brother told me I had been holding it backwards) since the lesson hadn't been long enough for that.

Baros and his kayak

So I kind of drifted with the current, while standing and somehow keeping my balance and paddling

Burak in his kayak

lightly.   The others got into their kayaks and onto the other paddle-board and I attempted to get back towards where they were.  I had to kneel for my first attempt at turning the paddleboard and going against the current.  That being said, I made it work.  I got back to the others so we could head out in the same direction.
I had so much fun.  Although I spent a portion of the day kayaking, paddle-boarding was definitely my preference.
Standing on the board was not easy. Maybe that's why I liked it so much.  I could feel my muscles working for me.  All of them.  Although it looks like you're just standing still, your core muscles are activated in your attempts at balance. Your legs are working over time adjusting to the light waves of the bay.  I could have stayed on the board all day.
And other than my initial spill in my attempt to stand at the beginning, I only fell once.  It was a spectacular fall into the one deep section of the bay.
I fell for a combination of reasons: 1. A boat passed me.  2. I started sweating my sunblock into my eyes. 3. Burak was making silly faces at me. 4. My legs, and specifically my knee (that I've injured on multiple occasions) started to get tired from the balancing act.
That being said, I didn't mind the fall.  It was actually a lot of fun to take my tumble.  It was a refreshing dip into cool water after being in the hot sun.
The funniest bit was trying to get back onto the board when my feet couldn't touch the ground.  But my husband glided over in his kayak and "helped".  I'm laughing as I write that.  I use "helped" quite loosely.

I will say I was anything but graceful, but I made it onto the board and onto my feet again.   And I made it all the way back to shore without incident and without help.  I was definitely slower than the men... but I have a smaller muscle mass than them so I can't complain.
Afterwards, I switched to the kayak and Burak tried the paddle board.  Baros had tried earlier in the day but preferred the kayak instead.
It was so much fun.  I was especially entertained towards the end of our morning session as the tide lowered.  Paul and Burak individually got knocked off the paddle-boards thanks to various speedboats.  Then when they tried to get back to shore, they got stuck in the muck after the boat lane.
The struggle was real as they had to deal with the clay like sand that tried to pull their feet deeper and as they got caught in the algae.  In my kayak, I managed to stay enough afloat that I didn't have to get out.  I offered to tow my brother, but he figured his weight would sink us just enough that I'd get stuck too.
So I paddled next to him while he struggled.

heading back

Since Paul and Burak got stuck at around the same time but in opposite areas, I stayed with my bro and Baros with his bro.  We encouraged them along while trying not to laugh too hard.

Our whole crew

Family <3

It was a great morning but the day wasn't over yet.  We went home and rested and barbequed for lunch and then headed to the beach at sunset.  But you can read about that here.


To read about our hike and part one of Burak's birthday adventures, head here.