Flat Line / Flat Water
There is no wind in the morning, that is okay, for the morning air is cool. Tranquil water allows me to loosen my muscles and gives me time to check my deck gear, ensure everything is secure, and adjust my course heading. Flat water, mirror-like, reflecting a crystal blue sky, makes for good photographs and a peaceful day on the water — not my ideal weather on long paddles.
Without a breeze, the mirror-like surface reflects blinding rays of sunshine, making for a hot, monotonous paddle. Each stroke of the paddle fights for forwarding momentum, and the water resists. Flat water seems to drag the boat down; maybe it is just my imagination.
Stroke after stroke, nothing seems to change; the sun now higher, burns and the thin line of land seems never to alter. Thirst is no longer quenched with water. It becomes a struggle to push forward.
Spheres of styrofoam painted in bright colors or simply white mark crab traps. Some follow the coast giving me waymarkers of yards gained — anything to keep the monotony away. A small wake from the prow leaves a smile on my face.
The sun is well above the horizon. I keep looking for a breeze to bring life to the water’s surface and to chase the lion’s heat away.
Finally, cat’s paws, the first wrinkles on the water’s surface, announce the breeze’s arrival; its gentle fingers run across my face, the paddle feels lighter in my arms, and the kayak glides almost effortlessly. Its keel rides the crest of waves, allowing the craft to move as if on a conveyor belt. Shadows in the distance ahead, is it fishermen in a skiff? Half an hour later, double-crested cormorants and brown pelicans were sitting on a piling. I push on.
So goes my day on hot balmy days.