Paddle your own canoe

 Ping!

It was a text message from my friend Audrey.

There is a four week course on Kayaking on the canal in Mullingar especially for women. U interested?

Well I'm always on the lookout for a new challenge/skill to learn so we signed up.

Unfortunately I was away last week for the first lesson so I was I was a little apprehensive about going this week.

What if they've learned all the important basics and I'm just left to paddle my own canoe.....and I flip over!!!!

I needn't have worried. The instructors went over everything with me and I took to the water and started paddling......around in circles!

I thought it would be based on the basic laws of physics, that if I applied a force to one side there would be an equal and opposite reaction on the other side.

Bullshit! My kayak seemed to have a mind of its own and went in whatever direction it wanted. Circles were its path of choice.

Eventually I got the hang of it...kinda. We all set off paddling leisurely down the canal. It was supposed to be a 1k paddle but I'd say I did triple that amount as I veered from side to side, ended up facing the wrong way....but I made it!

When we had finished that the instructors started to teach us a few more "tricks".

The first one was how to change direction and how to turn your kayak in circles! 

What the...????

I had spent the lesson trying not to go in circles and now they thought they had to teach me how to do it???

And guess what, when I TRIED to go in circles I ended up going in a straight line!

So next week WHEN WE GO TO THE LAKE I am going to try reverse psychology. If I need to go straight I'll try to go in circles and vice versa. That should work.

LOVED IT!