Noel Davis

I was recently asked by Judson a very good question: Why not use my Sea Pearl 21 for the 2008 EC? Here is the answer I gave him:

#######################################################

Well let me list my reasons:

1. I am fat and have been really out of shape and doing the ec in a
kayak is a way of motivating (tricking) me into changing that.

2. I have a desk job, and to much of a tendency to come home and sit
on the couch or in front of a computer (see #1)

3. I want to see the wilderness waterway, and don't see a way to do
that in my Sea Pearl

4. I have done the race in a sailboat and find it interesting and
challenging to do the race in a sailing kayak.

5. See #1 :)

########################################################

Also I have been fascinated by sailing canes and kayaks for a long time. Read the following and you may get the bug yourself:

A Thousand Miles in the Rob Roy Canoe on Rivers and Lakes of Europe

THE ROB ROY IN THE BALTIC

The Rob Roy on the Jordan, Nile, Red sea, & Gennesareth

All Things are Possible The Verlen Kruger Story: 100,000 Miles By Paddle

In related news my shoulder is better but is still hurting some, but mainly I have been off the water due to a lingering stomach bug. I am thinking about trying tonight shoulder or no shoulder, will have to see how the belly is.

Posted by Noel at 08:52 AM | Permalink

I am swearing off push ups. Last week I did some and my shoulder hurt a little bit the next day. It felt fine after the Friday night paddle but after the Sunday night paddle it has been hurting. So I skipped a couple of paddles to try and let it get better on its own.

I had several shoulder problems in the Army (probably relating to evil evil push ups) but I have not had any pain for about 10 years. bah bah bah. Well I hope to get a paddle in Sunday but I am not going to push it if it hurts I will just give it till Tuesday and see how it is then.

Gary aka Lugnut of water tribe, my fearless captain in the 2007 Everglades Challenge, he of rowing super powers (Hey I was there I saw it! Who are you to doubt?) is going to fix some broken pieces in my Klepper and reinforce some parts with fiberglass while I stand there and "help him". It is really nice of him and just the latest in a long list of nice things Gary and Helen have done for me starting with "wanna crew on my boat for the EC?"

I tell you the Water Tribers are all the nicest people in the world. It would have been worth doing the challenge just to meet all of them.

And over at Duckworks webwatch page chuck is trying to scare small children using a picture of me! Well actually he linked to two of our recent podcasts and to this site. Thanks Chuck :) Lots of cool stuff on the page (and the rest of the site) that is not scary to small children.

Posted by Noel at 11:39 PM | Permalink

Did a short paddle on the Wakulla Sunday night. Just went upstream a little over an hour and then came back. On the water about 1 hour 40 min or so. My guess is I did about half my normal route. The river conditions are so different from day to day it's hard to gauge my progress (or lack). Time in the boat must translate to better paddling :) right? Any way you cut it though, there it's hard to have a bad day on the water!

Posted by Noel at 11:13 PM | Permalink

Just got back in from a fun paddle on the Wakulla. It rained most of the day so I did not think I was going to be able to go out, but after dinner it started clearing up. Put in on the river right at sun set. There was this light mist rising from the river. It just hung over the river like a feather blanket. Wonderful and magical. Then it got dark and between the no moon, clouds, and the magical (dark and thick) mist navigation became more challenging than a normal night on the Wakulla. Was still a great paddle, the challenge kept it interesting.

Scared the crap out of a small gator it was just swimming along in the dark minding its own business and swish I come along. I almost passed it completely before it noticed me. Then it took off down river fast with a loud splash of its tail. Saw a couple of bats flying low over the river hunting insects.

I really like the night paddles. No other boats and nice and cool.

Posted by Noel at 12:01 AM | Permalink