: Not so much when I try to keep paddling, though. I hope ocean waves
: are different than boat wakes, in that the wavelength/period is
: much longer in the ocean waves. With the boat waves, I found it
: annoying trying to paddle while the wave was passing under the
: boat. Not really difficult, but annoying, and more a matter of
: timing the stroke right and managing the paddle so the wave
: didn't leave my blade out of the water.

: On my way back, though, I found ran into some waves hitting the
: rear quarter of my kayak... those weren't fun, really. They'd
: push the stern one way, raise the boat a second or two later,
: then drop me and pass by the bow, sucking it in another
: direction. I tried to compensate, just for the next wave to hit
: the stern as I was trying to compensate for the movement of the
: bow. It felt like the boat would just settle in and wallow when
: the wake hit. I'm glad only a few waves "in the set"
: would be generated by the passing boat's wake. They'd hit
: quickly enough that it was just a pain to try to paddle... much
: easier to simply sit back and watch them go by while I rocked
: the boat in time with them.

: Assuming this general ache doesn't turn into a "I don't wanna
: move, make the world go away" soreness tomorrow, I can't
: wait to hit the water again! I suppose all of the above might
: just be a general paddle on the water, but it was fun for this
: neophyte.

Just wait until you hit some good clapotis while paddling on the ocean. Clapotis is caused by the waves hitting rocks or cliffs and bouncing back into the oncoming waves. The result is waves running into waves and causing very erratic water patterns. It makes for much more interesting paddling and for a variety of different paddling skills.

I paddle in clapotis all the time but a few months back I took out my new boat - a Point Bennett built upon Duane Strosaker's design. At the time I did not have my hip pads and thigh pads snugged up and my footrest was set too far fwd. After three hours of paddling in clapotis, my hips were killing me. The constant erratic movement of the water and subsequent balancing and correcting took their tool. For the first time I ever recalling REALLY wanting to get out of my boat. Now that I have my cockpit all snugged and fitting nicely, clapotis is something to really enjoy. It's a great way to build up your paddling skills and boost your confidence in both your boat and yourself.

This picture shows some mild clapotis. You'll see there is no pattern to the waves - they are just all over the place. I posted a large picture so that you can see some very strange waves on the horizon. These would come out of no where under your boat - this was interesting paddle conditions. Darn cold too as you can tell by the ice on the cliffs!

Sean