Sunday, July 01, 2007

We're on the same boat!!!

小蟲 and 小貓 are currently in Bowen Island for our 1st wedding anniversary vacation.

One of the highlight activity is to try kayak (it's 小蟲's first time!!!) And today, while we're on the double kayak, 小貓 finally understand what it really means to be "on the same boat"!!

Some interesting things we learn from kayaking, that we can apply on the future years of our marriage:
  • When we kayak, we can't look at anything close to us, i.e. the front tip of the kayak, or the person right in front of us, or our paddles, otherwise we will get dizzy (seasick). We gotta keep our eyes on the far destination, i.e. the lighthouse, just keep focusing at the goal and work hard, we'll get there before we know it.
  • When we see big waves in the middle of the ocean, we have to move the kayak to a "T" position and hit right at the waves, don't be afraid to ride over it. Just a quick up and down ride, and it'll be over. But if we turn our kayak sideways and try to slide by the waves, we will get tip over big time.
  • Sometimes the one who takes the front seat (小貓) seems like she is in control (go first), but then actually the steering anchor is at the back seat (小蟲). The front person is to set the goal, set the paddling pace, and the back person is to makes sure he steer towards that goal.
  • We had an occassion where 小蟲 lost the steering gear at the back seat, no matter how hard we paddled, we were going around and around in circles. We had to wait until the coach came to us with his helping hands, reset the gear for 小蟲, and then we can steer and move forward again.
  • When we paddled, we literally had to shout out loud, "one, two, one, two" to keep our pace together. Otherwise, no matter how hard we each tried, all the energy was wasted. But when we moved at the same pace with synchronized strokes, the kayak moved like it was sliding on the water.
  • When we're on a double kayak, every bit of effort needs to be shared. We can't do anything on our own, even one slight move without letting our partner know, will tip the kayak. The coach said, if we want total independancy, go on a single kayak!
  • As per the coach, a double kayak takes more energy to move because it's heavier, it takes great coordination between the two paddlers, and it's slower than a single kayak by nature. Then why go double? Because it's the safest when out in the ocean, esp. when big waves come! A double kayak is heavier and more stable; also, when one paddler is tired or hurt, we still have the other paddler to drive the kayak back to shore for help.

Isn't kayaking just like marriage?

It was such an amazing experience we had today, super nice weather, super close to nature. We saw lots of wild animals, eagles, seals, pigeons, loon ducks, etc. We'll post the pics when we come back!

We'll go hiking tomorrow, please pray for our safety! ^.~

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