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Thirty years ago, my husband and I discovered that we had hobbies, but almost no common ones. We decided to buy a double kayak and it turned out to be one of the best purchases we have ever made. We still have the same life jackets, the same waterproof bags, the same paddles, the same waterproof slippers... I love the fact that some things last for decades.
But how to move a double kayak to the seashore? You cannot carry it for very long distances, and placing it on the roof of a car is a terrible job. Placing a rubber wheel under and pulling it on the pavementis awkward and embarrassing. The situation got easier when we got permission to keep it by the sea here in Hanko, attached to a tree with an iron chain. What a relief, as we carried it ten meters from the border of the sandy beach into the water. This worked well until one day our kayak was not there. Someone had stolen it, had cut the chains.
We then bought from my brother his 6.3 metre double kayak. It's delightfully stable and fast. On top of that, we joined HUSS, (Hanko Udds Segelsällskap), which has a kayak storage facility. What a relief - now we only have to carry our key to the boathouse located right by the sea. In there we have our life jackets, paddles and slippers - wonderfully easy.
It doesn't take much strength to paddle, especially when there are two of us paddling. I always keep in mind my other brother's advice: push, don't pull. I say to myself “push, push, push and push” and the journey goes smoothly. The best feeling is when we take off the pier and the first gust of wind runs along my bare arms.
We have a morning routine for all those seasons and days when the winds or the cold weather do not prevent it: We walk (nordic walking) from our home to the boathouse, paddle for half an hour, have breakfast on an island, dip into the sea and paddle back. I keep a Logger's accounting of our trips and we generally get close to 50 times/season. In 2023, 48 times. 2024, the winds were to hard or came from the wrong direction - we got to around 20 times.
