2nd trip out

My K1 went out again for the second time last Sunday, and it was very nice to be able to paddle together with the PC coaching crew again - haven't met some of them for so long!

Thanks to Rx, we were able to use some great Wilderness System boats and start an expedition from SAFYC Changi, a place I never paddled in before.

I wanted to go from there to Kallang at first, thinking that the SAFYC was beside the MOE campsite. Then after that they wanted to go Marine Cove for Mac, but I wanted to aim for the ECP hawker instead for the sugarcane. I let Roland try the K1 while I paddled the Tsunami 125 - it's a good all-rounder boat, and has decent speed considering its beam width.

I got to try AT's carbon touring paddle though, which Detours is bringing in - For a carbon paddle I felt that it has too much flex to it, but it looks real neat. I can't really get used to used to such a small blade area though.

It was jellyfish season since the last time I paddled, and here again we met up with a smuck of jellyfish all along the way. I even saw a huge round umbrella one that had little fishes swimming around at its base.

Right from the start the sun was out in full force, and we were really affected by the scorching heat. It was giving everyone of us headache, making me perpetually thirsty and my skin feels dry and hot under the rashguard. I was also hit by a bout of nausea from an empty stomach ( I did ate breakfast but apparently it was simply not enjough), and was glad to take a break at ECSSC, where we met up with Enric and Mag who were learning boardsailing (poor things!)

After a 15mins break where I recovered from nausea by finishing a bun that I had with me, we paddled off eagerly in search of sugarcane juice and food at the hawker center. Someone was apparently happy to chill in the water after disembarking too (he must have forgotten about the jellyfishes).

Finally, back in my boat after a lunch of duck rice and 2 cups of juice. Despite my initial review of the boat, I find that it cruises much better than the Tsunami, and happily paddled up in front. Oh, I got the boat assembled in 45 mins this time, and have an easier time too (Also, I finished packing the boat in the same time it took for the rest to washed and stack back their hardshells).

We got back pretty quickly, and again, all of us were hungry and tired from being out in the hot sun. I think we all felt a little dazed and a spot of a headache, and we had to splash ourselves with water occasionally to cool off.

Well. all in all it was good to feel how it is like to paddle under the hot tropical sun again - really reminded me of those days when I did the Malaysia expeditions under terrible heat. Looking forward to the next trip!