The little kayaker that could

an ocean adventure

My husband, son, and I spent last week in Texas, including four nights in Corpus Christi. We rented a little condo on South Padre Island and spent our time enjoying ocean breezes, playing in the water, and spotting as much local wildlife as we could! My personal favorite was the sea turtles that we saw riding the waves between the jetties at Mustang Island State Park.

On one of those days we went on a kayaking tour that meandered through mangrove estuaries across channels and flats. The water was shallow and calm, and there were lots of fish and birds to see.

But it was windy.

We paddled out through the channels toward a lighthouse, at times facing a headwind, and at other times with the wind slightly at our backs. It was hard work, but a lot of fun. As we neared the lighthouse, we had to paddle around a curve, facing into the wind. At times it felt like I was barely moving! By the time I made it around that curve and joined the guide and my husband who were resting where the wind held them near the little dock, I was winded (no pun intended) and a little worn out, but also exhilarated! My son and one other person who was on the tour soon joined us. We rested there for a while, listening to the guide point out birds and tell us all about the lighthouse.

Then it was time to go back.

Heading back around that curve was so easy with the wind pushing me, I almost forgot what lay ahead of me. It mostly a breeze until we reached the last stretch, a wide channel that we had to cross in order to get to where we had launched. The guide asked if we wanted a rest before we tackled it. My husband and son declined, and went on ahead. They were told to aim for a utility pole that was ahead of our launch site so that the wind wouldn’t push them too far down shore.

I was tired. I needed a rest.

So we pulled up against the mangroves, and the guide got out and sat on the front of my kayak, and we chatted for a few minutes. I took a long drink from my water bottle. And then…we set off.

That wind was brutal! I aimed for that utility pole, but I could feel the wind and current fighting against me with all their might. If I didn’t know better, I would have thought they were laughing at me. It didn’t help that I could tell my husband and son were struggling too, barely seeming to make progress. I gave it all I had, which wasn’t much at that point. I had to hold back a sense of panic as I imagined the wind and current carrying me a mile down the shore.

“I don’t think I can do this!” I yelled to the guide, who had been encouraging me to continue to aim straight for that pole.

“Jesus, help me do this,” I prayed. I kept paddling, quietly telling myself, “I can do it,” repeating it like a chant.

Finally (it was probably only a minute or two later), the guide steered himself toward me and told me to aim for a place further down the shore. So that’s what I did. And he went with me. It was still work, but it was much easier going now that I wasn’t fighting the wind quite as much.

A few minutes later, the kayak scraped against the sandy shore. We had made it!

We had to trek up the road a little ways to meet my husband and son, who were walking back to meet us, and we all chatted about the grueling work it was to get back to shore.

Once I caught my breath and my body relaxed a bit, I ate a granola bar and felt much better. Then I thought to myself, “If I want to ever do this again, I need to get in better shape!”

Still, not too bad for an almost fifty year-old grandma of six.

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Some beautiful books about the ocean

• Boats for Papa by Jessixa Bagley (picture book)

• The Uncorker of Ocean Bottles by Michelle Cuevas, illustrated by Erin E. Stead (picture book)

• The Wanderer by Sharon Creech (middle grade)

• Hello Lighthouse by Sophie Blackall

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