It is difficult to imagine: to love seakayaking and yet to decide to quit with it.
This is about Willem Molengraaff. The man who tested seakayaks for years. It was Willem who started doing these tests in the Netherlands; I dropped in just later.
Together, Willem and I tested quite a lot of kayaks and it was our fate that the weather turns bad most of the times at the days we made an appointment for testing. We got used to that and turned it around: we need bad weather for testing.
After being rescued in november 2003, because of a lower back injury that made Willem capsize and we not being able to reentry him again, Willem and I only dare to paddle in good and warm weather. Doing so, Willem made several seatours in Holland, Germany and Portugal since then.
A few months ago however, Willem phoned me after a solotour on inland waters and told me that he had decided to quit with paddling: "The mind is willing, but the body, being 76 years old, is not any more!". It is too painful and because of that it is no pleasure.
He regrets not to see his beloved sandplates any more.
So, I thought a few days about all this and asked Cees, a clubmember, if I could borrow their NorthShore Seakayak (a two-seater) for a day. That was no problem and I talked to Willem again to propose organizing him a kind of farewell party on a sandplate. Just to replace the memory of his last painfull solotour with a more pleasant one.
Willem liked the idea; so there we are today: Saterday 15 july 2006 !
We went to the Brouwersdam in the South of Holland and intended to paddle to the Geerligsplaat, a sandplate just 3,5km from shore, and if everything went well, further to the Aardappelenbult.
Normaly we start at the northside of the dam, but today at that spot a tour from the NKB (Dutch Kajak Association) was to start there. As we preferred to be alone this time, we drove further to the south end to start there. (Sorry guys for not saying hello to you).
Paddling a 2-seater turned out to be a very good idea for the stability was outstanding, paddling without effort results in a cruising pace of 7km/h and it was no problem to paddle this kayak alone, might that be necessary.
Having tested all those kayaks in the past we could not resist looking investigationally at this kayak.
Paddling went well but after 2,5km Willems'back started aching and he started to shift the sitting position. This seakayak had enough stability-margin not to bring us in discomfort.
Coming at the sandplate Geerligslaat, it had just surfaced. We started our little farewell party by filling our wineglasses and bringing out a toast at the Geerligsplaat; the sandplate that willem organised the name for at the authorities as a tribute to Gerhard Geerligs, another seakayaker.
We made a walk around the plate and eat the delicious sandwiches that Willems' wife made for us.
I also told Willem the story of the KNRM, the Dutch rescue organisation, that I contacted. I had the idea to ask the Griend, the rescueboat and crew that saved Willem, to come by occasionally, while doing an excersizetour,and shake hands with Willem. I was sure Willem would like that very much.
The crew liked the idea also but was not able to do so because they were occupied in Bruinisse that day.
What a pity.
We were not yet ready when the tide comes in again; probably the sandplate got a little lower last winter.
So be it, this was the signal to return.
We were not going any further because the wind increased already and it was predicted to become 6 Beaufort. Besides that we learned that Willems' back could give us problems when going further.
The wind was blowing against our back and pushed us to 8-9 km/h, a comfortable pace.
The last few kilometres Willems back started aching again and we concluded it was just the sitposition causing this. Half an hour seemed the limit for paddling.
Anyhow, the kayak did a good job. I only had to get used to the steering with the rudder. I over-corrected sometimes causing a little zig-zag-course. Probably, giving the steering cables more tension would improve on this. We also tried paddling without the rudder, but in the already strengthend wind this was not easy at all. If the rudder breaks down, we think you could have serious trouble in this kayak. Allthough it could help when compensating for Willems' weigth of 85kg (sitting in front) against mine, being 70kg, sitting in the back position.
Coming to shore a complete village of campers, caravans and people had arised.
Before driving home we looked for a quiet spot at a high place on the dam and toasted to the sea again.
This had been a special day; to both of us !
And Now? The future is open and what comes will come!