Acclimatising

So Sydney has been pretty cold over the last week and looks to be the same for the next week as well. Can''t wait to get into the warmer temperature of Hawaii. Hopefully I have left myself enough time to acclimatise!

With the weather on the weekend, 30 knot winds, I froze. Didn't have enough layers on my legs. The chilly winds gusting around me made me so cold that in about 20  minutes, all I wanted was my bed and a hot water bottle. Paddling into the wind for 30 minutes was brutally cold. So when I got to Point Piper I decided to turn around and catch the 1-1.5 foot wind chop back to Rose Bay for a hot shower. Took me about 10 minutes to get back! Fun times.Not quite the 4 hours on the water I wanted.

With white feet and red and white blotchy legs, the hot shower didn't seem to be making me any warmer. So brekky with Anita and a pot of tea with Belly was the remedy! Eventually warmed up!

The caretaker where I keep my board was asking a heap of questions before I went out paddling by myself in this wind and weather. Do you have a life jacket or PFD, a whistle, an orange flag to wave if you are in distress, anything that can help you if you get into trouble. No! Nothing.

 Whilst this can be dangerous to take no safety equipment with you, I thought to myself, if I fall off in these winds where the waves aren't anywhere near as massive as those in the Molokai Channel, then I shouldn't be paddling the Molokai Channel. 

I understand that when you are on the ocean in these sorts of conditions, where the south wester generated massive and dangerous surf conditions, and the ocean swell would have been huge, safety equipment is important. But on a board, where do I put it? I have had this discussion with many people. Some of whom understand how and what board paddling is and how I need to use my body, other have no idea, which is sometimes hilarious and sometimes annoying. But all in all they are just watching out for my safety. Perhaps I should be more like Lara Croft in Tomb Raider and strap a knife to my leg and guns to my back, but remember to pack the whistle and little orange flag and inflatable Butler. Oh, I know. I will pack a mini megaphone and use that when get into trouble, I can just sing to people, that can be my distress signal. 
Safety in numbers always works well. Over. Rodgie!