First Day Of The Year

 There is no better way to start the first day of the year  with a group of runners I have been running with all year, But wait a minute I never did that, Some people go ski-ing or they go for a dip in the ocean. Instead Gail and me drove to Nanaimo to Brechin point and  pushed two long fifty foot outrigger boats in the water one boat held four paddlers and the other boat held five paddlers and away we went  , the water was relative calm and the only excitement   we encountered was the wash of a cruiser and the waves from the Gabriola ferry as it crossed our path. Wearing special paddling cloves you would think that your fingers wouldn't get cold, they sure got cold  and I didn't know if I had any fingers left, I tried to wiggle them and place my thumbs under neat my other fingers trying to keep them warm as I was paddling, never missing a beat of the paddles coming out of the water-and back in again  pulling the paddles towards you, as the out riggers sped through the water we wear heading toward the Nanaimo river estuary, dodging trees and roots and sand banks as they jumped up from nowhere, then you had to chance directions as you paddled around all the little Is . and fighting the current as it streamed out of the river  onto the flats , lots of big white swans with their massive wing span, eagles eying me as we paddled past them,I was the smallest of the paddlers and I'm sure they could have picked me up easy I probably dont weigh much more than an wiggle wet spring salmon. We fought the current and kept our eyes peeled for shallow water and trees-sticking out of the water to paddle to the granberry bridge in Cedar. I think it must have looked pretty good from the riverbank watching these big outrigger canoes coming up the river Coming to the bent just before the bridge here we let the current catch the front of the boat to swing us around always being a bit leery of the water current so that it wouldn't flip you . It might be a river but the water is still cold.  I think by this time one hand unthawed and I could feel my paddle again with my fingers . Now we had to paddle back again at the mouth of the river the tide was coming in this and the shallow water made it hard paddling , this time we stayed more by the big meddle pylons out in the shallows then dodging in and out of the booms we finally made it back to  end up at our friends    house up on Spruceton road.