Page 13 - Wish Stream Year of 2018

Exercise DROWNED CANARY
EX DROWNED CANARY saw our team of six take on the turbulent waters of the Atlan- tic Ocean, on a kayaking expedition in
Fuerteventura. We were based in the north of the island, in the expat haven of Corralejo, and spent the week operating out of a fantastic villa. Arriving in the Canaries with only limited experi- ence, we were tutored and guided by our Span- ish instructor, Jorge Echávarri, who planned and organised our day trips around the island.
Sunday was our first day out on the water. After prior discussion with Jorge, we agreed on start- ing the day bright and early and, as per our rigor- ous military training, we were packed and ready to go five minutes before our pick-up time. An hour later, however, we were starting to come to terms with the more laissez faire approach of our Spanish instructor. We were more than compen- sated with this slow start, however, by a brilliant first day out on the water. Despite having a very mixed ability within the group, we all adapted to the boats and impressed Jorge. Very soon we were heading out of the shelter of the marina and into the deeper waters of the Atlantic Ocean.
This was the real testing ground for our team; the wind was strong, and the waves were high. We stuck close together heading away from the shore. Riding up and down the waves was chal- lenging, and for OCdt Miles his confidence was
only gained with a few trips in the drink, capsiz- ing twice whilst out on the waves. At the cost of a pair of sunglasses he was able to get back in his boat though, and was clearly not perturbed by these events.
The next day saw us head to the small island of Isla de Lobos, 2.5 miles away. OCdt Miles managed to stay upright throughout the day’s activities and appeared to have rectified his ear- lier imbalances. Jorge’s new concern, however, was OCdt Fetherston-Godley, an older member of the team, who had adopted a much more sedate style of paddling, and frequently found himself enjoying his kayaking at the very rear of the group.
Three days into the expedition, the team was beginning to experience the fatigue of frequent paddling, and OCdt Humphries was frequently referring to the ‘turbo’ his arms were in. We were, however, enjoying our kayaking and the stunning scenery around the island coastline.
After five days on the water we had concluded our adventures with Jorge and we were delighted with how things went. We felt that we had learnt lots and certainly developed greatly as kayakers. We finished the course confident in our abilities and enthused to take on new kayaking chal- lenges in the future.
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