It’s a full blind drop in from above, as I watch new friends disappear down the foreign horizon line. When they all pop back into view at the bottom of the rapid, they’re all smiling ear to ear encouragingly at the outlooks who sat on the island. Still, the knot in the stomach works in direct conflict with the rational thought processes churning in my head. Slowly, the eddy empties, one by one, till I sit on the decision point, between the eddy and the current. Pushing past the knot, I plant my paddle in the faster current moving downstream, and I’m on my way.
The waves go under my hull one by one, until there are no waves left, just the horizon line. Then, the churning mass of pale water suddenly reveals itself over the glassy roller above. Square on, I half paddle, half fall into the pit of right side Phil’s. The water slams the back of my jacket, and washes up over my head. Pure chaos, but in the midst of it, a sense of calm. The side surf, then the front surf, it all more or less linked itself without my input at all, and suddenly all is OK. At least until the upstream side catches the green water. What started as a tip has now sunken half of the playboat deep into the green water, and I could feel myself accelerating into the flip, till I smash into the trough. The violent water is almost soft as it surrounds my body, and carries me off the backside. After I roll up, I spot the safety eddy, and start my ferry, already excited by the thought of the next ride.
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