YouŽll receive my report next week.

I had to do some left bracing practice to be prepared because two weeks ago I was forced to taste the Gulf of Mexico salty water in the beach of Chachalacas, Veracruz where I took my family on vacation. The reason is that there had been a storm and wind was blowing form the northeast growing in intensity constantly. My family walked to the sand dunes following the sandy beach and I followed them on my kayak. I launched and waves were still OK, 2-3- feet continuous one after another in relatively closed packs. Once out of the breaking zone waves were coming towards me in front and on my right side. There were few white caps. Some minutes later and after about a mile staying away from the break zone but paddling parallel to the beach waves were reaching 4 feet and I could climb them with no difficulty. Once lined up with the dunes I entered the beach trying to paddle behind the waves but then I could not resist surfing a couple of 4 feet ones. I did great, my wife was ready with the camera, suddenly I broached on my right side and braced (never had problems with my right brace, maybe because of so much rolling practice on that side), then I picked up speed again and ruddered nicely with my paddle and picked up some nice speed, lost concentration and suddenly I was capsizing on my left side, prepared my roll, came out nicely and continued to the beach where I exited my kayak and went to watch the kids at the dunes.

The problem is that the played for about and hour and wind kept on coming and waves starting farther away were coming bigger and bigger. White caps were all over the place. I didnŽt want to carry my kayak back over my shoulder so I was launching again as they started walking back to the car.

I managed the first two soups Ok and then started punching on larger waves that would cover my whole kayak and body, but I did OK. I remembered my lessons and pointed the paddle and bow against the wave and made my self as small as possible and prepared to brace after the encounter. It was not necessary. I did OK. Once out waves were coming from my back on the left side and some of them looked really big for my standards. At some times I would climb on them and once way up on the crest the waves would turn my bow outwards just like a piece of paper. That was useful because then I would face more directly the next wave. Once I realized that I was more or less close to be aligned with the car I started approaching the beach. Waves seemed larger every time but I found out later on, that the bottom is very uneven, therefore sometimes it is deep and waves are smooth, some times there is a sand trough and waves form a large vertical wall, not big enough to break.

With the approach of the first side large wave I braced on żmy left side and was carried sideways for a while and then I straightened up a little bit with my paddle and a little bit the wave itself and there I was riding like a master with my paddle as a rudder on the right side. The wave passed and I decided to continue parallel to the beach a little bit farther but suddenly near my left shoulder there is this big green, transparent water wall, taller than my head, just about to get me. I lift my paddle with a master high brace position, elbows low, etc.. and pierce on the wave and lean on it.

That was that memento of glory anybody wants to have in life. I started riding totally sideways that big wall in a perfect high brace position and there I stayed waiting for that magic moment to be recorded on the history of universe since there was no photographer near by to capture that historical moment. The only problem is that the wave didnŽt want to cooperate staying in place like when presidents shake hands and wait for minutes for all the photographers to get their plates. It continued to pass under me and suddenly I woke up as I was falling sideways to the water in that perfect high brace position. I felt like the coyote in the children cartoons, when getting ready to touch toe floor after a half a mile canyon fall. You know how it is, open big eyes, instinctively mutter the words Oh no... thinking, after the brace there should be something else.

When I was getting ready to roll another big commotion started and after it was gone I tried a roll once and failed and felt like out of air so I wet exited like a pro with the kayak on one hand, the paddle in the other and the sombrero on my head (I loose them every now and then). I grabbed the safety line and started assessing my situation considering the possibility of climbing back up with my paddle float in that messy environment or try a reentry and roll or just let me drift to shore, when a big wave jerked the kayak from me and of it went. I tried touching the bottom and I did so I was at ease. Wind was blowing to the beach and waves were going to the beach so I should be OK, but after swimming with 5 waves and waiting when water came back I could not touch the bottom any more. When I was starting to think about getting worried, the kayak started getting closer or myself closer to the kayak. I grabbed it and placed it upright and sideways to the waves grabbing it strongly with both hands from the cockpit. It works great. I was carried in consistently by every wave that picked up the kayak with lots of energy. I landed and carried the kayak to the car and I had a hard time to keep it on the roof to tie it because wind was shifting it.

Lessons learned:
I think I should be able to handle those waves if my left brace was stronger making it automatic the hip flick once you want to recover the vertical. Recalling all my capsizes have been on that side. So I started working on that right away.

Best Regards to all an IŽll tell you how the surffest was in Padre Island.

    Rafael Mier Maza