*dimsumdolly* - the different morsels of the life of a foodie

OC Steering

My planned trip to Guam for an outrigger canoe race is now cancelled due to a screw-up in flights. So the 12 of us in the team are not going to Guam now. It's probably just as well since we didn't plan well for this and I'm not exactly very fit for a 21km race.

In any case, race or not, I've bought myself an outrigger canoe paddle. The ones I've been using so far belong to the club and most are too long for me. It's difficult to paddle with too long a paddle as it makes it difficult to switch sides quickly. Also, it's bad for the shoulders as it can cause shoulder rotation injury. So anyway, i'm waiting for my paddle to be shipped from Australia. I can't wait to use it! It's my major expense of the month. And talking about expenses, it looks like i have to buy myself a new camera. The LCD screen of my camera is spoilt and it's more value for money if I buy a new one altogether.

We rigged the two second-hand outrigger canoes we bought from Australia on Saturday. I paddled on both canoes over the weekend. I steered both canoes as well! We had a guy from the Sydney Pacific Dragons club give some of us a lesson in steering. It's pretty cool that we get visitors from clubs in other countries come by when they are here in Singapore for work for just a week of two. We also had visitors from Guam on Saturday. The sport is fantastic in bringing people from all over the world together.

So anyway, now I can steer the canoe up and down the coast quite comfortably. It feels kinda cool to be able to command a crew you know. Haha. In an outrigger canoe, the steerer is the captain and he/she commands the boat. But still, lots more to learn about different water conditions, techniques and lots more practice needed in terms of paddling and steering a canoe! Good fun! :)