I am the delighted owner of a second-hand white water kayak!

I hadn’t planned to buy one, but the Wave Sport 'Micro' it was a good yard sale deal, and having taken it out twice this weekend I am very glad I gave into impulse.

I now know the first thing about kayaking: it’s fun. I also know the second thing: how to get out when you flip over.

There’s a whole lot more to learn, I’m sure. My first attempts at the ‘Eskimo Roll’ (there must be a more PC term for that… I’ll add it to the list of things to learn) were spectacularly unsuccessful. I’d have kept trying, but I have this nagging need to breathe air.

My kayak is made to run rivers, I gather. Maybe it's just me, but I can't seem to keep a straight line on flat water… it keeps wanting to spin. On the other hand (every other stroke!) it's so much faster than my canoe, I could cover twice the distance in half the time.