Kayaking Gig Harbor

Charles' last day here was an awesome 80 degree day and we decided to rent a kayak.  I had read about doing this, but never tried it so I was excited for the adventure.

After a short instructional lecture, the guys at the fishing shop where we rented the tandem kayak pointed us in the direction of the public dock and told us to call if we were going to be any longer than 3 hours.  We (well Charles, really) wheeled the thing down the sidewalk to the dock and we launched the thing without too much trouble (and more importantly without getting wet).

I've only seen Gig Harbor from land so it was neat to see it from the water.  I didn't realize that the end of the harbor was a sand bar with a small light house and then beyond that were the open waters of the Sound. 

The waters were calm, the sun was shining and life was good.  We were visited by a few seals poking their heads out of the water to check us out.  I guess we weren't threatening since they eventually disappeared.

We eventually headed in what I thought was the direction of the Tacoma Narrows Bridge thinking it would be cool to see.  About two thirds of the way there, we took a break to have lunch and bask in the sunshine. 

Best lunch spot around!

After lunch we guessed that we probably couldn't make the turn to see the bridge so we started paddling back.  I quickly noticed that we were not moving.  Uhhh, slight panic.  So we started paddling harder.  Still not moving.  Uhhh, slightly more panic.  Then we started paddling with all our strength and we still were not moving in the direction of Gig Harbor.  Definite panic now!  I had the idea that if we went closer to shore then there might be less current and thankfully, that was true.  So we slowly but surely inched our way back to the harbor.  Note to self: next time I go out in a kayak, pay attention to the currents!

Overall it was a magnificent day and an awesome way to see another side of Gig Harbor!