Rowing
I had my first rowing lesson today….but let me start at the beginning of the story………It was a full moon last Wednesday 2nd December. I was sitting in Ollie’s Cottage reading a crap book, so I thought I’d walk down to the little wharf about a mile away and look at the incoming high tide. I hadn’t gone far when a one-armed man in a camper van pulled up and offered me a ride, I thought he looks ‘armless enough so hopped in. We parked by the water with waves lapping against the tyres and got stuck into the beer bottles in the back and our life stories. We chatted until dark with the hook in Fred’s arm being used very effectively as a bottle opener all the while…………………………………………………………………………………………Fred Simpson is a gypsy and lived on a boat for 30 years until his arm was pulled off by a very speedy anchor 5 years ago…..ouch! Since then he has lived ashore with his wife Mary who is quite sick and in a lot of pain. So I offered to do Mary’s feet in exchange for a lovely few days of solitude on their fabulous 35ft wooden boat out in the bay, but first I had to learn to row!……………………………………………………………………..It looks easy enough, I watched people from my living room window rowing out to their boats for several days, in practice as it were, just dip in the oars and pull on them, piece of cake……………………………………………………………………………..Fred stood on the wharf shouting and pointing while I learnt to ship the oars of the tiny tin boat. The first major problem, I found, was that I am very dyslexic with left and right, as anyone I’ve taught yoga to will remember. So Fred is shouting “right oar, no right, RIGHT” so I try both sides because I’ve got really no idea until I get some approval which is the right oar. Then I had to keep the oars square, dip them into the water (both oars at the same time) and pull on them. Now I didn’t realise you were rowing forwards when you were actually not facing the way you were going, so in fact your forward rowing is with your back facing the way you are going, now thats not logical is it? By this time Fred is shouting “Yes Grace we know you’re good at backwards, so can we try forwards now?” I’m still confused and actually haven’t got the hang of rowing myself toward what I can’t see, so have to try backwards and forwards several times and wait for a prompt from Fred. Fred is looking concerned rather than irritated and I was laughing so much I couldn’t see and the oars got all over the place. Then we all settled a bit and everything came together and I’m heading towards the wharf (backwards going forward) a little too fast with Fred shouting “Left oar Grace, no left one,” then “the other left one”……….Do you know I didn’t realise how much swearing was involved with rowing. When I eventually got in Fred said “your not a natural”…………………………………………………..Then Fred and Mary, the dog and I were motored out to the big boat the Owaka (not sure why Fred doesn’t want me to use the motor) Mary made tea and we had some delicious moist christmas cake and then I had to row everyone back. The little tin boat was almost letting in water over the sides it was bearing such a heavy load. I could see the dog wasn’t keen and kept looking over the side thinking she might be safer making a swim for it, but it was all good. Mary said I kept nice and straight. When they dropped me off I ran and picked up my swimming stuff, thought I’d better keep the swimming going in case the rowing doesn’t work out!