Cayuco Training

My second day of cayuco training was today. I am the newcomer to the seasoned crew of the Diablo Rojo. As the only non-Zonian, I am a green paddler in the ways of the cayuco . Our days of paddling have been through choppy seas created by the strong Northerly winds we have been experiencing in Central Florida. The crew is myself, Rebecca, Richard and Diana. Our early emphasis has been on crew coordination and endurance for the eventual Panama Canal transit which takes place April 3-5.
The Rojo Diablo is a reproduction of the Due Process, a once capable competitor, now retired to the museum. The boat is a fiberglass remake of the original dugout, and is a great trainer, somewhat heavier than the original. I am surprised at the seeming instability of the craft especially in wind churned seas. However, our crew has not capsized yet, and our coordination is improving under the sage guidance of the helmsman, Richard, a veteran waterman of many years .
We launch in Merritt Island, and have been transiting upwind through Sykes Creek for approximately 25 minutes. Rebecca sets the cadence, and it is up to the rest of us to match the pace. Diana and Richard call the switching of the paddling side. Nearing the end of the 20th stroke on each side, Diana commands, “ready”, and as the stroke is finalized, Richard commands, “switch!” Halfway into the course, the helmsman will call STOP, and we take a short break. Without forward motion on the boat, it becomes very tipsy, and we are almost eager to begin the downwind half of our training. The second portion of the paddle always goes faster as we have the wind at our backs, and the salt spray from the river surface is minimized compared with the upwind paddle.