GROWING UP (our way)

 

 

One summer Roy and I built a two person Kayak. It was made with a wooden frame and a canvas covering. With this boat we had many interesting and fun times paddling around the estuary.

 

One time when the University of California rowing team was racing with another college we were there in our kayak. Before the race all boats were required to clear the racecourse. Our vantage point to watch the race was under a bridge holding onto the structure. Being slightly smaller Roy always sat in the front of the cockpit, with his legs under the forward deck.

 

It was exciting to be close to the shells as they sped by. The only noise was the coxswain keeping rowing time with taps on the shell sides and shouts through the megaphone strapped to his head. After the shells passed us we suddenly found out that they were followed by a fleet of powerboats. These boats speeding by, in the narrow passageway under the bridge, churned up wakes that almost made us disappear. Roy caught the waves high on his chest, while I only submerged up to my waist. The kayak quickly popped to the surface and left us with a job of bailing out the excess water. We really did enjoy our wet day at the race.

 

Other days were sometimes spent paddling out at low tide to Government Island. Here in the mud were the abandoned relics of very old ships turned into skeletons by time and weather. These were interesting times climbing from the kayak to the remaining timbers of forgotten ships.

 

Now the relics are gone and the island has been refurbished and turned into

Coast Guard Island. It is now a training base and a home for large Coast Guard Cutters.

 

After having read many undersea adventure stories, it seemed like a fun way to have a new adventure by creating our own diving equipment. The diving helmet originated from an old five-gallon tin can. We cut out the bottom and cut arcs in the sides, then covered these curves with split lengths of old garden hose to protect our shoulders. A small viewing window was fastened and puttied into place. A large lump of concrete was poured on the top to make the can submerge. Finally, a valve stem from a bicycle tire was fastened in place and a bicycle air pump and hose completed the diving helmet.

 

Two things stopped this adventure from becoming a world-renowned achievement. One, when pumped full of air the diving helmet was too buoyant to be taken below the surface, number two the waters of the Estuary were too murky to see beneath the surface.

 

End