Sunday Favorites: Born to Paddle Board

Ronin was barely walking when I took him for his first ride on my board. We chose the bayside kayak launch and basin at Turtle Beach, on Siesta Key, for our first outing because the water is calm and there’s practically no traffic. When I sat him on the front of the board, the normally rambunctious 10-month-old was instantly calm. I figured I’d better get going before his mood changed, but it never did. For more than an hour he sat completely still while we paddled all over the basin, occasionally pointing at the nesting egrets or waving hello to a passing kayaker. I was onto something.

Since then we’ve been paddle boarding all over Central Florida. I’ve taken him to Emerson Point Preserve on Snead Island, Longboat Key, the Peace and Manatee rivers and many of other places. Where ever we go, we always seem to be the most talked about spectacle. Normally people are impressed with his relaxed demeanor and complement our little tradition, but others don’t approve.

I was once shamed by a wading fisherman at the southern end of Longboat Key, near the Chart House restaurant when he asked me, ”Do you really think it’s a good idea to have a baby on that board?“

We were hugging the shoreline and only about 50-75 feet off the beach. Like always, Ronin had a life jacket on and was contently sitting on the bow, looking down at the water. There was a slight breeze but nothing that would make me worry for our safety.

”This isn’t our first time,“ was the only response I could muster.

And it wasn’t. At that point, I’d take him out on the board at least a half dozen times.

It’s my feeling that allowing kids, babies even, to experience the water at a young age is a great way to introduce them to the dangers also associated with it. Once while paddling around the Turtle Beach basin on a cool January day, Ronin leaned too far to the side and fell overboard. Thanks to a strategically placed handle on the back of his life jacket I was able to pull him from the water instantly. The temperature was freezing but he didn’t even cry! He did however learn his lesson and never squirmed around or leaned too far over again!

My brother was so impressed with Ronin’s behavior on the paddle board that he let me take my niece Marina, who is the same age as Ronin, on a trip one up the Peace River; we launched at Wauchula, Fla.

As I pushed off on my board, Marina hopped on the bow ready for the ride, but one thing was different, she was actually standing up with me! I was shocked because Ronin always sits down. We paddled upstream until we reached a small patch of rapids and she started to get nervous. She shifted her weight around as I tried to turn downstream and I halfway expected her to fall off and get swept down steam in the current.

The water was very shallow and the river narrow, so she wouldn’t have floated far before she being able to touch the sandy bottom. There were also other adults present that could have grabbed her if that were to occur but it was still a little nerve-wracking. In the end we turned with no problem and sped downstream with the current faster than I’d ever gone. It was so fun we repeated the act multiple times.

Of course, safety is paramount, so I’d suggest shallow and warm water for any parent who is thinking of taking their kids out on a paddle board. It’s important to take your time, and let your kids experience it at their own pace. But, once they get the hang of it, they will love it, and it will be a bonding experience like none other. I can’t wait until our youngest son, Kai, is a little older and I can introduce him to paddle boarding too. One day, we’ll all be able to go out as a family, all of us cruising along on our own boards.

Now, if I could only teach my uncoordinated husband how to do it too!