Blessings in the Water

[adem medina cardona]

43 freaking years old. Freezing my patooty off in the dark, in the rain, away from home, learning drills, trying to keep up with the experienced, or the younger, or the better, or the whatever paddlers, trying to remember not to use my kayaking techniques because I am a dragon boat racer now. Hungry, cold, wet, tired, sore, sick, frustrated at my inability to do it just like the lead coach, Alden, who never bends that inside elbow and does his trunk rotaion with perfection...

WHAT am I doing here?

"HOLD THE BOAT!!!!!" The gorgeous tiller, Djambel, yells from the back of the boat. I vaguely hear the caller, our technical coach, Rob, giving instruction from the front of our dragon boat. I am unaware of the noise coming from the rush hour trafic on the bridge above. Rob tries to be heard over the wind and urban bustle.

But I am only aware of the Osprey who has flown high above our vessel soaring overhead once, twice, three times. His large outstreatched wings, graceful, elegant and powerful. It is a blessing to have him fly over us, and he flies over us three times. The wind blows across my face, the world is a silent dream, and for a split second I close my eyes.

I am the Osprey.

I am the wind.

I am the blessing soaring above.

"PADDLES UP!!!" Djambel calls from the rear. "TAKE IT AWAY!" And I drop my paddle into the water in unison with the other 16 paddlers as we glide across the water as if we were meant to be there.

[adem medina cardona]

wow
if you are not inspired by that link
you are not ALIVE!

[adem medina cardona]

if you are leading something
COUNT ME IN
.. will check out link now
~c

[Arenahi]

Hahahaha, that's ok. But guess what, I have made contact with the man who helped organize the Carib Canoe project as well as a person involved in Karisko, a canoeing organization in Martinique. Money is an issue, but somehow they have been able to do it for a couple of years now. http://dominica.strabon-caraibes.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3:jgrimner&catid=10:kalinago-culture&Itemid=21

I definitely don't think this can start tomorrow, but this is making me a bit more hopeful.

[adem medina cardona]

ognore my typos
i just woke up
we had a hige race yesterday
i am sore and still havent brought my mind and soul back to land with my body
:-)

[adem medina cardona]

i am in portland oregon for this season and the dragon boats are sponsored by the sister city in japan
last weekend i was in olympia washington and the boat races are sponsored by the chinese sister city association
i want to start my own group
i want to start it in puerto rico
i would like to build boats like those done before european arrival and begin rwoing clubs in the lake behind my house and the sea

here is the issue

MONEY

it costs a lot to buy and or make those vessels
we are talking any where from 7-25 THOUSAND UDS per vessel

getting someone to sponsor this is a HUGE undertaking, one that I would be willing to "dig deep and paddle hard" as we like to say out on the water, but i NEED a group of people willing to committ MANY MANY hours to such a project that would take wbout two - five years to see come to fuition.

I have yet to find anyone with that level of dedication AND the capacity to bring big money sponsors to the table.

I WELCOME any ideas or help~c

[Arenahi]

Ok this might be a totally a pie-in-the-sky idea but I think it's really great that you are involved in boating since it was such an essential part of all the Indigenous Caribbean. I was wondering if you (or any one else) would be interested in starting a program that would help revive canoeing traditions among Indigenous Caribbean youth and adults?

Sometimes in the dictionary I come across the canoeing terms and phrases and think it's such a shame that we don't use it any more. I know in Dominica they have the Carib canoe as well as another program in Martinique (or is it Guadeloupe?). I would love to see a coming together for our kids so we can preserve this tradition and pass it down wherever we are.

I know in new york there is a boathouse at Chelsea Piers that has kayaking classes (not sure about canoeing) and we could probably make connections with the Kalinagos in Dominica. Hmm, maybe I should make this a post on separate sites.