Tuesday, May 7, 2013

Stand Up Paddleboarding and Kayaking in NSB


I'm such an athlete

I'm terrible at EVERY sport. Every. Sport. So, imagine my surprise when I was able to SUP (that's how we athletes abbreviate "Stand Up Paddleboard") for between 4 and 4.5 nautical miles. Granted, I didn't go in the ocean (which Ryan tells me is harder....we build to that) but I felt pretty smug and shockingly not drowned after a few hours on the water. 

We launched our kayak and newly acquired SUP (thanks to Ryan's uncle!) at Callalisa Park  and paddled through mangroves, under the South Causeway and through a marina to make a giant loop back to the park. It was a gorgeous day and an awesome way to hang out with nature. I like it because I am capable of doing it and it makes me feel like I can do anything! I'm adding it to my list of cheat-things that make me look good while not making me miserable. The other thing on the list is Strongbow cider. I can order it at a bar instead of a glass of wine and look like I'm having a beer like one of the guys...but without suffering the disgusting beer flavor. Sometimes you can't be that person drinking wine without looking like a complete d-bag (when I can't get around it, plastic cups are pretty good at disguising my apparent snobbery). 

If you want to try SUP, New Smyrna Stand Up has a Groupon right now for $55 to get a tour for 2 and they also rent SUP's. Paddleboard New Smyrna is another company that does rentals and tours. 
(Disclosure: the Groupon link is my referral link so I get Groupon bucks if you join through it. I am not affiliated with New Smyrna Stand Up or Paddleboard New Smyrna in any way but I've heard good things!)