Spontaneous Stakeout!

A few months ago when stakeout was winding to a close, there were still a few humongous waves in that people were surfing. I had been seeing floods of posts (haha get it, “floods”) from different paddlers about them traveling around Canada to find the best big water play spots. I had surfed minibus the previous year and had a blast, and so every time I looked at pictures of it I wished I could surf that amazing wave!

Well, I guess my wish came true! I was so surprised when I opened the door after school to my mom saying, “So Julia, how would you like to surf Minibus this weekend?” How could anyone say no to an offer like that? So, we packed our bags, hitched up the trailer, and were off on the thirteen hour drive to the Ottawa!

When we arrived in the parking lot to surf the next morning, I was a bit nervous about surfing minibus: after all, it’s a 20 foot tall wave with a decently sized foam pile. Before surfing the wave, I learned the ropes (literally, we had to tow into the wave with a rope), and got talking with some amazing paddlers who had come from all the way around the world. 

As I went in for my first surf, I was feeling jittery with excitement to surf minibus for the first time in a year.  After a few tries on the rope, I was on the wave, and bounced into a roundhouse and a spin to shake things up. I felt like I was flying, and totally forgot about being scared!

Throughout the weekend I had so much fun seeing friends who I hadn’t talked with in ages, and also overcame a fear of surfing huge waves. Haha, one of the many reasons I love kayaking in a family: no matter what day it is or how far away the destination is, we can always find a way to have an adventure to remember!

– Julia Frangenberg