I had not been in a ski or paddled in three years until this morning, Mother’s Day 2011, when I ventured out in the Stellar Double with my husband.  He assured me it was going to be fun and the morning was beautiful and calm.  When we got to the water there were white caps out of the north.  We launched from McCorrie Point with me up front and my husband in the back.  I was impressed that I felt so comfortable and even slightly confident.  We rounded the point and headed south to Sandy Point and caught a few small waves and it was actually fun!  I remembered how much I had enjoyed paddling in the past, more in kayaks than in surfskis.  But this experience got me thinking I’d like to be out in this double flying downwind and maybe entering some short races once I get in paddling shape.  We made some turns around buoys to see how fast we could do it and to get the feel of the boat in the chop.  In the past the idea of making a deliberate turn in choppy conditions would have left me less than enthused but this exercise was easy in a stable ski.  I managed to paddle for nearly forty minutes and I have the blisters on my hands to prove it.   So I had a great start to my Mother’s Day and you may see me in a double at some short, probably flat, races in the near future!