Being the Kennedys, there was no way that our trip was going to be anything close to the tranquil and relaxing vacation that most consider to be the goal when they go on a trip. We are always looking for some kind of new adventure of experience for us to enjoy. This year, our trip planner extraordinaire (Mama) found a fun new thing for us to try in the waters of the North Sea: Paddleboarding! I think most of the time people try to do this in a Caribbean location, where if they fall into the water it's like falling into the world's largest bathtub. Oh no, not for us. If you fell off your paddle board, it was into the fifty degree water that our wet suits and booties didn't quite protect you from.
It was seriously my favorite part of the trip. Our instructor John had this laid-back demeanor and soothing voice that made you realize that everything was going to be okay. He showed us how to stand up on the paddle boards, how to move around, and then gave us different ways to try out our skills, mostly through some games. Given our Harry Potter competition, these were easy chances to earn some points! Ravenclaw (me) joined up with Slytherpuff (Rebecca and Hannah) to take on the physically gifted team of Gryffindor (Glo, Mark, and Papa). Mama took care of house Pufflepants (Baby) on the shore. We played games where you had to throw sponges at each other to get points while maneuvering around each other. We played games passing two balls attached to a string each other and trying to score through two buoys. All the while standing on slightly larger surfboards and paddling around in the ocean. It sort of felt like our scuba diving experiences because of its uniqueness. Now, if we ever go to the Caribbean we have another activity that could be really fun to do together.
The last game was a relay race out to two buoys. We were paired in teams of two (Papa and I worked together) where each of us had to race out from the shore to a buoys, do a 360 degree turn on top of our paddle boards, then race back. The last leg we had to go out together, both stand on the paddle board facing each other, and then race back by paddling with your arms. Papa and I tried so hard to stand up, but we were both so heavy that we basically sunk our paddle board, leading to several cold splashes into the ocean. Rebecca and Hannah, on the other hand, stood up fairly easily and were halfway to shore by the time Papa and I got anywhere close. However, Papa basically has oars for arms so we were FLYING through the water on our way back. It made for an epic finish, with the girls just barely keeping their lead to finish in second after Mark and Glo, who blew all of us out of the water anyway. All in all, I thought it was an incredibly fun experience to have in Ireland, particularly since we had never done something like that before.
Being the Kennedys, there was no way that our trip was going to be anything close to the tranquil and relaxing vacation that most consider to be the goal when they go on a trip. We are always looking for some kind of new adventure of experience for us to enjoy. This year, our trip planner extraordinaire (Mama) found a fun new thing for us to try in the waters of the North Sea: Paddleboarding! I think most of the time people try to do this in a Caribbean location, where if they fall into the water it's like falling into the world's largest bathtub. Oh no, not for us. If you fell off your paddle board, it was into the fifty degree water that our wet suits and booties didn't quite protect you from.
It was seriously my favorite part of the trip. Our instructor John had this laid-back demeanor and soothing voice that made you realize that everything was going to be okay. He showed us how to stand up on the paddle boards, how to move around, and then gave us different ways to try out our skills, mostly through some games. Given our Harry Potter competition, these were easy chances to earn some points! Ravenclaw (me) joined up with Slytherpuff (Rebecca and Hannah) to take on the physically gifted team of Gryffindor (Glo, Mark, and Papa). Mama took care of house Pufflepants (Baby) on the shore. We played games where you had to throw sponges at each other to get points while maneuvering around each other. We played games passing two balls attached to a string each other and trying to score through two buoys. All the while standing on slightly larger surfboards and paddling around in the ocean. It sort of felt like our scuba diving experiences because of its uniqueness. Now, if we ever go to the Caribbean we have another activity that could be really fun to do together.
The last game was a relay race out to two buoys. We were paired in teams of two (Papa and I worked together) where each of us had to race out from the shore to a buoys, do a 360 degree turn on top of our paddle boards, then race back. The last leg we had to go out together, both stand on the paddle board facing each other, and then race back by paddling with your arms. Papa and I tried so hard to stand up, but we were both so heavy that we basically sunk our paddle board, leading to several cold splashes into the ocean. Rebecca and Hannah, on the other hand, stood up fairly easily and were halfway to shore by the time Papa and I got anywhere close. However, Papa basically has oars for arms so we were FLYING through the water on our way back. It made for an epic finish, with the girls just barely keeping their lead to finish in second after Mark and Glo, who blew all of us out of the water anyway. All in all, I thought it was an incredibly fun experience to have in Ireland, particularly since we had never done something like that before.
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