THING #2: DAY OF THE LONGBOAT

A longboat on Jericho Beach, on the clinic day the Sunday before Day of the Longboat.

There are things I foresaw myself doing while in Canada. Skiing; seeing a bear; going whale watching; eating a whole lot of pancakes. I didn’t foresee myself taking part in a longboat race. It just… it wasn’t something that it occurred to me to imagine. Longboats, I thought, were a Viking thing, maybe. Me, I love How To Train Your Dragon, but I ain’t no Viking.

I signed up anyway. I thought, hey, it’s nice weather we’re having. It could be pretty cool. I hoped I would, at least, manage to not be a dead weight in the boat.

It was the best. thing. ever.

Learning how to Longboat on clinic day.

I’m not lying now. It was so much fun. It was hard, and it was competitive, and my team screamed probably more than we paddled, but wow was it a good day. And my team came third, which was not only respectable but also a total shock to all of us.

My back, my arms, and my right hand still ache, two days later, but it was so much more than worth it. We did good, we paddled hard, and we definitely felt just a little bit like Vikings. It was an epic day. If you didn’t get to do it this year and you’re going to be at UBC again next year, I cannot recommend taking part in Day of the Longboat enough. It’s the best day I’ve had since getting here, and I’ve had some pretty freaking fantastic days.

(Should you come across yourself in one of my pictures and want it taken down, please just say so and I’ll do it ASAP. Cheers.)