Savnet er større end nogensinde før
Jeg har normalt ikke så meget hjemve. Jeg flyttede alene til Sverige, da jeg var 17 år. Savnet kom dog, i én speciel måned - december. For i den måned var alle jeg holder af samlet i weekenderne for at bage og julehygge. Og nu skal jeg igen være væk - og så i december!
Jeg ved allerede at min familie skal være sammen d. 14. december. At der er julebanko i kajakklubben d. 9. december. Jeg forsøger ikke at tænke på alle de andre ting jeg går glip af.
Jeg må gøre noget så at jeg kan mærke julehygge i Cape Town! Ikke tænke, at der er noget jeg går glip af, men at jeg får lov til at prøve noget nyt.
Og dog, der er det seneste år opstået et nyt savn. Et savn som, trods jeg kender ham mere og mere, burde blive mindre. Men det er det ikke. Jeg savner min kæreste. Jeg kan savne ham så hele min dag går i stykker, så Hawaii føles ligegyldigt, så solo eventyr i tropisk landskab og vulkaner bliver ligegyldigt, så flyskræk bliver værre, for jeg er så bange for at jeg skal se ham igen.
Og ved i hvad? Cape Point Challenge er den 15. december og han har fødselsdag d. 14…Min kæreste hedder Ditlev. Og her i november har vi været kærester i 2,5år.
Jeg har ville ro Cape Point Challenge snart 2 år. Men jeg håber virkelig jeg kan lide det derovre, hos min nye Sydafrikanske Familie. Ellers ved jeg at savnet vil overskygge alt og så er der langt tid til den 20. december og 52 kilometer kan føles som meget langt, hvis det er ham jeg skal tænke på.
September 2019 - Den ambitiøse plan der nu handler om overlevelse.
Jeg taler med Louise om Cape Point Challenge projektet. Vi tjekker de gamle tider. Det ligner at det kan tage fire en halv time. Det er jo som at ro Rundt om Amager i København. Det burde være muligt.
Jeg har fundet ud af at lange løb ikke er et større problem for min krop. Jeg har gennemført Vasa løbet som er 90 km. på langrend fire gange. Det tog 8-9 timer. Jeg har roet Amager rundt, som er 45 kilometer nogle gange de seneste år.
Jeg ved jo jeg kan gå kold, tude lidt, men så kommer jeg ligesom også videre.
Cape point Challenge virker realistisk?
Jeg tænker over de ting jeg hørte fra sidste års løb. Om manden der måtte efterlade sin surfski og svømme ind i det haj indfekterede vand. Og alle dem som ikke gennemførte.
Cape Points hjemmeside beskrev 2018 således:
2018 Will never be forgotten. With winds in excess of 30 knots the course started at Simons Town Long Beach and planned to head along the coast around a buoy at Buffels Bay and out to Cape Point. With such extreme conditions paddlers were forced to turn at the NSRI boat in Buffels bay and head for Fish Hoek beach. Anyone to complete this one can wear the T-shirt with pride. Bianca Beavitt won her 3rd title in the event spread over 10 years with Hank winning his 8th title.
Så måske er Cape Point Challenge kun 4-6 timers kajak, men i hvilke forhold?
Jeg ved jeg vil rejse i november og december. Men to måneder i Cape Town er for meget. Der er for farligt. Min nevøs barnedåb sættes til d. 23. november. Hvad gør man så nu?
Jeg tager endelig en beslutning, jeg tager til Hawaii. Jeg tager til Hawaii fra d. 5. Nov. Til den 21. november. Og så tager jeg til Cape Town fra d. 25-19. december.
Jeg prøver at finde steder jeg ville kunne træne på Hawaii, det virker umuligt. Jeg skal flyve med tre fly derned, tre fly på Hawaii, rejse over på den anden side af jorden - med min pagaj? Jeg indser at min pagaj må blive hjemme og træningsambitionerne nedprioriteres.
”Jeg må lave en genial plan. Det må kunne lykkes. Hvis jeg tænker ud af boksen, så kan jeg altså godt få det til at passe sammen og stadig lykkes med at gennemføre løbet, måske endda ro godt?”.
Den geniale plan der slår fejl
Jeg har hørt at man skal ro nogle laaaange ture inden Cape Point Challenge. Jeg laver en plan om at jeg kan nå at ro en langtur, hver søndag i oktober på 20-35 km. Men det bliver så godt som umuligt at gøre det alene. Jeg har en plan, jeg vil spørge det danske surfskifolk om de ikke vil ro med mig!
Det bliver lagt 5 datoer for langturs kajak, endda en de dage jeg er hjemme til barnedåb i slut november.
Efter VM i september står den lige på lidt afslapning inden Cape Point projektet sættes i gang.
Jeg kommer i gang med fem gode pas med mine veninder. Først rammer en meget tung arbejdsuge, derefter bliver jeg syg. Man kalder der vist influenza. 4 dage efter jeg bliver syg træner jeg igen, det giver ikke andet end en ekstra uge i sengen.
Oktober bliver på ingen måde præget af langtur. Det bliver faktisk slet ikke roet langtur. Der bliver knabt nok roet eller trænet noget som helst. Og snart er det november, og på Hawaii kommer jeg ikke til at ro… Det her bliver svært! Virkelig svært!!
Men okay, vi får se hvordan det hele kommer til at gå… Lad os se og komme til Syd Afrika, for billetten er bestilt, jeg er lige landet og i morgen skal i gøre om de første pas i Cape Town.
ENGLISH
Miss someone more than ever before
I am not usually very home sick. I moved from home to Sweden when I was 17 years old. The missing came, however, in one special month - December. Because in that month, everyone I love gathered on weekends to bake and celebrate Christmas. And now I must be gone again - and then in December! I already know that my family will be together on December 14th. There is a Christmas Banko tradition in my kayak club on December 9. I try not to think of all the other things I miss. I must do something so that I can feel Christmas in Cape Town! Don't think there is anything I missout on, but that I am allowed to try something new. And yet, a new need has emerged over the past year. Although I know him more and more, it should be less. But it is not. I miss my boyfriend. I can miss him so that my whole day breaks down, so Hawaii feels unimportant, so solo adventures in tropical landscape and volcanoes don't matter, so my flight scares get worse, because I'm so scared that I'll never see him again. And you know what? Cape Point Challenge is December 15 and he has his birthday on December 14 ... My boyfriend's name is Ditlev. And in November we have been together for 2.5 years. I wanted to do the Cape Point Challenge for about 2 years. But I really hope I like it in cape Town and my new South African Family. Otherwise, I know that missing will overshadow everything and then there is a long time until December 20 and 52 kilometers can feel like a long way if it is him I have to think about.
September 2019 - The ambitious plan that is now about survival. I'm talking to Louise about the Cape Point Challenge project. We check the old times. It looks like it can take four and a half hours. After all, it's like paddeling around Amager in Copenhagen. That should be possible. I have found that long runs are not a bigger problem for my body. I have completed the Vasa race which is 90 km. cross country skiing four times. It took 8-9 hours. I've been paddeling around Amager, which is 45 kilometers sometimes in recent years. I know I can get tired, cry a bit, but then I just like to move on. Cape Point Challenge seems realistic? I think about the things I heard from last year's race. About the man who had to leave his surf ski and swim into the shark infected water. And all those who failed. The Cape Point website described 2018 as follows:
2018 Will never be forgotten. With winds in excess of 30 knots the course started at Simons Town Long Beach and planned to head along the coast around a buoy at Buffels Bay and out to Cape Point. With such extreme conditions paddlers were forced to turn at the NSRI boat in Buffels bay and head for Fish Hoek beach. Anyone to complete this one can wear the T-shirt with pride. Bianca Beavitt won her 3rd title in the event spread over 10 years with Hank winning his 8th title.
So maybe the Cape Point Challenge is only 4-6 hours of kayaking, but in what conditions?
I know I will be traveling in November and December. But two months in Cape Town is too much. That's too dangerous. My nephew's baptism is set for November 23. What do you do now? I'm finally make a decision, I'm going to Hawaii. I'm going to Hawaii from Nov. 5. Until November 21st. And then I go to Cape Town from 25-19. December. I'm trying to find places I can train on Hawaii, it seems impossible. I'm going to fly with three planes to get down there, three planes in Hawaii, travel across the earth - with my paddle? I realize that my paddle has to stay home and the training ambitions are prioritized. “I have to make an ingenious plan. It must be successful. So if I think out of the box, then I can fit it well and still manage to finish the race, maybe even do well? ”.
The ingenious plan that fails
I've heard that you need to take some long paddles before the Cape Point Challenge. I make a plan that I can now for a long trip, every Sunday in October of 20-35 km. But doing it alone is almost impossible. I have a plan, I want to ask the Danish surfski paople if they will paddle with me! There will be 5 dates for long-distance kayaking, even one the days I'm home for family time in late November.
But… After the World Champs in September, it is just a little relaxation before the Cape Point project is started. I get started with five good paddle sessions with my friends. It hits a very heavy work week, then I get sick. You call it flu. 4 days after I get sick I train again, it gives nothing but an extra week in bed. October is in no way characterized by long-paddleing. In fact, it is not a long paddle at all. There is hardly any paddeling or training whatsoever. And soon it's November, and in Hawaii, I'm not going to paddle ... This is going to be hard! Really hard !!
But okay, we'll see how it all goes ... Let's get to South Africa, because the ticket is booked, I just landed and tomorrow I will do my first paddeling in Cape Town.