Скачать или смотреть Towboat wake surfing, Mississippi River at Memphis, 16 May 2020

I might as well retire from paddling right now.

I kid, of course. But I very well may never again have as good a session of surfing on towboat wakes as I had on the morning of Saturday, 16 May 2020. And if I do, it might not happen when I have my Go Pro camera with me.

Trying to surf towboat wakes is usually an exercise in frustration. Typically, the waves are moving a little too fast, or their amplitude is not quite right, or they're wandering right and left all over the place rather than moving in an organized train. And then, of course, there's the fact that I'm not the most gifted athlete in the world. Over the years it's been rare for me to get anything more than a couple of ten-second rides on towboat wakes.

On this day, as I was paddling out of the harbor at downtown Memphis, there was a barge rig moving upriver just above the Harahan Bridge, and as usual I was inclined to go check it out. What I found was the most perfect set of surfing waves I've ever seen produced by one of those big commercial vessels. From 0:17 until 7:47 in the video above, it's uncut raw footage. My first ride starts at 0:23, and I keep it going until 5:05; I then quickly get re-established on the next wave back and have another good long ride. I was actually starting to feel sort of lazy just sitting there on the wave... I think I burn more calories sitting on my sofa.

I felt like I was flying as I surfed along. But the speed on my G.P.S. device rarely exceeded 4.5 miles per hour or so. That's because I was moving up the Mississippi River, whose current flows around four mph.

Eventually the towboat put more distance on me, the waves began to diminish, and the rides got shorter and shorter. So in the later stages of the video there's more splicing to cut out the non-surfing footage. And, just to be honest... this video is probably a bit boring unless you're an absolute nerd for this kind of stuff. I even say that out loud at 16:35. I do make a few other remarks that contain all the wisdom and wit you've come to expect from My Training Blog by Elmore. I also throw in several of those obligatory "woo-hoos" even though I'm generally not a very emotive guy. As for the rest of the time: if it seems like I'm mumbling, that's because I'm humming a little tune, or talking to myself. Hey, I'll be the first to admit it--I have more than my share of quirks and tics and oddities. Believe me, I was teased for it all through childhood and occasionally even in adulthood. Pile it on if you must, but I've come to terms with it and accepted who I am.

In any case... I had myself some big fun. I spent the rest of the day with a little smile on my face. I hope this video might inspire a handful of people to go out and find some awesome experiences of their own.