Gadget test

With the big trip in mind, I though it would be worth getting one of these gadgets.

This may cheer up Mrs CWW a bit, as she generally has no idea where I am when I'm paddling. It's probably a good investment for other purposes too. I tend to fall over a lot more than I used to when I'm out walking or cycling.
I took it out for a trial run today. It was also about time to get some training in, as I haven't been in a sea boat for months. It is a bit wintry just now, but a blink of sunshine helped me to get going. A south westerly breeze livened up the Forth, giving  some bouncy bits between Largo and Elie. I started off feeling a bit ill at ease, probably because it was windy and cold. The sea state was also enough to give me a wet face every so often.

Do I need flares when I've got this hat?

Training for the big paddle is probably as much about psychology as physical fitness, so a bit of roughness was probably a good thing. Unfortunately the fitness bit was distinctly lacking- there's a lot to do.
The Spot tracker seems to work so far. It produces texts and emails to say I'm OK, and the position goes onto a map.

This can be added to a Google map back at home, or embedded in a webpage as it is.
I'm hoping to get out for a while most weeks over the winter. The downside is the horror of rinsing and drying gear afterwards. It's bad enough hosing it down with snow all around, but then it has to lie round the house to dry. Maybe the best training would be to leave it wet, just to toughen me up a bit.