Normally I hate tropical storms. They knock down trees, flood basements and lose power.
But now with my newfound love of SUP, I wait for you at the end of the pier, every day, every single hour
Tropical Storm Nicole brought strong winds, heavy rain
I dash out to the Potomac ecstatic, feeling soundly insane
I crossed the Douglass Bridge and turned right at Nationals Park,
I launched my board at the sparkling Diamond Teague Pier, designed to make the southeast waterfront spark.
The Anacostia River, grimy, polluted and brown
Normally I would grimace, my face wrinkled in a bitter frown
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But today I was elated, the wind right behind my back
And I paddled gleefully down the Anacostia on a broad reach tack (wind to my starboard quarter)
The trick to running a downwind is to ride the swells and not lose balance.
It's all about focus, not your strengths or your talents.
Normally swells are long and steady and ragged like a mop.
But today, the swells were gusting and tall, full of ripples and chop.
Soon, I decided to give in and not work any longer
As I past by the National airport, the waves grew higher and the winds blew stronger.
I shut my eyes, felt the breeze and let the river take me home.
I was in Heaven on the Potomac, surrounded by towering swells, just me, my board alone.
