By Vladimir Brezina
This week’s Photo Challenge is Texture.
As kayakers, we pay close attention to the texture of the water around us.
After all, the water texture—more nautically termed the “sea state”—is a major factor in whether we remain safe and comfortable—or not.
The other major factor is the wind. But before wind speeds could be measured reliably, they were inferred from the sea state. In the traditional Beaufort scale, the sea state is thus an all-round indicator of the conditions at sea.
The water texture shows us where the tide rips are
reveals wind against current :-)
and sometimes tells us that, just maybe, we should stay home…
And the water texture is pretty to look at. We look at it all day!
Vladimir Brezina (RIP) 
Johna Till Johnson
Wind Against Current 
very nice!
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Thank you!!
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Hi, love your pictures :) I was wondering, do you have to wear sunglasses against the glare reflection of the sun off the water, or is a hat with a brim enough? thanks.
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Sunglasses are a must, as far as I am concerned, and I think most other kayakers would agree…
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I don’t always, actually. But then, my hat is unusually broad-brimmed—it goes almost out to my shoulders!
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That first photo, especially, is beautiful.
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Thanks so much! :-)
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I love these shots…(I am actually at work- alone) my fav is the one of smooth water, the red kayak in the forefront, following along…I am actually transported. Thank you!!!
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You are most welcome!!
The smooth water photo is from Day 3 of our Everglades Shakedown paddle in December 2013. More photos from that day are here :-)
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pretty amazing photos – shared them with my son, he agrees looks like a blast!
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It sure is! Thanks, Clay! :-)
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The water is so beautiful–especially the ‘sparkly’ water. But this also tells me that it will be a long time before I come out of the bayou!
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Just focus your mind on that smooth water photo :-)
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That is a very intimate look at the water around NY city. Last I made that trip in a small boat, the water looked a lot worse. Good that something looks better somewhere.
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That’s definitely one of NYC’s success stories. Just yesterday Johna and I kayaked with long-distance swimmers from Manhattan down to Sandy Hook (post to come!), and all survived to tell the tale, and most didn’t even complain. And whales (and sharks!) have experienced a dramatic resurgence in the last few years in the waters around New York :-)
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I love all your shots of the ocean. So shiny and sparkly, it looks magical out there. Looks like a bit of choppy seas that day, I hope you had fun :)
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Choppy is actually a lot more interesting than smooth ;-)
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I can hear the waves lapping :-)
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:-) Thank you, David!
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I always enjoy my visits here – visually pleasing and I always learn something. I love the concept of the “sea state” – it fairly pulses with metaphorical possibilities :-)
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And it’s nicely alliterative besides :-)
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Very nice, Vlad. I would prefer the calm water any day. The photo where you can hardly see the person in front of you is a little scary. Yikes!
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Nothing to worry about—it happens all the time. Kayaks are small, so any little wave can hide them from sight. And of course the photo makes it look more dramatic, because it doesn’t show how far apart the waves are—which makes all the difference :-)
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That’s good to know… :-)
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This is beautiful but terrifies me! Kudos to you both! (AGAIN) I found this blog and thought you might be interested. http://vanerpaddel.com
Maybe you know them already but you have the same interests?
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Thanks!! Definitely similar interest. I have come across that blog before, but now that you’ve reminded me, I’ll go back for another look! :-)
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You are quite welcome!
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Scared of ‘black’ waters! Scared of ‘what lurks beneath’ (shivers)!
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Fortunately, most of the waters we kayak on are sunlit ;-)
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So you only kayak during daytime?
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No, we paddle at night a lot. And at night, of course, the waters are always beautifully moonlit ;-)
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Wow!
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Can one kayak at night?
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Of course! We actually prefer to paddle at night in many ways. For one thing, we paddle faster at night :-)
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I see.. the illusion of paddling faster at night.. Fewer distraction too, perhaps? Because everything else is dimly lit.
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Yes, very likely that too. In any case, it’s quite a startling experience when we seem to be absolutely flying through the dark harbor and then, when we emerge into a pool of bright light from an anchored ship, even though we continue to paddle at the same speed, we feel like we have come to a screeching halt… :-)
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..You come back to civilization, do you feel like you time-travelled?
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Exactly! :-)
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Brilliant! Thanks! :-)
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Wonderful example of the theme. Love it!
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Great! Thank you!!
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A trough wide enough to accommodate the boat’s entire length — delightful! Seldom happens here.
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Pretty common around here. Out in the ocean, of course, swells do that all the time. But even in the rivers, all you need is a biggish boat wake…
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Wow! Amazing pictures of the water! Beautiful as always!
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Thanks so much!! :-)
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This is truly refreshing to see! Good job! :)
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Thank you!!
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I always enjoy your photos and the pictures of NYC! :) It looks like you guys have a lot of fun! Thanks for sharing the fun with all of us!
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You are most welcome, and thank you, Becky!!
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One of the few awesome texture posts! Well done!
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Thank you, Amy!!
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I love your pictures and the story behind them. You seem to have a lot of fun kayaking. That view of the skyline from your kayak is so beautiful! The first one and the one of frozen waters are sublime for texture. I love them all.
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Yes, I figured this view of texture would be a bit different from the usual… Thanks so much, Olga!!
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WOW! The skyline is stunning. For a non-kayaker it’s amazing to know how the water texture can reveal so much. Love your photos!
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The water texture tells you everything, once you know how to read it :-)
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I can see where the textures would be endlessly fascinating, like the sea itself, or any tidal body of water.
For me though — watered silk is the only acceptable texture to be in or on –
which tells me “calm and serene” ahead. Anything else, and I revert to land creature!
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Endlessly fascinating because endless changeable. Like fire, too—people can stare endlessly into fire :-)
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Your first photo is wonderful, the cross chop, the riffle of wind on the changing sea… I can feel the wind, the sun, the bumps and tugs on the hull…
Iaskota (phonetic spelling, pronounced eye-as-co-ta) is an Ojibway word for “sun on the water”, the image captures that state of light on the sea and adds another aspect of texture.
Apparently light has mass the physicists say, and if it has mass it can have texture, yes?
;>
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Yes, I always think that English is missing words for some really essential things :-)
Thank you!!
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We are sailors so I can read the water texture too. I could almost feel the waves.
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Kindred spirits! :-)
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