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River Portraits > River Baptism
By Renata von Tscharner
I lived a block from the Charles
River for twenty years, and I kept telling my children that their grandfather
swam in the river Aare every day winter and summer when he was a student.
I sometimes wondered what it would feel like to walk down the street in
my bathing suit with a towel wrapped around me and just step into the water.
I had never seen anybody do it, and I had heard the stories of sailors who
were rushed to the hospital for tetanus shots after capsizing into the water.
So the Charles River stayed this beautiful distant body of water, great
for picnics, for walks with the dog, and, above all, for reflecting sunlight.
Then a tenant with a kayak
moved into our third floor. I saw him in his wet suit carrying the boat
to the river. I tried to lift it, and I could easily carry it the short
distance to the water. In exchange for storage, he offered me the use
of the boat. Fully clothed I carried the boat to the shore--there was
no dock, only big slippery rocks and plant stubbles that made it hard
to put the boat in. I was determined to get the boat in, only to realize
that getting myself into the boat was far more difficult. After two spills
I was off and paddling. A yacht came by--certainly not at the required
speed--and the waves knocked me over again. Unable to climb back into
the boat, I swam back dragging the kayak. Soaked, exhausted, overcome
by the newness of the experience I sat on the grass and realized that
I just swam in the Charles River.
The kayak was definitely heavier
going up Sparks Street with my wet cloths clinging to my body. My river
baptism had done magic, and I have returned many times since. After mastering
the basics of kayaking--that is, getting in and out dry-- I added the
swimming as an extra at the end. I have since started to explore wind
surfing at Community Boating where my swimming spells are not yet voluntary
yet, but I hope to get there. One day I hope to glide over the white crests
with the sun glittering, the State House dome shining, and the lush green
shoreline giving me a sense of being in the most beautiful spot on earth.
Thank you Charles River for enriching my life.
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