Over the years, we’ve developed a new barometer for measuring the quality of movies: how long we think about them after we’ve left the theater. The more they resonate, the better. It’s a sign of well-crafted characters, compelling action, unusual insights and an altogether good story.

The same is true of paddling. When we find ourselves thinking about our time on the water long after we’ve returned home, that’s a sure sign it was a good paddle. And more often than not, that’s because it, too, was a good story, complete with characters, action and insights.

Enter characters: We often debate whether or not to invite other people to paddle with us. During the summer, we spend so much time coaching that time on the water alone together is rare, so during the fall, we appreciate doing more paddling on our own. And yet, we love to paddle with our friends and paddle socially with our students. So on this day, the characters were our friend and fellow coach, Greg Anderson, and our friend and frequent student, Ralph Akers.

Ralph (foreground) and Greg (background) joined us for this paddle.

Characters drive action: As soon as we got on the water, a couple of things were apparent. First, Ralph brought a boat he hadn’t paddled all summer and fall, so he wasn’t as comfortable in conditions. Second, the winds were going to exceed the forecast of south winds 15 to 25 knots, shifting to southwest. Within an hour, they were 20 gusting to 25, then 25 gusting to 30, and they topped out at 27 gusting to 32 with peak winds of 38 knots before we got off the water. First plot device of the day.

Horizontal lines indicate 20 and 40 knots. Peak wind at 6 p.m., after we got off the water, was 44.3 knots.

Add atmosphere: Winter paddling is special. The water ranges in color from icy blue to steely grey; the harbors are empty and there are few boats on the water. And there are spectacular alterations to familiar places, such as the icicles we found underneath one of the break walls.

Greg takes a photo of the icicles, hanging like stalactites underneath a break wall.

Queue action: It was a perfect day for a downwind paddle. For those of us who’ve spent significant time in following seas, this is pure joy: wind at our backs, waves to catch, and clapotis wherever hard surfaces cause the waves to bounce back out and combine. For those with less experience, it’s nerve-racking and a boat control challenge. In between is the perfect place for learning, and that’s where Ralph was.

Jumbly water near Navy Pier.

The story: The day’s plot, expressed as a equation, would be group + conditions = challenges + opportunities. Expressed as a story line, it would be four paddlers, confronted by cold water and strong winds, choose to do a downwind paddle. They wonder what they’ll find along the way. Conditions prove exciting for some and challenging for some, but rewarding for all.

Like any good paddle, there was some uncertainty. For all we knew about the forecast, what would we actually find on the water? Would waves be breaking on the Morgan Shoal? How confused would they be around Navy Pier? And what else would we find along the way? Would we reach our destination before the sun set, or would we pull off at one of our alternate outs?

Paddling down the shoreline with the wind at our backs.

Thinking back: Thinking back on this day’s paddle, we felt the satisfaction of a good plan successfully executed. We had accounted for the needs of individuals and the group; we had anticipated various scenarios we might encounter and were prepared for them. Each of us was challenged in some way, whether that was handling the waves or making good decisions for the group. All of us appreciated seeing this stretch of the lakeshore anew. And there was more to think about, too: our observations about the lake, the weather and each other; and that indescribable feeling of centeredness we only get when we’ve spent time on the water.

Every paddle has a story. Some are comedies, and some are tragedies. But most are simply satisfying plots that help us appreciate the characters, conditions and choices we’ve encountered, and help inform the way we’ll approach our next time on the water.