Paddle around the island
I paddled up the waterway and then out the inlet at the north end of the island. I then paddled from way down there:
to way down there:
Just under 12 nm.
One man's rush to jump on the kayaking bandwagon
Where is everyone?
Some days it's crowded on the water. Other days I'm all alone.
Curcular Surfing
When the current and wind are just right, the waves break over a sandbar. Ride a wave over the bar, then paddle around to catch another one, repeat.
Rotary Cooling
Rolling. It seems like it is what separates the real paddlers from
the plastic bathtub jockey's. I believe that today might be the day I
finally earned the right to call myself a real paddler, at least
according to those that value rolling above all else.
I was looking forward to a long paddle up to the north end of Wrightsville Beach, but the humidity and impending
thunderstorms made me reconsider. The wind was calm and the humidity high. I decided to work on rolling.
I struggled with rolling for a long time before finally figuring it out last summer. I never developed it to the point
where it was reliable, I fell out of practice, and I eventually lost it. The last time I was at the beach, I spent some time
upside down and eventually developed a fairly consistent sweep roll. Whatever muscle memory I developed then seemed to
have evaporated as the sweep roll was again elusive.
Between my morning and afternoon paddles, I spent some time watching Nigel Foster's Rolling and Bracing and decided that I was making
it too hard on myself. As soon as I hit the water, I nailed a C to C roll on both my on and off sides. It felt very
natural and effortless -- just like I thought it should.
Paddling on the 4th
The weather was in the low 80's. The wind was blowing just enough to keep everything cool. A perfect day for a trip
out in the ocean to the Johnny Mercer Pier and back.
Very happy 4th
The plan was to paddle around to the front of Masonboro Island and do
some surfing. Let me put it this way, I chickened out.
Paddling around Ft. Monroe
I grew up in Hampton, VA. Even though it is surrounded by water on three sides, I can count the number of times I was
on a boat on one hand. I've looked forward to paddling in my home town for a long time, but was reluctant to give it a
shot until I had more experience. The water around Hampton has a reputation for being a little wild.
This was one of those infrequent one-way paddles. My father dropped my off at the Sunset Creek boat ramp. The plan was
to meet me at the north end of Grandview Beach a few hours later. I left around 11:00am hoping that once I rounded
Ft. Monroe, the tide would be headed out.
The paddle out the Hampton River and around Hampton University was a lot of fun. It was the first time in at least 20
years that I saw Hampton from the water. As I rounded the point at Ft. Monroe, it became quite rough and apparent that
I had not timed the tide correctly. The wind and the current were both heading straight towards the sea wall that runs
the length of Ft. Monroe. The resulting confused seas forced me about a quarter mile off shore.
About halfway from the point to Buckroe Beach, I nearly paddled into a large loggerhead turtle. It seemed to be about 4
feet across. Other than the usual dolphins and menhaden, I haven't seen much in the way of wildlife. This was quite a
treat.
As I reached the Buckroe Beach pier, I decided to end my punishing struggle against the current. I timed the waves
perfectly and rode a small wave onto the beach. As I was getting out, my foot became caught in my still attached paddle
leash. In the few seconds it took me to get untangled, a wave came in and grabbed my kayak. It knocked me over as the
dumping surf pulled it back away from the beach. I decided to settle for being drug across the rocky bottom than to try
and swim after my kayak in the surf.
Luckily, my father had decided to visit the new restaurant at the pier and saw the whole thing. That saved me a call.
Overall, it was not a very enjoyable paddle, but I can't wait to try it again.
Eastern Horizons
Just picked up a copy of Eastern Horizons. This video would have been much better if the actual kayaking had not been
edited out.
Dam surfing?
Every once and a while, the Falls Lake Dam is opened and the
local WW kayakers rejoice. I wonder if I could get my boat out there...
2009 East Coast Canoe and Kayak Festival - Day 3
The TideRace kayaks are the best made kayaks I have ever seen. The finish is nearly perfect and the design is just
smart. You can clearly see the localized reinforcements along the keel and the top deck. I've read online that these
boats have foot plates, but both boats I paddled had SmartTrack foot pegs.
TideRace Xplore S
This boat felt like a slightly faster version of my Explorer. Like my Explorer, it felt a little unstable while sitting
still. The seat in the particular boat was loose. I've read about the complicated seat adjustments available on
TideRace boats on other sites, but I don't remember seeing them on this boat. The 4th hatch just forward
of the cockpit is very nice. While not as big as the one on the Cetus, is should be big enough to store a GPS, camera,
radio, or snacks.
TideRace Xcite S
I want this boat. If I actually did what I wanted to do, this would be the perfect boat for me. Considering what I
actually do, I just couldn't justify spending the money. This is still an amazing boat. The fit was tight, but
perfect. The initial stability was rock solid and the secondary was more than enough to immediately feel comfortable on
edge. It seemed to accelerate fairly quickly, but I felt like I was easily hitting a wall. Without a GPS or an actual
timed run, I'm not sure if this was just an illusion caused by the significant bow wake or if the boat really is slow.
The tracking was nearly as good as the Explorer. The skeg flopped around quite a bit when down. I'm not sure if this
is intentional or not. Even with the small hatch in front of the cockpit, I would miss the day hatch. I would have to
somehow add restraints inside the bow and stern hatches as I find it very annoying when gear slides around in the
hatches. This boat is going to make a lot of people very happy.
P&H Cetus LV
After paddling the TideRace boats, I wanted to compare them to the Cetus LV. I'm still very impressed with the LV. It
feels much faster than the Xcite S, but as I said, its really hard to tell. I also don't know how either would handle
in less than ideal conditions.
If I were really in the market for a new boat, it would be a tough choice between the Cetus LV and the Xcite. Since
the Cetus LV isn't available, I'd go with the Xcite S.
Charleston Harbor
Heath, Susan and I went paddling in Charleston harbor this afternoon. We put in at the north western tip of Sullivan
Island. We followed the shoreline shoreline of Mt. Pleasant north up to Hog Island and back. The weather was perfect.
Just enough waves to make things fun, but not too much for Heath. According to Susan, it was a marathon paddle. Little
does she know, I usually go twice as far as we did today.
I'm excited about coming back.
2009 East Coast Canoe and Kayak Festival - Day 2
The good news is that TideRace is here. The bad news is that TideRace is here.
Today was to be a shopping day, but I just didn't see anything I just had to have.
I didn't do any paddling today, but I'll be back tomorrow to try out those TideRaces.
2009 East Coast Canoe and Kayak Festival - Day 1
Heath, Kate, and I headed down to Charleston again this year for the East Coast Canoe and Kayak Festival. As usual,
it's all about trying gear and adding to my dream list.
Last year's focus was on paddles. This year was all about boats. I like my Explorer, but I've grown a lot (skillz, not
weight) and would love to transition to a more responsive boat. I'm also on the lookout for a new boat for Heath.
Wilderness Systems Zephyr 15.5 Pro
According to the Wilderness Systems rep I spoke with, the Zephyr is an old Mariner design that was "cleaned up using
CAD". I remembered liking the RM version of this boat last year, but it really turned me off this time. The cockpit is
too tall and I just could not connect with the boat. The initial stability was high, but it has the same flopping from
one chine to another that my Tsunami has. I asked the rep is they would consider creating a lower volume version and
he said that they had received many similar requests.
Impex Force 4
I really liked this kayak last year. I thought the fit was perfect. What a difference a year makes. It just didn't do
anything for me this year. It felt stiff and unresponsive.
Impex Currituck
The fit was fine, but the back deck was very high. This boat felt neither fast nor maneuverable. I already have an
Explorer. Why would I want another one?
Valley Avocet
The flat lake was probably not the best place to demo this boat. It did nothing for me.
P&H Quest LV
The Quest LV was unmemorable.
P&H Cetus
P&H Cetus
Once you get rid of the silly glitter, the Cetus is a nice kayak. It tracks well yet responds to even the slightest
edging. P&H seems to have found just the right mix of tracking and maneuverability. I wish I had a better sense of
how the handling changes as the chop starts to pick up. The only negative is the skeg control. It took considerable
pinching effort to unlock the control so that the skeg could be moved. I just don't see how this is an improvement over
the older design. While there was nothing that was obviously wrong, the cockpit fit is lacking. The location of the
skeg line seems to reduce the amount of space available for my thighs. Even with the skeg control and cockpit fit, this
is currently the one kayak I'd most like to own. Unless...
P&H Cetus LV
Prototype P&H Cetus LV
The Cetus LV was just a little too LV for me. The P&H rep I spoke with said that this was still a prototype version
and the production version would likely be a little closer to the normal Cetus. If that's the case, then the Cetus
LV is the kayak I'd most like to own.
P&H Capella 163
I paddled a Capella RM on a windy day on a large lake last spring and did not like it. The cockpit was too big, it
didn't track well, and skeg didn't seem to help. I was expecting this to be the same way. I was mostly wrong. The
tracking was much improved, but still not what I want. It was very maneuverable.
Overall, it was a great day at the show. Heading back to David's place for some home smoked ribs was the perfect ending.
Yes, this is it exactly
This is one thing that is very important about travel, paddling trips or expeditions if you like. Its not only that you see new things, but that by surrounding yourself with a new environment, even a Tescos in a foreign country, you are able to once again see the world around you more clearly.
I agree completely. Kayaking gives me that perspective, even if I'm just paddling in my usual mundane locations.
Early Spring Weather
Heath and I made the most of the early spring weather by heading down to the beach for the weekend. Heath's father
watched Kate while we both went out for a nice paddle on Saturday morning. This was only Heath's second time out since
Kate was born and she was very much looking forward to it. We padded west through the marsh to the ICW, then turned
south toward Masonborro Island. We came back up through the inlet to Banks Channel. After a nice lunch at Sweet &
Savory, I headed back out to go through my usual boat control routine.
I headed out again early Sunday morning. I was a little sore from the previous day, but still managed to get in about 8
miles.
This is the Sea 4
I just picked up a copy of This is the Sea 4. I really liked the previous 3 volumes, but this one is a mixed bag. Disc
two contains footage of the Queen Charlotte Islands and the New Zealand circumnavigations. While these are the best
segments on either disc, they seem to suffer from rather abrupt editing. Disc one is largely a wasteland. The only
exception is the Norway segment. After seeing those kids in action, Nigel Foster isn't nearly as impressive. Overall,
Volume 4 is the weakest in the series.
Don't get me wrong. It's still great for those days when you can't make it out on the water.
Quiet Boat Parade Canceled
Due to the unfriendly weather, this year's Quiet Boat Parade is canceled.
Catching up
Due to a crazy work schedule and a lot of travel, it's been a couple of months since I've hit the water or updated this
site. I feel like I've missed too much.
Padddling.net redesigned their site. I hate it.
It seems that Epic Kayaks and Confluence are joining Current
Designs, Necky Kayaks, and Point65n
Kayaks in moving their kayak production to China. On one hand, this is horrible. On another, maybe they will
actially be able to build a decent fiberglass/composite kayak. Maybe I've just had bad luck, but from my experience, no
one in the US, UK, or Canada can make a fiberglass kayak without some kind of construction flaw.
Taunting Me
I'm in a business meeting on the 8th floor of an office building that overlooks Lake Union in Seattle. Even though it's
raining, I can see people out paddling. Kenmore Air is at it as usual. The the meeting is going very well and I'm
doing a lot of the talking, but I'm finding it hard to pay attention. The water is taunting me. This is the 3rd time
in 3 months I've been in Seattle and haven't had time to hit the water.
One way paddling
Nothing makes you feel like you're going somewhere like ending somewhere other than where you start. Almost all
of my paddles start and end at the same place. Today was not one of those days. Heath and Jean dropped me off about 10
miles away from the house. It was a great day. The weather was great. Including a couple of stops for food and taping
up the blisters, I covered the entire 12 miles in a little under 3 hours.
Weekend with friends
Pat and Kara came down to the beach for the weekend. We did all the usual things. We swam in the ocean during a
thunderstorm, ate way too much fried seafood, and survived a death march paddle. I thought it was a nice short paddle. It
seems that it was a little long for them.
Its been almost 2 years since I last paddled Jean's bathtub. Despite it's obvious shortcomings as a kayak, it's a blast
to paddle. For some reason, my Explorer was not very popular with the crowd. It seems that the seat is uncomfortable.
Who knew.
We saw the usual dolphins and drunk boaters. At one point, I could see 18 kayaks in the channel. Either Wrightsville
beach is becoming more popular with kayakers or the entire sport is growing more than I ever thought possible.
Cuil and Dora the NDK Explorer?
I thought this was too funny not to share.
As many of you know, I have a thing for search engines. Cuil, the new search engine built by a few ex-Googlers, seems to still need some work:
Dora the NDK Explorer
It also seems to have something against Valley.
It seems that Valley doesn't make an Aquanaut
I'm sure the lack of results for the Aquanaut is due to being completely overwhelmed on their first day. I'm sure this
will be quickly fixed. Dora's Explorer may be a little harder to fix.
Kayaking Search Engine Update
Chesapeake Paddler's Association forums are now being indexed by the Kayaking Search Engine.
Whitewater Paddling at the NOC
During a recent trip to Bryson City, NC, I warned my wife not to let me get near a whitewater boat. I'm pretty sure it
would be love at first paddle. Compared to sea kayaking, I see a lot of upside to WW kayaking. Instead of buying
expensive rack gear and struggling to get my sea kayak on top of my car, I can throw my WW boat in the backseat.
Instead of the letdown associated with realizing that my car is 10 miles away and I'll be paddling against the current,
I would rarely loose sight of my car. Instead of seemingly endless stretches of waves and swells and no choice but to
paddle through them, unless I'm upside down, I can stop paddling at any time. I may even be able to grab onto a rock or
tree. I may even be able to paddle a few feet, climb out of the lake and rest. In WW kayaking, a long paddle is only a
few hundred feet, not 15+ miles.
I didn't go WW kayaking, but the family and I did go rafting on the Natahala river. It was my first time and it was a
lot less exciting than I expected. We also had a bit of a mutiny on our boat. It seems that the crew lost faith in our
captain's ability to steer the boat. If I were to offer any advice to those that have never gone rafting before, if you
have any paddling experience at all, skip the group experience and get a single raft. It looks like a lot more fun.
We spent some time at the shop at the Natahala Outdoor Center. It has a lot of
whitewater gear in stock. I finally picked up a decent quick-dry paddling shirt. I was able to try on helmets and
figure out just how big my head actually is. (It's not as big as my wife says it is.) Since the extended family has
many photographers, we all took quite a few photos of the whitewater action.
When do we paddle?
If one were to assume that we can't paddle and post on paddling.net at the same time,
then it seems that we paddle the most on weekends and least on Wednesday.
Percentage of posts on paddling.net by day of the week:
- Wednesday: 17%
- Thursday: 16%
- Monday: 16%
- Tuesday: 16%
- Friday: 15%
- Sunday: 10%
- Saturday: 9%
Does this also mean that most of us read pnet from the office?
Updated Search Engine
I updated the Paddling.net search engine to include the forums at UK Sea Kayak Guidebook and West Coast Paddler. Enjoy!
To HV or not to HV
When I tell someone that I had an Explorer HV and I replaced it with a normal Explorer, I usually get asked, "Were you
bigger then?" I guess they think the HV refers to the paddler. In truth, it's about the bumps.
Instead of HV, NDK should use LL -- Long Legs. Those bumps are for your knees. If you have short legs, then this won't
really work for you. If you have long legs, then HV is for you! To get those long legs in the boat, Nigel has also
made the front of the coaming an inch and a half higher than on the standard model. You may be asking, what difference
do those bumps and that extra 1.5" make?
It's all about edging. When I was in a relaxed position, I had to lift my knee up about 3 inches before making contact
with the boat. That's 3" less "edge" I can apply to the boat. With the standard Explorer, the deck is only about 3/8"
from my leg and it hits my thighs, bringing the leverage point closer to the center of the boat. The net result is that
I never felt comfortable edging or rolling my HV, but I can throw my standard Explorer around like it's attached to me.
To all the kayakers out there that are a little overweight, give the standard Explorer a try. All you skinny guys with
long legs out there, give the HV a try. To all the guys that think those bumps are where where the fat goes, go eat a
doughnut.
Current Designs
I knew Great Outdoor Provision Company was having a demo days event yesterday, but it until I left all my gear at home
that I found out the CD rep would be there with something other than the usual rec and whitewater boats. I must have
looked like an idiot standing there barefoot in my work outfit wearing some ill-fitting PDF and carrying a whitewater
paddle. I jumped in a Gulfstream
and headed out into the lake. I'm not a fan of the Gulfstream. Its pointy ends and bathtub cockpit just don't do it
for me.
As I was pulling the Gulfstream back up the beach, a GOPC employee asked me what I thought. I replied, "I didn't like
it, but I bet I'd love that Cypress on the truck over there. Is it going in the water today?" He replied that it
wasn't a demo boat. I then exchanged my whitewater paddle for a nice low-angle Werner and headed out in an Solstice.
It didn't work for me either, but then I hate ruddered boats.
I guess I must have done something to demonstrate that, despite my appearances, I was serious because the GOPC employee
was waiting for me when I came back in. He said that as long as we wet launched the Cypress, I could demo it.
The Cypress
is CD's latest "British" style kayak. It has all the required elements you'd expect on a modern kayak. Tracking was
better than I expected, as was it's maneuverability. Skeg operation was very smooth and I didn't get a sense that the
skeg is needed very often. Primary stability was lighter than my Explorer and secondary seemed light as well. The
kayak seemed to accelerate fairly quickly, but it didn't feel fast. When moving quickly, the stern design resulted in
the sound of something being drug through the water. I've never before heard a wake this loud. The construction was
superb the seat seemed like it would be comfortable for extended periods of time.
Overall, I liked the kayak, but I think I'll stick with my Explorer.
New NDK Explorer
Out with the old. In with the new, yet only slightly different.
I got a great deal on my ExplorerHV. So good that I could overlook at few things that were wrong with it. The seat was
a little off, the skeg fluttered every once and a while, and it was an HV. Coming from the world of super-sized rec
boats, the cockpit on a normal Explorer seemed fairly cramped. At the time, I still wasn't sure why you'd want your
knees to actually touch the boat. What a difference a year makes.
After playing phone tag all week with Lamar, I drove down to Barrier
Island Kayaks early Saturday morning. I wasn't sure which kayak I wanted until I got there. Lamar had a slightly
used 2007 that was just like my HV, British Racing Green with yellow trim, a dark blue with white trim, and the slate
blue with black trim. The British Racing Green color resulted in a lot of positive comments, but it shows every little
scratch and it just sucks in the heat and it's fairly hard to see. I wanted something that was easier to see and
lighter. The slate blue kayak was perfect.
More proof that I can't take a decent photo of a kayak
I took it out for a quick paddle just to make sure everything was as it should and let's just say it's an NDK. I found
a small hole in the gellcoat that holds in the bulkhead between the back of the cockpit and the day hatch. The back
hatch also has a very small leak somewhere, but I was unable to track it down. There's also quite a bit of excess
gellcoat. It's an NDK. It has character.
I can't say enough positive things about Lamar, David and the other guys at Barrier Island Kayaks. They really know
their stuff and the location is great.
Surfing Part 2
Not every paddling outing gets a writeup. Some just don't warrant it and some officially never happened. The first time
I took my Explorer surfing was one of those trips. I was fine, the kayak was fine, so it was a success. As with
aircraft landings, any surfing attempt you can walk away from is a good surfing attempt. Today was my second attempt at surfing.
This time, I was not alone. I was with Matt Carrier. He has quite a bit of experience surfing and despite his claims,
he seems to know what he's doing. I still don't.
Matt and I paddled out Masonborro inlet and turned south in front of Masonborro island. Matt noticed the smooth waves
and suggested we surf. I figured, why not? I have most of my earthly possessions on my front deck, my boat is for sale,
I'm way in over my head, what can go wrong?
My first run in went fairly well. On my way back out, I lost everything on my deck. Matt and I managed to grab
everything and I stuffed it in my day hatch. On my next run in, I decided to find a small wave. I found one and
somehow managed to not see the big on right behind it. I tried to roll back up, but I was still in the surf and it was
a waste of energy. I went for a swim and then rode the surf up the beach.
I decided that it was time for Matt to try out my HV in the surf. He loved it. I enjoyed watching someone who knew
what they were doing.
At this point, you'd think I'd do something smart, like say, stop while everything was still intact. But, sadly, no. I
had to give it one more shot.
I believe it's called wiping out. Not only was it ugly, I lost my nice sunglasses.
Matt and I headed back in the inlet and over to the mass of boats that had collected behind Masonborro to celebrate
Memorial Day. We greatly enjoyed the scenery. We narrowly avoided getting run over by drunk boaters and peed on by
drunk losers. We were mocked for our funny outfits by drunk bikinis, and made to look old and slow by some young punk
on a surfski. It was a great day.
Kayak Efficiency
One of the gripes I have with my Explorer HV is that it feels slow. Whether or not it is actually slow has to do with
the engine (aka me). Speed isn't the issue, efficiency is. Is the Explorer an efficient kayak? Compared to what? The
most common measure of efficiency is Winters/KAPER (more info). Using that data as published in Sea
Kayaker Magazine, I was able to generate the following graph. The lines represent the percentage difference in
efficiency as compared to the explorer.
Based on this data, the Explorer doesn't do too badly below 4.5 knots. Between 4.5 and 5.0, the Explorer seems to hit a
wall. At 5 knots, the Valley Aquanaut is over 7% more efficient, the Impex Force 5 is 4% more efficient and the CD
Gulfstream is 1.6% more efficient. At 6 knots, the Explorer looks downright pokey. The Aquanaut is 16% more efficient,
the Force 5 is 10% more efficient, and the Gulfstream is 8% more efficient. There are clearly more efficient kayaks
than the Explorer at higher speeds. What about lower ones?
At 3 knots, the Valley Nordkapp LV is 5.88% more efficient, the CD Cypress is 3.3% more efficient, and the CD Gulfstream
is 3% more efficient. At 4 knots, the Nordkapp LV is 3% more efficient, the Cypress is 2.2% more efficient and the
Gulfstream is .5% more efficient.
None of these numbers seem to contradict conventional wisdom. It is generally believed that the Aquanaut is "fast" and
the Explorer is "slow". It's obvious that the Aquanaut is more efficient at higher speeds. The Nordkapp LV is a bit of
an oddball. It is said to be a fast kayak, but the data does not support that. It is more efficient than the Explorer
below 4.5 knots and less efficient above. That explains the kayak's quick acceleration, but not the perception of top
end speed.
What does all of this mean in the real world? Do a few percentage points of efficiency really matter? I don't think
so. If I'm going to go a long way really fast, then I'd prefer to do it in an Aquanaut. However, most of my paddling
is done right in the range in which the Explorer is fairly efficient. It may feel slow, but the data seems to indicate
that it's a problem with me, not the kayak.
NDK Explorer HV and Old Town Dirigo 140 for sale
I'm selling my Explorer HV and my wife is selling her Dirigo 140. After paddling the Explorer for a year now, I've
decided that I should have gotten a standard volume rather than the HV. Here are some photos of the Explorer. Heath uses my old Tsunami now so we
no longer have a use for the Dirigo. Here are some photos of the Dirigo.
If you are interested in either of these kayaks, email thad@groundclutter.com.
UPDATE - Neither of these kayaks is still for sale.
Paddling.net message board search engine
There is a wealth of information in the Paddling.net message boards. Much of it is
hidden in the archives and their search functionality is less than thorough. To better access the archived
information, I created my own search engine. Take a look at the right hand
bar on this and every page of this blog for the search box. It is updated twice every hour and includes all posts
currently available. Enjoy!
2008 Wrightsville Beach Challenge Sea Kayak Race
To race or not? Is kayaking just fun, or is it a sport? Can it be both? This was my first kayak race and I was a
little nervous about how I would do. I've paddled 6+ miles many times before, but I've never really done any training
at all. I was worried that I'd have no endurance at all, but the issue was just that I was consistently slow. I
placed right in the middle of the pack. Not bad for a couch potato who's only been semi-seriously paddling about 14 months.
Is there such thing as a perfect racing kayak? Some say that a racing kayak must be long, skinny, and posses a rudder.
And it should come with a wing paddle. By those criteria, an NDK ExplorerHV is not a racing kayak. The wind was
blowing from the west so I had the wind abeam for almost all of the race. I never could find the right amount of skeg
for the conditions. Too much skeg and the current and wind blew me into the piers. To little, and the boat wakes and
wind sent me of in the other direction. Having a rudder would have been nice, but obviously not necessary.
The winner of the race, Matt Lewis, paddled a Gulfstream.
Matt Carrier, the 4th place finisher also used a skeg boat.
Except for the surfski's, none of the usual racing kayaks entered this year. There were no QCC's or Epic's this year.
Despite a nasty blister popping around mile four, being significantly dehydrated, and generally out of shape, I had a
good time. I hope to at least pretend to train over the summer so I can be in better shape for the fall race.
Odd fellow in a kayak
A kayaker paddles towards the crowded beach. He weaves his way around swimming children, jet skis, and boats. He rides a small wave up onto the sand between two of the many sunbathers. He undoes hit spray skirt and hops out of the kayak. He sticks his paddle under the front bungees and opens the kayak's day hatch and pulls out a hacksaw. He then reaches into the cockpit and rips out a piece of black foam. He lays the foam on sand and proceeds to use the hacksaw to trim off about and inch from one end. He then puts the foam back and rips out another piece, trims and replaces it. He then takes the saw and starts cutting small groove down the center of a piece of foam behind the seat. Satisfied that the small groove will alleviate the pressure points on his spine, he places the hacksaw back in the drywell and pushes the kayak out into the waves. He gets back into the kayak and paddles off.
I can only imagine how odd I must have looked to the people on the beach.
Putting it all into practice
Watching Nigel Foster at the East Coast Kayak Festival was the highlight of the weekend. His ability to effortlessly
control a kayak and communicate how he does it is simply amazing. Rather than head off on a long paddle, I stayed close
to the dock and worked on putting in practice what I learned from Nigel.
My main focus was the bow rudder. I've always been one of those guys that has to just keep sweeping until the kayak is
pointed in the right direction. After a couple of hours of paddling between pier pilings, I now think I've got the hang
of the bow rudder. I still loose too much speed, but I can work on that.
This was also the first time I seriously edged my boat. I've done it before, but never under such controlled
circumstances. It turns out that I'm sliding around too much in the seat. I guess I'll need to add hip pads to go with
my new foam backrest.
The perfect GPS?
I hate the iPhone. I really do. The UI is NOT the future. Apple seems to have a problem with me developing
software for myself without jumping through more hoops than lions at a circus. However, it may be exactly what I've been waiting
for.
Considering the rumors that the 3G iPhones will have a built in GPS and Apple's patent
filings for the workout
manager and TomTom-like navigation device, it seems like Apple really wants me to buy an iPhone. Ideally it would
have the following features:
- "Splash proof" - I don't expect a battery powered GPS to ever be really waterproof, but a little rain or splash shouldn't ruin a $500 gadget. Apple, if you won't let me replace the battery, then you have no excuses.
- Audible reporting - I don't care how nice the screen is, when there's water and salt all over your sunglasses, the sun is bearing down, and the screen isn't at just the right angle, the screen is unreadable. I want my GPS to speak to me and let me know my average speed over the last 30/60/90/120 seconds. I want it to tell me when my ground track drifts off the desired track by more than 5 degrees. I want it to tell me when how far I've paddled every 1/4 mile.
- Integration with Google Maps/Earth - Native KML support. Realtime integration would be nice as well, but I'd want to turn this off.
- SiRFstar III - For the GPS to be accurate for kayaking, it needs to be very accurate.
Rutabaga
I'm in Madison, WI on business and stopped by Rutabaga. I ordered my spray skirt
and one of my paddles from them online, but this was my first trip to the store. Everyone there was very nice helpful.
If you are in the area, I highly recommend stopping by. The only disappointment was not seeing Derrick.
2008 East Coast Canoe and Kayak Festival
We went down to Charleston again this year for the East Coast Canoe and Kayak Festival. What was the best part? Nigel
Foster? Dubside? Paddling boats I'd never have an opportunity to otherwise paddle? The opportunity to meet and talk
with people who share my obsession? It was a great weekend. Here's some random thoughts on various bits of gear I
tried over the weekend.
NDK Explorer
I already own an NDK Explorer, but I had never
tried one with a foam block back rest. I liked it enough to buy one from the Virginia Sea Kayak Center. I know I could have made my own, and I
just might use this one as a template. I also have to admit that I made a mistake by getting the Explorer HV. The
standard Explorer fits perfectly.
NDK Romany
The Romany feels very similar to my Explorer. I
also have to admit that considering the paddling that I do, the Romany may be a better choice than the Explorer.
Impex Force4 and Force5
I paddled the Impex Force5 last year and I didn't like it. This time
around, I was impressed. The boat is quite maneuverable for it's length and the finish is in a class above what I'm
used to with my Explorer. The Force5 is a bit too roomy, but the force4 is the best fitting kayak I've ever paddled.
Valley Aquanaut
The Valley Aquanaut is Valley's Explorer. It's boring and
predictable and not for me. The keyhole is a little too wide making it uncomfortable.
Valley Q-Boat
The Valley Q-Boat seems like a fun boat. Doesn't track well at
all with the skeg up, but then this boat isn't about getting places. I'm sure this boat would just kick my ass if I was
to take it out in some rough water.
Valley Nordkaap LV
It's hard to avoid the buzz surrounding the Valley Nordkaap
LV. I have to say that it is completely justified. The acceleration is amazing. It is very responsive and feels
much shorter than it is. If I were to add another boat to the fleet, it would be this one.
P&H Cetus
The P&H Cetus seemed to be last year's over-hyped
boat. Other than the forward day hatch and the built in kayak lock attachment, I just don't see the appeal. The odd
orange glitter finish didn't help. I just don't understand the glitter movement.
Wilderness Systems Tempest 170
The Wilderness Systems Tempest 170 was one of the boats I had
considered when I was looking to replace my Tsunami. After finally paddling it, I can say that I'm glad I didn't buy
this boat. The outfitting is excellent, and the construction is solid, but it's just not exciting.
Wilderness Systems Zephyr 15.x5
This show was the coming out party for the Wilderness Systems
Zephyr 15.x5. Stability was high and it was quite maneuverable. It feels like a non-chined Tsunami.
Werner Paddles
I went to the festival in the market for a new paddle. The first thing I did was jump in an Explorer and paddle over to
the Werner booth. I tried the Camino, Shuna, Cypress, and the Ikelos. I tried lengths from 220mm down to 205mm, small
diameter shaft and the standard diameter, straight and bent shaft.
I ruled out the low angle paddles immediately. While the straight shaft paddles seemed to offer the most control, the
bent shaft felt better for a forward stroke. As of today, the 205mm bent shaft Cypress is the paddle that works right
for me. But, who knows how long that would last. It wasn't that long ago that I was using a 240.
I highly recommend this post by Simon Willis on Werner paddles.
Lendal Kinetik Touring S
While Lendal was not officially at the festival, many vendors had Lendal paddles available. I tried a crank shaft Kinetik Touring S. From what I've read about
it, I really thought I'd like this paddle, but I didn't. The crank shaft just feels odd compared to Werner's bent
shaft.
Reed
It seems that Reed gear has finally arrived in the US. After seeing it, I
now understand why it is so popular. The spray skirts are much lighter weight than normal neoprene skirts. I wonder
how well they breath.
Pacific Horizons
I picked up a copy of Pacific Horizons. I haven't watched it
all the way through yet, but so far, it's boring. Justine takes me to places I've
never seen before. Watching Dubside drag his kayak on a public bus is entertaining at first, but not something I'd ever
want to watch over and over again.
The best part was watching Nigel Foster. Nigel is simply amazing. Disappointments include no Seaward's
and therefore no Nigel Foster Legend, no Rumor -- except for Nigel's, not bringing my gear,
and not signing up early enough to get in on the master classes.
Long paddle on the lake
After a long paddle paddle on the lake, what's better than cooking hot dogs and smores over an open fire?
Getting warmer...
Colorado,
Garmin's new line of GPS's seems to be getting closer to what I'm
looking for.
It's a shame that the price is ridiculously high. If it drives down
the cost of the the GPS76's, I may wind up with one of those.
Wintry day on the lake
Gary joined me for a wintry paddle on Falls Lake this afternoon.
People leave the oddest things just lying around
A couple enjoying their new kayaks
magicseaweed.com
While searching for wave and current forecasts, I stumbled uponMagicseaweed.com. While obviously
targeting surfers, it's the same water. Even if you don't happen to
paddle near a reporting location, the information provided is still
useful. For each reporting location, it has surf forecasts, with
swell and period animations, wind forecasts, tide data and sunrise and
sunset times. The information is detailed and from what I've seen,
quite accurate.
18 wheeler 1, kayaks 0
Heath's parents were recently in an accident. They are fine, but
their car and their kayaks weren't so lucky. The Thule j-hooks were
bent beyond recognition.
A Dirigo and a Pungo
Tie-down rope cutting into the Dirigo
It's a nice day?
Heath got me up this morning saying "It's a nice day. Get out of bed
and go paddling."
The temperature was above 70 degrees and there was a warm wind blowing
from the south. I headed off towards Masonborro inlet and the turned
west to the intercoastal. At that point, the wind really picked
up. I decided to explore a couple of the man-made inlets. You'd think
that kayaks are common enough these days, but I got quite a few odd
looks from guys working on their boats. As I was heading east back
towards the island, the wind really started blowing. The sound went
from being glassy smooth to 2 foot breakers. As I turned south, I had
trouble making any forward progress, but I still had a lot of fun.
As I was carrying my boat back to the house, I thought it felt a
little heavier than normal. There was about 2 cups of water in the
forward hold. I'm hoping I didn't have the hatch on tightly. I'm
hoping to get in some pool time over the next couple of weeks. If
it's something else, I'll find out then.
Mini tide race
I went out this morning with the intention of heading out into
Masonborro Inlet to find some waves. As I rounded the south end of
Wrightsville Beach, the wind really picked up. The wind was out of
the north and the tide was going out. This resulted in quite a bit of
rough water. I played around a while in the chop, practicing turning,
surfing, and just getting more comfortable in rough conditions. While
I was out, the wind really picked up and I watched the inlet turn into
something that was intense.
Location of the standing wave and the eddies
When the tide is going out, the current in the inlet runs around 2
knots. There seems to always be a small standing wave right at the
south tip of the island. As the wind really picked up, I noticed a
fairly large wave moving very slowly up the inlet. I paddled up and
over the crest and surfed down the front of the wave. I let the
current carry me back up into the wave a few times and then decided to
head back out in the inlet. It was then that I noted the whirlpool.
It was around 12 feet across and about 18 inches deep. I watched it
move around as the standing wave slowly moved further up the inlet. I
then headed back out into the inlet. Coming back in, just as I
approached the backside of the standing wave , I unexpectedly hit a
strong cross current that shot me sideways across the inlet. I
paddled through it and decided to call it a day.
Sanoodi and EveryTrail
Sanoodi is a site for sharing GPS
tracks. It's a great idea, but it seems fairly buggy. It relies on
Google Maps for everything and therefore has all the limitations of
Google Maps (lot's of time spent watching the spinning beach ball). I
also just don't understand the need for the obligatory Flickr
integration. Why can't I turn this off? Why can't I make my tracks
private? It also seems to have some IE specific functionality.
Overall, it just doesn't feel finished.
EveryTrail is a more polished
version of Sanoodi. Tracks can be made private and I don't have to
look at other people's random Flickr photos.
Both sites lack the ability to simplify GPS tracks by limiting the
number of points. Adding this as part of the upload process would
significantly improve the perceived responsiveness of the sites as the
maps would render much faster. I was also not impressed with the
search functionality of either site.
Although, I might just be overly critical since I've thought about
making a site like this myself. :-) I think I'll stick to using GPSVisualizer.com for now.
North end of the island
I put in at the north end of the island with the intent of paddling
around the ocean side of the island and coming back in Masonborro
inlet. Many of the put in locations at the north end are not usable
at low tide unless you like dragging your kayak across mud flats and
oyster beds. Even though it was only an hour after high tide, the
"channel" out to the north inlet was still less than 8 inches deep in
some areas.
As I rounded the north end of the island and headed out Mason inlet,
there didn't appear to be an inlet. I was looking at a solid wall of
6 foot waves breaking over a shallow sand bar. The waves along the
beach looked smaller and it looked like if I paddled parallel to the
beach for a hundred yards or so and then turn out into the ocean, all
I had to deal with were a few 2-3 foot waves. If the water was
warmer, I would have gone for it. But, I turned around and headed
back towards the intercoastal.
Both inlets open at the same time. The old inlet is on the left and the new inlet on the right
Later in the afternoon, I walked out the the end of the island to get
a better look. At low tide, it's obvious where the bar was. The
waves were also much smaller and manageable. I blame myself first and
Google second for not looking into this before heading out. I knew
that Mason inlet was recently
moved, but I had no idea that Google map data was that old.
Merry Christmas!
Woohoo! More kayak porn for Christmas. The third installment is the
best so far. Each volume includes more story than the previous
volume. If there's one thing I'd like to see in volume four, it's
more time spent on the people. I'm interested in hearing how all of
these people have the time to go on these expeditions and seemingly
travel all of the time.
Need a new GPS
I need a new GPS. My current set up of a bluetooth GPS and Cetus GPS running on my Treo is
too clunky.
I'm interested in something that's waterproof and can record tracks on
a removable memory card. Mapping would be nice, but it's not a
requirement. The obvious choice is a Garmin
GPSMAP 76, but the large size, questionable GPS sensitivity, and
pathetic battery life are significant negatives. My current set up
has great battery life and has the added advantage of being able to
run TomTom,
but I can't really use it while I'm on the water. The buttons are too
small and the touch screen just doesn't work with with my gloves on.
I could use the stylus, but that requires two hands.
While I don't have any nautical mapping software, my Treo does run
GoogleMaps. A satellite image does just as good a job at telling me
what's around the corner as a map. The only downside is that I need
cell reception, but this hasn't been a problem so far.
Overall, I'm just not impressed with the GPS's available today. If
anyone has any suggestions, feel free to send me a note.
Get out and stay out!
Heath and I headed down to the beach this weekend for a baby shower.
That meant that I had to stay out of the house. Fine with me. I went
out early and spent a couple of hours paddling against the wind and
current. After crashing the party for some lunch, I headed back out
and still managed to fight the wind and current the entire way.
Overall, a great day on the water.
Rough morning paddle
It was cold and windy. Perfect paddling weather. Paddling on flat
water is becoming less and less interesting. There's something about
paddling on water that feels alive.
2nd Annual Quiet Boat Parade
The second annual Quiet Boat parade had a much higher turnout than
last year. We went from 2 boats to 3 boats. We even made the Lumina News.
Quiet Boat Parade
From the article:
Mirrored after the flotilla, the Daltons kayaks are decorated for the holiday season. Since many in our family kayak and some of them are here for the flotilla, last year we decided to have our own flotilla in the afternoon. We decorated our boats with little Christmas trees my nieces idea put on Santa hats and paddled up to the bridge and back, Jean Dalton says.
Ocean Kayaking Part 2
I went out in the ocean for the second time today. I started out
intending on just spending some time in the moving water in the inlet,
but once I got there, I decided to just go for it.
Going out, I had rear quartering 6 foot swells that I was able to ride
most of the way out to the pier. Just after I turned around to head
back, the wind really picked up. The wind was directly in my face,
causing 1-2 foot breakers as I was coming back into the inlet. It was
a rough ride and a lot of work, but it was a lot of fun.
I may be becoming a salt water snob. Flat water just isn't doing it
for me anymore.
Kayak Race at Wrightsville Beach
Due to my previous back issues, I had only been in a kayak twice in
the last 3 weeks. I decided to sit out this year's kayak race at
Wrightsville Beach. I did watch and take some photos.
After the race, I decided to paddle the 6 mile course myself. Let's
just say that had I competed, I wouldn't have done all that well.
Maybe next year.
Puddle Paddling
Falls lake is not what it used to be. It's full of new islands, old
islands are now peninsulas, the marina now has dry slips, and many of
the boat ramps don't quite reach the water. Not only is it hard to
find a place to put in, it's just depressing.
There's red clay everywhere. It's not just mud. It's clay. It is
nearly impossible to remove from anything it touches. After hours in
salt water and countless water hose rinses, my kayak has red clay
smudges that don't wash off.
Where's this global warming that's going to lead to the worst
hurricane season in history? Where was it last year? How hot does it
need to get to get at least a decent tropical depression? Any
thoughts, Mr. Gore?
Forget my job, my wife's job, our friends, our lives - I need to move
to the coast.
Kayaks are everywhere
I really am on some kind of bandwagon. There are kayaks everywhere
around Wrightsville Beach. Not only does Salt Marsh Kayak have a lot
to do with it, but there are a lot of people bringing their own boats.
Kayaks at Wrightsville Beach
Just another day at the beach
When I've previously taught myself how to do something, I wondered if
my ah-ha! moments were blatantly obvious to anyone with experience. I
had one of those moments today when I realized that my PFD provides
great back support.
During the week, I spend between 12 and 15 hours a day sitting in
meetings, sitting front of a computer, or sitting in my car. On
weekends, I jump in my kayak and expect my body to do something
useful. Sometimes, if I've been able to keep up with my nightly
stretching, my body is up for it. Other times, it just won't
cooperate.
I drove down to Wrightsville Beach last night after spending most of
the day in the car. I didn't sleep well and woke up fairly sore. I
took a long, hot shower and did what I could to stretch everything.
It must not have been enough. While setting my boat down in the
water, my back let me know I missed something.
I tried stretching it out and even got in the boat to see if I could
paddle it out, but each breath hurt. After a hour or so laying on the
floor, a few Advil, and another hot shower, it wasn't any better and I
was ready to give up on kayaking at all this weekend.
After a few hours, I was bored and decided to take another shot at
adjusting all the straps on my PFD. I put on my PFD and it came as a
bit of a surprise when my back finally relaxed. After a few minutes,
it actually felt good enough to give paddling another shot. I was
able to stay out for a little over an hour.
In hindsight, it's obvious. PFD's make pretty good back braces.
Rolling, Part 2
I'm getting closer. Hip flick, head comes out last. If only I could
actually do it consistently.
After 2 hours of thrashing around, with the boatupside down more often
than not, there was a little bit of water in the day hatch. User
error. The hatch cover wasn't completely on. The front and rear
hatches were totally dry. I love my boat.
Short trip on the lake
Jean joined me on Falls Lake for a quick paddle. Hoping to avoid mud,
we put in at the dam. That was a mistake. Hauling the kayaks down
the hill isn't too bad, but hauling them back up is too much. It was
odd seeing Jean in my Tsunami instead of what I now refer to as the
Danny DeVito of kayaks.
Drought and new gear
The water level at Falls Lake is significantly lower than I've ever
seen it. It's really scary to see all of the stumps and rocks that
were just below the surface, just waiting to put a hole in my boat or
my head.
I've paddled my kayak behind this bench
Dry swim area on Falls Lake
My new Snap
Dragon Ocean Trek skirt fits perfectly. Not having a clue what
I was doing, I was a bit worried that the skirt was too small for my
boat. I was sufficiently smited
by the usual suspects who pointed what should have been obvious. It's
a lot easier to get it to fit when you're actually in the boat.
I also took the time to attach the front and rear hatches to the boat.
I still need to figure out a way to attach the day hatch cover.
Seattle - Kayaking heaven?
On my way back from my trip to Canada, I was hoping to find some real kayak stores around Seattle. I was looking for
something other than the rec and whitewater stores we have here. I wanted to find places that had real sea kayaking
gear.
I guess I should feel lucky here in Raleigh, NC, but I don't. I have Great Outdoor Provision Company and three REIs close by. But I want more. I want a place that sells kayaks that don't come with a
fishing rod and multiple cup holders.
We stopped at Seattle Raft & Kayak and Northwest Outdoor Center. It wasn't quite retail heaven as I'm not a fan of Werner
paddles, and that's all any store in the Seattle area seems to have, but it was close. I was able to see and touch
things that I've only previously seen online. I didn't buy anything, but I did confirm that Snap Dragon considers my gut to be "extra large". That's what their fit
guide said it was, but I had to try one just to make sure. When the temperature here drops below 95 degrees, I'll order
my all neoprene skirt.
I was impressed with Northwest Outdoor Center's location on Lake Union. I'm sure I'm
odd in thinking this, but I'd rather paddle among these beavers and otters than these.
Local wildlife
Looking back on it, I should have gotten something while I was there. I went to the most impressive kayak stores I'd
ever seen and I got nothing. But, Jean did get a t-shirt.
Paddling on Maligne Lake
After my previous experiences paddling in paradise, I was determined
to enjoy this experience, no matter how miserable it might be. Rain,
clouds, even snow and ice wouldn't keep me from enjoying this
experience.
We arrived at the boat house around 9:00AM. There was a young couple
standing at the counter renting a double. The man asked, "How far is
it to Spirit Island." The guy behind the counter replied, "About
three hours. But that's paddling the entire time with no stops. If
you want to go all the way there, don't worry about getting back by
closing time. There's a night drop box outside. Just put your gear
in there and tie up the kayak on the dock." The couple got in their
boat and then started towards Spirit Island.
We knew that 3 hours wasn't unrealistic, but it's around 8 miles to
Spirit Island from the boat house. It's doable in 3 hours
for someone with experience, even in these bathtub boats, but that's
quite a workout. We agreed that we'd try for Spirit Island, but we'd
turn around before we got there if we needed to.
Heath and Jean
I grabbed a PFD and the lightest paddle I they had. Heath informed
the owner she wanted a 230cm paddle. He just looked at her and then
pointed to the clump of identical, heavy, rental paddles of unknown
length, leaning in the corner. He helped Jean and I adjust the
footrests of her double and my single. Mine was perfect, but Jean
didn't notice till she was in the water that when she centered the
pedals, the rudder was well over to the left. When Jean asked what
the paddle float was for, the owner showed her how to slip it onto the
end of the paddle and then said "then you just use this to climb back
into the boat. It's easy." Right. Just like that. Easy.
The only other advice the owner gave was, "When the tour boats pass
you, turn into the wake." I wasn't worried by this as I
was certain that we could handle whatever the lake threw at us, but
the couple that left right before us followed this advice every time a
boat went by.
Staring at the scenery
The weather started out great. High clouds, little wind and calm
water. We took a break at Four Mile Point and then stopped for lunch
about 2 miles short of Samson Narrows. The wind had picked up,
blowing the clouds out of our photos, but also creating a nice little
chop on the lake. As we rounded the point, we got slammed with strong
winds and whitecaps. Jean expressed her interest in turning around,
but Heath pointed out that we were almost to Spirit Island and I
suggested waiting a few minutes to see if the wind died down. It did.
As we went past Charlton Creek and into Fisherman's Bay, whatever wind
remained was at our backs. Jean asked a couple heading back to the
boathouse in a canoe how much further it was to Spirit Island. Their
response of "just around that point, about 10 minutes" was enough to
keep her going.
As we rounded the point, we saw that the inexperienced couple that left
just before us had made it to Spirit Island. We went around the
peninsula, and landed near the boat pier. Just after we landed, a
boat full of camera toting tourists invaded. I grabbed by camera and
went over to help Heath and Jean with their boat. I had managed to
find a small break in the rocks and landed on the pebble beach, but
they had landed in the mud.
My kayak and Spirit Island
We hung out for a while, ate and waited for the boat to leave. When
it did, we took all the required photos and stretched our legs.
Another boat of camera toting tourists came, climbed the steps to the
spot and took the picture, then got back on the boat and left. (Of
course I went to the spot and took the picture, but I paddled there,
so I'm better than those lazy wimps.)
I considered finding the couple we had followed all day to make sure
they were okay, but decided against it. They had seen us come in and
knew we were there and there were boats coming and going every few
minutes. They left a little before we did.
As we were getting ready to leave, one of the camera toting tourists
asked Heath, "Did you paddle all the way here in those?" Heath replied that we
had and he replied, "That's great. When did you leave?" She told him
that we'd been on the water a little over 4 hours, but we'd stopped a
couple of times. He replied, "That's amazing. Good luck!"
As we headed back, the weather started got worse. The temperature
fell and the wind picked up. As we hugged the right shoreline back
through Samson Narrows, I saw the inexperienced couple up ahead and
decided to shadow them for a while on the left side of the lake. They
looked a lot better than when they first started. Their seemingly
random strokes were now relativly in sync.
I decided to pass them and catch up with Heath and Jean. As I went by
them, I heard them arguing with each other, but didn't think anything
of it. I reminded me of Heath and I's first time in a double.
A short time later, the wind really kicked up. It was at least 30
knots. It was coming from the right and I had waves breaking over the
boat. I had a spray skirt, but neither Heath nor Jean did. I decided
to cross back over to them so I'd be close in case something happened,
even though I'd be paddling directly into the wind.
As I started across the lake, the wind got worse. At one point it
blew so hard that a sudden gust nearly blew the paddle out of my
hands. (Note to self: always bring your own paddle leash.) It felt
like I was going nowhere. Looking at the shoreline as I struggled
forward confirmed it. After about 20 minutes, I finally made it
across to Heath and Jean. The closer I got to the shoreline, the more
the wind died down.
We were all worn out by that point, but we were also still about 6
miles from the boathouse, so we just kept paddling. As we got to Four
Mile Point, we decided to stop and rest. My back was exhausted and my
face quite sun burned. We stretched our legs and then I helped Heath
and Jean off the beach. While they went ahead, I stayed behind to try
to adjust the rudder pedals. The straps were slipping and I could
barely turn the rudder anymore.
As I pulled away from the beach, I saw the other couple not too far
back. I hadn't thought about them for a while, but then I wondered
how they had done in the wind. I should have stopped and made sure
they were okay, but I didn't.
As we rounded Four Mile Point, the wind shifted. It was now at our
backs and the chop was almost surfable. Every once and a while, I
caught a wave and rode it for a few seconds. I caught up to Heath and Jean
fairly quickly. As we got close to the boathouse, I pulled ahead so I
could help them out of the boat.
As I got there, the guy was just leaving. He drug my boat up on the
dock and took my gear. He reminded me about the drop box, locked up
the boathouse and then left. Heath and Jean arrived and I put away
their boat and gear. I saw the other couple round the point and by
then, we were all ready to go, so we got in the car and left.
As we were driving back to Jasper, we passed an ambulance heading
towards the lake. I have nothing to base this on, but I can't stop
wondering if something happened to the other couple. I also wondered
how many other people were still out on the lake.
Overall, we all got some great photos and had a great time. It wasn't
easy. It was the most any of us had ever paddled in a day. We all
agreed that we'd do it again, just not any time soon.
My birthday
Today is my birthday. My family gave me kayak porn: This Is The
Sea and This Is The Sea
2.
I guess I have to wait till Christmas to get this.
Can we count this one?
I went paddling with Gary today for the fist time today. It wasn't
his first time in a kayak. He had drifted down the Neuse river
before, but this was his first time really paddling. He had a great
time. Does this mean that not everyone's first time stinks? It
wasn't his first time, but it was close. Can I count this one?
He said he felt awkward at first, but he got the hang of it fairly
quickly. He was also fearless on the water. A large boat took off
near us and he took off right into it's 3 foot high wake. I would
have never done that when I first started. I introduced him to edging
and he nearly got the hang of that too.
Quiet morning paddle
I headed out early, hoping to beat the heat and the traffic on the
Intercoastal Waterway. The boat traffic wasn't too bad, but it was
still hot.
Sea kayak finally meets the sea
It's hard to believe that my Explorer has been a flatwater boat until
today. I finally took my new kayak out in the ocean. It wasn't a
monumental adventure, but technically, it was in the ocean.
I left the house early and headed up Banks channel to Masonboro inlet.
The tide was coming in and I got quite a workout getting out past the
jetty. The swells were around 8 feet and there were scattered
whitecaps. The boat traffic was quite heavy.
Allow me to state the obvious. My Explorer is awesome. In conditions
like these, it handles exactly like one would want it to handle.
My only complaint -- it's hot! The green deck just soaks up the
heat. My legs were covered with sweat and the hatch covers were
bulging.
Different Perspectives
Heading back to the put in spot, I passed a couple in rec boats
hugging the shoreline. As I was heading from my car back down the
hill to get my boat, I passed them on the way up.
I said, "Perfect kayaking weather, isn't it?"
"It's great. It would be even better if I could take the motors away
from those boats." he replied.
"I love it! How else are you going to practice surfing on a lake?"
I only wish the wakes were larger.
A quiet day on the lake
Sauna kayaking
It was hot. Very hot. 96 degrees. 95% humidity. No wind. Despite
the heat, I averaged about half a knot faster than in previous
outings. I was able to get into a nice rhythm and maintain it the
entire way.
I still don't have a feel for how the wind effects things on the
lake. I would have guessed that the first half of the trip would have
been at a higher pace than the second half, yet the numbers don't show
that. There did not appear to be any wind or current at all. Do boat
all those little boat wakes make that much of a difference?
distance avg kts avg mph 00.50 nm 3.67 kts 4.22 mph 01.00 nm 3.89 kts 4.48 mph 01.50 nm 3.95 kts 4.55 mph 02.00 nm 3.99 kts 4.58 mph 02.50 nm 3.60 kts 4.14 mph 03.00 nm 3.98 kts 4.58 mph 03.50 nm 3.56 kts 4.09 mph 04.00 nm 4.12 kts 4.74 mph 04.50 nm 4.00 kts 4.60 mph 05.00 nm 4.20 kts 4.83 mph 05.50 nm 4.36 kts 5.02 mph 06.00 nm 4.16 kts 4.78 mph 06.50 nm 3.90 kts 4.48 mph ------------------------------ overall 3.95 kts 4.54 mph avg spd 3.63 kts 4.17 mph distance 6.45 nm 7.41 sm duration 01:46:36
Quiet Afternoon
The only good thing about an early morning software release is that it
usually results in an early afternoon paddle.
distance avg kts avg mph 00.50 nm 3.58 kts 4.12 mph 01.00 nm 3.73 kts 4.28 mph 01.50 nm 3.57 kts 4.11 mph 02.00 nm 3.59 kts 4.13 mph 02.50 nm 2.81 kts 3.23 mph 03.00 nm 3.78 kts 4.34 mph 03.50 nm 3.73 kts 4.29 mph 04.00 nm 3.58 kts 4.12 mph 04.50 nm 3.61 kts 4.16 mph 05.00 nm 2.93 kts 3.38 mph ------------------------------ overall 3.53 kts 4.06 mph avg spd 3.03 kts 3.49 mph distance 4.64 nm 5.33 sm duration 01:31:43
I put in at my new favorite location. It's a quiet little red clay
beach next to the road. The only downside, other than the inevitable
red ring around the boat, is the trash. It's proximity to the road
makes it a favorite spot for fishing. I just don't understand how a
bottle of Woodbridge Merlot and piles of empty Wendy's bags adds to
the fishing experience.
Some of the trash around the lake
Seeing the light
The weather today was great on Falls Lake. It wasn't too hot and the
wind was just enough to keep things cool. Pat had joined me once
before on the lake, and had a miserable time. Today was much
different. He had a great time and can't wait to do it again.
The last time he went out, he used Heath's Dirigo and paddle. This time
he used my Tsunami and my old paddle. He said that he felt like he
was fighting the kayak when he was in Heath's boat, but not in mine.
That makes sense. The Dirigo just isn't a kayak.
Obsession?
If you print out all 284 pages of articles from Sea
Kayaker Magazine's website, it is approximatly 1 3/4 inches high.
Sea Kayaker Magazine articles
I had no idea it was training for something better
While reading this
post over at paddling.net about someone's first experiences with a
wet exit, it struck me that my parent's plans may have panned out
after all.
My parents wanted me to take sailing lessons, but I didn't know how to
swim. We joined a neighborhood pool and they signed me up for lessons. I
took to it quite well and wound up joining the swim team. By the end
of the summer, I wound up winning an event at the championship meet.
I started swimming competitively year round the following year and
didn't stop until I got to college.
I never got around to those sailing lessons.
I swam in the days of David Berkoff's rule changing dolphin kick world
records where the entire race is swum underwater on your back. I've
also done well over a million flip turns. After all of that, getting
water up my nose is not something I worry about. I also played quite
a bit of no-rules water polo. That prepares you for all kinds of
things that result in you being unexpectedly underwater.
My first wet exit was actually quite fun. I had my sprayskirt on,
paddle in hand, and just went right on over with no hesitation. I
wasn't wearing my PFD, so when I hit the water, I was upside down
seemingly instantly. There was no panic. Just a feeling like I'd
been there before. I tried a couple of futile attempts at rolling
back up, then popped the skirt and floated to the surface.
Even though kayaking isn't exactly sailing, it's close enough. And
it's good to know that those swim lessons are finally paying off.
New put in spot
It seems that the "season" has now started. My usual put in place at
the state park boath ramp now requires a $5 fee. I have no problems
paying that much to have a parking lot and a short walk to the water,
but I almost never carry cash. I opted for plan B. I've wanted to try
putting in at a place closer to the house for some time now, but the
50 feet scamper down to the water, and the bees nest at the bottom
have kept me from using it in the past. I quick run down to the water
found the bees were nowhere to be found so I decided to give it a
shot.
New put in spot (that's not me)
This is one of those days when I really appreciated the balance of my
NDK Explorer. Carrying it down to the water was much easier than I
thought it would be. I discovered that I need to trade in my plastic
storage container for one of these.
I got in quite a work out. My new shorter paddle allows for a much
higher pace. I headed towards the damn and took my time warming up.
Just as I got there, Jean called. While everything looked fine, it
turns out that a ringing phone somehow stops the GPS from recording
the track. My extended sprint back was not recorded. If I had to
guess, I'd say that I maintained well over 4kts the entire way back.
I really wish I'd had that track.
Demo Day in Farmville
Why go to a demo day billed as the "largest thing to happen to
Farmville since Lee and Grant passed through town 130 years ago" a
month after getting a new kayak? Affirmation! I wanted to try out
all the other kayaks to prove to myself that my Explorer is the
perfect kayak.
I drove up to SML last night and Jean and I headed over to Farmville
for Appomattox River Company's
demo days. I went looking for a PFD, a decent sprayskirt, a new
paddle, and many kayaks that didn't measure up to my new kayak.
Unlike me, Jean went looking for a boat she actually liked.
She was mainly interested in a Riot Enduro.
She saw it in Charleston, but had not had a chance to paddle it. She
took it out today and found it to have horrible tracking and severe
weathercocking -- even with the skeg deployed. She also tried the Riot Endeavor
and it was worse than the Enduro. I suggested she try a Wilderness Systems
Pungo 120. She liked it a lot better than the Riot kayaks. And
she still thinks WS's seats are perfect. I also suggested she try the
Liquid
Logic Saluda. She liked it, but not as much as the Pungo.
I was very much looking forward to trying a Wilderness
Systems Tempest 170, but the cockpit is too small. It's wide
enough, but it's about an inch too short. I did try an Impex Force Cat5.
Overall, I didn't like it. The finish was very well done and I liked
the Immersion Research backband and seat, but the handling seemed
lacking. The tracking was not as tight as I would have expected with
the skeg up. My Explorer doesn't need the skeg until most sane people
are off the water, but the Force Cat 5 seemed to need it on perfectly
flat water with only a minor breeze. Initial stability seemed higher
than my Explorer. That was likely due to my being near the top of the
paddler weight range. As I had my keys, wallet and cell phone in the
pocket of my shorts, I didn't test the secondary stability.
Proving yet again that I don't look like a kayaker, the Impex rep
warned me that since the Force 5 was a long boat, I shouldn't expect
it to turn like the boats I'm used to. He suggested that I try
leaning a little, but not too much or I'd fall in. What is it about
me that makes people think I have no idea what I'm doing in a kayak.
Oh yeah, I don't. (The kayak turns quite easily with a simple sweep
stroke and a little edging.)
The only purchase of the day was a 220 Aquabound Manta
Ray.
Morning Sprint
I took out the boat for and early sprint. I took Heath's new padddle
with me. I like the length (230cm), but not the shape. I've got a
high angle stroke. There's no denying it.
output from my training software
00.25 nm 3.38 kts 3.89 mph 00.50 nm 3.26 kts 3.74 mph 00.75 nm 3.68 kts 4.23 mph 01.00 nm 3.58 kts 4.12 mph 01.25 nm 3.39 kts 3.90 mph 01.50 nm 3.41 kts 3.92 mph 01.75 nm 2.96 kts 3.41 mph 02.00 nm 2.52 kts 2.90 mph 02.25 nm 3.13 kts 3.60 mph 02.50 nm 3.43 kts 3.94 mph 02.75 nm 3.48 kts 4.00 mph 03.00 nm 3.34 kts 3.84 mph 03.25 nm 3.00 kts 3.45 mph 03.50 nm 3.92 kts 4.51 mph 03.75 nm 3.72 kts 4.28 mph 04.00 nm 3.60 kts 4.13 mph 04.25 nm 4.18 kts 4.81 mph 04.50 nm 4.06 kts 4.67 mph 04.75 nm 2.85 kts 3.28 mph --------------------------------------------- overall 3.42 kts 3.93 mph avg spd 2.83 kts 3.25 mph distance 4.68 nm 5.38 sm duration 01:39:22
Weekend at the lake, including long paddles and entertaining friends and family
Heath and I met Jean up at Smith Mountain Lake for a weekend of
paddling and picnicking. (It's kind of like kayak camping for
people who like to sleep in real beds.)
Heath and I on Smith Mountain Lake
After today's longer paddle on Smith Mountain Lake, I decided to
finally give rolling a shot. I'd never been upside down in a kayak
before, either intentionally or accidentally. I felt it was time to do
something about that.
The wind was blowing fairly hard and there was a lot of boat traffic.
Jean's place on the lake has two docks that jut out into the lake. I
decided to tie my bowline off to the upwind dock to keep my kayak from
blowing away. Being between the docks would offer protection from
boat traffic.
I decided that I'd try doing a wet exit just to make sure there were
no surprises. I took a deep breath and leaned over. I was upside
down before I knew it. I grabbed the release loop on my spray skirt
and swam to the surface. No surprises so far.
I grabbed the bow of my kayak, lifted it up while kicking as hard as I
could, and then flipped the kayak over. It was surprisingly effective
at emptying out the water. I pulled my boat back over to the pier
and got back in for my first rolling attempt.
I leaned over to one side, placing my paddle parallel to the side of
the boat. Once I came to a stop, I then attempted some movement that
is sort of like what people do when they roll. I got my head out of
the water, but that was about it. I tried a once more and then popped
the skirt.
Unsuccessful rolling attempt
Rather than climbing out, I decided to try just re-entering the boat
while it was upside down and then rolling back up. Getting in the
boat was no problem, but getting back up never happened. After around
10 more attempts, I was exhausted and ready to give up.
I know I never had a chance. I wasn't even wearing my PDF. I just
had to know if I could figure it out on my own. I still think I can.
I just need more visualization practice.
I wouldn't call all of this a failure. It was at least entertaining
for Heath and Jean. Jean took quite a few videos with her camera. I
will admit, I looked quite inept.
First outing with the new kayak
Get it down from the top of the car without dropping it. Check.
Cary it down to the water. Check. Load up all my stuff. Much
easier since the hatches actually come on and off easily. Get in the
boat. Easier than with my Tsunami.
Attach the spray skirt. It fits perfectly. I guess I'll need a real
neoprene skirt now that I have a real boat. Oops. Almost flipped
over. I miss those two and a half inches. Wide, overloaded boat
means stability. Narrow, lightly loaded boat, and a nervous kayaker
means things are a little tense. That's good. That's what I wanted.
I paddle a mile or so. It feels familiar, but better. It's time to
fiddle with everything that can be adjusted. I find a sandy bit of
shoreline and get out. I adjust the seat, eat lunch, and stretch.
And stretch some more. And then some more. By body is still really
tight from the drive home yesterday. I adjust the backband so it no longer
pinched my ass fat.
I get back in the boat and paddle a few more miles. Lot's of idiots
out today means lot's of wake. Turns out this British Sea Kayak thing
actually handles boat wakes pretty well. This Nigel guy seems to know
his stuff. Even handles the dreaded Coast Guard attack conditions
without even a hint of twitch. I guess it helps to have a pointy end
at both ends.
Those real rubber hatch covers get much hotter than the ones on my
Tsunami. I lifted up the back hatch cover and air rushed out like the
hatch was inflated.
I return to my put in spot after around 12 miles of so. Took about an
hour less than the last time I did 12 miles. I love this boat.
The software
There's always software.
I'm always curious to see where I've been, how far I went, and how
fast I was going when I caught that boat wake. It really helps to see
it mapped out. It's hard to tell the difference between the short
sprint and the strong current by just looking at GPS data. The map
makes it clear.
the map
The track is color coded based on the speed. The red X's indicate the
point of maximum speed. The scale lists the speed in knots, mph, and
the percentage of the trip done at that speed. (In the above example,
I was going between 3 and 4 kts for a majority of the trip.)
The software also generates a textual output that breaks down the trip
by distance.
distance avg kts avg mph 00.50 nm 3.38 kts 3.88 mph 01.00 nm 2.80 kts 3.22 mph 01.50 nm 3.28 kts 3.77 mph 02.00 nm 3.47 kts 3.99 mph 02.50 nm 3.09 kts 3.56 mph 03.00 nm 3.65 kts 4.19 mph 03.50 nm 3.31 kts 3.81 mph 04.00 nm 3.17 kts 3.64 mph 04.50 nm 2.94 kts 3.38 mph 05.00 nm 3.41 kts 3.92 mph 05.50 nm 2.63 kts 3.02 mph 06.00 nm 3.49 kts 4.02 mph 06.50 nm 3.26 kts 3.75 mph 07.00 nm 3.43 kts 3.94 mph 07.50 nm 3.17 kts 3.64 mph 08.00 nm 3.47 kts 3.99 mph 08.50 nm 2.94 kts 3.38 mph 09.00 nm 2.95 kts 3.39 mph 09.50 nm 3.00 kts 3.45 mph 10.00 nm 3.00 kts 3.45 mph 10.50 nm 2.87 kts 3.30 mph ------------------------------ overall 3.18 kts 3.66 mph avg spd 2.49 kts 2.86 mph distance 10.32 nm 11.87 sm duration 04:09:05
On this trip, I paddled 10.32nm at an average speed of 2.49kts.
3.18kts was the average speed while actually moving. On this trip, I
stopped for about 20 minutes to visit nature and eat lunch. This
reduced my overall average speed from 3.18kts to 2.48kts.
For comparison, here is a GPSVisualizer map of this trip.
An upgrade
I got my first electric guitar when I was in 10th grade. Like most
kids forced to take piano lessons, I hardly ever touched the piano but
played my guitar every second I could. After a couple of years, I got
pretty good. But, I still couldn't play like Steve Vai (and for some
reason, playing just like Steve Vai seemed like a sensible thing to do
at the time.) I blamed my guitar. Steve had the genius Japanese
scientists crafting custom guitars. I had a $150 Yamaha
somethingoanother that I'd painted blue and green. Obviously, you
can't play like Steve Vai on one of those.
Thanks to a going out of business sale, I managed to buy a
glow-in-the-dark, yellow and pink, Steve
Vai Ibanez Jem 777. It had the classic hand grip, a fully locking
and floating tremolo, and it came with a case lined with pink fabric.
(In my defense, it was still the 80's.) No more excuses. If I
couldn't play like Steve Vai on Steve Vai's guitar, it was my fault,
not the guitar's. I practiced and practiced and was eventually able
to play most Steve Vai songs note for note.
I guess you could say that today I bought Steve Via's kayak.
I wanted a kayak I could take anywhere. I wanted a kayak that has
been everywhere and done everything. I wanted something I couldn't
blame for my mistakes. I wanted to know that if I failed, I failed,
and not the kayak.
The technical criteria were as follows:
- fiberglass - no more plastic and I can't afford kevlar
- must not be slow - It doesn't have the be fast, but it can't be slow
- no more than 22" wide - unlike my wife, I do not want a floating recliner
- I have be able to get my fat ass into it
The short list included the NDK Explorer, Valley Aquanaut, and the
Nigel Foster Legend. Yes, they are all big, British, skeg-boats. No,
I don't like rudders.
I found an Explorer on a trip up to Virginia and was quite surprised
that I had no trouble getting in and out. The problem was that the
thigh braces were too low.
I called around to try to find an Aquanaut and the only one I could
find as an RM version in GA. No thanks.
I found a Legend in a rental fleet at a place in Carolina Beach, NC.
I didn't rent it, but I didn't need to. I just didn't like it. I
can't tell you why specifically. I just didn't like it.
I then began the quest for a NDK Explorer HV. A place in Swansboro
had one in their demo fleet. Before I could make arrangements to demo
it, I saw that Appomattox River Company a 2004 demo model for sale in
Yorktown, VA.
The day I picked up the kayak was colder than usual with some light
rain. It was only fitting. British kayaking weather for a British
kayak.
My NDK Explorer HV
Kayak Race at Wrightsville Beach
I can be very competitive. Sometimes. When I feel like it. I don't
hate to loose. I'm not one of those types. I just hate looking like
I don't know what I'm doing. The nervousness of not knowing where I
need to be or what I need to do is just a distraction. When I was
swimming, I always felt more focused at a pool I'd been to a few
times.
I had never been to a kayak race before. I had no idea how they
worked, how they started, or anything else about them. I also had no
idea if I was even ready to compete. So this time, I just watched.
The start of the race
It turns out, I'm not ready. I guess it makes sense that PFD's are
required. I'll need to get one that actually fits. It also appears
that there is a wide variety of competitors. Someone actually paddled
my wife's Dirigo. The surfskis obviously won, but the sea kayaks
we're too far behind. I have no idea how my Tsunami compares.
I think I can do this. There is another race in November. I'm going
to enter.
Marathon
Heath and I paddled a little under 12 miles today. We brought lunch
and made steady progress. We didn't intend to go that far, but just
as we were about to turn around, we decided to head up an inlet we had
never visited before. If we had a map and could see how big it was,
we wouldn't have bothered. As with most trips of any length, coming
back was directly into the strongest wind of the day.
East Coast Canoe & Kayak Festival
Heath's uncle needed help with his website and Heath suggested we
drive down to Charleston for a long weekend. The weekend we were
available just happened to coincide with the East Coast Canoe &
Kayak Festival. When we mentioned there would be kayaking of sorts,
Jean decided to meet us in Charleston.
I didn't really know much about the festival before we arrived
Saturday morning. None of the sessions appealed to me. I wasn't
really interested in a new boat. I was mainly just interested in a
seeing new gear.
As we walked around the lake, Jean was yet again struck with the
obvious fact that she needs a new kayak. She was impressed by one of
the new Riot designs. I was 12 feet long, had a skeg, a rod holder,
large cockpit opening and both front and rear bulkheads. She thought
the Nigel
Foster Legend would be a good boat for me. I have to agree. It
looks very nice.
I was more impressed with seeing a glass Tsunami 140. It just feels
like a completely different boat than mine. It feels much more
solid. It was also considerably lighter.
One boat I wanted to see was the NDK Greenlander Pro. After seeing
it, I wasn't all that impressed. It looked crude. The seat looked
like some kind of torture device. I didn't even bother trying to see
how it fit. I could tell by looking, I couldn't fit my ass in that
thing.
I couldn't help but get a sense of just how small a world kayaking
is. I kept seeing people that I recognized from kayak magazines and
websites. Everyone also seemed to know everyone else.
I witnessed an interesting example of kayaking culture clash. A
relatively un-athletic looking woman was demoing some kind of Hobie SOT
kayak when she flipped over. Another kayaker saw her fall out and
turned and paddled over, his Greenland paddle moving furiously and his
gray ponytail flopping back and forth. He stowed his paddle under the
deckline, grabbed her boat in such a ways as to steady it. He them
began encouraging her to re-enter the boat. She wanted nothing to do
with it, stood up and walked the 15 feet to shore. As she was
climbing up the bank, he finally let go of her boat and paddled off.
The whole incident just seemed totally absurd.
Jean picked up a few small things and an NRS paddle bag. I should
have demoed at least a couple of boats, but I didn't want to have my
first experience in a real kayak to be in front of a bunch of pro's.
Yes, I know. Who cares.
Is everyone's first time in a kayak a miserable experience?
It wasn't fair to the sport of kayaking. I shouldn't have introduced
someone to kayaking on a colder than normal day that started with
struggling to get the boats on the roof of the car and ended with
racing an approaching thunderstorm.
I've know Pat for years. He's hardly an outdoors type, but he's
always willing to have me drag him along on some random hike or other
outdoor activity. (He no doubt thinks that if I can do it,
then it can't be too bad.)
The day started out as most kayaking days do -- Why did I get an
Element? Why is this car so damn tall? Why do I always have to load
it from the downhill end? He was a good sport and ignored all the
four letter words and general frustration from getting the kayaks on
the car. When we got to the lake, he was still upbeat and ready to
go. He was in Heath's Dirigo and I was in my Tsunami. He didn't have
any problems getting in the boat, but wasn't all that excited when I
told him he'd have to talk off his tennis shoes and wade in so he
wouldn't ground the boat on the rocks. The water was still pretty
cold.
As we headed away from the boat ramp and under the bridge, we caught
the full force of the approaching thunderstorm head on. I debated
turning around, but we had already come this far and it wasn't that
bad yet. Pat seemed fairly comfortable in his kayak. He just
couldn't seem to get the hang of paddling. It was obvious that he was
putting out a lot of unnecessary effort. He asked, "Should I be
getting this wet?" We should have turned around then, but I decided
to just keep going as we were getting close to a section of the lake
that would be shielded from the wind.
When we got there, he admitted that something just wasn't working. I
gave him my paddle (I'm not sure how Heath uses hers) and made few
suggestions. He said that it felt a lot more comfortable.
The temperature started to drop, the wind picked up, we started
hearing thunder. We decided to head back to the boat ramp. We
paddled with a strong wind at our backs and made fairly good time.
Back at the house, Pat admitted that he didn't share my new love of
kayaking. I don't blame him. Today sucked.
Just another day on the lake
Heath and I saw some kind of critter swimming around in the lake
today. Not sure if it was a beaver, an otter, or some turned around
raccoon, but it was about 3 feet long and could swim faster than we
could paddle.
Windy solo outing
I went out on my own today. The forecast was for sustained 15mph
winds with gusts up to 30mph. This was just too much for Heath.
I put in on Falls Lake at the Creedmoore road boat ramp. It's
actually not a bad place to put in. You can drive your car to within
a couple of feet of the water. (I'm not sure if it's legal, but it's
possible. Curbs are merely suggestions, right?)
I headed off into the wind. I made little progress and got a lot of
strange looks from all the bass boat jockey's who were taking
advantage of the abnormally warm winter weather. I up the inlet, past
the marina, and towards the road that TomTom thinks still exists. (It
doesn't. Unless your car can swim.)
I love paddling into the wind. It just makes you feel like you're
flying across the water. Obviously, the downside is that faster you
feel, the slower you're going. After three or so miles heading into
the wind, I turned around.
The wind was now directly behind me. According to my GPS, I was
moving around 3.5 kts without paddling at all. Before I knew it, I
was back at the boat ramp.
Are we having fun yet?
I really needed to go out on the lake today. I felt like I needed to
go, but I didn't feel like going. I went anyway, hoping that I'd feel
better once I got out. On one hand, I'm glad I went, on the other it
wasn't exactly fun.
We put in at a boat ramp we hadn't used before. Its located further
west on the lake than Upper Barton Creek, our usual spot. I liked it
much better. It has less boat traffic and much more room to launch.
We can even drive the car to within feet of the water. There's no
need to lug the loaded kayaks down slippery ramps and over rocks.
The water was even higher today than it was when we went out last
week. It makes finding a place to beach and have lunch or answer the
call of nature a little harder than usual.
How to ruin a nice day on the lake
Heath and I headed out to the lake today to take advantage of the
strangely warm weather. While the air temperature was a very
un-December 71, the water temperature was 48.
We packed lunch and hoped to find a nice sandy beach to get out and
eat. The water level was much higher than usual and the beaches just
weren't there. We wound up just eating in out boats.
Around 2:30, I got a text message from that evil bitch Nagios telling me that things were
not going well at the datacenter. I didn't hear it, or else I would
have stopped, but it was buried in my drywell inside of a drybox. It
looks like I'm now in the market for a real GPS. The text message
somehow interrupts my GPS software. Get a text message, no more track
recording. That is unacceptable.
Today started off with a nice paddle and ended in a paniced run to the
datacenter.
Attack of the Killer Coast Guard
Heath decided it would be cool to get little Christmas trees for our
kayaks. Ok, I'll admit it, it is kind of cool. All the boats were
coming in for the Floatilla and we got a
lot of comments. A few people even took our picture.
My kayak got its first war wound today. While we were coming back
under the draw bridge, a boat came by and its wake spun the nose of my
boat right into the barnacle covered concrete wall. Ironically, the
boat that was significantly violating the no wake zone was a Coast
Guard boat. The boat is fine. It just has a bit of a plastic 5
o'clock shadow now.
Floatilla fireworks
Morning Outing
This morning's trip was an example of why maps are important. I got
lost. Not too lost, but enough to be irritating. To make it worse,
had I know who close I was to there I wanted to be, I would not have
turned around when I did.
I wanted to paddle over to Masonborro island and go for a walk. I
thought the sand bar was on the intercoastal side, but it obviously
wasn't. Had I had a map, I would have know that I was fairly close to
the cut-through. Instead, I turned around and headed back up the
intercoastal against the current.
While it didn't go as planned, I still had a great time. Luckily I
didn't have anyone else with me to share in my lack of poor planning.
Quick Sprint
I only had a couple of hours, but I just had to get in a quick paddle.
I headed right into a 10-15kt wind and into the outgoing tide for the
first 20 minutes or so. It wasn't easy, but it was a good workout.
Since I was alone, I was able to keep the pace up for the entire trip.
Even when the wind and current was going my way, I kept paddling.
My new MantaRay paddle is great. I went with a 240 and it may be too
long.
Today might have been a good day to have a rudder. According to what
I've read, since my boat is prone to weathercocking, it would have
helped me stay out of the main channel. Who knows. I still think
rudders are just dead weight. Maybe a skeg would work for me.
Evening rec kayak
New Paddle
I picked up an Aqua-Bound
MantaRay today from REI. Why this one? It was something
completely different.
Paddling off Wrightsville Beach
We left around 10:00 AM and began with a photo shoot. Heath and I
donned our Santa hats and posed for a few photos. If they turn out,
we'll use them for our Christmas cards. Jean then joined us and we
headed out.
Its official. I need a new paddle. My paddle
just doesn't work for me. Its heavy, flutters, and wants to torque
unless I hold it tightly. I'm not sure what I'll get, but it will
likely be carbon with a more symmetrical blade.
The plan was to go out again this morning, but we woke up to 25-35mph
winds. If we had gone out, it would have been a short trip. Both
Heath and I were fairly sore from yesterday's paddle. Its a lot
harder to wind through the marsh than go in a straight line on the
lake.
Sunset over the channel
Paddling on Falls Lake
Boat ramps scare me. I could describe a scene where I dodge drunken
rednecks who drag race up the ramp, their bass boats in tow, but
that's not really how it is. Most people at the boat ramp just seem
nervous and embarrassed. You can't exactly practice pulling a bout
out of water in the privacy of your own home. Most spin their wheels
on the oil and fuel soaked ramps and figure it all out while other
boat owners watch and wait. When I figure out some way to remember to
get all my kayaking gear from my car before I get my boat in the
water, I'll think about coming up with some redneck jokes. That said,
boat ramps still scare me.
We had no intention of going as far as we did, but it was our first
trip up the lake, and we just needed to see what was around the next
bend.
Looks like I'll be in the market for a new paddle pretty soon. My
Werner Skagit just doesn't feel right to me.
Today was the first day using my new GPS tracking software. After a
couple of false starts writing my own, I found Cetus GPS. It doesn't have mapping
(or even real time track visualization), but it does the job. Its
trivial to convert the track files to GPX format and then upload it to
GPS
Visualizer.
Paddling in the rain
Since I have little time to go out in the kayak, I want to be able to
go no matter what the weather is like. While Heath has a strict no
rain policy, I'm fine with it. It means there will be fiewer boats on
the lake.
I didn't go very far, but I went far enough to realize my "water
resistant" jacket needs replacing. My new gloves worked well. I really
need some way of keeping my feet dry getting in and out of the boat. I
was fine this time, but I'll need something when it gets colder.
On my way back to the boat ramp, I encountered a lone bass boat camped
out underneath the bridge. One of the fisherman commented, "You're
getting wet." I replied, "Yes, I am, but that's okay." That pretty
much sums up today's paddle.
Kayaks at the lumberyard
Heath, Jean and I drove up to the Appomattox River Company in
Farmville, VA. It wasn't at all what I expected. It looks like its
in an old lumber yard. Stacks of lumber have been replaced with
stacks of kayaks, still in their shipping wrappers. Its a great place
to go if you want to pick up a new kayak, but if you're just browsing,
its a bit of a disappointment.
Appomattox River Company's absurb collection of kayaks
The main "showroom" is very small, but it seems that everything you
could ever want is "in a box upstairs somewhere". I got a skirt, Jean
got a new paddle, and Heath got a new drybag.
Afternoon on the lake
Heath and I went out together for the first time today. The weather
was great. We launched from the Upper Barton Creek boat ramp. Its very
busy, but we don't have to haul the boats down a large hill like we do
when we launch from the dam.
First time out
Today was the first day in my new kayak. I'm sure I made the right
choice with the Wilderness Tsunami 140. Now comes the quest to find
which kayak accessories define me as a person.
I think I hate my paddle already.
News
My mother died in a car crash today.
Makes you wonder. If the computer had been right, if there really was
a yellow one without a rudder, I'd be getting there just about the
time it happened. She would likely have been at home waiting for me
to get there.
My new kayak
I got my kayak today. It is a used/demo blue Wilderness Tsunami 140. I hope to take it out tomorrow. A Werner Skagit was
included in the package. I'm not sure I like it, but I have no idea what I'd want instead.
Wilderness Systems Tsunami 140
It's odd that I got the kayak so close to home. After spending all day on the phone, planning to drive to Greensboro,
or Newport News, driving half a mile up the road makes it feel like an impulse buy. I guess it kind of was.
Could have been me (x 2)
The October 2006 issue of Sea
Kayaker Magazine has a photo of a kayak in front of a leaping
dolphin from Morrea Island. And then I found the summer issue of
Adventure Kayak has a similar photo. I was there, did that, but
didn't get the picture. But, I did get these.
Just Renting
Today's goal was to determine if I'm really into the whole kayak thing
or not. We rented a couple of kayaks from Paddle Creek and took them
to Falls Lake. Jean and Suzanne joined us.
We rented a Tsunami 140 and a Cape Horn 160. We all swapped boats
throughout the day. Both Suzanne and I really liked the Tsunami 140.
The Cape Horn didn't do it for anyone. It may have had something to
do with me getting wet while trying to get out of it. Silly me.
Since this was an official Dalton Event, we packed a lunch. It was a
nice day, but the wind was blowing quite hard. At one point, we had a
few little whitecaps.
I really do like the Tsunami 140. It fit's just right. It's easy to
get in and out of. It feels fairly quick. And I like the color. I
may have found my new boat.
It's just a small hole
"No, I don't want to buy your kayak for $500. I want to know if $500
is a good price for one just like yours. But there's a catch. It has
a hole." My father in law seemed to think it was a decent price,
depending on the hole.
The hole didn't seem all that bad. A paperclip test seemed to
indicate that it was about 1/8th" deep and didn't go all the way
through. It seemed like some simple filler would solve the problem.
But, it was around 2:00PM and this was an REI garage sale. How could
anything worth anything still be around at 2:00PM? Would it still be
there at 4:00PM?
Here was an Old
Town Dirigo 140, the exact kayak Heath wanted. Even the color was
right.
We went for it. The hole was quickly filled, sanded and it seems
like new.
Heath in her new kayak
Labor Day bathtub derby
Heath and i went out in Jean's kayaks today. She was in the SOT and I
was in here little blue bathtub.
Jean's blue bathtub
We rode up and down on the boat wakes in the channel for a while and
actually made a little progress against the current. I had a blast.
Heath really wants to get kayaks and I think I'm sold on the idea as
well.
Kayaking in paradise Pt 2 - Morrea
Heath and I went to Morrea for our honeymoon. Moorea is a small island
near Tahiti in French Polynesia. The resort where we stayed had
kayaks for rent so one afternoon we got one and paddled around the
islands that make up the resort.
Heath had a great time, but it just wasn't working for me. It was
only the second time I'd even been kayaking. I'm not sure I'll do it again.
Miserable in paradise - Kayaking in Alaska
Tracey Arm fjord
It was the smell that did it for me. That lingering mildew smell.
The smell of something that hasn't been dry in months. According to my
mother, I'm allergic to mildew.
Heath, Susan, Jean, and Kathy were all very excited about kayaking in Glacier
Bay. I wasn't so sure it was something that I would enjoy. That water
is cold.
We headed down to equipment shacks after breakfast. We put on the rubber waders,
the rain jacket, the PDF and headed for the beach. We carried the
heavy boats down to the waterline. Heath and I were in a double, Jean
and Kathy were in a double, and Susan was in a single. The guide
helped my adjust the rudder, and then pushed us out into the water.
I'm not having fun
The boats were nice and wide, but I felt like I was going to go over
at any minute. Knowing that the water temperature was in the mid 30's
didn't help. I was convinced that if I fell in, I'd die.
Then it started raining.
I was cold, anxious, and tired of hearing Heath complain about my
inability to use the rudder. I hate rudders. I hate tandems. The
back seat is for steering and the front for complaining about the
steering.
Is that a smile? No.
We paddled across Barlet Cove and then came back. We were not out
long, but it was way too long for me.
Plenty of opportunities for kayaking
We took a boat tour of the bay and while we were out, we stopped to
pick up some kayakers. They seemed quite happy, but then, the insane
usually are.
These people are insane