One man's rush to jump on the kayaking bandwagon
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
May 28, 2007
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.
May 27, 2007
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.
May 20, 2007
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.
May 19, 2007
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
May 19, 2007
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.
May 12, 2007
