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...
One man's rush to jump on the kayaking bandwagon
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.
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?
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.