Re: [Paddlewise] Kayak sails

I am happy to see John Winters weigh in on the sail thread. It is clear
to me that even though I am a little heavier into the kayak sailing part
of kayaking than most, I agree with nearly 100% of what you write John. 
I am glad to see that we share a very similar philosophy. Our gear
preferences are certainly different but it seems our motivation is much
the same. I would like to illustrate my point that as a kayak sailor, I
have more in commom with the purist paddlers than might be apparent on
the surface.

John Winters Wrote:
> Having spent some time sailing and some time paddling I can see why some
> would like to mix the two. Sailing can be easier than paddling. On the
> other hand, I can sure see why one wouldn't want to mix the two.

Having spent some time paddling and some time sailing, I can see why
some would like to indulge in the intricate skills and simple equiment
of paddling.  I certainly enjoy this pleasure.  I don't think kayak
sailing is for everyone and since time is limited I sometimes have to
choose one or the other.

> The design parameters for the two are vastly different. Perhaps that is why
> I don't sail my kayaks or my canoes and don't paddle my sailboats. I now
> what a good canoe can do and what a good sailboat can do.

I agree that one would design a sailing kayak or canoe differently than
one used only for paddling and I don't disagree with what you say or
your preferences of what you design or use for your own enjoyment.  I
would just ad that my experience is that many boats that are easily
driven under paddle are also easily driven under sail.  A sailing kayak
is a hybrid, which means some compromise.  I would say, however that
just because a sailing kayak may not perform as well, measured purely on
sailing ability, as some sailboats, it does some things better than many
sailboats and is a viable watercraft in its own right. You would all
agree that a kayak is a differnt boat than some larger type of
recreational watercraft and you all have reasons why you like kayaks
instead of the larger boat.  In my personal opinion, sailing kayaks are
the "kayak philosophy" version of sailboats.  Just as your kayaks do
some things you like better than any other type of boat, my sailing
kayak does things I like better than any type of sailboat I have tried. 
I have tried a lot of sailboats.  I agree with you 100% that a persons
preferences should make them happy, as yours do, and then some.

> I guess I am spoiled. Also, I suppose I am a bit of a purist regarding
> simplicity. Every time I paddle I am a little overwhelmed by the simple
> beauty and efficiency of a canoe or kayak. Kind of like getting back to
> essentials.

I feel exactly the same way.  First I like the beauty and efficiency of
a canoe of kayak by themselves, that is what drew me to the boats.  They
are the essense of boat with no extras.  Let me expand this to cover my
personal passion.  I like open ocean blue water cruisers.  The problem
is that the big ones are just too complicated and to me it takes all the
fun out of it.  I still want to cruise blue water but I don't want to
own all the gear that most people seem to use to do it.  Over the years
I found that the simpler the boat the happier I was.  I distilled my
needs down to the simplest possible blue water sail cruiser I could
conceive.  It is a sailing kayak.  It is the "kayak philosophy" version
of the blue water cruiser.  It is satifying to me in the same way as the
basic kayak is.  Instead of a deisel inboard, I carry paddles.  On top
of that, I can fly my cruiser at several hundred miles an hour to or
from the terminals of my cruise.  This makes sailing kayaks some of the
fastest crusing sailboats in the world.  Sounds a lot like a kayak
doesn't it?

> Then, on the other hand, when I am sailing I really get a bit blown away by
> how efficient we have made sailing since I was a kid racing on the
> Chesapeake Bay.
> I recall building super racing yachts at C&C and wondering where it would
> all end. In the end, I left because it was just more technology than I
> wanted to deal with. The boats were no longer good sea boats and the cost
> was obscene.

Man, we are preaching the same sermon.  I like efficient sailboats that
are not obscenely expensive.  I am sure not many would agree with me
about my version of a "sea boat" but I just can't agree with everybody
all the time, it's not in my nature.

> I kind of agree with Doug. It really is hard to be both sailor and paddler.
> When sailing I want to do everything possible to go faster and the old tech
> weenie bug gets me. I would start wanting a better sail or a center board
> or something and the next thing you now I am wanting a sailing canoe with a
> sliding seat etc..
> Maybe some can stop at the first drink, I can't. Sailing for a lot of us is
> a search for speed. (Read Howard Chappelle's "The Search for Speed Under
> Sail" for insight into the heritage). I suspect Doug and I are alike. All
> those gadgets just beg to be improved an pretty soon you are thinking that
> this kayak just isn't right for the job.


I think I mostly agree with you both on that point.  I would just expand
it for myself to say it is hard to be a purist paddler and a sail
kayaker at the same time.
As far as the tech weenie bug, I know what you mean.  But for me
personally rather than trying to go faster all the time (only some of
the time) I try to make my personal kayak sailing gear more and more
efficient. For ultimate speed sailing I wouldn't use a kayak.  Believe
it or not I too am a radical minimalist.  Less gear is better for me. 
If you go down that slippery slope of perfomance in a sailing kayak you
sail right out of the "kayak philosophy".   Some designers are doing
this.  There is a new sailboat on the market called a Windrider.  It is
a spinoff of kayak sailing designed by mulitihull designer Jim Brown. 
He designed it after getting hooked on kayak sailing.  It is now his
personal passion.  The Windrider was a comercial design for a kayak
manufacturer.  His personal ideas of kayak sailing are very simple by
comparison. I agree with your last line above and walking that tightrope
in trying to remain in the kayak world while sailing is a constant
battle.

> I don't think it is wrong to feel as Doug does and I don';t think his
> opinions are wrong. They might not be right for some but they sure are
> right for me. I don't think anyone should be provoked. There is no right
> and wrong in opinion - just opinions that differ. After all, personal
> experience and preferences are not a science.

I certainly don't think you or Doug are wrong in your opinions or
preferences.  In my reply to Doug's comments when I said I was provoked,
I am afraid on the computer screen, my tounge was not visible in my
cheek.  I was using the evangilistic comment to compare myself with the
people in recent discussions who were accused of being religious about
their kayak rudder beliefs.  I was trying to lighten up what I proofread
as a rather overly serious reply to Doug's comment.  I was sort of
poking fun at my own seriousness.  I guess if I have to explain my lame
attemt at humor it is a lost cause.  I will still respectfully disagree
with Doug that a cheap sailboat is just not a substitute for a good
sailing kayak, they are used for different purposes.  I suspect some on
this list may have been provoked if I would have said, "you could buy a
used jet ski that would blow a kayak out of the water for less money
than that new kevlar dream kayak".  The ironic part to me is that the
very things you two admire about a paddling kayak are the things I find
satifying in a sailing kayak. I like simple, lightweight, efficient,
portable, kayaks and sailboats.  I think we mostly agree. If we start to
agree any more than that, I will start to be concerned that I am not
close enough to the edge. Amen

Thanks again for your comments John.

Mark Balogh
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