[Paddlewise] The Boat that Wouldn't Fly

Linda and I had a good scare Wednesday night. We had planned to
camp overnight on an island beach on the St. Croix River to watch
the Perseid meteor shower. However, a forecast of overcast skies
and two to four inches of rain changed our minds. Instead, we went
to the weekly Inland Sea Kayakers rendezvous on Lake Calhoun and
practiced rescues. Afterward, we put the boats on the rack, and
Linda was just about to open the door to get the kayak straps when
friends came up to talk. We chatted for about half an hour, and
then, darkness and mosquitoes having closed in on us, started home.

I drove across a street under reconstruction, turned several
corners, and headed east on 36th Street for a few miles, stopping
several times for lights and stop signs. At I-35W, I turned north
onto the freeway for a few miles, then, rounding a curve, merged
with the east-bound traffic on I-94, traveling at speeds up to 60
mph. About this time I noticed that the bow of Linda's Romany was
bouncing up and down about an inch or less (we don't normally
attach bow lines for short trips in the city). I pointed it out to
Linda. "Oh my gosh!" she said, "I forgot to strap it on!" I slowed
down to 50 the rest of the way on the highway, pulled off at
University, made another couple of turns, pulled over to the curb,
got out, and checked the kayak. Sure enough, no straps. We strapped
it down tightly, and then drove the remaining few miles home, amazed
and grateful that it had neither slid onto the hood during one of
our stops nor, worse, flown off the car on the highway.

Why did the kayak stay on the car? I can think of several
contributing factors: (1) It was on custom-made cradles that snugly
conform to the shape of the hull. (2) The kayak was centered on the
rack with the cockpit between the cradles; because the cradles were
narrower than the widest part of the hull, it was difficult for the
kayak to move forward or back without riding over the cradles; also,
the weight of the kayak was more or less centered between the saddles.
(3) The saddles were lined with stiff foam, and the pliant nature of
the foam made it harder for the kayak to move up over it. (4) A kayak
is much more streamlined than a canoe, for instance, and thus a strong
wind from ahead has less effect on it; I can't imagine my We-no-nah
Jensen 18 canoe staying on the car in a similar situation (but then I
wouldn't have imagined it of the kayak, either). (5) A Romany kayak is
a "British battleship," so its weight and inertia helped to hold it in
place. (6) I drive conservatively, and try not to make sudden stops
and starts. (7) Luck -- for instance, there were neither strong side
winds that night nor stupid drivers causing me to suddenly brake.

You can be sure we will triple-check the straps from now on.

Postscript: The skies were still clear overhead when we returned home,
so after taking the kayaks off the car, we drove out to Afton State
Park away from the city lights and set up our lawn chairs behind the
gate house. It was a disappointing show, however -- only seven
Perseids and four other meteors in two hours, though most of the
Perseids were fast and bright. At 12:30 Linda fell asleep and the sky
began to cloud over, so we returned home. It was a beautiful evening.

Chuck Holst


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