[Paddlewise] Part-Day Tour Inspired Comments/Questions... (LONG)

Warning.  LONG.

My wife and I were finally able to get out on the water for the first time
since February, on Saturday (29 Jul).  We took some friends out to Port
Townsend, WA, for a 3 hour tour with Kayak Port Townsend, for their first
time kayaking.  This trip has inspired some comments and questions for me,
so...

	The tour was a 3 hour trip to Bird Island, to the East of PT.  Weather was
unbelievable,  (No rain...don't tell, it really doesn't rain ALL the time up
here...)
the group was the guide in a single, a guest in a single, my friends in a
double (really a triple, but...), and Val and I in a double.  We had kayaked
with KPT before for our first time, so we were comfortable with the location
in general, etc...

	We got the basic instruction on how to use the paddle, put on spray skirt,
etc. and got to the boats.  At the boats we adjusted pedals and pegs, and
got ready to go.  We got into the water, and got moving, at this point Val
and I both realized that our pedals and pegs respectively, were not quite
right.  Val, in back and controlling the ruder, was better off, but had to
really stretch to get the rudder to work effectively.  I attempted to adjust
my pegs by snagging them with my toes and pulling towards me...  Turns out
the left peg could only really be worked by hand (needed to be wiggled to
move it back up the rail), so I was stuck with that peg out too far.  The
right peg moved well, and I ended up with a peg up near my
knees...completely useless.  I ended up wedging my right foot under my left
leg and using that for bracing.

1.  I realize now that the problem I had initially adjusting my foot pegs
seems to relate to the fact that in order to get into a position that my
thighs are actually braced properly, my feet (8 1/2s), with heels on the
hull, can only grip the pegs with my toes, and this caused my calves to
start to cramp almost immediately.  Seems to be a combination of a cockpit
that is wider than I should probably be using, and peg mounts higher that I
should use. (I'm 5'8", 32" inseam)  Does this occur for other people in a
double, or is it "just me"?

2.  NEVER (insert disclaimer for global statement here) be afraid to hold up
a group at a start to ensure you are set up properly.  Val and I should have
asked the group to hold up, and ensured we were rigged properly before
beginning the "crossing".

3.  How much rescue recovery training should people get in general for an
outing like this?  we got none, and I don't know yet if my friends would
have liked some or if ignorance was bliss?  (Not my preferred policy,
but...)

As we got onto the water, which was beautiful...moving, ripply, but
pleasant, little to no wind, and only the occasional power boat or ferry
wake.  I realized at this point that I was having problems with the idea of
'open water', a problem I have not had previously, and can only attribute to
my last paddling experience in February.

	Briefly, we were paddling off Maui, I got a single SOT for the first time
in a SOT or a single, (my wife and brother were in a double SOT)...  The
waves and wind were different (i.e. worse) than anything we had experienced
before in 3 other trips.   I ended up going over twice in the space of 30
minutes (to include having my glasses hammered against my face by the boat
the second time).

This experience appears to have made me a "touch" wary of open water, and
combined with the fact that I didn't feel "as one with the boat" made for a
only semi enjoyable experience on the way out to Bird Island.

4.  For me, this experience means some more time closer to the coast (Lake
Union, etc...) as a confidence building exercise.  I'm normally a believer
in the "get back on the horse" method of over coming fears, but I spent too
much time aggravating the situation by being tense, and I enjoy kayaking too
much to go out and have a life endangering experience and get turned off.
Any comments?

5.  In general what to people who drive both cockpit and SOT boats feel
about the stability, etc. of SOT boats.  I don't remember what model we had
but it seemed to weather cock badly, turned like a pig, and was just too
high up for me... (Only time I've really had good foot position though :) )

Once we got to Bird Island, I calmed down a bit, and started enjoying the
trip a bit more.  We passed under a platform that was home to about a dozen
cormorants, then we rode the current around the island listening to the
chorus of the hundreds of seagulls that give the island it's name.  We
passed over a huge field of eel grass that made it almost impossible to
paddle it was so dense.  Great way to be forced to relax.  It looked like
some one has stick thousands of green cheerleading pom-poms just under the
surface of the water, and then ran a current over them.  Really neat.  We
came around the island, between the neighboring island (don't remember the
name, it's a US Navy reservation though) and saw, and were followed by
between 2 and 5 young harbor seals.

When we stopped for a cookie break we had 2 on our right and another on our
left for a few minutes.  I love kayaking!  The moment was ruined, however,
when an 'Zodiac' with an outboard and about 7 people onboard screamed by...

Bird Island is actually attached to a neighboring island by a land bridge
when the tide drops low enough, which today it had.  When we initially got
to the island the bridge was "up".  In the time we came around the island
and took a break, the bridge had come "down" enough for us to cross.
Another unbelievable kayaking experience.  We all sprinted through the gap,
clearing by probably an 1/2" in one spot, scraping paddles on rocks, as we
watched the current boil to our left around the newly "reislanded" Bird
Island.

6.  Insert comments about small powerboats vs. calm and kayaks here.

As we headed back, I was still nervous about the open water, but more
comfortable in the boat as I had been able to adjust my pegs when we rafted
up for out cookie break.  In part due to stress, and my desire to reach the
other side we realized that we kept pulling ahead of the group (Val tells me
we did it on the way over as well, ooops).  The other part of the speed
thing seems to be that Val and I seem to have a fairly efficient forward
stroke, and most of the time are almost perfectly synced (so she tells me, I
get top sit in front, so...  :)  )  This was even using the narrow Werner
paddles, instead of the broader Werners we have previously used. (god only
know how far ahead we would be had we used them...)

7.  I think our paddling style  works best with the bigger paddles vs. what
I think I remember reading are "cruising" kayaks, that we were using.  I
didn't feel like I got quite the "bite" with the narrow paddles.  I think
that the narrow ones are generally recommended for long hauls, etc... is
this an accurate statement?

8.  We saw a couple at a distance in the brightest green double we had ever
seen.  They had what appeared to be metallic or simply high gloss blue or
purply paddles with a yellow spot in the center.  Any ideas what kind of
paddles these might have been?

After a "soaking" experience with a bow wave from a powerboat, that I had us
go into bow on, since I wasn't about to be caught broadside (possible an
overreaction, but..) we finally got to the other side, and tooled through
the PT marina for a cool down.  Second time we have done this, and really
neat, glassy smooth, and got to take a look at the bigger boats.

When we got back to the shore, I was able to take out the other single that
had been taken out.  WOW!  This was my first cockpit single, and it
reaffirmed my desire to spend more time kayaking.  After a tweak to the
rudder pedal straps, I dropped into the cockpit, and it was just like
putting on a pair of pants, all the heights/lengths were perfect, and I was
perfectly braced... Took it out for a spin for a few minutes, and it handled
like a dream.  Coming from the double it felt like going from the family
station wagon to a sports car.

9.  In general what do people think of Necky boats, and in specific of their
Tesla?  Nice lines and seems to fit me well.  Does anyone have the
dimensions for these boats, the Neck side doens't appear to...

Thanks for the time.
Hope everyone had a great paddling weekend!

Aaron Cunningham (who really needs to use sunscreen or long-sleeved shirts
when he paddles)

PS.  Thanks to anyone who responded to an earlier question about equipment
and clothing.  I know people responded, but I haven't had a chance to
recover the machine that has that set of mail files. (Power surges are a bad
thing...)


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