Follow Up

Posted by Kurt Maurer on Jun 13, 2004

Lessee, George was talkin' about power boats and (ugh!) PWC... That's why I love Armand Bayou so much: NO gasoline engines allowed!! The Galveston Bay complex is something like the third busiest pleasure boat hub in the WORLD, and it was the sheer congestion (especially the damnable PWC crowd) that divorced me from boating -- until kayaks came along. I wonder how many - if any - other nature preserves exist where motorboats are banned?

Joe, I actually learned quite a bit in my Mill Creek 13. I made it a habit to scull brace just for the fun of feeling the paddle plane upon the surface, did it all the time until it became second-nature to flick that wrist. It really paid off when I got into my Cormorant, lemme tell you. And as Mac so acutely points out, let that leading edge drop for an instant and you're a submarine before you know what hit you.

I don't know if you can drain a MC while at sea; it would be a matter of the rear comartment holding enough bouyancy to raise the rest of the boat clean outa the water, and a MC design just doesn't include a lot of boat behind the rear bulkhead. But I can tell you this: - attention MAC - there can be a suction effect when trying to get the cockpit above the surface that'll make life difficult; try rocking the boat to break it. When it blows, it reminds you of the Titanic's last gasp before she slid under forever. And yes, the motivational impact of it all is recognizable. Also, I find it critical to concentrate all available weight into the extreme last few inches of the stern tip.

I read everything I could find to teach myself good yak handling, and then practiced what I thought I knew to the best of my ability in my MC13. And while the MC is definitely limited in what it can do for you, it ain't necessarily a bad thing. Training wheels certainly help some new riders...

But I will tell you unequivically where my learning REALLY TOOK OFF: at the Builders' Bash. There just ain't nuthin' like SEEING it for yourself! I have been active in two local clubs ever since. My specific point is that the "Lone Wolf" method of learning can be done, but it's a lot slower than it needs to be.

Cheers, Kurt

In Response to: Re: Today's Report by Joe Lombardo on Jun 13, 2004

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