On the water at last

Here's a video of the maiden voyage of "Luna"

 

 

 

I had initially planned to give her a different name, but Luna just suited her best. 


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RE: On the water at last

NICE!  Is that Acton, Ontario?!?... I now have another paddling destination.  Hope to see you out on the water.

RE: On the water at last

It is Acton Lake at Hueston Woods State Park in SW Ohio.  It is 600 acres, 3.5 km in length and not quite as wonderful as it appears in the video, but it is lightly used and very peaceful.  I row the length of it and back almost every day.

 

I have another Youtube video that I shot on Acton Lake in December of last year.  I was rowing my old boat, a Little River 15, no where near the equal of the Annapolis Wherry!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kzZCTOUSnfU 

RE: On the water at last

LOL, I watched your winter paddle video (nice!), but my first thought was where is this guy's PDF... then I read the video comments.  I too am a winter paddler (Kayak) and am on track for paddling each month in a calendar year for 2010, winter paddles are always with buddies and dry suits.  In fact since I got mine, I wear it most of the time even in the summer, Lake Ontario never really warms up.  Last July I experienced mild hypothermia swimming back to shore (I bought my suit shortly after)... I have a new respect for water temp and the effect that it has on the body.

Sorry if I am ranting, I just helped pick up the pieces of a broken airplane out of field today, the pilot was miraculously unhurt.  Last time I had two funerals to attend.

Paddle/row safe.  life is short, enjoy the ride!

RE: On the water at last

Luna's a beauty! Looks like it was the perfect day for a launch.  I'm making a Chesapeake double and can't wait to be able to put it in the water and paddle around, must be a great feeling. 

 Congratulations! 

RE: On the water at last

With regard to the PFD question... Rowing with a PFD that has a useful amount of flotation (18 - 22lbs) is nearly impossible.  Rowing aerobically in a dry suit would be unpleasant at best. Where I row in the winter there are rarely any people near the lake, let alone on the lake.  There are no boats available to mount a rescue even if I was spotted, which I probably wouldn't be (although that's why my hull is yellow and not green!).  If I am out in the middle, which I usually am, I would have a 1/4 mile swim to shore.  PFD or not, in 35 degree water, it isn't likely I'd make it.  So survival in a capsize would be iffy.  My best bet would be to don my PFD, right my boat, climb in and row for shore.  This would be difficult while shaking like a dog defecating peach pits but is more likely to be successful than swimming.  A PFD would serve mostly to keep my body at the surface to aid in its recovery.

 On the plus side of the ledger, I have an extremely stable boat, my old one and even more so, my new one..  In more than 500 trips, I have never come even remotely close to capsizing.  A good dory is nothing like a shell or kayak when it comes to stability.  With oars in hand, I have an effective width of 20' I also carry a buoyant dry bag filled with warm-when-wet fleeces, shells, woolies, etc.  And of course, i have my PFD which I can quickly don, even in cold water.  I do not row in in unprotected waters and don't usually encounter chop of more than 18".  I also have >30 years of whitewater canoeing experience, much of that in icy water.

 

Overall, I am taking a carefully calculated risk, for sure.  I would never advise anyone to do as I do.   Now it's time to go to the lake!

RE: On the water at last

A bit of the old American spirit!  Good on ya Pete, keep on rowing till they outlaw it!

BTW, I have a strong attachment to Oxford.  We have five kids, a vast majority of whom have made some level of effort to get educated at an institution located within the city limits of that fair city.  One is still trying, in fact.

RE: On the water at last

>>With regard to the PFD question... Rowing with a PFD that has a useful amount of flotation (18 - 22lbs) is nearly impossible.

Absolutely right, which is why I wear an inflatable PFD. It's compact, yet at the pull of the little yellow tab there's all the positive buoyancy one could ever want. Check out the Mustang inflatables. Mine is so comfortable that that I've forgotten to take it off and driven home with it on. Over Labor Day weekend I rowed my dinghy the length of the Anacostia River while wearing it.

Laszlo

 

RE: On the water at last

You know, I may just have to mosey on down to Bass Pro Shop and git me one of those inflatable PFDs for when the water is cold.  They have them for <$100!

RE: On the water at last

Hey there, Camper.  Miami is a great school.  We have a boutique there called Juniper.  Your kids may have helped pay for my boat!  Thanks!

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