Sea Kayaking 101 Sea Kayak Design and Construction

Our local sea kayaking club, The Chesapeake Paddlers Association, recently presented a one day course we call Sea Kayaking 101, covering the basics of kayak history, construction, materials, paddles, gear, safety, and local places to paddle. It was once again a full to capacity event. I did a presentation on sea kayak design. Below are jpegs of the powerpoint presentation I gave on the topic. Email me if you have any questions.

Find your island and escape!

This weekend is a number of firsts.

First time camping out of the new Kayaksport Vivianne.

• About the same volume as the Pisces, but while the Pisces was flatter storage, this is more vertical. Thus, a need not to put heavy things on top.

• Storing platypus bladders of water in the bottom of the day hatch works well. Four fit in easily, with plenty of room for any day gear.

• Need to figure out what stores best back around the skeg box area. At least with the Vivianne's skeg design I don't have to worry about knocking the skeg control sleeve loose and sinking the boat!

• Loaded, it didn't loose as much freeboard as I had expected.

• Stiffened up well when loaded - good secondary.

• Rearranged the gas pedal rudder controls to be more vertical this trip. Still not sure if it's the pedals, the low stretch cord, or the amount of rudder in the water, but rudder control isn't where I want it to be yet. More adjustments to come. I know from other owners that for sailing a rudder blade change will be needed.

• Cruised pretty well - my dawdle pace got me 3.4-3.6, and a cruising pace with my narrow greenland paddle got me 3.8-3.9. With the single blade I was dawdling at 3.4.

• Still need to work on the back paddle park - the far rear one keeps laying down and is hard to get the paddle under. I need a whiffle golf ball.

First time really playing with the new camera, Optio W60.

• The view screen is polarized! Wearing polarized sunglasses, if you turn the camera 90 degrees the screen blacks out - full polarization blackout!

• Interesting to hold the camera at the waterline and shoot.

• The small lense allows a lot of foreground to be included in horizon landscape shots. Adds some sense of scale. And wonder.

First time remotely posting to the blog!

More photos at flickr: http://www.flickr.com/photos/gdwelker/sets/72157614924819803/