TT Kayaking Club

“Twigeater, Sass and I hope to spend lots of time there in the future. Its a gem”

“Twigeater, you got a new one!!!! We just got back from a trip, and moved (again).... but we did get our yaks out. Pretty sweet. Maybe we could hitch up for a ride somewhere...”

“I got another one, but it's not new...

How was Chicago?

We could overnight at the Bigelow Preserve this weekend for some yakkin' if skeetah's not to skeert of the bugs! :)”

“fixin to take the kids down and rent three boats for us to play around in for the afternoon.

should be a good time.”

“so we had a pretty good time, found out though that Bebo's prolly not quite ready for her own boat, she had a hard time controlling it, needs some practice and a little more instruction.

I did check out a Necky Looshka, really nice looking boat lots of room in the dry storage and a nifty little day storage compartment too. 16 footer, nice lines.

Kinda pricey though in fiberglass, but looks like it would be all the boat I'd want for a long time to come.”

“Roam, you can always get the composite version. The Looksha's are supposed to be really great boats.

BTW - I went yakking the other day at Caladesi Island here near Tampa the other day. A baby 3-foot bull shark swam RIGHT past my kayak, going in the opposite direction. I opted not to tell the girl I was with until we got to shore.”

“roam, Dhutch has a necky looksha, I think hers is composite and is a 14.5 but am not positive. I havent used it but she speaks real highly of it.”

“WOW, thats kinda cool Artex, what a rush I bet that was.

Yeah, the composite version is more in my price range. That might be just what I need, I really liked the looks of it, and thats the boat the outfitter said he uses for his personal boat.”

“Yikes Artex!!! Did she freak out or wanna hit ya for not telling her or what???

We were gonna go this weekend w/Twigeater. Actually headed up this weekend to the Bigelow Range, but could't kayak due to high winds and cold air. The lake looked like the ocean with the white caps. So we took a few short hikes instead.”

“roam....did i mention i love my necky? lol...that is a nice boat.

artex....going to a picnic june 19th at ballast point, "they" have told me i can put a yak in there and paddle around in inner tampa bay.....what do you know ahout that? I grew up near there and remember it smelling kinda yuk, is is pretty nice now?”

“My dog loves to swim along with me when i get the kayak on the river, but i want to go far and would like to have him ride some of the time..
so...today, i tried to sit on top of my kayak (on the back hatch)and put my dog in the cockpit...we got about ten feet into the river, doing pretty well, he is sort of crouched down and i am balancing pretty good ...all at once, he jumps out and flips me and the boat over....ahhh...what fun...i forgot i was wearing my glasses and somehow, i did not lose them!

he did so well in my friends canoe...LOL.....
that was the first time i have flipped over and come out of that kayak in 4 years.

note to self: labs prefer swimming, they will behave in a canoe, but definitely not a kayak. maybe i will just get him a doggy pfd so he doesnt get exhausted when he follows me.”

“i can just picture that om, what a sight as the dog leaps and you go flying off the boat!”

“Nothing ventured, nothing gained.. right om? :-) Inner Tampa Bay - most of it is fine. However, the area off the Tampa Side of the Courtney Campbell Causeway is notorious for having a high bacteria content from sewage dumping, and the beach there closes more than a few times every year as a result. I can't remember hearing of any recurring problems elsewhere within the bay.

The girl I was with was happy I told her after the fact. Quite happy.”

“oh...ya roam....there was a fellow across the river fishing and watching me trying my idea out...he was laughing his *** off......river gets deep right off the bank...i had to swim for the paddle and try to keep my glasses from coming off......ah well, it was fun anyway

artex...come on out and paddle out with me if you wish...it will just be a bunch of ole geezers i went to high school with...but the food will be good.”

“yesterday, me and the kids had rented kayaks for an afternoon - we were on the South Fork of the St. Lucie River right out of Stuart.

Bebo (9) had a tough time getting the hang of steering so she paddled prolly twice as far as me and Destructoboy did, ah well....

But, at one point she got into some tree branches a little bit and must've picked up a spider that was trying to hitch a ride downstream. Once she spotted the arachnid, I thought she was gonna come right outta the boat!

It was really hard not to just start laughing at her. She stayed on the boat, barely. Luckily Big Brother was feeling nice at the moment and he was close by, so he paddled up beside her and kicked out the hitchhiker.

Wonder if spiders can swim?”

“Some can swim.”

“We went kayaking today for some 4 hours. What a way to while away the day. We visited a couple islands, scouting out our first overnite kamping/kayaking trip.....

We saw a gaggle of geese and floated near them. Also saw a huge "hawk" or whatever it was with another bird in it's beak, real up close and personal. He fled from us.....

This lake had an ideal load in spot with parking!!! As we started, we saw many fish boil the water as we investigated all over. At noon, we lunched on the rocks and soaked up some sun.

Just an awesome time. Next weekend, we kamp out there???? For now, off to see Harry Potter or Troy. Depends on the lines.”

“Received a bunch of pics this morning from reino's best friend who runs an outdoor adventure biz in the U.P. -- she took the Mich. governor sea kayaking yesterday as part of a tourism initiative. The guv looks pretty good in her wet suit, spray top and PFD. If any Michigan Mountaineers see TV or newspaper coverage, the woman identified as the operator of Great Northern Adventures is reino's pal, Toast.”

“Went out in the boats with friends including Sassafras on Saturday.

We met at 10:30 on a lake near my home. Sass, Birch and Tara paddle there often and Ewker was there in March (for reference) The day was glorious in the mid 70s and sunny with no wind. The water...smooth as glass. After an annoying hour (or more?) wait for the rental company to bring over kayaks for the friends, we hit the water. Paddling easily for an hour or so it was already lunch time so we put in and had a nice picnic. Afterwards we paddled around the lake and explored some coves and islands. Saw lots of swans and cormorans (sp?). Some kind of fishes were spawning and there was lots of activity above and beneath the water.

It was a highly enjoyable. There's nothing like paddling for relaxation. And I'm happier with my boat's performance with every outing. I love my necky!”

“I took my kayak and my brothers and my friend and I camped and kayaked Sunday night/Monday. We spent about 4 hours on a lake paddling around. The weather was perfect. Sunny and 80s. The lae was empty except for a couple fishermen and women.

Then, after we got back to my town in the afternoon and she had to leave, I called up my dad and took the boats to his place and we tooled around his lake for over an hour. It was dad's first kayak ride. I think he loved it!!”

“wwwaaaaahhhhh, I want a kayak. Soon very soon :)”

“dhutch, when I was up there in March I didn't get a chance to play in a kayak. I ended up in the canoe with Rob, I totally sucked at navigating it. if we wanted to go in circles I had that down pat...lol”

“Okay, Ewker, I guess I better put my ACA instructor hat on -- If you get up this way, I'll give you a free lesson that will have you going straight when you want to, and turning when you need to.”

“Hey Ewker, thats exactly what my daughter did last weekend on our little rented boat excursion.

She paddled twice as far as me and her brother did (due to all the zig zagging). But she was determined to have her own boat. She said next time she'd rather ride with me in a tandem.”

“oh great I paddle like a little girl...lol”

“Ewker, no extra charge to teach you the manly canoe strokes. ;-)”

“pekka, thanks!! guess I need help, oh the sorrow :(”

“"manly canoe strokes. ;-)"
Pekka, as I read and reread that line I cant help but think of all the "little man in a canoe" references I've seen, then thrown in "manly strokes", egads! Talk about inuendo LOL!”

“birch, given that Ewker lives in the South, should he start his lessons with the "stern pry"?”

“LOL pekka!”

“I've decided after my last trip that I need a faster kayak.
My Perception Catalina 14.5 is just too stable and slower than the big boats.
I'm looking for a yak for muliday triping with camping equipment.
It must handle ocean waves, wind, and chop. Must be able to surf in to shore.

Any suggestions?”

“so ..stovestomper...
you are interested in ocean kayak racing then?
...throw the gear out the boat and shave your arms....lol!”

“...either that or build up my arms... ;-)

I thought my arms would drop off after paddleing that 12+ mile route.”

“om - I looked on the web for a kayak like Michael's. Dagger doesn't make that model anymore.”

“Stopped by the local outdoor sports store this afternoon to fill time on a rainy, gloomy afternoon that precluded gardening work. Poking around in the canoeing section, I found a bin of closeout paddles and ended up with a nice Gray Owl narrow blade wooden model to add to my "quiver." May prove to be an efficient lake paddling stick. Only $28. Who could resist?

When I got home, reino said, "Did we need another paddle?" To which I replied, "I don't think I used the term 'we.'"”

“lol at pekka. This place has me chuckling over my morning coffee.

Stovestomper....I mean this in the nicest way. :-) It's not always about faster, more expensive gear. Get out there and paddle more, your strokes will be more efficient and you'll go faster. Enjoy what you have, that's a nice boat.

Unless you really need an ocean racing kayak that is.

Whatever floats you boat, so they say.”

“Hey, from what I've been told by the outfitter guy that I've been talking to, its not the arms but rather the entire upper body that should be doing the work. Supposedly you get a lot more power and efficiency in your stroke.”

“Core muscle strength and stamina, yup. That's what I've read and learned. Having a good braced position for my lower body also seems to enable me to paddle more strongly but maintain a semblance of relaxation. But I'm still such a beginner!”

“Basically, you need a good "wind up" from the hips up through the torso to the shoulders. It's actually quite startling to see how much power you transfer to the stroke with good technique compared to "arm" paddling. Like any technique, it takes lots of practice for it to become habitual. But it allows a really nice rhythm when you want to cover some water.”

“dhutch - Well duh! ;-)

I've been around long enough to know equipment is no subsitute for conditioning. Learned that many years ago.

I paddled a longer, better kayak during the same trip and I could feel the difference between my little Catalina and the Dagger. The difference was big, big enought to make me want a difference better kayak.

The Catalina is a very nice beginners boat, but is still a biginners boat. I'm ready to move up to a better boat.”

“Pictures of my last yak trip if anyone is interested.”

“So how far did you guys paddle?

If you decide to sell your Dagger let me know man, I might be interested.”

“12+ miles each way.”

“How much do you want for the catalina if you do decide to move up?

I'd be interested in discussing the possibilities.”

“Nevermind, Roam's got dibs”

“HPM and Roam - Don't know how much. I may keep it as a spare for a paddling friend to use with me.
In any case, I'll keep it until I replace it, might be another year or so. Might be next week. ;-)
If I do sell it, the price will probably be less than $800.”

“SS - did not mean to offend in any way.”

“You didn't, Diane. I knew what you were saying.”

“i'll be in the market prolly around fall or early winter to buy me one. not real sure what i want yet, i'm exploring the options.”

“Sb and I just went for an overniter at a very local island. This was a shakedown cruise to see if we could haul what we wanted and actually camp on an island.

It turned out very well. Perhaps a little more stuff could/should have been loaded, and I did find a little more room repacking. A little more practice will go a long ways.

Our kayaks only have a rear storage compartment. We are considering getting a largish poity shaped dry bag to load into the front of the kayak, beyond our feet for those trips when we may want more gear. A trip to Kittery Trading Post is in order for today. We'll also be looking at sun shades for your legs, which also has a place to hold a 32 oz. nalgene. We'll also be looking at wet suits, pants primarily. Not sure what, if anything we'll buy, but right after a trip, we'll know what we need and how much it is worth to us.

Now onto the trip report. We got to the island and there were 3 tents pitched there, but nobody else. We set up our camp a ways away from them and ate a burger and rice. We gathered wind blown firewood and started a fire in the fire ring and watched the sunset. About 9 PM I am falling a sleep and canoes start to arrive. Eventually 6 college students arrive with more firewood and beer and a radio.

They threw a yule log on the fire and set up camp. Their dog, Sunshine was a very nice and friendly yellow lab. These kids were very considerate, just playing their radio so it could be heard, not blasting it. A very friendly bunch. We hit the hay at 10:30 PM.

6:30 AM and we are up. We chow breakfast, break camp and head out. We spend the next 3 hours exploring the other side of the lake. In our travels we are to see many gees, a pair of goslings, a deer feeding, fish (SB saw one jump), a turtle, and get serenaded by the bullfrogs to boot! We also spy a heron and get quite close to it as it snatches at a fish. Then we see a huge bird of prey, the size of an eagle, but I'm not sure the breed. He flies off with a 12" long critter in his claws. We are seeing sights that we are unaccustomed to!!! Then we head back to the truck, and kinda let the wind blow us towards it and we just soak it up! We spent about 3 hours exploring the lake. What a time.

When we get to the car, the college kids that shared the island are arriving back as we do. We exchange pleasantries and bid each other good by.

It's noon time Saturday and the weekend is just starting up!!!”