Monday, August 02, 2010

We Had Fun
Jay and Angelo (sp?) are from Illinois and were in Madison for the two-day intro to sea kayak course this past weekend. They are a bright couple, eager to learn and fun to be with, both on and off the water.
At 6' 5", it was near impossible to find Jay a boat in the teaching fleet. He ended up in a Delta boat that barely accommodated his long legs. He liked analyzing and having a full understanding of what he was learning and why it was worth covering.
She learned quickly, wanted to practice everything (including wet exits) and became the fastest student I ever had that actually did a good supportive low brace in the first 20 minutes of the exercise. She, of course, wanted to learn "that stroke" when she saw me doing a sculling draw. She learned it and immediately took on the air of a pro.
They left with a lot of skills and left behind (with me) memories of a fine and fun weekend.
Paddle safe...
DS

2 comments:

Unknown said...

Dear Silbs, Steadfast is a 47' express cruiser. We spend winters in the warm Bahamian waters and we would like to get a couple of smaller sized kyaks to play around with. I say smaller, because we will have to find a place to store them onboard, and carry them around with us everywhere. Do you have any advice for newbies like us? What should we consider when making a purchase. Rudders, flat-bottoms, padded seats, $$$. You seem to be the one with all the answers. Rosemary

Silbs said...

The boas you see discussed here a mostly sea kayaks. I suspect you want a rec or recreational kayak. There are hundreds of thes available and many used ones that can be had for a few hundred dollars. I do recommend an intro lesson. Any GOOD paddle shop can put you onto the right boat and should have several for you to test paddle.

If you have decent strokes, you don't need a rudder. It costs more and can break. On the other hand, it makes steering easy. Most of these boats are 15 feet or less. Wilderness Systems Stunami and the Pungos are just two of the better known ones.