BCITORGB wrote:
Tink requests a trip report:

OK, Tink, here goes...

This was the shake-down cruise for Barbie (my 15-year old) and me
and,
of course, the Necky Amaruk. There were a number of things that we
needed to figure out. Yesterday we turned back because it was a bit
too
windy and choppy. Under normal circumstances (that is, not a
shake-down
cruise) we would clearly have ventured out. However, as we were
trying
to get a feel for the craft, we thought discretion the better part of
valor.

As part of the shake-down, I wanted to determine if I could get the
kayak onto the roof-rack by myself. For starters, I'd affixed two
pool noodles to the front and back struts of the roof rack.

The process I'd decided on involved opening the front passenger door
and placing a third pool noodle (with a longitudinal slice to the
mid-point) over/along the top of the door frame. The kayak was then
placed on the ground at an angle -- with a vertex just past the right
rear bumper and with the kayak veering just to the right of the open
passenger door. I then lifted the front end of the kayak onto the
open
door. With the front end of the kayak secure (OK, it was wobbly) on
top
of the front door frame, I then walked to the back of the kayak and
hoisted the back end onto the roof rack. Next, back to the front end,
and lifting the front off the door frame and onto the front of the
roof
rack. Voila! Now it was just a matter of tying down the kayak. This
could easily be done by me (a little more height would have been
advantageous). A plastic dairy crate came in handy when tying the
boat
to the car.

NOTE: I'M OPEN TO ALTERNATE, BETTER WAYS OF GETTING A 90+ POUND KAYAK
ONTO AN AEROSTAR VAN

To get the kayak off the van, we reversed the process. Barbie and I
then walked the boat down the concrete boat ramp and into the water.
I
was wearing shorts and sandals, so I walked the boat through the
shallow waters away from the ramp and onto the sandy beach. One of
our
objectives was to see if Barbie could stay entirely dry.

At the beach, we put our spray skirts and life jackets on. Barbie
stepped into the front cockpit and remained dry in doing so. After
she's secured her spray skirt, I straddled the kayak and got in.
Barbie paddled away from shore as I worked on securing my spray
skirt.
As I have a very negative Ape Coefficient (also known as short,
stubby
arms) I've always had trouble with reaching around to get the back of
spray skirts secured. No different this time. Eventually I decided to
go with the front of the skirt around the coaming and I don't know
what happening in the back. Suffice to say, this is something I'll
have to work on. Nonetheless, the front portion of the skirt stayed
in
place throughout and kept paddle droplets from splashing my bare
legs.

From the Ambleside Sailing Club beach, Barbie and I headed east,
past
Ambleside Beach and past the doggie beach just to the east. East of
the
doggie beach, we turned northward into the mouth of the Capilano
River.
As it was high tide, we were able to pass under the railway bridge
(just as the CNR was shunting a freight train across it) and proceed
about 200 meters further up the river.

We then returned to the mouth of the Capilano and headed west, with
the
bow pointed toward the John Lawson Park jetty. On our westward trip,
we
passed the doggie park once more, with several dogs frolicking in the
water or chasing sticks their owners had thrown. Once we passed
Ambleside Point and its First Nations totem with out-stretched,
welcoming arms, we turned in towards the beach. Here, a few families
were strolling along the beach combing for treasures. As we neared
the
Ambleside Sailing Club clubhouse, the spot of our launch, we veered
south so as to get past the Ambleside jetty. Several fishermen had
lines out into the water and we made a wide berth around so as to not
disturb these lines. A number of ropes into the water also indicated
that someone had placed crab traps there.

From the Ambleside jetty to the John Lawson Park jetty we were
careful
to avoid logs and other wood debris that the high tide had floated.
Once past the John Lawson Park jetty we retraced our path to
Ambleside
and the beach where we'd launched.

As this was our shake-down cruise, we still had a few objectives to
meet. We successfully beached the kayak and Barbie was able to get
out
without getting her feet wet. Getting the kayak back on to the van
was
trouble-free. Within 15 minutes we were on the road. Five minutes
later
we pulled into the driveway at home.

A successful first trip (4.2 kilometers) in gorgeous, by now, 15C,
bright, sunny, weather.

Can't wait to get out again. Weather forecast calls for more good
weather (possibly up to 19C -- that's "double it and add 30" for the
metrically impaired, as per an ancient Bob and Doug MacKenzie skit)
tomorrow.

frtzw906

Hey frtwz, I'll give you an "A+" for the trip, and an "A++" for the
first trip report. Especially the part about taking your daughter out.
Those are some of the best times shared. So congradulations to her
also! Any trip that ends with just wet feet, and a happy heart is good
for an "A+"!


Next time though, start your shake down cruise on the dry land before
getting in the water, practice putting the skirt on while setting on
dry land, have your partner check that you are doing it right. Nothing
can ruin your trip, like shipping a boat load of water and then playing
submarine. Not that the kayak will likely sink, since you have lots of
flotation, but it can sure **** off your partner, if they get wet and
have to swim for it.

Also practice releasing the skirt, once you have it properly on.
Nothing can ruin your day, if you are upside down, and find that the
pull loop is stuck inside, or the skirt is so tight that you can't get
it to release, or your gloves are in the way, and you're running out of
air.

I had to learn both the above lessons the hard way, luckily, not the
hardest way. By that I mean, after I almost drown my wife and I, and
she got all wet swimming in our scummy pond water, she began talking to
me about a month later. Sucking an excess of water would have been
easier!

Also remember it is not air temp that is the most important, but water
temp. You mention wearing shorts and sandles. I also read your post
about wetsuits earlier, and wondered how cold the water was. Did you
try swimming in it, to see the effect on you. I read an account one
time about Navy SEALS that drowned while trying to swim just a short
distance to shore, in the cold water, and these guys were strong
swimmers. In other words don't take the cold water too lightly. You did
not say how far out from shore you were, but unless you can stand on
the bottom, you had better be prepared to swim. I am just getting to
know and like you, and would not want anything nasty to happen to you.

But good report, anyway, and I enjoyed reading it since I have been
stuck inside today. Weather here in Denver is weird at times, in fact
most of the time. Last week we had temps in the high 60F, and today the
heaviest snow of the winter. But it melts fast, and the grass will
start coming up green in a short while, and the ice is off the lake, so
soon I will be out chasing rainbows and pirate ships, or whatever it is
that drives us to leave a perfectly good sofa, and go paddle! TnT