Tiger in Your Tank?

Back to regular kayaking.

The old joke (as old as meetups from last year) was that my buddies used to say I had a motor in my kayak. Never occurred to me that I was pushing them, just paddling at normal speed.

Normal for me is a steady 4 m.p.h., which it turns out is pretty close to the practical limit for my little rec boat, Goldie. The longer, slimmer, sleek sea kayaks they all have can go about 6.5-7 m.p.h., but folks rarely push them that hard. So as long as they're not really trying to beat me, I lead the pack at my comfortable pace. And they work at keeping up.

Today I was out in the early morning fog, which was really a heavy enough mist to feel like a drizzle. Was caught on the last leg by a couple of guys in their very sleek one man outrigger surf skis, considerably faster boats than mine by a long shot. I could hear them behind me heading for the dock for the last mile, but they didn't pass. When we got to the dock I started kidding them about needing to catch up and pass me.

Then one of them said, while laughing, "You've got a motor in there."

I don't know these guys, but it seems to be the general opinion!

Maybe I'm the tiger in the tank. I think it's really the effect of Big Al, my Aleut paddle. The Aleuts, among the world's greatest small boat seafarers, designed them for harsh Arctic conditions to be comfortable for speedy long distance journeys. QED.