SEA KAYAKING

I first became aware of sea kayaking in 1995 when from the deck of our summer cottage in Nova Scotia I saw for the first time some people paddling kayaks out in the ocean in front of us.  It looked like a lot of fun and so in my usual fashion I started talking to people and doing some research.  Although I had known about white water kayaking which looking pretty daunting to me, I discovered that while sea kayaking can be just as challenging, depending upon the water and wind conditions, that just about anyone can get into a kayak and paddle away.  However, it does take lots of practice to become proficient.  I test paddled several different touring kayaks, these are long and relatively narrow and sleek like my Wilderness Systems Sealution SS in the picture.  Unlike a canoe you sit on the bottom so you feel much more connected to the water and just a touch of paddle propells the kayak forward in the water.  I found it quite exciting and exhilerating, and was hooked.  Although I have been paddling for a number of years, mostly in the summer, I still consider myself a novice and usually only paddle when the ocean and wind conditions are relatively calm. 

The story behind my second kayak is quite unusual.  I was looking for a tanden kayak and I had learned that they make folding or take apart kayaks.  I was interested in Nautiraid a French made boat and the nearest dealer was in NYC.  So I took the train to the City and met the dealer at his apartment in Manhattan.  The kayak folds down into two compact bags which we loaded into his van and then drove off to one of Hudson River docks down near the
Trade Towers.  We assembled the kayak and in less than half an hour we were paddling on the river.  What a way to see NYC!  We paddled over to the Statue of Liberty, then back to Battery Park, and up around past the Trade Towers to where we had put in.  It was one of those pristine clear days so the views were dramatic.  Lots of boat traffic to watch out for, ferries and tugs pushing barges.  Some of the boat wakes rose to a height of 5-6 feet.  To demonstrate the stability of the Nautiraid we took these wakes broad side.  I thought sure we were going to go over but the boat bobbed over like a cork.  I wound up buying one.