Tue - April 11, 2006

Virtual Racers: Robert Wright (West Side Boat Shop EFT)


Robert Wright: I am a veterinarian with a light work schedule, so I get out on the water probably three times a week, year-round. The huge advantage of the ocean is that it never freezes, you see. People often ask about the cold, but of course kayaking in the winter isn't really that cold or wet a business. I have a Brooks tuilik that in fact is usually too warm - I barely wore it at all this (mild) winter except for rolling. Mostly wore a Superior Kayaks goretex tuilik with a down vest underneath, and Whites pogies over bare hands.

I just got the EFT at Christmas, and haven't actually paddled my faithful Boreal Alvik since I 'upgraded'. The EFT is a pleasant thing to paddle and a whole lot lighter to lift onto the top of the car at the end of the day. I like paddling for fitness, but I also like just getting away from civilization - half an hour of paddling, hereabouts, will land you on a variety of uninhabited islands. I also like taking photos out on the water - mostly use an Optio WR these days - not the best pics, but it is convenient.

When I got the EFT, its maker, Doug Bushnell, pushed me to buy a wing paddle, so I finally did that too, about a month ago. And again, my beloved old Seven2 paddle hasn't been dipped into the water since. The wing is just a nice thing to paddle with - feels very gentle on the body, and sets up this interesting 'skating' motion that just ... feels good. I also find it very stable on rough water - those wide lateral sweeps make it very easy to just 'do your own thing' on top of the chop, as long as you're powering along. And, at 24 ounces, it makes 29 ounces feel heavy.

I started out in a plastic boat - a Walden Passage - which lives at my sister's place now. A perfectly good boat, and it's a shame Walden went under. My girlfriend paddles her Walden Odyssey still, which is just a sweet little thing, for that kind of a boat. Practical, tough, relatively light, low back deck, easy to roll, nice lines.

In the basement here at work I'm making a folding Sea Rover from the Yostwerks.com site - cool designs in that these folders are quite an easy and inexpensive project, that gives you a 'real' boat at the end). Partly so that I can take it to a conference in Hawaii in July, but also because it's a real rolling boat - long and skinny and low-volume, with a back deck that's hardly out of the water, so I can learn all the crazy rolls. The EFT rolls ok, but has quite a high deck and coaming in back and is really pretty much good for a screw roll if you capsize and not much else.

I'm not really much of a racer, but Maine Island Kayak Co. runs a day of races each year, so I'm actually going to try to run with the fast crowd, this year (hoping my fancy equipment will fill in for my less fancy propulsion unit). And depending on how things pan out, I'd like to paddle the Blackburn Challenge. I don't think I'd be 'racing' in that, exactly, so much as 'finishing'. I've paddled that kind of distance before, though not as a race, and I figure maintaining 5mph over 4 hours or whatever, ought to be possible, since 5 mph feels pretty lazy, in the EFT.

Soliciting talk about paddling and gear is a dangerous business - I could go on and on. If you know anyone with flexor tendon problems with their wrists, I have the answer!

Virtual race entries: 4/11/2006 - 5 miles, 0:49:45 in WSBS EFT


Posted at 05:51 PM    


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