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Just some random thoughts on kayaking and sailing as a semi-retired-but-not-dead-yet enthusiast…
I am really looking forward to the next kayak sailing adventure with a group of like-minded (which is to say, uncategorizable) kayakers and sailors. I plan to spend a week or so in Temperanceville, VA, at a place called Tall Pines in May. The site is on the peninsula that divides the Chesapeake Bay from the Atlantic, with Assateague to the east and Tangier (island) off to the West. Technically we will be in VA, but take a few steps in either direction and you will be in Maryland or Delaware.
I found the group through an introduction from Ann and Ranger Tim, a couple of other members of this message board, and attended my first outing last fall at Cedar Island, NC and the second at Trail Lakes, FL (Everglades) this winter. There is a fourth annual event that I also plan to attend in Maine this fall.
I will be forever grateful for having met Tim and Ann and, through them, a host of other people who share a love of the water, nature, and kayaks. Many of these folks are very accomplished sailors and paddlers and, in the case of Ann and Tim, they represent some pretty adventurous types as well.
The group has been around for decades and many of its “members” need all their fingers and toes to count their years participating in sail-ins together. Many, but certainly not all, are “retired” from real jobs that would test the limits of “What’s My Line” (for anyone old enough to know the old game show). Participants include a former NPS ranger, tennis pro, data base administrator and special needs teacher, engineer, motorcycle racer, well, you get the picture. There are somewhere between 15 and 50 participants at these events, with some couples, singles, others in the mix. Hah.
The only thing the participants have in common, besides a love of being on the water, is that they are warm, inviting, and generous with their considerable expertise and friendship. There are no “know-it-alls”; leadership is a group process; and the only thing that is insisted upon is a mind set and behavior of safety on the water.
I consider myself to be an very experienced paddler and camper and an aspiring adventurer. But I am a novice when it comes to sailing. I have learned more in the last year about all things considered, sailing and kayaking, than I ever could have on my own, and I am having a blast in the journey.
Part of my joy in the process is simply “messing around in boats”. Along the way I have fabricated a bunch of things that will help me enjoy the sport for, hopefully, many years to come. I have made a pair of electric hoists to store my kayaks in our garage, a travel box to transport sailing gear on my light trailer, a transom and steering mechanism for an electric motor, a couple of custom control boards for handling sail sheets, and a custom suspension system for aka/amas for single and double configs. Would be happy to share pics and plans if anyone has an interest.
Anyway, just rambling in anxious anticipation of the next trip, and thought I would share my fortunate discovery of this cool group of enthusiasts on this side of the pond.
Fair winds and following seas,
g
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"There is nothing--absolutely nothing--half so much worth doing as simply messing around in boats"
1988 A1 Expedition
2010 carbon Klepper Quattro
BSD sail rig, 24' mizzen + 36' main
39' jib
Torqeedo outboard
1938 Sachs-Fichtel seitenbordmotor
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