Years ago....more than I can remember (about 3 or 4)....my wife got a sweet deal on a kayak and gave it to me for my birthday. I was excited, but after climbing into it, I didn't know if I'd get out if I flipped it....unintenionally flipped it, because I have no desire to do rolls in the thing. Well, that fear combined with everything else that gets in the way of fishing, have kept me from ever (yes, I said ever) taking it out. Well.....that is about to change.
See, this past Tuesday I went out in a kayak owned by a guy that I've never met. A guy who someday I hope to meet and thank personally for the use of his kayak. His wife was home when Matt and I stopped by and picked it up. She was welcoming and made sure we had not just the kayak but also a paddle and a PFD since I was a little cautious since it was to be my first time out in a kayak. I asked her if it was the "lucky" kayak and she told me it was the "tippy" kayak.....yeah....that calmed my nerves!
Having had a successful trip out in it that night, I came home dreaming of the next time I'd get out. So, the next day I went outside and sat in my kayak....and thought "this isn't that bad." I realized the entry into it, although a bit tight, wasn't likely to end up being a death trap if I happened to tip it. I now think there's a good chance I'll never flip it, and if I do, the PFD should provide enough buoyancy to help me stay high in the water and to get out and swim.
....and that brings me to my about face....
My kayak has sat around for years, and even as recently as about a month ago I was trying to sell it....now, I'm rethinking that and looking forward to giving it some time on the water.
So, last night, after assembling some new patio furniture for my wife I pulled the kayak into the yard and had the kids help me wash it up. They loved helping and even got a chance to sit in it and pretend to be paddling around. They all even took a chance to surf on top of it.
I had to clean it up since sitting around for a while got it a bit dirty.
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| Before the scrub down |
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| Cheese ball grin |
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| Getting all sparkly |
Thanks again to Matt for the trip Tuesday that showed me that I needed to get mine out!
Check out his report from that trip here!
3 comments:
When I was in the service, "About Face!" was always followed by "Forward March!" So...march on and enjoy.
By the way, my fishingpoet decals came in the mail yesterday, so you can add one of them to your sticker-list.
Mike, I gotta try this too! I am fearful of the same roll over accident. It's not so much the escape I worry about, its loosing all that gear to the bottom. Soon I'll give it a try.
Matt - Sounds great!
Pete - If you have a kayak, let's get them out and fish! Matt and I went with little gear, so the thought of losing it wasn't too bad. I figure if my rod fell in, hopefully the popper would float to show me where it was. My boxes of flies....well, I could tie more.
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