I seem to have a Yearly Pattern: build a kayak in the winter, and do every paddle that I did last year again, in the new Kayak.
So having taken up a new the new hobby of geocaching during the winter, I use it for a reason to repeat my paddle routes of last year.
This time, I returned to Ram Island for a cache. The cache is placed on one of the small "extra" islands to the north of where the house is. I was pleased to see that the connecting sandbar was underwater at high tide, and The Mean Doggies did not appear.
I enjoyed the paddle, nonstop from Esker Pt. The OI sprinted across the busy channel nicely. Landing earned a few new scratches.
Cache was an easy find. These two "little" islands don't seem so "little" when you're on them.
Today was my first real "shakedown cruise" of the Outer Island. Last Saturday, it was 50 degrees and drizzling rain. Today was 85, sunny & breezy. Off to Messerschmidt Pond in Westbrook.
A typical small Connecticut lake. Not much to distinguish it from Rogers or Cedar-water lilies, a few small put-ins, weedy shallows, and an island.
The boat seemed speedy. My GPS showed a top speed of over 6 mph, and easy cruising at 4.
I paid especial attention to the tracking. I found no bias to either side not having to do with the wind. I had been warned about "lee cocking", which I had taken to mean "turning away from the wind". It seemed more like the entire boat made leeway, a bit like a sailboat, but nothing that I couldn't compensate for.
Did a nice cache on the island.
Also had a bit of the same phenomenon I used to experience when I skied-expecting to be just as good at the beginning of the season as I was at the end of last season.
