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July 31, 2007
Futura II -- this better be fast . . .
Picked this up in Austin from a very experienced paddler who knows some big names in kayaking. She's good friends with the founder/main-organizer of Texas's Colorado River 100 (CR100), she hangs with the likes of Carter Johnson, who recently set the new world record 24hr distance paddled in a kayak on calm water (152 miles! well, unofficially; officially, 150 miles, with a moving-average speed of 6.55 mph!), and she knows some very well-respected boat builders. (she mentioned a guy named "Steppe" at North-Texas-something here in DFW, I think; apparently he owns an auto shop and a boat store) She (I'll just say E.M.) even remembered the names of the previous two owners of the boat I just bought.
EM is hard-core. She recently completed the Missouri 340, and she's "kinda-sorta" obligated to run the CR100 (I think she's one of the organizers. That's a lot of paddling.
(notice how the Ser. No. starts with "FT ASS . . ." I'd love to know the story behind that one. Lol. Get it -- the story 'behind' the 'FT ASS'?)
Random tidbits I learned from EM, while I paddled in small circles around the river next to the Cesar-Chavez Holiday Inn and inadvertently drained my car battery by leaving my lights on to light up my paddling path (yes, I had to thank EM several times -- for the advice, and then for jump-starting my battery-dead car):
1) The close-fitting, leather, Footjoy golfing gloves I just bought to use while paddling -- I'm not the only one! Many other paddlers have come to the same conclusion, according to EM! So I'm not totally goofball . . .
2) Resist the urge to sports-tape your hands and blisters in the middle of the race, and DO NOT duct-tape any part of your skin, either! What may act as a second- or substitute-skin in the middle of the race may very well become one with what was left of your original skin, and if you try removing the "second" skin, you might be left with no skin at all. Very gruesome sight.
3) if you start blistering, try not to stop for very long breaks, because it may become too painful to start again after giving your wounds a chance to start healing.
4) peeing in your boat? get over it. Everybody does it. Let yourself do it during training so that you can perfect whatever plan you develop, and so that you can get used to your own, uh, 'aroma.' EM has seen some hard-core stuff . . . catheters, urination condoms, etc . . . she didn't address any specific feminine solutions, and I wasn't about to ask, either. Her friends have noted that urination condoms (that's what I call them, dunno the proper term) don't really work for long distances, especially if you get in and out of your boat.
5) keep your hands as dry as possible. some people actually coat their hands with Vaseline or other water-repelling agent. Some even use whatever they use on babies' bums to keep their hands dry.
6) have a crazy-tired-and-sensitive-hands-safe plan for removing any water that may undesirably collect in your boat. For example, wringing out a sponge may become too difficult over time, especially when your hands and arms already feel like they're about to fall off.
7) when it's uber-dark and you're trying to navigate down-river, there is apparently a temptation to head for where there appears to be light. EM recommends to aim, instead, for the darker parts rather than the grey parts. The lighter, grey parts are usually obstructions that are illuminated by the available light, whereas the water (except for reflections, I'm guessing) will be dark.
8) something (seemingly) always goes wrong with one's bow and/or stern lights, so be prepared to moonlight it. (okay, so EM didn't say "moonlight it." I'm the editor, though, so I gets to sezs what I wants to be sez)
9) EM recommends placing your insulated camel-back hydration pack on the surface of your 'yak rather than on your back b/c it may get in your way if you fall in the water and have to swim (extra weight, plus it tends to chafe your sides with constant torso twisting). PFD's can be irritating, too, but I didn't get a clear answer on whether to actually wear your PFD or just have it on the kayak somewhere.
Posted by will at July 31, 2007 11:38 AM