Found on May 1 while at the Carolina Bird Club meeting. I hoped to meet the owner to discuss features and performance characteristics, but never did. Just look at the long waterline length on that thing; it’s got to be fast! If anyone knows what kind it is, leave a comment, please. Wood strip boats are beautiful pieces of art.
Friend and blog reader Jeff, of Michigan, recently acquired this handsome kayak and has begun to learn it. The Merlin XT is a thermoformed boat made by Eddyline, a family-owned company in Washington state. This particular model is 15 feet long. It’s a very cool kayak named after a very cool falcon.
I hope you have plenty of adventure and fitness building in it, Jeff. And I hope we can paddle together someday.
The paddlers:
Morgan
Henderson
McCormick
Cubie
White [New to the group!]
White, again, with her face visible
Elder [New to the group!]
Jones
Bostrom
Patterson
Cranston, the river guide
The weather was about as good as it can get. Conversation floated like the boats that carried us. Being there, with good friends, on an October river, is something I hope to repeat as soon and often as possible.
The Body Challenge, Spirit Challenge group met at the Highway 9 boat landing for some time on the Catawba. Here are some scenes from the morning half of the fun.
Look closely…you’ll never see them this clean again! I finally found the paddling shoe I’ve been needing. Actually, NRS calls them their “Desperado Sock.” They look more like jester slippers, but I don’t care. They fit into the cockpit much better than my thick-soled Keen sandals, and they are more comfortable than going barefooted. (Otherwise, Keens are wonderful for terrestrial use; go buy some before you forget.) The sole is the right thinness for operating the rudder system’s toe pilots. I was glad to find these. Every outdoor store I visited kept recommending Chako sandals, which I already didn’t like. But this is the footwear for paddling.
They come in blue, too.
I have jury duty this week. If I show up attired like this, do you think they’d notice?
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