Yorktown (7/18/2015)

I had a great Saturday morning sailing with a friend (R) on a wooden boat he built from scratch ever since I have known him (7 years or so).  It is a 18.5 ft. Eel, a yawl designed by the marine architect William Garden.  I helped R twice (just a little bit), a group of friends helped once to turn the hull, and another time to put her on the trailer, and it was an absolute pleasure to see her floating and in such a beautiful shape.

 Let me tell you she was a pleasure to sail, and it felt like she was going faster than what the hull speed would indicate.  It felt faster than my 25 ft. boat when we are going 6 knots, but then we were much closer to the water in this boat.  But yes it was absolutely delightful to sail.

We were sailing in the Poquoson River, which is a great river for smaller boats, kayaks and canoes.  R was still trying to get a feel for his boat, This was the 4th time he had taken her out for a sail and it was an honor to be invited.  We had a steady 10 knot wind (estimated by us) and we occasionally had the rub rail touching the water.  R told me he collected all kinds of pieces of lead, like lead shot and pieces of gutter and alike, totaling 300 lbs, and embedded them in epoxy to make the keel (he did not want to melt lead in his garage; what makes sense).  Other boat techniques he described included the manufacturing of a hollow wooden mast, all to save on weight, to make it light and easy to handle on land and on the water.  So yes it is a light boat and again it sailed super nice and very light on the tiller.  I had a blast being out on the water.

Poquoson (7/6/2014)

This 4th of July weekend was absolutely nice.  Saturday we went swimming from the sail boat, and Sunday we went Kayaking in the Poquoson River.  We went with a group of friends; 19 kayaks and we paddled from a friends home to another friend for a BBQ and swimming in their pool.  After this we returned by Kayak to the point we started.  The total paddle was 3 hours and it was just delightful to be on the water.

Kayaks are actually very stable, and the only time when I ever kind of went over was when I was trying to get out.  It is a great upper body workout and since you stabilize yourself with your legs and core, it is a very good exercise.

Our area is a great place to kayak and canoe.  There are many public boat launches where we can put in and explore the shore line and small creeks.  We have seen gorgeous swamps, plants, and birds.  At various times we floated next to rays and turtles, absolutely delightful.  The photos below is one I took during our trip and one that my wife took of me that same day.

Poquoson (6/29/13)

End of a great day of kayaking.  Once a year we get together with friends and spend a great day on the water.  My excuses for the finger.