I got out of laundry duty this week... while Joan took care of that, I got out for some kayak sailing. The weather weasels were calling for building, gusty winds; seemed like a good time to see how this rig does in those conditions.
Before mounting the sail...
With the sail...
Heading out in light winds...
As the wind built, I tried out different points of sail again. Tacking and gybing, I discovered I a flaw...
The hat. I've been wearing a wide brim hat while kayaking, but last week when I tried out the sail, I had a ball cap on... the main sheet kept grabbing the brim on the back. Tack, grab hat, gybe, grab hat again.
I like the clear portion on the sail...
As the wind built, I put the camera back in the waterproof box. I also worked some stomach muscles I haven't used in a while... leaning as the kayak heeled. Reaching: good; close hauled: work. Downwind: well, I suppose a whisker pole is getting too complicated for a kayak. ;-) It got to the point where I pulled ashore, took the sail down, and pedaled in... somewhere beyond 15 knots of wind. I noticed it was easier to pedal without the additional wind resistance of the sail. Still, in more constant wind conditions, I am liking the sail kit.
Back to the coach, and off to Jackson. Gusty winds all the way down there. We walked around the square, window shopped, had some lunch at a good burger place, and found the PVC necessary to make a furler for the sail. I'll get to that next time I get some free time.
Off to Yellowstone tomorrow to see friends.
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