January 4, 2000

Happy New Year

Trip #74/1

3.5 miles

MAP

Water temp: 52 f

Not quite the end of the world as some had predicted, it looks that we had been spared wide spread fallout over the Y2K bug. It's ironic that the major threat to our existence and way of life did not involve nuclear weapons, asteroids, or visitors from outer space, but something as insignificant as a two-digit year code in a computer. What started out as a innocent way to save memory in a computer program contained the potential to bring our world to its knees. Or so we were told. I find enlightening that we can join together as a planet to eliminate a world problem in some way other than war.

My kayak was certified Y2K ready and it was time for me to put it to the test. My mind raced through all the things that could go wrong. Oddly enough, none of them had to do with the millenium date bug. So begins my first kayak trip of the year 2000.

The weather had been great through the weekend, but as luck would have it I couldn't get out. My boss gave me a 'comp day' to help make up for having to work through the Y2K rollover. So I took off this Tuesday despite the call for rain. Rain I didn't mind, but I didn't expect 20 MPH winds. As I sat reading the weather forecast early in the morning, I kept mulling over in my mind - "Should I stay or go?"

I needed to go to West Marine today, so I narrowed down the launch sites to Leesylvania or Mason Neck. Mason Neck would be better protected from these winds out of the south, so off I went.

The holidays have really had me pack on some extra poundage, so I struggled into my dry suit. The wind was blowing hard but the launch site was protected from the waves. After donning my neoprene hood I headed out into the wind and away from shore. After slowly sculling with my paddle and laying on the water to cool off (I had worked up a sweat getting into the dry suit), I headed out to the little point of land opposite Deephole Point.

The water deepens here for the channel, and with no boats out today it was play time. The waves varied from small one footers to waves big enough to have my bow pointed towards the sky as I crossed over them. With the wind blowing back towards Belmont Bay, if I became separated from the kayak it would blow back into the calmer water I had just paddled from.

I would paddle two or three hundred feet out from the point and then turn around and try and surf back to the point. I caught a few really good runs, but there were a lot more poor ones. I started to get the feel for controlling the kayak while surfing. Not real well, but the beginnings of control. By ruddering with my paddle and twisting the blade flat to the surface of the water and leaning on it when I became unstable, I began to work up some confidence.

I also managed my first side-surf. Not far, just several feet. I had been sitting parallel to the waves when a big wave came up and started to break. I leaned into it with my paddle and found myself scooting sideways.

When I got bored I started using a Greenland brace and lying in the water. I wanted to see if I would roll over these waves or they would roll over me. I guess I was a little more buoyant since the water stayed beneath me. Not wanting to venture out in this weather, there wasn't much left to do so I headed back to load up and head for West Marine.

At West, I wanted to see if they had any foot bilge pumps. They didn't, but I got the feel for the size of the Guzzler 400 in the hand pump version they had on display. I decided to get a thru-hull adapter while there.

When I bought the 3/4" dia. thru-hull for the Guillemot, I was disappointed that it was thick walled (constricting the water flow) and long (to go thru a 2-3 inch deck). The 1" dia thru-hull adapters were no different. Maybe 4-5" long and thick, constricting the 1" pipe connection down to about 3/4". I thought this was a bit over kill for something that needed to stick through thin fiberglass. Cost was also $8-$9.

I wondered through the plumbing department and found that piece that fits on the bottom of the sink (the drain). Go look at that round silver piece in the bottom of your bathroom sink and you'll know what I mean. This was white plastic, thin walled, stubby (just long enough on the back side to get the hose and a hose clamp on), neoprene gasket, and only $4. Looks like it might be a better thru-hull for a kayak although it may need to be replaced every few years from UV deterioration.