Call of the Loon

Since my last post I have now had the chance to paddle the Night Heron already a number of times - in a variety of conditions ranging from flat water in drizzled skies to raging white caps in sunny breezes.

I was not surprised by the spectacular ride it offers regardless of conditions.

Testing the Petrel, the 17' cousin of the Night Heron

After all, it was that test-paddle on a Night Heron at last year's Chesapeake Light Craft sponsored "OkoumeFest" which swept me off my feet and caused me to order the kit.

 In flat water the boat slices through the water like a hot knife through soft butter. It almost feels as though there is no resistance at all and the boat can't wait to get going.

Hard to see the white caps at a distance

On one windy occasion, the experience varied greatly depending on whether you were going upwind or downwind.

The winds clocked regularly at 20 knots with gusts around 25+ knots - white caps everywhere. Going upwind, the bow would frequently submerge for moments with larger waves freely washing up over the deck to the cockpit. Of course, the neoprene spray skirt kept me well-protected.

At 18 feet the hull remained stable and bounced very little so long as you kept the nose straight into the wind. Making progress was hard work. I worked myself about three miles upwind in those conditions and I was getting pooped.

Downwind on the other hand was a slay-ride. The hull constantly surfed and gain tremendous speed with little effort other than keeping her straight downwind. Surfing on broad reaches was definitely more of a challenge since you had to work a bit in order to counteract the hulls tendency to align parallel to the waves... without question the least stable and most bouncy paddle point.

A little zooming tells the tale

On the 25 knot day I made sure to paddle upwind first and then reward myself with an exciting downwind leg afterwards rather than risking a miscalculation of my endurance and being totally spent with yet more upwind miles to go to home port. Without questions, the scariest part of that outing was not the paddling but the transporting of this 18 foot boat on top of my car.

Note to self: For now, let's keep it to 15 knots or less! It'll still be plenty exciting - especially in larger bodies of water.

So far the kayak has only seen the waters of Moraine State Park (Lake Arthur). On my paddle agenda:  explore parts of the Allegheny River, launch on the Youghiogheny River (obviously not near the White Water sections) and check out the Chesapeake Bay. I'll be working on my paddling skills - judging by some of the training videos, I still have a lot to learn.

From the Night Heron, many water birds permit a very close approach. Recently I found myself encircled by 30 or 40 Bonaparte Gulls. Amazing!

My favorite birding moment with my Night Heron came on the foggy drizzle day. All of a sudden, I found myself face to face with a loon.  Loons pass through Moraine State Park only during spring and fall migration to and from Canada. I had heard them at a distance a number of times during these past weeks.

But this was a close encounter! - This magnificent specimen did not immediately dive away as one might expect but - instead it gave out its haunting call - right next to me - mystical and mesmerizing - as if to summon my mindfulness of this moment.

And I heeded its call.