Looking Good!!!

I don't know what it is, but trimarans from behind look real good to me. That didn't sound right - but this looks real good... Oh yeah - I'm going to the seminar too.

Blast From The Past

I caught up with an old buddy of mine from the time that I spent in Baghdad - Eric R. He's been crossbow fishing for gators and snakehead, but recently picked up his own bow and kayak. Even managed to rig a set of pontoons to increase stand-up stability. We paddled out of Fort Belvoir into the Pohick Bay area. The water was super murky. I though enough time had passed since the last rain, but I guess I was way wrong. We actually didn't catch anything. BIG FAT SKUNKING. There were fish though - and the ospreys were out to prove it (several were flying around with some pretty big fish that were bleeding out in the talon grips). I also saw the water swirls left behind by fish of decent size fleeing the scene as they get notice that something not piscine is floating by... As bad as skunking is, beer does take the edge off - as does catching up with old friends.

Mason Neck Outting

So we took advantage of yesterday's great weather by visiting Mason Neck State Park. They had a cartop boat ramp that you could drive down to and prep your boats - the parking lot was just a short walk away. The wind was blowing from the SW and basically pushed us to the mouth of Kane's Creek. The Big Tuna held both kids and a bunch of fishing gear and logistics (jackets, snacks, spare lures, shoes and other stuff) and left La to be free (the SUP travelled way faster - noticably so than the big amphibious assault craft). The only bad part was we didn't catch a single fish - in fact, besides minnows, we didn't see a single fish. Next time we'll try Pohick Bay.

Darby Extend-A-Truck Rack

Trying to lift the Big Tuna on to the Thule top racks can be easy, but not necessarily the best option if I'm going to carry other things at the same time (like long SUPs - since they are wide, there isn't enough room to place the kayak and SUP side by side). So I ordered this option from Austin Kayaks (great place to order from if you are looking). I'm going to add trailer lights and reflective red tape for enhanced visibility, and a rack pad so it could slide on and won't bang against the cross rail. We're headed to Annapolis again this weekend - primarily the Sailboat Show, but also to paddle/fish/eat out. I should have the rack decked out tomorrow - check back to see the final product.

Ronstan Blocks for Kayak Anchor Trolley System

We stopped in at West Marine while we were at Annapolis. I bought these Ronstan Line Blocks (pulleys for you land lubbers) to serve as the two ends of an anchor trolley system I am going to install on the kayak.

Amphibious Assault Craft

After surfing and lunch, we went to pick up our new Amphibious Assault Craft. I switched the 422XT rack to the back position anticipating the longer load and it worked well to kill some of the noise (electrical tape on the 422XT Top Bar accessory mounting channels helped a bunch too). The color scheme didn't upset La too much - she did like the Lowland Camo pattern better than the Yellow Jacket we looked as earlier. The outer hull is mostly olive with some mixing of tan. The inside hull has a lot more color mixing (brown, tan and olive). I thought I'd be storing this on the back porch - for loading and unloading, this piece of gear will have to live in the garage (after I make more space...). We didn't have time to break it in today - needed to unpack the beach gear from the truck and wash all the salt and dirt off the truck. I am looking forward to getting everyone on this and having more fun on the waters up here in Northern Virginia!!! More to follow on this as we spend time getting proficient and pushing this to it's carrying and fishing limits

New Direction

So as I alluded to earlier, I've been thinking about a different way to get out on the waters that we are near to (lakes, the Potomac River, the Chesapeake Bay and other streams). I've been plying the web for tandem kayaks so I can take Marlon and/or Noe out on early morning weekend dawn patrols (to fish). I stumbled on the Jackson Big Tuna which on Youtube can be seen carrying two adults and two kids. We stopped into a Kayak store in Hampton and checked it out. I am trying my hardest not to breakout the credit card......