Maiden Voyage

Upon receiving orders to Seward, I bought a used kayak. I wanted one that was light enough for me to load solo and easy to handle in the water. A fellow coastie on Kodiak sold me his Rascal, a paddle, lifejacket, and spray skirt; and, I took her out for the first time on Sunday. The afternoon turned warm as I finished lunch and loaded the Rascal into the bed of Brad's truck. I journeyed north to Kenai Lake, where a small campground has a boat ramp to offload into the turquoise waters of the Kenai River. Silt from the nearby glaciers turn the water this magical color but it remains cloudy lake itself and then clears up later down stream. I nosed the kayak into the water, adjusted my skirt and set off with a goal of getting to one side of the lake and back with no incident. I succeeded.

The rascal moves solidly, is easy to maneuver among the tight spaces near the shore, and is wide enough to balance my shifting my hips and getting comfortable in the pocket. It's a bit slow, due to design, so I will likely rent or borrow a larger kayak for actual sea kayaking or longer day trips.

Not many salmon inhabit the lake itself, and fishing for them is prohibited. Trout limits are one per person, but due to the cloudy water, I did not spy any. Instead, I chased some gulls and loons occupying nooks around the water's edge and enjoyed the sunshine- while it lasted. Through the pass, the wind picked up and gave me 12-18 inch waves across the lake, making my transit back to the ramp a test. I was out for about 2 hours before heading in under rainclouds.