Sometimes you have to slow down to move further forward. Family is a great example as I try to bring them into my water sports activities. If it was just me a couple hour paddle would be around 10 miles but with the wife and kids it was 2 miles and a break in between. We went to our local spot Wekiva Island and launched Shellie’s b-day present, a Seda Glider. our daughter Erika paddled my Sawyer Loon and I took Tommy Jr in a standard 16 ft Indian River canoe.
Shellie hasn’t paddled a kayak for quite a while and the Glider is considered an advanced paddler’s boat because of its 19 ft lenth and 21.5 inch beam. She had no problems with the boat. It performed as I intended which was to get her a boat that would make it easy for her to not only keep up but set the pace. Erika wants to paddle on her own and the only other solo boat in the faily is the Sawyer Loon. She had only paddled plastic sit on top barges prior to this so I elected to give her a kayak paddle and show her how to use the rudder. She was stable but the kayak paddle wasn’t working out and she was also complaining about the rudder. The rudder can be a little sticky so I wasn’t suprised. About 1/4 into the trip I changed her over to my carbon fiber ZRE light canoe paddle and after a little bit of complaining she started to paddle extermely well. I was very proud of her! Still is not “her” boat so I can see another kayak purchase in my future.
Our destination was Wekiwa Spring State Park. We tied the boats off and spent a few minute cooling off and having fun in the spring. It was a very successful family paddle.
