Sailing to Suwannee! 


   Well today was quite the adventure! Shortly after leaving our new friends John and Joni we paddled a couple miles out to a point where we could just see Horseshoe beach off in the distance maybe 12 miles away. The wind was straight on our backs, and I thought about how much I had been wanting to try sailing my kayak...

"Hey Harrison, how do you feel about trying sail?"

After a quick stop and some paracord/tarp quantum physics rigging we had ourselfs a fully functional catamaran downwind spinnaker! 


  Our rig was simple. Two corners of a lightweight tarp tied to our decks with the top corners tied to our paddles. The boats tacked together with nothing but  our spare paddles and arms.  The  paddles would act as masts and I figured the whole thing could be quickly taken down in the event we needed to separate and paddle. 

   We learned and adapted as we went. Every mile that passed by we figured out how to postion ourselves and our lines to maximize speed and maintain course. We were even able to sail perpendicular to the wind and even navigate some channels and islands without stopping. At one point we were in less than a foot of water just cruising along! 


 What a way to spend the day and what a stroke of luck with the winds! We only had to paddle around 5 miles total, the rest all by sail. We'll be hanging out in Suwannee for Memorial Day, planning and prepping for the week ahead. Looking forward to being back in my home waters in the coming week!!


Comments

  1. Jill LingardMay 29, 2017 at 7:20 AM

    As someone who owns a "more formal" sailing kit for her kayak, I am quite intrigued by your method an ingenuity! VERY COOL!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. UnknownMay 29, 2017 at 11:22 AM

      Thanks Jill! I've been looking into purchasing an official kit or building something as well. I still couldn't believe how well our little system works. I can't imagine how much ground I could cover with a real mast, sail, and outrigger or leeward rudder!

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