Today was a picture-perfect spring day, and it's supposed to rain for the next three days, so I thought it would be the perfect time to go for my first paddle. I had no trouble loading the kayak (thank you Hullavator!) and went to a lake my friend told me about. I figure until I take the class I'll avoid the ocean and stick to flat water.

I slipped into the water and immediately knew buying a kayak was a good decision.


It was a decent sized lake that took me about an hour to explore. Very quiet, only two other paddlers out and one guy fishing. There were some geese that were displeased with my presence, and the turtles were enjoying the sun as much as I was.


After a while, I grounded myself in a little cove and just lounged for a bit:


I was out for a little over an hour and a half. When I was getting out, a couple was getting ready to launch and the man helped carry my kayak back to the car. He asked about the Hullavator, and I quickly tied things down and went on my way. I need to work on my foot placement. I cant really keep them straight up unless my legs are straight, but if I move them in a bit, my feet go numb from keeping them at an angle. I pulled the seat forward a bit and that gave me more support while rowing. I think the thigh pads are in the right place, but when I take the class I'll have them take a look. I didn't feel like I was getting a tremendous amount of speed and wondered if I was a high-angle paddler after all. Again, I'll have them take a look and tell me what they think. Maybe it's just a matter of playing with the paddle angle and working on my stroke. The boat felt very stable, with little rocking even if I turned to look behind me. All in all, I was very happy with the boat and am anxious to go other places and explore!