boofing the falls

[abird]

wow, i just did something i havent done in a while. i kayaked.

so we were running our local waterfall, a pretty clean 20-footer, and getting pretty bored. we ran it three at a time, did every possible line, ect. so then my friend says, "hey, let's switch boats."

anyway, to make a long story short, after a few practice rolls for both of us in our new boats (he in my micro 240 c1, i in his Y) we went up to the top.

it was pretty funny watching my friend, a solid class V kayaker, not even be able to paddle in a straight line and nearly flip in the flatwater. he kept bitching about how tippy he felt!

anyway, we had our friend go first to set safety. then i went. i was surprised -- i felt really in control and stable, even though i couldn't see a dam thing until i was at the lip. i boofed pretty nice if i do say so myself -- landed at a 45 and skipped clean across the water.

then my friend went. now, in more than 100 runs over the falls in four years, i cant remember him ever flipping. he freewheels off it in kayak. but this time in my c-1 he penciled, actually rotated past vertical and sort of landed on his face! fortunately he was OK though and made his roll.

anyway, i think he totally gained an absolute respect for cboaters today if he didnt have it already. he kept saying, i cant believe you take this down that large steaming pile of dog doo we usually do! and i kept saying, "wow, my grandmother could do this!"

actually though, my overall impression: kayaking is much much easier, but i still need a wider, more stable boat.

later yall
Alden

[Timzjatl]

Some of my kayaker friends have been worked in flat water by some of my boats. Watching a kayaker get windowshaded in a pool is pretty hysterical... I agree with the kayaking being easier, I am certain that within a few trips I could be running just as hard of rivers in a kayak as I am in my C1. Definitely a fun experiment if you're like me and have lots of K1 friends

[Space Canoe]

that's a pretty good story!
Thanks,Alden!
RT