I've Been Krugerized!
My Introduction to the Kruger Dreamcatcher
By Dawn Stewart (aka SandyBottom)
When I arrived in Tampa Bay for my first
WaterTribe Everglades Challenge (March 2004), I was an admitted
sea kayak snob. You know the type, "you’re not a real sea
kayaker unless your boat is longer than 16 ft, British,
fiberglass, skeged, and you aspire to climb the BCU star system
in paddling". I had read a recommendation from Chief (head of
WaterTribe) to use kayaks with rudders in the Challenges; I
figured I'd show him, if you really know how to sea kayak you
don't need a rudder.
With my much-loved Nigel Dennis Explorer, a
"real sea kayak", I was surprised and somewhat humored by the
variety of boats intending to participate in this race. I
remember thinking Wizard's Rob Royed 13' x 28" boat looked a bit
like a bathtub, being so short and wide. I got quite a kick out
of Pelican's sit-on-top with a pedal apparatus. I couldn't
imagine pedaling a sit-on-top for 300 miles in the ocean. There
were a large variety of well-known sea kayaks, plastic,
fiberglass, carbon fiber, and some beautiful wooden kayaks.
Almost all had rudders except KneadingWater's Nordkapp (another
"real sea kayak"). There were also a number of boats called
Kruger Canoes registered, these looked so big I could only think
of a barge, and worse, people were paddling them with a single
blade paddle. What was up with that, that's not "real
paddling"?
The winner that year was GreyBeard and
Ridgerunner in one of those Kruger barges. SharkChow was 2nd in
his ruddered Current Designs Solstice. Both came in a few hours
over 3 days. Another couple of Kruger boats (Chief and Manitou
Cruiser's) finished in less than 4 days. Wizard's bathtub
finished a few hours over 4 days, and Pelican pedaled in at 7
days. I finished last with an elapsed time of 8 days. I sure
showed them.
But, in a WaterTribe Challenge, it's not
the winning that counts; just completing the course is an
accomplishment all are proud of. And when it was over, proud I
was to have become a member of this wide and varied group on the
beach at Key Largo. And, as happens to many WaterTribe alumni,
I had changed.
I had finished my Challenge with a new
perspective and regard for different boaters and boat types.
All of us finishing this challenge had accomplished an
incredible feat in small boat expeditioning that certainly
didn't require a "real sea kayak", and in fact "real sea kayaks"
were not necessarily the boats that excelled. Most surprising,
at the end of the challenge, I found myself wanting to try out
and paddle one of the Krugers. I had finished the challenge
having spent 8 days being cold and wet, exhausted, sore,
blistered, and chaffed. I even had to sleep (sitting up) in my
boat one night. Looking around, I noticed that those paddling
Krugers were talking about being comfortable and dry, and fairly
pain free after 300 miles.
Not having any other, I paddled my NDK
explorer again in EC 2005. Same cold wet ride, same chafing and
blisters, and also, same great sense of accomplishment.
However, during this Challenge, I began looking at the wide
variety of kayaks and small boats differently, with growing
respect, curiosity, and interest, especially as they might apply
to my interests. Continuing to learn from my WaterTribe
experiences, I found myself actively looking at and thinking
about pursuing "other ways" to enjoy my sport, expedition
travel, and time on the water. I now had a better understanding
of the statement "to encourage the development of boats,
equipment, skills, and human athletic performance for safe and
efficient coastal cruising" part of the WaterTribe mission,
almost a dare, certainly a challenge to be different and open
your mind to the possibilities. Towards that end, I found
myself seriously studying the Krugers.
Mark Przedwojewski (WaterTribe member
ManitouCruiser), met and began learning about canoe expedition
from the famous Verlen Kruger in 1995. Mark bought his first
Kruger that year, and subsequently began building Kruger Canoes
under Verlen's tutelage. In 2003, Verlen offered Mark the
opportunity to purchase the company as he retired. See
www.krugercanoes.com for more information on Mark, the
Kruger boats, and Verlen. These days, Mark is dedicated to
continuing Verlen's work and to making a little part of Verlen's
legacy accessible to paddlers.
I learned that Kruger Canoes Inc. is a
small business with its shop located right next door to Mark's
lighthouse styled cottage, which he built himself on acreage
located in Irons, Michigan. Mark is often the sole employee of
his company; he personally builds all the boats by hand, taking
as long as 80 hours to complete one. There is no fancy stocked
show room or fast talking salesperson. Kruger advertisement is
by word of mouth and accomplishment. If you are interested in
buying one of these boats, you can call Mark by phone and come
up and paddle with him.
Mark had generously offered to loan me his
Dreamcatcher, a sea kayak-like Kruger canoe to use next year in
the WaterTribe Ultimate Florida Challenge (UFC), a 1200-mile
circumnavigation of Florida including a 40-mile portage, March 4
- April 3, 2006. Mark knew I had wanted to try and do this
larger race and that I had concerns about attempting it in my
own sea kayak. The offer was a wonderful surprise (not unlike
Mark himself), and one I couldn’t refuse. Mark will also be
participating in this challenge in a Kruger Sea Wind. Mark
has always had a good showing in WaterTribe Challenges,
and, has the current distinction of having earned more
WaterTribe shark and alligator teeth, (the award received after
a successful completion of a WaterTribe Challenge) than any
other WaterTribe member.
And so it was that I found myself joining
Mark and Jack Cramer on an expedition paddle along the shoreline
of the Michigan’s Upper Peninsula (UP) on Lake Michigan. After
which I will bring the Dreamcatcher back home with me for
training. So on Wednesday, August 24th, 2005, I
drove the 1000 miles up to Irons, Michigan, hoping that I would
like this Kruger Canoe. I hadn't actually ever paddled one.
This article documents my introduction to,
and impressions of, the Kruger Dreamcatcher, including a report
of my experiences during the Lake Michigan trip. It is also an
attempt to provide a review of the Kruger Dreamcatcher from the
perspective of a paddler whose experiences are with higher
performance expedition sea kayaks.
That Friday in Irons, I met the
Dreamcatcher. She has a “Lake Michigan” blue deck with a white
hull. It was immediately obvious that she had weathered
thousands of miles. She is Dreamcatcher #2 in a very small
current fleet of 20 worldwide. Built in 1993, she's lived her
whole life outdoors, and has lost all her original shine and
luster. Like me, she is a bit rough around the edges and has
been around the block a few times. But she’s built strong, and
also like me, has many more trips left. She and I will get
along just fine in the UFC.
The Kruger canoes look different to a sea
kayaker and the Dreamcatcher even more so. The boats are
advertised as the “ultimate tripping canoes”, designed for
comfort, efficiency, and seaworthiness. The Dreamcatcher,
looking sort-of like a very big sea kayak, is not a
high-performance yak. She is considered a traveler, designed
for the comfort and stability that would be enjoyed on long
distance trips, though many use their Krugers for short day
trips. She is not a surfer, nor a play boat, though surf
landings and launchings are often required of her. She doesn't
have the extreme maneuverability one would want playing in rock
gardens, though her layers of Kevlar make her strong and sturdy
in a rocky environment. Through Verlen, and now Mark, her
reputation is for long distance expedition travel on water, just
what I love the most.
We spent Friday mounting my new Pacific
Action Sail (PAS), one of the sponsored donations I’ve received
for the UFC, and the best small boat sail designed for touring.
Mark proceeded to show me many of the Dreamcatchers accessories,
including a sun canopy (Bimini top), which will be very handy
during the month long trip in Florida, and a netted cockpit tent
that he made specifically for his use in earlier Everglades
Challenges. And we discussed her other features and basic
handling. We built a paddle bag, finished packing for the trip,
then relaxed with some beers, barbequed chicken, and waited for
Jack to arrive. Jack Cramer, who I’d become email pen-pals with
a few months earlier as we planned this trip, is an avid Kruger
canoeist, who loves river travel and expeditions, and is about
to embark on a new simpler and different life, moving to Irons
to work with Mark, making and paddling Krugers.
I had a thousand questions for Mark and
Jack regarding the performance of the Dreamcatcher (and Kruger’s
in general), all of course related to my sea kayaking
background. Can she be rolled? How does she handle in surf?
How do you brace into waves when broached? How maneuverable is
she without the rudder? What about rescues with no front
bulkhead? How dry is the back hatch? How will I carry her
around getting on and off the beach? Can I use a double bladed
paddle? What is faster, single or double blade? Mark patiently
tried to answer my questions based on his knowledge and
experiences and on Verlen’s and others reported experiences.
But, he agreed that in the end, I would just have to take her
through some paces and see for myself, and, he would be very
interested to hear of my results. His confidence in these boats
is unwavering, and I could tell he expected I’d feel nothing
less.
Saturday
All packed up, we drove to St Ignace at the
Straits of Mackinaw, the body of water between Lake Michigan and
Lake Huron, to leave our cars at the take-out. From there, we
got a ride to Menominee Wisconsin from Mark’s Dad. At our
put-in, we camped overnight at a nice campground on the Lake on
Green Bay, and planned an early start the next morning. Our
itinerary was to paddle north and east back to the Mackinaw
Bridge, approximately 180 miles.
Sunday
Sunday, the morning of our departure, we
were quite a curiosity among our neighbors at the campground,
with lots of picture taking and questions about our trip. Mark
and Jack were both paddling Kruger Sea Winds. These boats are
also considered decked canoes, but they have a very long
cockpit, and they look more canoe-like than sea kayak. They too
are built with floatation in the bow and stern, but like canoes,
are without any bulkheads. Sea Winds are routinely paddled with
a full spray deck, much like a very long spray skirt. Like the
Dreamcatcher, these boats are considered ocean travelers. In
all their paddling experiences, neither Mark nor Jack have ever
flipped one over, other than during the occasional messy surf
landing that we all have experienced at one time or another.
My questions about how to carry this
heavier boat around were easily answered. All three boats were
outfitted with a “drag rope”. This is a rope with handle
attached to the bow (or easily moved to the stern). You just
grab the handle and pull, dragging the boat behind you. Hmmm,
this was interesting, and very easy to do, even with fully
loaded boats. Mark explained that these boats are built to be
workhorses; they do not need the careful handling that the glass
sea kayaks are given. The lay-up of 10 layers of Kevlar on the
hull makes this possible. Yes, you’ll eventually wear off the
gelcoat in spots, and it will lose some of its spit and polish,
but that’s just considered character. This being a fairly heavy
boat, dragging is a very nice feature.
Immediately upon sitting in the
Dreamcatcher, my face lit up with a smile. The seat was
incredibly comfortable. Another pleasant surprise was not being
swallowed up by the boat. I’d previously seen a photo of an
earlier prototype with Verlen, which appeared that the cockpit
had came all the way up to his armpits. The seat was adjustable
such that the paddler can sit lower or higher in the boat by
increments of 2” with 3 positions. Choosing the middle
position, I didn’t feel like I was sitting particularly high or
low, and in fact it felt very natural. And though I did not
have the same bracing with my thighs that I am used to with a
narrower boat (no contact at all without really trying), my
position in the boat to the deck seemed very familiar. While I
might not have felt that the boat swallowed me up, it was
definitely voluminous inside. I could put my legs and feet in
any position I wanted, include sitting up cross-legged. There
were pockets and spaces for lots of gear on both sides of my
seat, behind the seat, and a cavernous space between my feet and
in front of me. I was immediately sorry that I had packed for
the trip with extra care regards weight and bulk, my only
concession to a vacation was that I had packed a 2-man rather
than solo tent. Oh well, I would learn.
Packing a Dreamcatcher is so different from
packing my sea kayak that has the traditional British 8” and 10”
hatches. I have learned to pack for trips using many small
drybags, even compression sacks to get my sleeping bag in the
boat. All this is quite an organizational feat that requires
labeling to remember where the heck everything’s stored. Just
for foodstuff, I had 6 small bags; kitchen stove and utensil
bag, fuel bag, dinner bag, breakfast/lunch bag, and a snack
bag. Mark and Jack had about 4 big bags in all for the whole
trip, and lawn chairs, Jacks even had drink holders in the
armrests. The Krugers size certainly offers easy accessibility
to everything once you are in the boat. It became a cruel joke
on me that throughout the trip, every time I wanted/needed
something, it was a huge search for the right bag, then
rummaging through the small bag. By the time the trip was
complete, I had broken every fingernail and ripped just about
every cuticle with the packing and unpacking of my little
drybags. Throughout our trip, I would watch Mark and Jack
miraculously produce all variety of stuff right from their
seats. Incredible, I quickly found myself excitedly planning
the many changes I’ll need and want to make regards packing for
the UFC.
Our first day on the water was about the
paddling stroke. Mark had suggested I take the opportunity
being with him and Jack to work on using a single blade paddle,
as it is the paddle type that was used by Verlen and is most
often thought to be the ideal paddle for a Kruger. Mark had
given me some on shore instruction, and as we started paddling,
I would observe, mimic, and ask questions about their cadence
and stroke. I actually found the stroke came pretty easily to
me. I was at first concerned that aerobically I wouldn’t be
able to handle the very high stroke rate I was seeing Mark and
Jack use. I was in pretty good shape, but they were really
moving that paddle. With a strong rudder, the Krugers are most
efficiently paddled with today's modern canoe stroke or marathon
racing stroke. This is a very short stroke, less than 24” in
length, with a very high cadence, 50-55 strokes/minute, all
powered with torso rotation. It is a simple stroke, and one
that looks to be much more work then it is. The one area that I
do need to work on is in eliminating the sideways boat rocking
that result from my using more legs than is typically used with
the canoe stroke, but is part of my kayaking stroke. With the
rudder for steering, one can switch sides whenever you feel the
need. I was amazed at how much rest your body feels when making
that switch. Already on this very first day, I was starting to
relax and feel better about my plans to do the UFC in a
different boat with a different paddle.
After only an hour, a breeze began to pick
up and we were able to use our sails. Since this was my very
first time with a single blade paddle, Mark decided he and I
should catamaran our boats together, we could sail when the
winds were favorable, and I could be able to work on the paddle
stroke when we needed to paddle. Catamaraning Krugers is
another feature of these boats that allow an even more stable
platform during inclement weather. We spent the day motor
sailing, ("motor" meaning human powered with paddle). Jack
would occasionally get ahead of us in his SeaWind and Balogh
sail rig, which allowed faster sailing than our cat rig. Mark
and I were using his Balogh Sail and my new Pacific Action Sail.
We motor sailed all day. I was glad we
were able to mix it up, sometimes the wind would allow a total
rest from paddling, letting us maintain 3-3.5mph, other times we
could push it up to 4-4.5 with straight paddling. We were
making great time, and with ideal conditions, decided to push
our larger crossings a bit and cut some corners by bypassing the
town of Escanaba, and crossing Little Bay De Noc.
We camped on Stonington Peninsula, which
juts from the North shore of Lake Michigan before disappearing
beneath the water's surface to reappear some twenty miles to the
south as the northern tip of Wisconsin's Door Peninsula. This
is also the site of the Peninsula Point Lighthouse, an old
historic lighthouse built in 1864 and abandoned in 1936. The
light keepers’ house no longer exists, but one can climb the
winding cast iron staircase up the 40’ cream brick light tower
to enjoy the lantern view of the Lake and surrounding areas.
The station is situated on a small park, part of the Hiawatha
National Forest. This park also serves as a premium spot to view
the annual September migration of monarch butterflies which
gather to feed on the point before winging their way across
Green Bay to the Door Peninsula, and their remarkable flight
south to winter in Mexico. Throughout our trip, a day wouldn’t
go by when we didn’t see Monarch butterflies flying past us,
even on those occasions when we were as far as 5 miles from
shore. Interestingly, the Monarch Butterfly is the Kruger Canoe
logo.
Monday
Our 2nd day we awoke to
favorable winds and set off to motor sail again. In true
WaterTribe fashion, this was a paddling trip with a destination,
not a camping trip with some paddling. We were up early before
daylight; camp broken and boats packed in the dark. We’d
breakfast during the sunrise and then be on the water early. We
were a pretty serious group, wanting to make good miles every
day when the weather was good, and hoping to finish in St Ignace
on Friday evening where Mark and Jack had some business to
attend there that weekend.
We left Stonington Point and crossed Big
Bay de Noc, a 14 mile distance with 3-4 foot non breaking
rollers. This is where we would leave Green Bay and enter Lake
Michigan. We lunched on a small island off the point at the end
of the bay. It was here that Mark and Jack would first set up
their big lawn chairs to relax and enjoy lunch, I on the other
hand had this small lightweight low to the ground camp chair,
that was always more work setting up then was worth it, and
which eventually broke on the 3rd day.
During our picnic, I mentioned surprise
seeing so much water and no boats. It wasn’t total
wilderness, as you would occasionally see a vacation home here
or there, and following the Peninsula usually further back from
shore and completely out of site, was the highway that ran
around the lake from Michigan to Wisconsin. Jack explained that
the UP is quite a drive from Detroit or other large Michigan or
Wisconsin towns and cities where there are people who might have
a weekend home, so it was relatively undeveloped. There was an
occasional small town, fishing town or mining area, but mostly
it was beautiful evergreens. It was not a flat land, but to say
rolling hills might be an exaggeration. There were many
postcard views of untamed areas. The shoreline on the Lake was
often rocky with an occasional small sandy beach, and very
thickly forested. We traveled 28 miles before looking for a
place to camp.
That night we camped at Portage Bay, which
was very rocky, and our tents were set up on stone slabs.
Further inland was much forested, and someone commented that it
looked like Bear country. Most evenings Mark could easily find
wood and built fires. We often had a fire for breakfast. We’d
sit around the fire visiting and getting to know each other.
Planning the trips and races we all dream about doing, you know,
the Yukon River Quest, an Inside Passage trip, paddling the
length of the Mississippi River, etc… We were all like-minded
souls with similar dreams of expedition and travel.
Tuesday:
On this third day, we set out with no wind,
though weather predictions were for the winds to pick up later
in the day coming from the NE. There would be no sailing today,
and I was actually excited to be able to spend the whole day
working on my stroke. I found I could get up some pretty good
speed in calm conditions. Watching the GPS, I could easily
maintain 3.7 – 3.8 mph, even getting over 4 mph was very doable,
but I’d likely have to work on my technique if this was to be
sustained for any amount of time. I was very pleased with my
paddling progress. Later in the afternoon we encountered the
predicted headwinds, 10-12 mph, just short of white-capped
waters, and I experienced the ease of paddling into a wind with
a single blade paddle.
At one point during the day, I decided to try out my new
Greenland paddle (GP). When Mark offered the Dreamcatcher, I
had planned to use a GP, as I had in my previous WaterTribe
Challenges. I am a committed GP paddler, and even surf with it
in both my sea kayak and surf kayak. Prior to this trip, my
husband had made me a new and longer paddle for use with the
wider Dreamcatcher. I was anxious to try it out, though was
quite surprised at how much I was enjoying using the single
blade canoe paddle. My husband had carefully made as light a
wooden paddle as he could, yet, it was no comparison to the
carbon fiber single bladed canoe paddle. Once in my hands the
GP actually felt like a log, and I was quickly understanding all
the previous comments I'd heard about how the Kruger canoes are
more comfortable paddled with a single blade. I paddled for a
couple miles, then put the GP away or the rest of the trip.
Much to my surprise, I was really enjoying paddling with the
canoe paddle, and was very pleased with the speeds I could
maintain.
For the first time during the trip, we saw a ship, actually a
freighter leaving an area on the coast where there was mining.
So much water on this lake, and throughout the whole trip I only
saw 2 freighters and 2 fishing boats. At home, on my much
smaller lake, fishing boats, sailboats, and jet skis far
outnumber kayaks.
While we paddled, we followed a shoreline route towards the
town of Manistique. Originally a village founded in 1871 and
named after the Ojibawa name for the Monistique ( meaning
vemillion) River. This settlement began as a village in 1885
and was originally a lumber
transfer town. Timber was cut further north and sent down the
Manistique River to Lake Michigan, where it was sorted at
Manistique and sent by boat to different towns for processing
and use. A few miles west of town, we could see the
Manistique East Breakwater Lighthouse. A 35’ red light tower,
shaped like a square pyramid, located on the break wall at the
entrance of the Manistique River, first lit in 1917 and
automated in 1969.
As we neared the lighthouse and the town, a new plan began to
formulate. To celebrate Mark’s 35th birthday, which would be on
Wednesday, we started talking about finding a store and buying
some fish or steaks to barbeque later at camp. However, as the
town came into view, the plan slowly changed to dinner at the
Big Boy’s Buffet, which we could see located right across the
street from the lake with a fairly easy take-out. So, buffet it
was, and a large one at that, including more dessert than any
one person needs.
Back in the boats, we turned back into the wind to leave the
bay, looking for a campsite not too far away, yet outside of
town and away from civilization. We paddled a few more very
uncomfortable miles, overly full and barely digested. Mark had
bought a 6 pack of beer he was holding for camp. Soon we found
our first very sandy beach, a great campsite. At the end of the
day, we had averaged 3mph, a fairly decent speed paddling for a
whole day, including headwinds, and we had finished the day
having paddled 26 miles.
Wednesday
Wednesday, we woke wishing Mark a very
Happy Birthday. This morning brought the first hint of change
in the weather to come, lots of dew and dampness as we packed up
a very wet and sandy camp. With enough wind to let the sails
help move us along, I started the day cat-rigged with Jack, but
we quickly realized this wouldn’t work for us. Jack’s rig was
not set up for an easy cat configuration, and we were forced to
position our boats on Jack’s least favored paddling side. Yes,
even though you paddle alternating sides throughout, it is not
uncommon to have a preferred side.
Switching to a cat-rig with Mark, we used
more “motor” than sail to try and keep up with Jack. I think I
would have preferred less time in the catamaran configuration.
I sometimes felt a bit like an attached side car, but I would
not have been able to keep up otherwise. My 1 square meter
downwind sail, certainly helped us along, but is no match for
the full sized Balogh sail. Considering myself more a paddler
rather than sailor, I've registered for the UC in class 1, which
is the canoe and kayak class which allows a small down wind
sail, but no outriggers or lee boards. I had no real interest
in a larger sail.
In an earlier period of his life, Jack was
a sailor with experience in racing sailboats. We had arranged
for VHF check-ins every 30 minutes when Jack would get far ahead
of us, though he never really got out of sight. I was learning
quite a bit about canoe/kayak sailing. For the kind of travel
we were doing, and in the broad reach conditions we had, it was
pretty much one-tack sailing. I’d always wondered how you
decide when tacking back and forth to accommodate wind direction
would get you more forward movement above what you would get
paddling. Mark told me that he found in canoe sailing that
paddling was usually faster than trying to sail tack a course.
Sailing offered extra speed and possible rest from paddling, but
canoe/kayak sailing is not high performance sailing.
Another interesting thing I had noticed
during the trip was the quiet. It seemed to me that at sunrise,
I did not hear as many birds as I am used to when outdoors in
the early morning. This day though, we would occasionally hear
the beautiful call of loons on the water. Our weather had been
beautiful. The last few days were sunny and 80 degrees, just
beautiful. The nights were in the 60's and dry for perfect
camping weather. Even the water was warmer than I had expected
at 72 degrees at shore, was often warm enough for a comfortable
evening bath and swim.
Winds began increasing to a steady 10-12
mph, we were making good time, and the trip was going very
well. We began contemplated changing the route a bit by making
the 17 mile crossing over to Beaver Island. Neither Mark nor
Jack had been there before and we liked the idea of getting out
there in the middle of the Lake. This would put us in open
water for most of the day, and we thought it would be a great
adventure. We also decided to try it as a 3-way trimaran for
fun and for safety. We would use both the bigger sails on the
outside Krugers with put me in the middle.
We got the boats all set up and set off.
Unfortunately, the winds were not as ideal as we had thought, or
really strong enough for the extra drag of 3 boats together.
The wind direction did not allow us to get as good a tack as we had
hoped, and at less than 3mph we decided we’d never make it
before dark, and getting stuck out there with either no winds,
or, with worsening winds was not a good option. We had been
excited about the possibilities, that we never really put too
much thought into the how it might effect the remainder of the
week and trip. The crossing would have shortened the trip
distance, opening up other possibilities, but the weather could
turn on us. And indeed, it ended up being a good decision not
to cross over, as we would experience a change in the originally
forecasted weather at the end of the week. Our 3-way trimaran
experiment lasted less than a mile.
Now
18 miles east of Manistique, we came to shore to reconfigure the
3 boats at Seul Choix Point. The home of another Michigan
lighthouse, Seul Choix (pronounced Sis-shwa) Point Light marks a
small harbor on Lake Michigan, some sixty miles west of the
Straits, the name means "only choice". Native Americans and
French fur traders traveled in canoes across the rough waters of
Lake Michigan. This point was named by the French who found
that it was the only harbor of refuge in this part of Lake
Michigan. If boats were headed for the Straits of Mackinac, the
only choice for safety was Seul Choix. During the mid-1800's
Seul Choix Point was the center of a thriving fishing community,
but today, only a lighthouse complex is still active, consisting
of the light, still operating (though now automated), and the
light keepers’ two-story red brick home, (now a museum for
visitors).
Mark and I returned to the cat-rig
configuration, and the day seemed to fly by with sailing and
paddling. We traveled 29-miles, and completed our celebration
of Mark's birthday over a shared camp dinner of burritos stuffed
with Mexican rice, with summer sausage and cheddar cheese, and
lake cooled beer. Later that night, before heading to our
tents, we were treated with a special show, the Northern Lights,
or Aurora Borealis, which Jack and I had never seen, and Mark
only once before.
An Aurora is a beautiful natural phenomenon
that creates a light show in the sky. The light show that we
witnessed that evening, was that of a white and bright light
that danced across the sky as vertical structures that looked
like thin tall rays moving in waves from south east to north
west from horizon to horizon. We watched the light show for
about an hour until it seemed to die down.
Thursday
The lake winds have really arrived. Small
craft warnings were announced for the day at 15-20 mph winds
with 25 mph gusts and waves 6-8 feet. It started out calmly as
we prepared to leave, planning to abort the day when and if
things got too big. We had to cat the boats today, as I would
never be able to keep up and Jack double reefed his sails in
order for us to stay together, since the cat configuration would
still be slower than Jack's boat. Winds were SW, with waves on
our beam. To stay warm, I was wearing fleece and paddling
jacket. It was a much wetter ride than previous days. With
both Mark's Balogh and my PAS we were getting up to 8 mph. No
paddling needed. There were even times I had to take down my
PAS. With only one rudder in use (when cat-ed) the pressure
needed to steer became tiring and difficult for Mark. And then
there were the other times when we were going just a bit too
fast for my comfort.
It wasn’t long before I started noticing
the waves continuing to grow. It was very exciting. The
coastline was very rocky here, and we had to sail out far from
shore to round a very rocky point. Crossing the point and
turning East to parallel closer to shore, we were now surfing
the waves on a broad reach. Though I never once felt unstable,
or, unsafe, I didn't really like the speeds we were doing, and
surfing the occasional wave under sail was a bit disconcerting.
The boats though were completely stable. We needed no bracing.
Again I was wishing we weren't cat-rigged, as I would have
loved to have paddled the Dreamcatcher in these conditions and
seeing how she performs. But I knew I would have lots of
opportunities for that later when I got home.
Jack’s SeaWind was very fast with the
Balogh rig, and he was often as far as a mile or two ahead of
us. We kept a close watch, could easily see his sail, and, we
kept in VHF communication. Finally, on the VHF, Jack said he'd
had enough and was turning in. The waves were big, and a large
one had broken right over him, leaving him cold and wet. It was
time to dry off, warm up, and call it a day. We sailed in
closer to Jack to check on him and plan our landing spot, as the
shoreline was very shallow and rocky. We'd made 27 miles, it
was still early afternoon.
The wind waves generated on the Lake are
much different than the ocean swells and waves I'm more used
to. Yes it's a big lake with a large fetch. The waves seem
more breaker-like, then swell-like, were steeper and often
breaking, and were much closer together then ocean swells. They
break differently than in the ocean, not a dumping or violent
break, but more a rolling over. Surf landings on the Lake are
not uncommon. The shallow waters at the lake shore leave as
many as 10 or more rows of breaking surf. The rows follow each
other closely as they break and roll towards shore. It's a
beautiful site from shore, a challenge from the water. As we
approach the surf, Mark tells me that surf-landing cat-rigged is
a bit different than solo landings. He says it's important to
not let the waves take over and surf us into shore. "He's got to
be kidding me". He then tells me that we need to control the
landing; we can come in fast, but want to be on the backsides of
the waves, back paddling if necessary to keep from getting
surfed in. Interesting, we'd been surfing waves for a while
now, with an occasional broach that Mark seemed to fairly easily
control, possibly because we were cat-rigged. Looking over at
Jack solo, I noticed him taking a couple of wide broaches off
some
waves, and even with his Balogh sponsons,
I could often see his body automatically leaning with each wave
to correct the boat’s tilt. In the end, both ours landings were
actually uneventful and not that hard, beyond trying to stay far
enough away from each other for safety sake.
We were still too far away to see the
Mackinaw bridge from our landing point, but with binoculars we
could see the Lansing Shoal Lighthouse out on the lake off in
the distance. This remote lighthouse is so far out on Lake
Michigan that it can only be visited by boat or viewed from the
air. The lighthouse rests on a concrete pier. The light marks
Lansing Shoals which are detached rock strewn reefs within the
passage through which vessels navigate on their trips between
the Straits and the northern harbors of Lake Michigan and Green
Bay. We had some great views with our binoculars. This would
be another place that could be a great paddling destination,
though, not sure how one would land and get up onto the
lighthouse pier.
This was our first short day. The forest
on the edge of the beach offered some small clearings inside the
tree lines to set up tents for a reprieve from the wind. We
were now in an area where the coastline was very hilly, we could
see the Cut River Bridge, high above us and to the North. No
campfire this night, as we began to prepare an early evening
dinner. After our 2nd night out, I had given up on my
freeze-dried dinners (I'd brought one for each night, weight
saving). Mark and Jack had brought so much real food, that we
started cooking shared meals, each making an offer of something
to share from their larder. Thank goodness I had also brought
sausage, cheese, crackers, sardines, potato chips, and Reisen
chocolate candy. Beyond that, for me it was just a WaterTribe
special, accelerade, endurox, bars, and Gu. Mark's kitchen on
this trip, was huge, a hard plastic trunk filled with his stove,
utensils, and a complete pantry, all which easily fitting into
his Sea Wind designed to carry as much as 400 lbs of gear.
After dinner, we said goodnight, agreeing we could sleep in and
then assess the water conditions in full daylight after
listening to an updated weather report.
Friday
We woke to wind, white caps and waves on
the lake. We would be forced to sit out the weather for
awhile. As a diversion, we decided to hike a few miles over to
the Cut River and up to the bridge. The Cut River bridge is a
steel deck cantilever bridge with extensive latticing and two
main piers made of attractive stone arches. This bridge is an
area attraction in a park setting with trails on and from the
bridge down into the valley and river below (really more a creek
than river).
By afternoon the wind and waves appeared to
subside providing a window that would allow us to keep moving
forward. We packed up, and got back on the water about 2pm. It
was another exciting day on the water, there were still
small-craft warnings posted and off shore waves were again 6-8
feet. We paddled 10 more miles in less than 2 hours until the
building waves finally drove us back to shore. We found a beach
to land on that had a few waterfront vacation houses. This was
now Friday evening, and we’d run out of time. We decided to
declare ourselves ‘ship wrecked’. With the help of some
wonderful local families, Mark got a ride to town to pick up his
van and trailer, and all helped us pack up the gear and load the
car. It seemed abrupt and sad to be ending our trip, but what
a great trip it was. We drove to town, had dinner and found a
motel for the night.
Saturday
The weather predictions were for more of
the same and it was looking like the annual Kruger Mackinaw
Island bridge paddle scheduled for Monday might be cancelled. I
decided to leave for home with the Dreamcatcher early and still
have most of the weekend to spend with family. What a pleasant
surprise when at 5am as I was tiptoeing out of my room to the
exit stairwell to find Mark and Jack stick their heads out their
door, all smiles, and wishing me a safe trip. I arrived home 19
hours later in Chapel Hill, and found the Dreamcatcher a nice
home in my garage with the rest of the growing fleet.
Home:
The weekend after I arrived home, I was
anxious to get the Dreamcatcher out in familiar waters. I
regularly paddle a 15-mile night paddle on Friday nights with
friends on a local lake. I was both excited and anxious about
showing up with my new old boat. My paddling partners would
certainly find the Dreamcatcher different. I also feared I
wouldn’t be able to keep up with them as our paddles are usually
paced at 4 mph. The Dreamcatcher was certainly a curiosity, but
we managed to maintain a respectable 3.7-3.8 mph pace
throughout.
Since returning home, the Dreamcatcher and
I have paddled many miles weekly on the lake and have taken a
few weekend beach trips. I've not missed paddling my Explorer
at all, and have retired it for the season at least until after
the challenge. I know think of the Explorer as my play kayak,
rather than my expedition kayak. I've also not been much
interested in using the GP or any double bladed paddle. Zaveral
Racing Equipment has sponsored me in the UC by providing an 8oz
bent shaft carbon fiber distance canoe paddle. I find it so
much easier on my joints, and enjoy the rest provided by
alternating sides. I will need to do some training with a
double blade paddle for the UC, as it will be necessary in a
rescue situation, and possibly for added stability in rougher
water and surf landings. But the single blade has now become my
primary paddle.
I've found myself completely surprised at
how much I enjoy and love paddling this boat. I still don't
quite know what to call it, a canoe or a kayak. It doesn't
really look like a canoe, and you don't kneel in it. It's
rather large for a sea kayak, does not quite maneuver like a sea
kayak, and has so much buoyancy it sort of bobs on top of the
water. Yet it looks more kayak than canoe. That I paddle it
with a canoe paddle makes it difficult for me to call it a
kayak, though certainly there is a tradition even in some
traditional Inuit kayaking cultures of using a single blade
paddle with kayaks. Needing to classify what I do, and not
really able to classify the boat to my liking, I've taken to
just saying I'm a paddler.
I’m sure I want one of these Kruger boats.
I want one for all the kayak camping trips I regularly do on
the lake and at the coast. I want one for all the future
expeditions I dream about. I want one or all the future
WaterTribe Challenges I plan to participate in. I want one just
for my Sundays on the lake.
Mark said if I finish the Ultimate
Challenge, I could keep it. Look out everyone, here I come.
Copyright ©2006 Dawn Stewart
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