FOUND IT!!!

Lake day with Lyssa: and the more I paddle this boat, the more we are ‘becoming attached at the hip’; figuratively and literally (when I am seated in her that is)

Sorry Blue Jean, your are being relegated to moving water/rivers/winter-kayakamping.(that last only because she hauls a shit-ton more gear with ease. Lyssa can haul a lot too, but BJ has way more room inside)

We put some miles under her keel, though I didn’t hit the ‘record’ button on my logger,,, No real clue what miles, but a few for certain. Went back to the put-in bay and did a lot of playing around too. I left the open water when I started seeing the Sea-Doos,,, DO NO TLIKE THOSE HOOLIGANS!!!! Its not the speed, or the wake, its the inattention, coupled with those two things. They race around playing tag with each other and have ZERO respect fot the other boaters, cutting didoes in front of other fast movers, cutting within bare feet of slower movers like me, and gawd only knows how much they muck up the bass-boats trying to do some actual fishing,,,,

Once back at the bay, I did some sprints to get my speed up and was playing with bow rudders, side-slips, hard edges with stern rudder: that sort of shit that seperates a pro-kayaker from rank amatuer.

And then we played with rolling. Five SOLID rolls (all good side, I’m building to my offside still- will explain in a moment) and ZERO wet-exits. Started working on my offside rolls using my paddle float as my training wheels. and that was when I FOUND IT!!!

Set up for that offside (which is my left the side I usually capsize towards to do a right hand roll), float bag firmly in hand and good deep breath; capsize same side as recovery=half roll. and I was spending a moment consoling the bluegill I surprised when I dropped into his living room unannounced; thats when I heard the gurgle. Looked up at the back hatch and could see a stream of bubbles coming from the compartment ring where it supposedly is bonded to the deck. Piddle paddled back to shore, popped skirt and got out, popped that back hatch cover and sure enough, about 1/2 gallon of water in the hold. Probably not all at once since I had been paddling awhile and that back hatch gets splashed A LOT, and had been doing some rolling prior,,, BUT, enough that any gear back there would have been soaked through.(unless in dry bags and even then, all day in slowly rising water, that water would have made its way into a drybag as well.)

Thats one thing I really like about that lake: water is crystal clear for 20′ and I could see that stream of bubbles as if looking through atmo, not liquids. That was not the intent of the day, I knew I had a leak, just not able to isolate it (I think it self sealed when I pressurized the compartment or something) but now I know, and the fix is even easier than that one of the Day hatch: bigger hatch, able to get my head into the hold to see the inner ledge it rests in, and able to get handSSS in as well to do the work that my eyes can direct instead of working blindly and praying.

speaking of that day hatch,,, finding the leak in the back reminded me that I had just completed a ton of detail work on the Daycompartment and wanted to confirm success. AND<<<<< IT was!!! totally dry with the exception of three drops of water off the cover that slipped in as I checked.

As for the cockpit, the coaming lip is holding the skirt again, and what water i had there is the usuals. wet feet, water slipping down the tunnel of the skirt as you flex up in a roll; little stuff that adds up, but not going to sink you either.

Back home, Grizz placated that he hasn’t been abandoned (most seperation anxiety kat I have ever seen,,,) and Lyssa is on the horses for that back deck/hatch ring repair. I am going to have her fully sea-worthy yet dammit!!!! (and a damned good excuse to hit water sometime during the week: “gotta make sure my repair worked and holds,,,” LOL

but this over-the-hill paddler is gettting droopy eyed from playing after a long hot/wet week,,,, buzzy kitteh in lap ain’t helpin’ none either,,,, gonna take me a nappy,,,, Short power nap then I will get on toward Buffalo stuff and Lyssa can wait till evening for detailed dremel work on her ring. Should still be more than warm enough then for Resin/graphite to set up. (gonna make the resin match the ring, not the deck. I haven’t any red gelcoat at this time.)

more laters,,,