Judy's Modifications

We had a pleasant surprise on Sunday morning, even though there was ice on the Gorge, so our planned outing was called off. A bunch of us went for coffee instead. The pleasant surprise part came when walking along the beach at Gyro Park afterwards: two unfamiliar kayaks were coming to shore.

As they reached the beach, we walked over to say hi. The boats became recognizable at about the same time as the paddlers -- it was Judy and Mike, who live next door to the Beach House!

Mike has a sweet and simple sea kayak, and Judy was out in her little green Pelican that usually leans up against the side wall of their house (on the other side of the hedge from Bernie and my kayaks).

"We call these 'drowning boats'," I teased her. "They haven't got any flotation and when a Pelican fills up, it sinks."
"Not this one!" Judy laughed. "I've got some flotation in the stern, and some pool noodles in the bow."

We checked, and I gotta say, this is the safest Pelican I've ever seen. Judy rigged it out with rope and a homemade paddle float on the deck, a big styrofoam float fastened behind the seat, and the pool noodles up in the bow. John got a picture of her improvised flotation innovation.

Pool noodles! Is there anything they can't do?
(And while we're at it... Oi! Anyone who is paddling an empty shell of a little recreation kayak with no bulkheads or flotation devices, listen up. You have no excuses now! Get some pool noodles if nothing else is available, and fasten them into your boat.)
Now I want to make a paddle float like the one Judy made!