After some deliberation, I bought one of these. Placed the order this morning, and should be hearing from the factory within a day or two about shipping dates. They make them to order, you see.
I ordered the yelllow one, as Becky informs me that it’s the one I like best, being visible and all. Black below. I toyed briefly with the idea of naming it Hirundo, for the genus of the birds that swoop dramatically around the mouth of Pinole Creek, until I realized that it might not be the best omen to name a boat, essentially, Swallow.
Zeke and I went down to the Bay this morning to scope out launch sites. The boat launch at the creek mouth is overgrown. Silted in. In a word, useless. But when the tide’s up by four feet, it turns out, one can launch essentially from the picnic area at Pinole’s shoreline park. Drive down, put the kayak together, carry it down fifty feet of path (41 pounds!) and head into the wind for Wilson Point. If the tide slackens by two feet, I’ll have a hundred yards of muck to traverse. Paying attention to timing will be important.
That beach, this morning, bore an unusual congregation of turkey vultures. (Now there would be a bird after which to name a vessel.) We investigated and found a 30-inch chinook salmon, lately deceased and since then deprived of a left eye and the adjacent cheek, but otherwise intact. If the scavengers leave the skull there, I’ll bring it home. Gotta hand it to the buzzards: salmon cheeks are pretty damn good eating. Smart of them to get the best cut first.
Nothing like buying a kayak to make the blue parts stand out on a map of California.
Update the next day: Folbot sent an email saying that my boat will be built and shipped in one month. And oh, by the way, they’re running a sale that they didn’t bother to advertise on the web site, and they’re charging me almost 300 bucks less than I expected.
Posted by: Chris Clarke
Categories:
The Creek
The Neighborhood
Wildlife
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