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Wednesday, December 4, 2013

Tartlet goes for a ride

It's December and in the 50's f!  I had to get out on the water, but there was no wind.  So a row can be good.  I decided to take Tartlet out for a row in the marina basin.  The other water access points were iced up so Tartlet seemed to be the only boat I could easily carry thru the gates of the marina and down to the water.
After rowing around for a while I remembered how nice it is to have a good little rowing boat that is light weight and handy to put in and take out of the water.  I rediscovered how decent a rower this little boat is even though she is very narrow, and very short.
My oars tend to hit or touch each other at their inboard ends during each stroke, but that kind of adds to the rhythm of rowing.  I did not install braces for my feet to push against but as the boat is so light it is almost unnoticeable.
An added feature that I discovered is that Tartlet's diminutive size allows me to store her on the foredeck of Ventura, and thus leave her at the marina, ready to use.  Now I have 2 boats at the water, ready to use, one for sailing, one for rowing.

"Tartlet" onboard "Ventura"
This isn't an arrangement I'd think to use while sailing Ventura, but in this application it works just fine.  Tartlet could be towed behind Ventura just fine I am sure.
I rowed over to watch a friend working on his boat.  I shifted the oars and put my feet up on the transom of Tartlet and stretched out to take a nap in the bottom of the boat.  This is what I like about a rowing boat over most kayaks, the ability to lie down and stare at the sky or the inside of my eyelids.  I am sure I looked as if I was lying in a coffin I had made for myself, she is just about the right size and shape for that.
I may add a sculling notch to Tartlet at some point.  I am not sure why I didn't put one in to begin with.
"Tartlet"

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