Shay and I drove up to Port Townsend, Washington, to visit family over the Thanksgiving weekend. On the way up, I stopped in Olympia and sold my sea kayak, the trusty green dragon (NDK Explorer HV). I've been flirting with Tiderace Sea Kayaks for almost two years, and when they finally came in, I decided I was going to get one.
I took the Tiderace Xcite demo from the shop in order to get it into some rough conditions, and make my final decision based on those results. I already knew I loved the boat in mild conditions.
Shay and I launched from Fort Warden and paddled North towards the lighthouse. We were seeking the rip that exists 1.1 miles North-West of Point Wilson lighthouse. The currents were running just about as strong as they get in this area (5kts), and when the ebb apposed the twenty mile-per-hour West-Northwest wind, I expected two to four foot waves in the rip.
We found what we were looking for, and when the big cargo ships came through the Strait, the resulting boat wake would create a series of six footers plowing through the rip.
After exhausting ourselves playing & surfing in the rough stuff, we paddled back into Admiralty Inlet for calm conditions and shelter from the wind, satisfied with the handling of the Xcite.
We practiced rescues & assisted re-entries, and I fished for a few minutes unsuccessfully before we called it a day.
The following day I was more focused on fishing. I had spotted a kelp bed off the North side of Point Wilson the previous day that looked to be protected from the current. I was going to use the exact same set up that brought me so much success in the San Juans, except instead of a ten-foot leader of twenty-pound florocarbon, I switched to a forty-pound monofilament. As I tied the leader to the handline, I noticed my improved clinch knot didn't bite as well with the heavier line. I tugged on it and felt satisfied the knot would hold.
I launched from the beach into mild two-foot swell, paddled out about a mile in order to get to forty-foot depths and began jigging the handline, hoping for a big kelp greenling or cabezon. I snagged some kelp, which is normally not a big deal, and tugged the line to free the hook as my knot slipped, and the lure fell right off.
I tied my only other buzzbomb on and made a few adjustments to my knot, which I thought would hold. I repositioned and began jigging. Almost immediately I felt the vibrations on the line that only a fish can make, and pulled up to set the hook, but nothing stuck. I repeated this process five or six times, and realized the size 2/0 siwash hooks I used for lingcod were way to big for the tiny mouths of greenling. Frustrated with my tackle and knot choices, I continued to jig hoping something with a bigger mouth would strike. Again I snagged kelp, and again my lure slid off the end of the line.
A bad day of kayak fishing is still a good day of kayaking, so we paddled West through the Strait, and found some beautiful coves, who's light-colored sand-bottoms reflected a brilliant emerald, Pacific-blue. We paddled for several miles without seeing another person, only this freighter bound for port.
When we got back to Portland, the new Tiderace's had arrived, and I got one! The following day I put it in the water. We launched onto the Columbia to winds sustained at twenty mph, with gusts to forty-three, and temperatures of thirty-four degrees with a wind chill of eight. Ice formed on our decks as we paddled; It was quite chilly.
When the outgoing tide apposed the ENE wind, the river produced two-foot wind-waves; A perfect performance test for my new kayak. We paddled downriver into the wind for seven miles before turning and riding the wind waves back to where we launched.
I have to say I love this boat. It has much more stern rocker and cleaner lines than the Explorer did. It's quick acceleration and responsiveness are second to none. I can't wait to spend more time with it!
Until next time,
Jason
