: Yesterday (Sunday the 26th) Leslie and I were in Austin to join up with
: Gerald for what might be Texas' first wood kayak gathering. A norther had
: just passed through, leaving us with temps in the 50s, lotsa wind and
: light rain on and off. Probably had two dozen boats show up all in all,
: with 14 present at one time.

: I got to paddle the following: Chess 17, Chess 16LT, Chess 16LT w/ Seal Line
: rudder, West River 180 (original incarnation), and Gerald's self-designed
: stripper. My own boat is a CLC Mill Creek 13, which represents pretty much
: the sum total of my paddling experience until then.

: I liked Gerald's boat the best by far. In fact, I believe I want to build one
: for myself. It is wider than a typical sea kayak, which is perfect for my
: fisherman self, has a wonderful blend of tracking and maneuverability,
: plus a pretty nice turn of speed. His craftsmanship is top-notch; even
: though he didn't put everything he had into it, as it is something of an
: experimental project, his result was still the best finished stripper
: present.

: I feared I might come away from such a gathering with a bad case of envy, but
: it didn't happen. Turns out my Mill Creek performs very well compared to
: the other boats I played with. The flat bottom is still a bit of a pain,
: and I will certainly build another boat to improve upon it, but for now my
: satisfaction with it is renewed.

: Other boats we saw were the Night Heron (strip), Guillemot, CLC Pax 20, a
: small SOF brought by the Duckworks crew, a Folboat... Too bad our digital
: camera had been dropped from a C-47 by an ancient B-25 pilot a few days
: earlier (don't ask).

: Gerald is to be commended for his efforts in bringing this little gathering
: to fruitation. It was definitely a success! Everyone I saw was obviously
: having a GREAT time. Thanks again, Gerald!!

: Cheers,
: Kurt Maurer
: League City, Texas

Wish I could have been there but had to work Saturday and Sunday nights. Happy to see good turnout. Looking forward to spring get together. Glen