More Canoe
Christine April 30th, 2008
We have postponed bringing the aforementioned canoe home because we discovered the dealer has the Royalex version in their warehouse. The store took two days to locate this particular canoe, even though it happened to be in the same town; but it must have been in a different dimension. *grin* The boat is more money (of course), but this material (Royalex) would be easier to work with in attaching the planned sail and outrigger to the hull. So, more on this new endeavor as it unfolds.
One of the motivating factors in purchasing this canoe has been not only our yearning to learn how to sail it, to be free on the wind and water, but also there is the practical aspect of being able to carry more people with us. Since my Mom’s recovery from her heart procedure, we’ve been wanting to grant her a wish she’s had for a long while — to go down a stretch of the wild and scenic portion of the Missouri River. This summer we could make it happen. Gosh, and my Dad might even enjoy it too! We could take five people in our kayak and this canoe, plus all the gear we would require. We could also choose to stay overnight or not. There is a stretch between Ft. Benton and Loma which we think could be paddled in one day, for instance. Anyone out there who has done this stretch of the river and has some advice or suggestions? I would be most grateful.
Along the canoe theme: Here is a very old article about touring with a canoe from Harper’s New Monthly Magazine August, 1880, via the Wooden Canoe Heritage Association website. To give myself some perspective, this was published 10 years before my own grandmother was born. The article is extensive and covers basic canoes and canoe camping in depth. It mentions everything from the many layers of clothing you should have, what type of cot is best for sleeping on, to what kind of portable stove is the most functional.
“A canoe,” according to a recent official and technical definition “is a boat sharp at both ends, not more than thirty-six inches beam, and which can be effectively propelled by a double-bladed paddle; but a canoe may be propelled either by a double or single bladed paddle, or by one or more sails. No other means of propulsion shall be used.” This is the single modern cruising canoe. She is a unique craft, a boat unlike, and yet having the distinctive qualities of, all the others.
Added by Matthew: It makes you realize how much we have in common with people from over 120 years ago, how they were looking for an authentic experience of being close to nature… and how different life was in the days before the internal combustion engine.
Messing about in boats, traveling hundreds of miles without burning any fossil fuels, telling stories around a beach fire under the stars… it really reminds me of Wharram’s comments about sailing being mankind’s first and last freedom. Long live simple craft and the thin waters they ply…
Related posts:
I’d forgot about that article from Harpers… what a fun read. It makes you realize how much we have in common with people from over 120 years ago, how they were looking for an authentic experience of being close to nature… and how different life was in the days before the internal combustion engine.
Messing about in boats, traveling hundreds of miles without burning any fossil fuels, telling stories around a beach fire under the stars… it really reminds me of Wharram’s comments about sailing being mankind’s first and last freedom. Long live simple craft and the thin waters they ply…