Up against gusts of 14 knots my paddleski and I SAILED the shallows of Deception Bay this arvo moving northward in greater than walking pace against a North Eastery wind.
So I must have been going at least 5 knots.
Great time of it was had until one of my rudders began to fall apart. With this level of wind buffeting the craft the rudders are stressed +++ -- much more than I expected considering that the mast and sail held their hardware comfortably aloft.
Tip: when assembling a sailing craft from bamboo, crutches and tarpaulin -- always use quality cable/zip ties.
On the way back south we moved along even faster...especially as the wind had freshened. But dem rudders let me down again.
The forces that the rudders were up against amazed my naive nautical mind. You've perhaps been exposed to all the mythic stuff about the Great Helmsman : now I know why. It's hard work steering when the forces of nature want to take you one way when you seek another course. (Maybe that my rudders are made from kitchen cutting boards is a design drawback?)
They don't tell you that about sailing do they -- that this rudder business is heavy weather? I have two rudders -- one on each side of the hull -- and it took strength to hold the craft on course with both my hands on each rudder steering like I was captaining an armchair.
At times I was in 40 cm of water as the white caps were forming so my rudders also have to bounce off the bottom when we are crossing the shoals. Deception Bay is so named because its many shoals do so deceive.
Despite these forces upon me I did not capsize...So we're still in the sailing business.: my paddleski and I.
