Change is in the air

Here I am on May 31, 2013 kayaking Irondequoit Bay in Rochester, NY. It had only been a few weeks since my neighbors had let me borrow one of their kayaks for a short paddle; I knew immediately, I was hooked and I wanted one for the sail boat I was shopping for. Over the next few weeks I began researching types and styles of kayaks on line and consulting with a few friends who were experienced kayakers. I traveled from my small town in Poultney VT to Rochester, NY via Amtrack to join my friend Deb in trying out different types and styles of kayaks designed for big water. I picked Rochester because of the kayak shops on Lake Ontario and it’s similarity to the ocean whereas all the kayak shops closer to me focused on rivers and small lakes. I wanted a boat that would handle the ocean – as that was where I was headed.  The train traveled along the Erie Canal for much of the trip and I looked at this Canal and joked, I should paddle back in that canal, but people don’t do that in kayaks. They use bigger boats, like the sail boat I was searching for.

I never found that sail boat that I was searching for, but I did find a kayak. I purchased an Ocean Kayak Trident Ultra 4.7 that year and I’ve been traveling around NY and New England kayaking ever since. Still suffering from the loss of Lexie back in December 2015, I decided that I need to start doing those things which I’ve desired. Those bucket list items. So here I sit, three years later and once again I’m sail boat shopping. As before, things are not going well. Being 6’4” tall and desiring to live on a sail boat is tough. Sail boats were not designed for tall people. If I were 6’ or even 6’2” I’d already have my dream boat, but alas, I’m not and I don’t. That didn’t stop me from selling off all my possession – again – and search for the boat and now I’m down to a few small items before everything I own will be able to fit upon my back.

If there is one constant in my life, it’s Change. It’s actually a constant in everyone’s life, though many resist it with all their might. Me, I love change. I love the idea of sailing because there is constant movement, constant change and yes; change is once again in the air. Today I reveal “The Boat”. Yes, I have chosen a boat that will carry me through life for the next six to eight months, perhaps longer, but before I get to that, I will share a story about my first cross country trip.

The Motorcycle Trip

This story begins on July 4^th 1999. I had spent years fantasizing about traveling across the country. Years before I had purchased a 32’ Dutchman Travel Trailer. My truck, as it turns out, was too small to tow it. So I bought a bigger truck. The bigger truck used too much gas and I’d never be able to afford the miles I was going to do so I sold that and bought a diesel pick up; and there it sat. The trailer never moved more than a couple of hundred miles and that was for winter storage. The truck was used to work, but never really left the state of New York. Eventually I sold it all, truck and trailer and I just existed.

After selling the trailer, and I do mean immediately after – like hours after, I stumbled upon a used motorcycle. It was Honda ST1100. Unlike all my other bikes, this one was designed for touring. Touring as in Cross Country touring, but I didn’t know that yet? The concept was all but foreign to me. I had remembered seeing these guys, usually from Canada riding these giant Goldwings. No offence to Goldwing riders, but they seemed more like a two wheeled couch than the bikes I liked to ride, which were low, chrome and full of leather fringe. Yeah, I was one of those types of riders. Now here I was sitting on this ST which stood for Sport Touring. It had the hard panniers like the Goldwing’s but it looked more like a sport bike and I didn’t ride sport bikes. I bought it.

Once I had that bike I used this new technology called the internet to join something called a Forum and began connecting with other ST1100 owners. The more I connected with these people, the more I discovered this group of rider who traveled the country on this bike. A weekend was no longer two days between Friday and Monday when you mowed your lawn. No, the weekend became a time when you saddled up and headed out of town. Prior to this bike, I may have put two-hundred miles on a bike in a day. On this bike I was rolling off five and six hundred – a day. I’d go from NY to Boston – for lunch. Take the long way to Vermont. Getting lost was a lot of fun and then it occurred to me. I had the vehicle I needed to cross the country. It was not why I bought this bike, but it and I were capable of achieving it.

There I was, July 4^th 1999 and I had packed up my bike and left New York. My first stop was Vermont where I said Good Bye to my family as this was not a weekend trip. It was not a 2 week trip. This was a trip with no end date. I was headed out to see the USA. That trip lasted 33 days before I found myself running out of money and homesick. 33 Days living on the bike – Living off the bike. I got to see a lot of the USA. It would take me years of multiple motorcycle trips on two different bikes and eventually my co-pilot Lexie joining me to truly see what I had sought, but eventually I had and thus began the new dream to Sail the World.

The Boat

 

So here it is, 3 years after I bought my first kayak. A kayak that has taken me down many rivers, out into the ocean and lakes and here I am searching for that big boat to take me sailing when I realized something. My Honda ST1100 – My Cross Country trip – The Erie Canal.

We tend to find reasons why we can’t do things rather than searching for ways we can. I had taken some big losses on two of the big ticket items I was selling to afford the boat and now I didn’t have enough money to afford the size or quality of boat I need to accomplish my dream. I had two options:

1) Buy a boat that requires a lot of work, get a job near the marina and spend years getting it ready.
That’s a good plan, but my boat shopping showed me many a sailor who started off this way. Something always happened and they would become stuck on the dock with a boat incapable of going anywhere. Their dreams slowly died.

2) Get a smaller boat.
This would be a great option, but the smaller the boat, the smaller the headroom. I was already having trouble with the 38’ – 43’ range I was searching in. This wasn’t an option, or was it.

A few weeks ago, I began exploring a third option. I was the water I desired, not the boat. The boat was merely the vessel to get me on the water. I began researching “Plan B” and the more I researched it, the more excited I became. It was the smallest of vehicles that opened the back door to the country for me all those years ago. It is the smallest of boats that will be allowing me to venture forth and live on the water.

I present to you the boat that I will be living on for the next Six to Eight months. Lex-T-Sea.

On July 1, 2016 I will be launching Lex-T-Sea in Buffalo NY at the mouth of the Erie Canal and then begins an epic paddle. One that will carry me from Canada to Key West Florida via the Erie Canal, Hudson River and eventually into the Intercostal Water Way all the way to Florida where I will continue down to the Keys. I’ll be updating my blog here along the way and you’ll be able to track my progress via SPOT.

I’ll be looking for places to camp in, yards to camp in and company along the way. If you live along the Erie Canal, Hudson River, the ICW or the Keys and are willing to open your yard or house to me, I will truly appreciate it. Unlike a vehicle, I will be unable to set hard destinations as I’ll be at the mercy of weather, current and strength so I might end up paddling by some hosts. The more offers I have the better it is.

Over the next few weeks, I’ll be preparing Lex-T-Sea for the trip and will be looking for ultra-light weight gear to carry aboard. If you’re a touring kayaker, tips and tricks are welcomed as well as any ultra-light weight gear you may want to suggest.  Please comment below with suggestions.