RYE 'N SKYE

After 20 + years RYE 'N SKYE was finished and launched (receipt for the rough cut cedar was dated July 1999). 2 kids and 6 moves is the excuse for taking so long; but in reality, it was the fear to begin glassing and potentially ruining all the time spent on the woodwork (the fibreglassing proved to be not too difficult thanks to helpful videos on YouTube and hints in the WoodenBoat forum).She was built from plans purchased from Laughing Loon Kayaks, the Panache.The instructions provided were very detailed and easy to follow. I sketched the deck design after seeing a couple of beautiful kayaks with curved designs at the Port Townsend wooden boat show a couple of decades ago.I chose not to cut in hatches as most of my paddling is day trips and I wanted the deck to be as uncluttered as possible. Dry bags accessed through removable bulkheads will be used for longer trips. Deck lines were mounted as flush as possible to make reentry easier in the event of a rollover. The seat is carved closed cell foam which proved to be very comfortable.A three hour initial paddle in some wind and waves show she paddles effortlessly and tracks well.