Day 32 - Island Kayaks 'Qaarsut'

With the Level 2 coach training over I had one day to spare in New York before flying home so I decided to check things out on Lake Champlain. When I had originally looked at where I could paddle on the lake my interest was quickly drawn to the possibility of doing a circumnavigation of South Hero Island which is situated east of the town of Plattsburgh NY. After scaling off the mileage I quickly realized the 37 mile distance might be out of reach for a solo day paddle. With thoughts of an island circumnavigation scrubbed I was on to figuring out plan B with the help of Steve Maynard. Steve helped me plot a course consisting of a 24 mile loop on the west side of the lake that would take me north into the wind up the New York side of the lake across the lake and down the Vermont side then back over to my put in at the Valcor Conference Center.

For the trip I was going to be borrowing Melissa Maynard's Island Kayak 'Qaarsut' which is a greenland style touring kayak. It's not exactly a boat one would consider for a 24 mile day but it was new to me and I was happy to try a boat I couldn't find at home. After helping the rest of the folks get ready for a 3 Star open canoe training I launched into Lake Champlain at about 10:00 AM. Two and a half hours and ten miles into the wind later I took a break at a boat launch on the Vermont side of the lake. After reviewing the chart I realized that I was only a few upwind miles shy of rounding the top of Hero Island a few extra miles across the top could have me running down wind on the back side of the island. Seems how I pretty much had the hard part done the plan was hatched to turn my 24 mile day into a 37 mile day and actually do the run all the way around the island.

So it was with a remaining peanut butter sandwich, four granola bars, an apple, and two bottles of water (in a boat designed more for trick rolls and shorter day trips) that I continued on up and around the island. The next two hours and seven miles were a hard earned crawl into a head wind but the payoff was worth it as I surfed from wave to wave 11 miles down the back side of the island. As I neared the south end of the island luck was with me as the wind died making the five mile crossing back over to my put in an absolutely beautiful walk in the park.

The Qaarsut proved to be a bit plungy in the 1-2' wind chop I encountered on the north bound part of the paddle. By plungy I mean that when I came down the back side of a wave into the base of the next the bow would pierce the wave which would then slap back together over the deck of the boat and wash up and into my chest. This meant I took several blasts of 45 degree lake water in the face as I paddled into the wind. During the downwind surf on the back side of the island the boat proved to be a bit squirrely. I spent the better part of that 11 mile run edged into the wind with the paddle fully extended to that side. It worked well but I must admit I wished for a better tracking boat when a couple waves managed to overpower my efforts and turn me up wind. I was quite pleased with the speed of the Qaarsut and despite the troubles I had I was completely comfortable for the entire length of the trip. If long trips are your game it'd be best to grab a more appropriate boat than the Qaarsut. But if greenland tricks and day paddle are what you're interested in then if you happen upon one the Qaarsut is worth a look.

The Island Kayak brand and Qaarsut are new to me and I tried to find their web site on line with no luck. The boat specs I listed were found on a kayak forum so I can't attest to their credibility.

Qaarsut Review

Manufacturer = Island Kayaks
Brand = Island Kayaks
Model = Qaarsut
Type = Greenland style touring kayak
Material = Fiberglass
Length = 16'-7.5" ?
Width = 21" ?
Weight = ?

Location = Lake Champlain (South Hero Island Circumnavigation)
Time = 10:00 AM
Distance = 37 miles
Duration = 8:19 hours
Avg. Speed = 4.45 mph
Conditions = Partly cloudy and breezy