Journal #2
30 April 2006
The most beautiful boats in the world have arrived in
Lacombe, Alberta today. Sam Greer arrived in the Ontario Conference
moving van today and said, "Those are some amazing boats!" We are
inclined to agree.
Anita and I had been waiting anxiously for that phone call
and headed off to take ownership of our new craft. I wish that each
one of you could see these incredible creations for yourselves. Each
pair of paddlers will be in a distinctively different boat. The most
dramatic of which are the Le Tigre Kevlar layups. In the photos to
the right you will see a Green Tigre, Red Tigre, clear Tigre and a clear
Kevlar. Souris River has developed a new kevlar cloth that combines
the traditional golden cloth with a crosswoven black fibre. The
results are visually stunning.
Within the hour we had two boats on the water on Cranna Lake
near our home. Responsive, lively and quick they were a great deal
of fun to paddle. Anita, who is just recently over from Australia
has announced that she will be taking a canoe back as carryon luggage.
We'll see how that one works out.
Even the resident muskrats and mallard seemed to be impressed
with the canoes. It may have been our imagination, but every
creature on the lake seemed to be stopping by for a gawk at the canoes.
At least our attention was centered on becoming acquainted with our new
means of transportation.
After putting the boats back into a secure storage area we
carefully cleaned all traces of mud and sand from the hull. Polished
them until our reflections were visible again and said goodnight.
Even though we intend to treat these boats extremely well, I doubt that
they will continue to receive this level of care once the trip actually
gets underway.
Over the next few weeks we are expecting a steady stream of
parcels to be arriving on our doorstep. At present we are dealing
with over 30 vendors and sponsors and will be receiving over 500 pieces of
clothing, equipment and other supplies necessary to outfit 8 people for
the trip. An entire room in our house has been dedicated to
organizing and warehousing the equipment for the next 4 weeks.
Return to Trip Journals
Contact us at ddelafield@gmail.com
Voyage to the Bay 2006
c/o David T. Delafield
5029 57t Street
Lacombe, AB
T4L 1K8
403.782.1642
