Ibi's Maiden Paddle

It’s Oklahoma, so we had to sit through two days of up to 50 mph winds. It wasn’t wasted time as we had other projects to keep us busy. Today we got out for a test paddle and got Ibi wet for her first time. I went for a short paddle with the empty boat, and then met Jean at another ramp where we unloaded all the gear from the truck and into Ibi. Including fresh water, that came to 196 pounds. The first thing that impressed me was her speed, but then her maneuverability with the rudder was equally impressive and worked great…no more losing paddle strokes to steering maneuvers. With all the weight loaded aboard, I was much impressed with how much speed it retained, and how it was still easily worked against the wind. The weight, rather than having a detrimental effect, actually improved stability. Ibi’s a beautiful boat, and meant for serious mileage, so I’ll do my best to do her justice.