This was our first major outing with the kayak away from our home waters that usually is either a lake, slow moving river, a bay off the Potomac or the Potomac itself. We were headed to the Outer Banks (OBX) in Duck NC where we rented a beach house.
Although we have a trailer for ease of travel and hauling, I felt the kayak would be more secure on top of the Outback for the 4+ hour trip on interstate and state roads. This way I did not need to worry about where I park, getting a flat tire on the trailer, etc…that was my thinking.
I ordered extra tie down straps from NRS and had to laugh when I decided how I would mount it on the roof. I remember a year ago before we bought the kayak I had researched for a month what I thought was absolute best rack for the Hobie…it was complicated and expensive…that is when I decided to get the trailer and that was the right decision. Fast forward a year and I simply turned it upside down on the existing car rack, strapped it down and attached a bow and a stern strap and hit the road up to 75MPH – it was rock steady. J
Once we got to Duck we simply kept the kayak on the shore by our house above the high water line and tied it off. Everyone got to use it and experience the versatility of the kayak from glass smooth water, to wind driven choppy seas of Currituck Sound, Duck NC. We used the sail – great fun and on other occasions, either paddled it or peddled it. Daniel used it for a swimming platform on a hot day in the sound and Ben used it as a crabbing platform on NUMEROUS occasions!
It performed all of these roles flawlessly the entire week. Ben and I discussed taking it out in the ocean which would have been great fun but the Atlantic was spirited that week we were there and I could see nothing good coming out of a U.S. Coast Guard rescue. We decided it is probably better to go out with someone more experienced before we head through the breakers for the first time.
I enjoyed the sailing portion immensely and have considered if a Hobie Tandem Island (TI) is in our future. We could sell our Oasis and use the TI in both kayak mode (which it does very well) and also as a fast moving sailboat. We will see what the future brings…
I did take about 45 mins of footage while on the kayak and edited it down to the following 5 minute video.
Suggest watching in 10HD, full screen with speakers on…enjoy.