I grew up watching Thomas Magnum tooling around Hawaii's Big Island in a Ferrari, solving cases, and always getting the girl. When he wasn't bumming a chopper ride off T.C. or dodging his tab at the King Kamehameha Club, he'd be cutting through the waves in his surf ski off the private beach behind Robin's Nest. What a life.
Fast forward 10 years and I'm on shore leave in St. Croix. Some shipmates and I discovered an outfit renting sit on top kayaks - shorter versions of Magnum's preferred watercraft. This was my chance to be T.M. but with a better tan. The siren call of those weathered kayaks was undeniable. I turned to a buddy, "Hey, watch my stuff. I'm heading in."
"You ever kayaked before?"
"Nope."
"I dunno, Cap. Surf looks kind of gnarly, and there's a lot of boat traffic out there."
I brushed aside his concerns and after some rudimentary instruction from the rental outfit, I pushed off. Being seated just off the surface gave me fantastic views. I had twenty feet of water below me, but I felt I could reach out and touch the seabed. Schools of iridescent fish darted in and out among rock formations, coral, and undulating beds of seagrass. I smiled realizing that at that moment, I was the skipper. I plotted my course and pointed my little craft toward open water, paddling for all I was worth. She sliced through the surf building up speed, seemingly sensing my urgency. Slowly, the sound of calypso music from the beach bars and Buffett tunes from boats in the anchorage died away and I found myself alone. Only sea birds, calling and wheeling in flight above me, intruded on my solitude. The gentle lap of the surf against the kayak and the scent of ocean brine induced a profound sense of solace and serenity. I was definitely hooked.
After Andrea and I were married, she humored my obsession as countless vacations, long weekends, and anniversaries involved a pair of rented kayaks. We've paddled the coastal areas of Maryland, Bar Harbor, Puget Sound, La Jolla, and Martha's Vineyard. "Rental" was the key word.
For years, I've been dropping hints to Andrea that I'd like to build my own. In my mind's eye, it's the natural progression. I've done the research - Pygmy Boats puts out great kits that are highly regarded in the paddling community. We have space - our current house has a large two car garage with only one bay occupied. It now comes down to time and money. Unfortunately, I find disposable amounts of either don't tend to appear at the same time. Nevertheless, it's still a goal and one that will help me one up Thomas Magnum. He may have lived and worked in paradise, but he never built a kayak.
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