While I'm encouraged by the buoyancy of the barrels and the canoe in general, this second practice run was less emotionally uplifting than the first. A few things I'm brainstorming now:
Where the sail needs to be to be balanced for a canoe makes it a little bit of a stretch to manage for us shorties.
The leeboards were heavy, treated 1x6 planks cut to 3 ft long so that about 2 feet would be under water. These are supposed to provide counter-resistance for a canoe which doesn't have a hull or rudder like a sail boat. To do that, they have to be underwater next to the canoe. These just floated :(
Lifting and maneuvering the canoe with weight in it (not even full weight yet) is just plain hard for one person. At least for me.
I believe there is a 'perfect' configuration for the gear inside the canoe that will balance the weight, make room for everything, but also allow plenty of room for movement and comfort. Haven't found it yet.
Hank tried to jump out this time. Need a lot more time in seat for him to feel comfortable. He also isn't willingly swimming yet.
Knowing where I need to focus my limited time is half the battle, and there were some great positives:
The sail worked! Even in the very light lake breeze, I was able to steer and sail the canoe.
The barrels stayed put when I tried to swamp the canoe and made it very difficult to fill with water.
Hank did jump in the canoe a couple times on the ground, so it's not hopeless.
Need to make a few hardware tweaks, and here is the configuration I think will work a bit better for balance and space:
The water jugs can also serve as simple outriggers to add stabilization when needed.
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