NDK Explorer first trip

The next day we planned a trip with our club Aquavite. The wind was strong (6 Bft) and we went for an island on the Gooimeer. I could have taken the Orion (it was sold later that day) but I took the risk to take the NDK Explorer.

We started against the wind. Soon I got tired, I had trouble to sit upright and had to rest sometimes leaning backwards on the afterdeck. Strange, I never had this before. There must be something wrong with my seating position. And I got my doubts on my Greenland paddle, was it efficient enough for hard working against the wind? When we finally arrived at the isle I quickly recovered. We checked everything and came to the conclusion that the front hatch that I use as footrest was too far away. I couldn't put much force on it. Happily this Explorer has also adjustable footrests and by putting these in the far most position I could use these.

The Explorer and Greenland paddle

During the return I had no problem at all. We enjoyed the surfing very much. Happily, I was in the front now and not in the back of the group. I never felt unsure in the Explorer. Stability and maneuverability are somewhere in between the Dawn Treader Odin and Orion. A good compromise I think. The boat is a good surfer, and seems quite fast. And it feels "sporty"...

Nice surfing