Essex with the Trailer

We decided it was a great day for a family paddle. The trailer made it much easier to transport Big Red. The drawback is that it makes parking more difficult at some kayak put ins.

We decided to do the Essex river, because the boat launch is a big boat ramp and they have trailer parking.

The paddling was windier than we expected, so I immediately put the rudder down to keep Big Red under control. Bug was not a help. She did do a little paddling in the early going, but then she put the paddle down in the cockpit. That would not have been so bad if her paddle wasn't just log enough to get in my way.

The beach break was nice. We had lunch. H relaxed, Bug played in the water and looked for ways to burry herself.

The paddle back home was a little more stressful. H was on Bug to help out paddling because the wind was up. H was also very concerned that Bug and I were not hugging the shore enough. Bug and I worked out a system where she would give me a boost when I needed.

Dinner was when the real fun started. We promised Bug seafood and the only place we could find had a small parking lot. We pulled in and then spent 20 minutes trying to maneuver the trailer around the parking lot. We couldn't get it into a spot; we couldn't get the car turned around to get out of the lot. It was a hot mess

We finally ended up disconnecting the trailer and pushing it into its own parking spot and then we parked the car in another spot. Thankfully, the trailer is lite and easy to push around.

Once we got past the parking, dinner was excellent.

Despite a few minor bumps in the road, it was a nice family day on the water.