Looking sporty with an outrigger kayak

September 21, 2006 D. H. McKee

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I was thinking of learning how to sail recently. R’s all gung-ho about buying a boat and getting sailing certification — so much so, that it kind of rubbed off on me. I’m usually up for anything, especially when sufficiently hyped about it (or sufficiently drunk). Also, I’ve canoed for a while now, and I’ve even built a canoe from scratch (really, I re-built the canoe from parts purchased at a canoe store). But I have never kayaked anywhere, and I think it looks like it would be pretty fun to do.
And yeah, sure, the image of a guy with a kayak on the roof of his sporty car is something that really appeals to my desire to look sporty — in the absence of actually being sporty. Also, I’ve always really wanted a catamaran, and have recently been reading J. Maarten Troost’s Getting Stoned with Savages, wherein he describes living on Vanuatu in the South Pacific, watching locals scooting about in outrigger canoes (funny book, by the way).
So imagine my surprise when all the things I’ve just talked about manifested themselves in a boat you can buy online. The Hydrovisions boat is a little of everything thrown into one: a two-hulled outrigger kayak with a sail.

It’s pretty cool, doesn’t weigh much, and can be driven around on your roof-rack, with minimal setup time. Also, if you get bored with paddling the damn thing, you can hoist the sail. The big drawback is the price, $4995 plus $229.00 if you want the “sidecar” attachment, which allows you to carry the sail and extra gear (or a really light passenger). It’s about as expensive as two really nice kayaks, but not as expensive as a pocket cruiser sailboat. So I’m not sure I’d buy one unless I could find one used, and in good condition.

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As a guy who occasionally curates art shows and wrangles artists together, I often have to edit and post artist bios, profile pictures, and artwork images. This can be a problem, since many artists and writers aren’t used to selling themselves. Artists rarely know how to present their art for display in a brochure, and writers aren’t used to writing about themselves.

Writers often treat the bio like it’s an interview or something. Maybe like they’re having a conversation with you, the reader. While it may work sometimes, the most common way to write a bio is to write in the 3rd person.

I’m like those writers, and I’m talking to you directly, unlike the common way to do a bio. You should see my About page. It makes sense to me, since this is a bit which describes my blog’s website. When I get famous enough that I don’t have time to talk to you, I’ll have an intern write everything in 3rd person. Until then, you get to talk to me.

Like blogs of old, this one is a personal document of the comings and goings of me. Articles I’ve written, links I’ve posted, videos I liked, etc. Here, a first-person perspective is the way to go, at least for now. So, this is my site. I’m D. H. McKee, a sometimes artist, sometimes writer. Mostly just a guy on the internet.