Skim Bat At Rose Tead

Yesterday, Gregg, Lisa, John Mahoney and I drove out to Rose Tead lake for some skating. I took the skim bat and for once the wind did not immediately die. I actually got to rip across the lake at high speed. Best part was that a car crossed the causeway, then turned around and drove back just to watch me skim across the ice. The show off in me appreciated the onlookers (it's sad to admit, but last week at Buskin lake with no one watching me I got a little bored with the skim bat and the mindless ripping across the lake).

The skim bat is sort of like a wind surfer sail. But you can also catch air and use it like a handglider. The wing itself is actually quite easy to control and it is not tiring to hold onto. When windsurfing on the water you often need a harness to relieve the strain on the arms, but this is not true of holding onto the skim bat.

The skating was great too - and when the wind died I put down the wing and went skating. It was warm, and the mountains seem to loom up directly from the lake. The same 11 swans were still on the open water at the outlet to the lake. Afterwards we drove to the beach and looked for whales. And then we all drove home in John Mahoney's truck. Nice not to have to drive - I looked out the window and appreciated what a great and beautiful place is Kodiak.