Sixty Years of Canoeing with Sally
Sixty Years of Canoeing with Sally by Roger Urbaniak
It is hard to believe that Sally and I have been together for more than fifty years now. Sally is the name I gave to my canoe when naming boats after women was fashionable.
Sally acquired a fair number of scrapes and dents over fifty years and is now starting to show her age. I am sure that if she could talk she would say the same about me. Once a large tree limb flattened Sally to the ground and I thought her lost. Fortunately, aluminum frames have memory and a well-located jump brought Sally back to life, a little shaken, but otherwise fit. Owning my own canoe has allowed me to access places that I couldn’t otherwise get to. Visits with nature without the noise and distraction of an outboard motor allow for a more pleasurable and realistic experience.
Early in my teen years I saved money from my paper route and purchased Sally for the then hefty sum of $75.
Sally was an attractive 18-foot Aero Craft canoe with built in web seats. Once I found that Sally could be carried on top of a car with the use of a car top carrack, and that I could lift her onto the car myself, we set out to tour the world together. When I left for college in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula, Sally went too. Together we tested white water streams while others, more sensible, used kayaks. We both survived, but at times our survival seemed to rest on the outcome of a coin flip.
I purchased my first racing paddle in Michigan many years ago, hoping that with it I could compete in races. I soon discovered that I did not have the speed or endurance of the top athletes. With the aid of my racing paddle I was able to maneuver my canoe quickly and efficiently. I practiced J strokes, hunter’s strokes, and a variety of strokes that would turn my canoe quickly or slowly as situations required, in either calm or white water. Moving to the center of the canoe and staying low when paddling against the wind allows me to keep my course. To show off my paddling skills, Sally and I still run the obstacle course near Foster Island, either with a partner or just the two of us. Contrary to what you may have been told, the person in the rear (stern) controls the canoe and is responsible for it going straight.
For many years I owned a VW sedan and would use it to transport Sally.
When all 18 feet of her was loaded on top, Sally awkwardly protruded over both front and rear bumpers like some strange beast belonging on a carnival midway, but we always arrived safely. When canoeing by myself on a river, my strategy was to drop off the canoe at the start point, drive to where I wished to stop, park the car and hitchhike back. Somehow the image of a slightly balding adult in cutoffs carrying a canoe paddle must have elicited sympathy, as I seldom waited long for a ride.
Rivers had lots of interest when seen from the vantage point of a silent canoe and provided relaxing travel when using the current. Silent travel allowed for frequent wildlife sightings and even the occasional skinny dipper was caught off guard while cooling off during the summer. Once we even helped to rescue a dairy cow that had lost its footing and slid into the river near Fall City. The river current and depth where the cow had slid in made it afraid to move. I located the farmer who owned the cow once we completed our trip and he happily came to the cow’s rescue. The very next week we recovered a canoe that had been stolen, which eventually led to the recovery of a companion pickup truck by the Sherriff’s department.
Occasionally, during December, Linda and I decorated Sally with battery powered Christmas lights and ventured off into the dark to join much larger boats enjoying caroling from Seattle’s Christmas Ship. Watching fireworks on the 4th of July from Sally can also provide unique viewing. Each new outing is still a treat. Recently however the lifting and carrying Sally has caused me to strain. If and when Sally’s weight simply becomes too much, I decided to hire someone to help me.
We may both be getting older, but with careful planning there should still be plenty of fun trips ahead of us.
