I use my Mystery almost daily. I put in the Poquonock River and paddle out to Pine Island and back. As a result of that an my natural impatience I leave it outside most of the summer. As you may imagine, this is pretty hard on the boat and particularly the varnish. After a year of that treatment the varnish was pretty much shot.

A hand made wooden kayak is not truly finished until you have put your first scratch in it. The New England Rough Water Symposium is a chance to see to it that your boat is well and fully complete along with few scratches to prove it. While "rough water" may sound scary, this is a good event for a wide range of paddlers from the novice through experienced paddlers. It will give you a chance to learn from top paddler how to use your boat to full effect.

Once again I will be attending OkoumeFest hosted by Chesapeake Light Craft in Annapolis, MD. This is a great event to try different boats and talk to other builders. I plan to bring down my Petrel, Ganymede, Nymph and Expedition Single.