Chamberlain SD (Mile 968) to Yankton SD (Mile 805)

This next 163 mile section delivered some of the strongest headwinds I've experienced to date that held me up on shore for a few days, and also some of the strongest tailwinds and high swells I'v experienced that allowed me to sail 20 miles in a couple of hours.

These were the last two lakes to travel - Lake Francis Case and Lake Lewis and Clark - before getting back into the river with free flow all the way to St Louis.

I managed to find a sheltered bay the first night out that I shared with a huge beaver.

Sheltered bay on Lake Francis Case

My neighbour's house

I made the mistake of leaving my cooking and eating utensils out overnight and woke up to find my titanium cooking pot lid and titanium spork (spoon/fork combo) missing.

I'm not one to accuse easily and I'm certainly no Sherlock Holmes but there were only two of us in the bay - you be the judge.

He is in there hiding .........

........... spreadeagled over my pot lid and spork

I poked him with a stick a couple of times but he just played dead and I wasn't game to put my hand in and feel around in case I got ring-barked.

I paddled on and managed to get into Dock 44 marina just as a huge wind gust hit that would have caused me concern had I been out on the lake. No damage other than a snapped shaft holding the Aussie flag on the rear of my kayak (I had a spare).

I got to the marina restaurant and bar just before a storm arrived that lashed the place for an hour. I met Ron and Fred who had been sailing the lake in Ron's yacht. Their wives aren't keen sailors and they get away for a week each year. They're both from South Dakota but Fred now lives in California. 

Ron and Fred - the early evening storm served up a great sunset

The guys invited me to camp on the aft deck of the yacht - I did and had a great nights sleep - a bonus not having to set up the tent.

Me

Ron and Fred in a better light

I met Jodi from Oklahoma at Dock 44, she's working her way around the US with the ambition of visiting all 50 states - only 4 left to go. 

More headwinds the next day and I struggled to get around a headland to a sheltered bay and found Tom and Tyler camped up under a grove of cottonwood trees. It was nearly 100F in the shade but they had a fire going just to complete the camping scene; it was their second day there.

The things you see washed up on the beach - Flotsam and Jetsam A.K.A TnT

I left the guys asleep early the next day and enjoyed sailing with a following swell pushed by a strong tailwind all the way to the dam at the end of the lake. Check it out ..........

I could't believe how TnT caught up so fast but they arrived only 30 minutes after me.  We were contemplating how to get around the dam when Brad showed up with family and friends to launch his boat. I explained to him our situation and immediately received a 'how can I help?' attitude. We floated my kayak and TnT's canoe onto his trailer and minutes later we were in the river below the dam.

Brad, a farmer from South Dakota on holiday with his family.

The tailwind continued and I sailed in a strong current for another 20 miles until almost dark. TnT had pulled over to camp earlier and I continued on to a riverside restaurant for dinner. I paddled past a group of riverside holiday homes and asked directions from a family that were out lazing around their dock and swimming in the warm water. They invited me to pull over and tie up which I did and within minutes of being on Nebraska soil for the first time I had a meal of roast brisket and potatoe salad in one hand and a beer in the other. These were the Madsen family from Omaha who I'm sure went to the same hospitality school as the Montanans and Dakotans I'd met up river. John is a Stockbroker and Sally a qualified architect that's kept in full time employment looking after John and their six children as a stay at home mum. 

I had a much needed shower and spent the evening on their deck listening to country music as the kids put on a fireworks show. I met their son Michael and daughter Kate and another younger daughter  (I'm embarrassed that I can't remember her name) who made me a "moshy" - a toasted marshmallow placed on a square of chocolate between two sweet crackers that you eat like a sandwich. I slept on a hammock in their garden and left early in the morning for the next and final dam at the end of Lake Lewis and Clark.

View from the Madsen family's deck.

The start of this lake was no different to the others, the first 6 hours were spent navigating around mud flats and sand bars.

Into the open lake at last

Ritch Stolpe owner of the Briar and Bow in Sioux City, Iowa

I didn't have to ask this guy for help, we got talking as I was paddling past the RV park were he was staying about a mile from the dam. He asked me how I get around the dams and I told him that I usually find someone with a pickup and trailer to portage me. I can do that he said "I'll meet you at the ramp". Ritch is bow hunter and has combined his hobby with a business where he sells bow hunting equipment and runs an indoor archery range in Sioux City. He also sells briar pipes and tobacco. Once again, and for the last time, I'm around the dam in minutes.

The best view of Gavin's Point Dam

The historic riverside town of Yanktown is only 5 miles downstream. I put my feet up and just floated down river in an 8 mph current enjoying every minute.

Only 805 miles to go.

The Boat

Ready to Load at Chamberlain SD

After 1,600 miles (~2,500 kms) I feel I should say something about my experience so far in the  "Barbara May" (the kayak not the wife).

I am not sponsored by or linked to Eddyline the manufacturer of the "Shasta" in any way so the following is my unbiased appraisal. I purchased the kayak solely on the recommendation of Andy Bugh who undertook the same journey last year and then continued on down the Mississippi River to the Gulf of Mexico.

Firstly I have to say that I can't imagine a more suitable boat for me to undertake this voyage. I am not  an experienced kayaker and started this journey after only a few hours of paddling practice on the Swan River back home in Perth.

Stability

My greatest concern was the kayaks ability to keep me upright knowing that I would be crossing some huge lakes that have a reputation for generating waves like the ocean - and they did. The first lake, Fort Peck 139 miles long, taught me a lesson when I misjudged the weather and got caught in 4-5 foot waves  making a 3 mile crossing. At no time did I ever feel that the Shasta was going to tip or roll me over, even as I came in to the beach sideways to the waves. Although that experience was unnerving it gave me confidence on the larger lakes - Sakakawea 170 miles and Oahe 239 miles - to paddle and sail in rough conditions knowing that boat could handle it as long as I could. I have since, on Lake Francis Case, sailed 20 mile with a tailwind in 6 foot swells and enjoyed every minute - click on links below to see short video clips.

Sailing Lake Francis Case 1
Sailing Lake Francis Case 2

Handling

The Shasta is a joy to paddle, it glides easily over flat water and holds a true course with little need of the rudder to steer and it cuts through oncoming waves and troughs holding a steady course. With a following sea it will ride the swell and be be pushed forward  as though surfing. The rudder is quick to respond when manoeuvring to avoid obstacles in fast river conditions and when turning to come up-stream into a ramp it is simple with a bit of back-paddling to assist the turn. 

Under sail the Shasta is great, buying the WindPaddle sail has been the best equipment decision I've made and I highly recommend it to anyone undertaking distance kayaking. (I'm not sponsored by or linked to WindPaddle either)

Storage

I've probably got too much "stuff" but can't decide what I don't need (see picture above). I like every thing to be stored as low as possible and the only things I have on the deck are my spare paddles, a cut down juice bottle with a sponge inside as a bailer, and a bow rope, all drums and dry bags are stored below deck in the roomy 9 ft cockpit. I'm over 6ft tall and still have plenty of leg room when fully loaded. While I don't rely on the front and back hatches to be waterproof they pretty much are, even with waves coming over the top they haven't let water in. The covers press on easily and the only moisture I seem to get inside is from condensation which I control by placing 2 pounds of rice in a cotton bag in each hold as a  dessicate - a cheap $5 solution that works well.

I also purchased a fully fitted spray-skirt to keep me dry in rough conditions and a cockpit cover that keeps the rain and critters/snakes out and keeps my equipment out-of sight when I leave the boat unattended - they clip on over everything in the cockpit.

Maintenance

Not much to do at all really. I flush the steerage peddles with water every day or so to remove any mud/grit/sand and I sponge out both inside and outside each week to keep the boat looking clean. The cockpit is totally uncluttered, no frames or ribs to collect or hide debris and the seat is easily removed and replaced to assist cleaning. The only part that possibly could get damaged is the rudder assembly if the kayak "reversed" onto an obstacle or embankment, but after 1,600 miles I have had no problems at all. The rudder is designed to kick-up if it runs aground or hits something while going forward.

Service (from Eddyline)

From my initial contact enquiring about the Shasta to arranging shipping to receiving the kayak in Bozeman Montana, Eddyline have been more than helpful. An enquiry to clarify the single rudder configuration was answered by phone immediately and a follow up photo attached to email was received within the hour. I've had no problems at all with Eddyline, the quality of their product or the service I've received from them.

Summary

For a novice kayaker like me the "Shasta" has been a great buy and has lived up to everything I needed it to be - safe, reliable, responsive and fast; I'm sure a seasoned kayaker would make it sing and really get it to perform.

It would be an ideal boat for Australian conditions where every one of our major cities is situated on or near a river or an ocean estuary. The double configuration makes it a great day or weekender for two paddlers and it really comes in to it's own as a fully loaded single expedition kayak; I'd have no hesitation in paddling it in near coastal waters either.