Boat early and boat often...

We took the Pond Prowler out for one more shake-down trial. This time, Drew divided the 60 pound sand bag into two 30 pound bags. First, I went out with both sand bags, then with one sand bag, and finally with no sand bags for ballast. I found that 60 pounds does give me the best tracking in the water, but 30 pounds works almost as well. 

The summertime configuration with me at the bow of the boat moving forward.

This was also the first time I went out with the camera tripod (due to my oral surgery recovery time of two weeks.) That worked well, although with me sitting at the front of the boat, I have to swivel around to the tripod, turn the boat around, run the motor backwards, all to take a photo. This situation will only have to occur during the height of summer when the grasses and pond plants are at their peak. In springtime and autumn, I'll be able to have the motor at the back of the boat with the tripod in front of me, with no problem, as I won't have to be on the lookout for plants to foul my prop. Note, that I brought out an old camera and a kit lens for the trial run. I'll do more serious photography later in the week.

Drew took the canoe out solo as well, and we had a blast bee-bopping around the pond together! I found that I could run the motor on the lowest setting, then turn it off and drift so that Drew didn't have to paddle at full throttle to keep up/;-)

And, here is a quote from Henry David Thoreau's "Walden" that I found fitting:

       “A lake is a landscape's most beautiful and expressive feature. It is Earth's eye; looking into which the beholder measures the depth of his own nature.”