If you are deposited in the Harpeth River often enough, with the tents and food waiting a day’s travel down stream, you learn how to steer a canoe.
If you fish from the bank long enough, with the fish apparently elsewhere, you get a canoe.
If you’re constantly blown around by the wind, while trying to cast from your canoe, you get an electric trolling motor.
If you keep seeing those guys fishing in the middle of the lake and wonder what they know that you don’t, you get sonar.
The Rita II, named after the vessel in The Creature from the Black Lagoon, had the aspirations of a WW II destroyer, some of the equipment and a Captain of occasionally questionable command decisions.
In hindsight the first motorized cruise tempted Providence. Yours truly (180lb), Mike (180lb), Murray (230lb), Lauren, (60lb) and about 60lbs of battery + motor, conducted sea trials on the Cahaba River above the Hwy 280 bridge one Spring afternoon. Excitement muted concern for the water line being only 3in below the gunwales. We did not capsize and Murray caught one bream. Upon return to shore all were unloaded, save the Captain, so as to ‘see what she’ll do’ speed wise with minimum load. This put 240lbs in the stern and the bow in the air. Going straight was not a problem but quick turns were. Another useful insight was that the prop needed to be just below the surface so as to avoid an additional source of unpleasant rolling.
An early modification utilized jumper cables allowing the battery to be placed in the bow which made one man travel pretty level.
As time went by various numbers of the Shavings served as bow ballast but mission creep has kept voyages exciting. Our current state-o-play has made it possible to fish for striper in the summer over an underwater spring. This however requires, in addition to the usual ordinance, a big bait tub, aerator and Shaving 4 throwing the cast net for shad while standing in the bow.
Future development of the Rita II will involve a 2hp gas motor and possibly an outrigger so as to more boldly go off the beach or into the tail race of some nearby dams. I know what you’re thinking; “Fair well and ado to you fair Spanish ladies….”
There is one voyage that has not been made but should have been the first given the canoe’s namesake; a passage that begins as a christening in the storied waters of the Black Lagoon. The fence is not high and when the gate is not open the sign simply says “beach closed”. A determined crew, just before dawn’s bend and the squadrons of black vulture landings begin, could easily hoist the Rita II over the fence. Then with out arguably “opening” the beach, they could hit the water, paddle past the pier, take a right and be on their way in the dawn’s early light amongst the many creatures which still remain. Just a thought.
ML
6/6/07
