What with most of the world shut down for Presidents day, we thought
it would be a fine day to go adventuring out to Cemetery Hill, the
local hot spot for sledding. Conditions were perfect, packed snow
that was almost iced on the hillside and about 35 degrees. My
assistants were Lucy(Lu Who), and Emma (4&6). Lucy was chief in
charge of ballast and Emma was the press photographer. (Many other
photos were taken, with much instruction… "here Dad, hold this water
and look thirsty… no, not like that… now it's Lucy's turn… Pose like
this… hey look, Ive got the camera upside down for this one...
etc."
The boat was given the final preparations on site. Normally top
secret speed modifications should be kept that way, but I will share
this one with the group…One layer of 4 mil clear plastic stapled to
the hull. The boat was dragged to the top of the hill for the first
run. For safety reasons, only the captain was on the first run. (I
decided ahead of time to make the first run solo, if it self
destructs and hurts me… "what a dummy!" If it hurts the kids,
that's not good… The child protection folks would be asking "you did
what with your kids?") The boat went good and straight for most of
the downhill run, but then pivoted slightly and changed course, then
pivoted further and became an ice shaver showering the captain in
freshly shaved ice. (Note to self… bring some Kool-Aid next time,
instant slushie!) With the first run a success, the boat was hauled
up the hill for an attempt fully loaded. Similar results recorded
for the second run, but one of the co-pilots forgot to zip her
jacket up fully and ended up dancing around complaining of snow in
her shirt. A third run was attempted, solo, for the press photos.
Due to dead batteries in the camera the last run was photographed,
but not GPS'd. Maximum recorded speed for the day was 17.3 MPH on a
downhill run. (just for the record, I'm sure the run without the
GPS was the fastest, nudge, nudge, wink, wink! )
The fastest run for the day was just over 20 MPH in a plastic sled
with all 3 aboard. Much fun and excitement for all involved. Mom
is out of town this weekend, so it will be the three of us again,
depending on how much new white stuff falls, we may be back!
I did miss an opportunity to promote the fleet; one guy asked where
I got the idea for the boat. I was able to mention PDRacer.com, but
had to chase after a child about to plummet towards the trees that
are at the bottom of one area of the hill. I've got to remember to
print out some business cards with some info. Other thoughts for
next time would be to either add a runner or two to limit the
turning of the boat, or learn how to lean it and use the chine to
steer.
The record was set in a Skinny PD (32" wide)
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