Jackson Kayak is so Wrong!

They call this color "moss green". They're so wrong!  It is exactly the same color as "sunshine on spring leaves".  I knew this spring I wanted a new boat.  I had been at the top weight range of my Allstar and knew it was time to find more volume.  I had tried out the Superstar a couple of years ago but found the boat itself to be too big for me to be comfortable in.  While I was comparing boats on Playak.com I saw that the new 2010 Superstars were about the same length as my older Allstar just with more volume. Precisely what I was looking for.  In my mind I started dreaming...I thought a yellow and white kayak this time and for some reason I named her Sunshine in my mind.  When I called Midwest Mountaineering I talked to their sea kayaking specialist Jerome.  Looking on the computer he said there was only one in stock and it was red. I wasn't excited.  It didn't fit as Sunshine and I didn't want to wait  as the first Wausau Whitewater release was this weekend.  I called back a bit later and talked to their whitewater specialist Peter. No he said...the red one is the older style.  We have one 2010 Superstar and it's moss green.  I thought not quite the Sunshine I imagined but I told him I'd take it and pick it up the next day.  He described it as a light green and I though it could be any kind of green but green is a favorite color of mine so what ever it was I'd be OK with it.

I got up early in the morning and headed to Midwest.  They were setting up for the Expo so they were closed but "open" for me to pick up my new boat.  Jerome led me into the boat yard and I saw her leaning next to the door.  A little thrill went through me...Damn she was cute!  Perfect! The color was unusual and alluring.  I loaded her up and headed to the river for a quick paddle before work.  I was able to play for an hour on my favorite hole.  The sun was shining down though the newly budded trees and on the carry back up I stopped for a rest and noticed there was no difference between the color of my boat and the color of sunshine on spring leaves.  I know I'm going to love playing in Sunshine!

This year I also want to go with more volume on my creek boat.  I was able to sit in the Villain S prototype at Canoecopia this February and liked the feel of it.  The larger Villain has 92.5 gallons of volume and I am thinking that this will be my next creek boat.  I was able to demo a Villain S at Wausau and was very impressed.  I took my first stroke out of the eddy and was impressed with the acceleration speed.   I took the Villain S down the slalom area of the park looking to see what kind of precision control it had.  The balance was great and it handled each move with ease and a crispness I liked.  Most of all I like the feel of the lower deck height and my knees being in a better position to control the boat.  Very nice!

Strange how things work in your life.  My Occoee that I bought last fall was the first boat I named and I call her Montana since she came from Montana.  I knew before I saw my Superstar she would be named Sunshine and she is sunshine...on spring leaves.  Daydreaming about my new creeker to come a name popped into my head and I knew immediately that it was the perfect name for my Villain. I'm going to call him McMurray.  Somethings you look at and you think...aw that's naughty...and you smile.  I'm going to enjoy riding the hell out of McMurray...that boat needs to be paddled hard.  Now hmmmm...what color should I choose?