Mike was repeatedly patching his kayak. A few of these repairs were major. Finally....the phone call, "Hey, I've got a six inch crack in the hull of my boat. I don't think I can patch it anymore. Is the other boat ready?"

The kayak (ten plus years old) wasn't quite ready. It was Thursday afternoon. The necessary phone calls were made and a plan developed. Pick up the boat in Massachusetts on Saturday morning. Get the graphics on Sunday morning and have them installed on Monday morning. Once the graphics were installed, I would be out the door and Florida bound.

Mike wanted the design to give the illusion of the American flag - red, white and blue with stars. It seemed appropriate for the "Sea America Expedition" kayak.

Jack Weaver, "Recon" Jack's in Springfield, Massachusetts did the fiberglassing and new paint. The boat was painted white - bright white.

Bruce Harrison, Alpha One Graphics in Windsor Locks, Connecticut, designed the graphics.

Don Rossi, Rossi Graphics in Colchester, Connecticut, installed the graphics.

The boat was a real "eye catcher". (While driving to Florida numerous folks stopped to comment on the kayak.) I was looking forward to Mike's reaction.

I met Mike in Ocean Ridge, Florida. It was a 30 mile day for him and he pulled in around 5:30 p.m. Within a minute of getting on shore, Mike was already engaged in conversation with two guys who helped him with his kayak. (I really wanted to drag him away to show him the new "SAE" kayak.) After what seemed like forever, the two men offered to help us carry the fully loaded, 225 lbs. plus kayak to the truck. Finally!! Mike's reaction was great. He really liked it!!

We stayed in the area for a few days to put new lines and bungi on the deck. Mike reinforced the hull with more fiberglass. The next day he took it out into the surf. It appeared to be watertight. Mike wanted to paddle it empty to be sure there were no leaks, so I drove up the coast and he paddled an empty boat for a day. No leaks!! The next day we loaded his kayak. He headed up the coast paddling his "new" "SAE" boat and I drove back to Connecticut.

Mike and I would like to thank our friends, Jack, Bruce, and Don for their cooperation and willingness to make this project a priority.