On Memorial Day, after much planning, we launched the P/V Goldfish in Lake Sammamish in Redmond. Our 16-foot, two-person Hobby-Cat kayak was named the following day when we placed her in Lake Union, near the University of Washington.
P/V Goldfish before we snapped in the pedals. Even though the boat is long, it fits on the top of Rich's Honda Insight
We were pedaling by several crab fishing boats, including the Wizard (featured in the TV show “Deadliest Catch”) when I noticed preceding the initials “F/V” proceeded the names on the boats. Rich commented it meant “fishing vessel.”
A lightbulb simultaneously went off in our heads. We should identify our kayak as P/V, meaning “Pedal Vessel.” For the next hour or so, we brainstormed on names potential names when it dawned on me, the color of the kayak was that of a goldfish.
Behold the P/V Goldfish!
Pedaling leaves my hands free to wave at people on the shore!
What makes the boat special is that you pedal instead of paddle. It’s much, much easier to pedal and you can go much, much faster! We zoomed across Lake Union without breaking a sweat. Here’s a picture of my feet, helping propel the P/V Goldfish under one of the bridges leading to the Ballard Locks.
While on Lake Sammamish, and the following day on Lake Union, we received many comments and applause from people on shore and in other boats. The P/V Goldfish is both fun to pedal and attracts lots of attention.
We can’t wait to plunk in her other lakes, rivers, and even the Puget Sound… and put on the “turbo” flippers, which are supposed to be more difficult to pedal, but will allow us to go faster. And we have a small sail that can be placed in the center of the boat to capture wind and further increase our speed.
Rajalary 