I picked up my Red Adventure Island on Saturday. I already have a couple of Mirage Classics from before they were called "classics," so I know and love the mirage concept.
But, I am a sailor at heart, and all I can say is WOW! This thing ROCKS.
When it gets going, it really jumps up and goes! I plan to take this with me all over the country to the different places we go with our family. Florida, Colorado, etc. I will primarliy sail in Lake Michigan and Powers Lake Wisconsin.
The only concern is that I am not sure I can get this thing onto and off of my roof rack by myself. I could with the classic, but not sure yet how to do it with the Adventure Island.
I have a 9 year old, 3 year old and 2 year old. I took the 2 year old with me yesterday. I have taken him on the classic in the "back" before, but he was way more comfortable sitting on the hatch right in front of me. I had to be VERY careful to only pedal when I had his little feet out of the way. But there wasn't much pedaling to be done. We had a FANTASTIC sail. And, it was very comfortable with him right there in front of me. The only problem was the two times we took some good waves, and it kind of shocks him because it was a little cold. He fell asleep 1/3 into the sail and slept the whole rest of the time!
Then I took my 9 year old girl out, having her sit in the back. After a bit, we switched spots and I knelt in the back. Not uncomfortable at all, especially if you kneel on something besides the plastic. And, it works fine to sit in the back also. I am 190 and 6ft tall, but all was just fine. I could see making up a little seat for back there. The boat was still fast and agile. I could trim the sheet while she steered. I really like the sail. It goes great even if you aren't perfect with the trim, and at the same time it really responds to tuning.
All in all the initial shock of the three grand is over. Money well spent. We can explore all of the places we go, and sailing sure is better than pedaling! A little pedaling is nice, but it sure is nice to cover so much ground with so little effort!
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