It's quite the clever boat. We stuffed the front hatch with bedrolls and the back hatch with food and cruised into the Great Dismal Swamp. Sweet Becky hogged the Mirage. I got the Summersong canoe with the tent and drybags. The canals and Lake Drummond are perfect for the Hobie, and all quiet water boats. The lake so perfectly mirrored the sky that the boats seemed air-borne. Away from shore, we disturbed some large fish (maybe gar), while pedalling silently. Had the fish jumped up rather than sculling down, Becky might have tested the stability of the Mirage. So, due in part to the wisdom of the fish, she never got wet. We learned about the boat. Carry your leatherman swiss army tool. If you ding a fin on a cypress knee, pull the cotterpin and turn it around. And: you can't really paddle and pedal at the same time. The pedals move you so fast that the paddle has nothing to do. But keep at least a single end paddle for a reverse gear (and gar defense). And: the pedals really do fit backwards. For the adventurous among you, pedal/paddle into Drummond on the night of a full moon. Perhaps you will see the ghost of an Indian princess carrying a firefly lantern.
