Picture this: You’re lying out on Lake Washington looking up at clear blue skies on an 80 degree day, with sunglasses on, an ice-cool beverage in hand and perfectly tempered summer sunshine just tickling your skin.

Many aren’t aware of the UW’s Waterfront Activities Center (located behind Husky Stadium) that can provide the essentials for that ideal summer day. While they won’t provide the sunglasses and drink, they can provide an inexpensive way to get out on the water.

In addition to being a boat storage location, the WAC rents out rowboats and canoes to UW students, and faculty and the general public at an inexpensive rate.

Rental rates for both canoes and rowboats are $4 an hour for students and $7.50 for the general public.

Though there’s not much, if any, instruction that comes with the rental, the act of actually paddling a rowboat or canoeing is fairly simple, even for a newbie like myself (though I cheated and called a buddy along who ended up doing most of the paddling).

Maximum capacity for the canoes is three people; four people can fit into a rowboat. Other differences between the canoes and the rowboats include their ease of maneuverability and balance.

Experience has taught me that the canoes, though they might seem as if they’ll flip over the moment your body weight shifts into the thing, are much easier to handle than the rowboats. Nonetheless, wearing a bathing suit while onboard in case of any sudden movements is never a bad idea. Life jackets are provided as well.

The rowboats, while seeming more stable to get into, are more difficult to manuever due to their larger size.

Other than that, though, once paddling is mastered — which should take all of about two minutes — getting out into the water should be a breeze.

Bringing food and a cooler along might come in handy, because thirst or hunger pangs shouldn’t cut into your trip.

Sometimes it’s easy to forget that as far as you paddle out, you’ll have to paddle back in the same distance — and the way back always seems more difficult.

To capture those memories out on the water, bring along a camera and a number of Ziploc bags for anything that’s not supposed to go swimming. Store the camera in an airtight bag, and inside another bag inflated with air so that it will stay afloat.

With the perfect combination of sun and sea, stopping by the WAC can make any given summer day hard to beat.

For more information about the WAC visit depts.washington.edu/ima/IMA_wac.php.