billvoss

I upset my low back today. So I am now only a maybe for Friday.

I don't recall Bass Beach, but two foot seas are not ideal when combined with an exposed beach launch.

I think I can, I think I can.

Have fun! Too many conflicts on Tuesday to join myself.

I suspect I am not being wise, but I will try to get up in time to attend.

It looks like unlike in the USA, in Canada you need a license to operate a VHF radio. As I understand it, besides the possibility of fines for breaking the rules, the main safety issues seem to be that using a USA domestic only MMSI would not show up as a Handheld, and when used to match vessel information would either not have any information, or worse would match some MMSI that was domestic only in the foreign country. I don't know how Canada SAR would handle that situation. Good luck.

Hi Jim, This could be my first Sea Kayak trip of 2024. It will take me months to recover from the hour of sleep the government stole from me last night, and York is one of the most distant day trip launch sites I ever attend. However, if you plan to milk the cows, feed the chickens, sheer the sheep, and groom all the horses, dogs, and barn cats before you leave that morning, and I get up extra early and eat breakfast in the car, I think I would enjoy joining your paddle. Bill Voss

Fund Pool Sessions! Actually, I think you should put the bare minimum of legal constraints possible on how NSPN spends your gift. Instead include a non-binding letter of hopes and suggestions, which you can easily revise over the years. Just trust the club's volunteers to try their best. NSPN board members won't always do the right thing, or what you would have wanted. However, if you cannot trust future NSPN boards to try their best, you shouldn't donate the money to NSPN. If it is a very large amount of money, then arranging for it to be disbursed over multiple years, and to the extent possible protecting it from lawsuits against NSPN is indicated. Right now, the main thing protecting NSPN from lawsuits isn't the waivers we sign, it is the fact that all of NSPN's assets wouldn't cover the cost of hiring a lawyer to sue the club.

When I stand next to someone before their first wet exit, besides telling them to bang on the bottom of the kayak if they want me to rescue them, I usually tell them this story. Which somewhat resembles Joe's story above. A long time ago now, I took an AMC Boston White Water course intended for paddlers who had a pool roll, but not a reliable combat roll. The course finished with us spending a few hours at a wave train "play spot." Basically a bunch of standing waves extending into a calm pool of water. The students went into the waves and intentionally capsized, then tried to roll up. There were a bunch of safety boaters present to rescue your kayak and gear if you wet exited instead. Towards the end of the day I stubbornly tried, and tried, and tried many times to roll up until I was very low on air despite having lifted my head many times. When I finally gave up, I bent forward to reach my grab loop and instead hit my helmet on the bottom! During my attempts I had floated through the pool, and over a sandbar down stream of the pool. So instead I pulled the skirt off on the side, and then used my hands to push out of the kayak. I was surprised my feet were a bit tangled, but managed to flutter kick free and make it up to the glorious air. When a safety boater flipped my kayak up, they found the skirt was still on! The skirt had only come undone on the starboard side, it was still attached on the front, port side, and rear. Clearly spending time pulling the skirt off on the side had been wasted effort. Who needs a grab loop? At that time the white water skirt I had been wearing did not have suspenders, but my sea kayak skirt DID have suspenders. After that event, I removed the suspenders and have never again used a skirt with suspenders. I have never had a skirt with a secondary release, but one of these might also solve your issue @Barbara Ryan. You can normally grab the "knee" strap with your hands, or sometimes raise your knee to trigger it. Just do NOT put a RAND skirt on a composite kayak, or wear suspenders! https://www.nauticexpo.com/prod/paddle-people-gmbh/product-195468-534552.html https://zetkayak.com/products/baller-87-sprayskirt https://palmequipmenteurope.com/gb/whitewater-spraydecks/2262-11679-enduro-deck-2023#/21-colour-jet_grey/93-deck-r4/94-waist-xs_s -Bill

I received emails for two invoices #4145 and #4152 during the process of paying my annual membership dues on December 27th. The first nagging me to pay, the second after I did pay. However, PayPal activity shows only one debit to NSPN in December. So feel free to ignore this information if it is not useful @mhabich

Thanks Mike. For those @prudencebinterested in such things. I signed up for sessions: 2024 Session #1: Saturday, January 6 2024 Session #2: Saturday, January 13 2024 Session #4: Saturday, February 10 2024 Session #6: Saturday, February 24

I am still (impatiently) waiting for NSPN, AMC NH Paddlers, and AMC Boston WW paddlers to formally announce what if any pool rolling they will be offering. I certainly hope to attend more than six pool sessions this season @prudenceb. However, I did not make the same mistake this year, and let all of Kevin's January and February sessions fill up before I registered. That will limit how many NSPN pool sessions I attend compared to last year. So if you want to be sure of getting my tutoring, you should sign up for Kevin's November, December, January, and/or February sessions! The Lowell YMCA sessions do have some advantages compared to Haverhill. The Lowell YMCA has adjustable temperature showers (Men's side personally confirmed) unlike Haverhill. The start time is comfortably after lunch, but the finish is early enough that my wife doesn't gripe about delaying dinner. We have historically not been stepping on another group's session when we start, nor had another group crowding us as we leave. In my own case the one way drives are very different in time and distance (AMC NH) Boys & Girls Club of Greater Nashua 7,2 miles, typically 14-18 minutes (Kevin) Lowell YMCA 23.4 miles, typically 26-35 minutes. (NSPN) Haverhill High School 39.2 miles, typically 40-55 minutes. (AMC Boston) Arlington Boys & Girls Club 41.8 miles, typically 45 minutes to 1 hour. Since White Water paddling usually starts in March, I probably won't attend many if any late season NSPN pool sessions.

I've practiced at Kevin's pool sessions for many years. This season I signed up for his November 19, December 10, January 7, January 21, February 4, and February 18 sessions.

I'm in the process of selecting/scheduling winter pool rolling sessions. The NSPN pool sessions will probably be my longest drive, but many of my friends attend, so I would like to include NSPN sessions in my schedule. To do that I need dates and times. Hence this post. thanks, Bill Voss

@gladif @Sue H.agrees, you can have my spot Karen. My back and piriformus are too upset this week for me to drive that far much less paddle that long.