Dan Foster

LOBO Buoy Program : Marine Sciences of Aquaculture, Fisheries, and Renewable Energy (umaine.edu) Maine EPSCoR LOBO (loboviz.com)

My older copy of U.S. Chart No. 1 says, in the section on aids to navigation, that a Yellow Lateral Buoy on a paper chart means "Caution: yellow buoy ahead". Perhaps they removed the hazard definition in later versions because it was redundant information. The NOAA and NOS buoys are yellow. NDBC - Station 44030 Recent Data (noaa.gov) Perhaps it was one of those, or maybe they've got a temporary buoy in place to update the current predictions in the area.

It would be fairly easy to design and 3d print these here for a couple of bucks each. It might be fun for a few club members to collaborate to design and print a few sea kayaking gizmos to solve common sea kayaking problems. Continuing the idea of safety-related gizmos that the club sorely needs, I'd suggest we try to 3d print marshmallow peep bow ornaments that don't dissolve in saltwater.

I've reserved the MCHT group campsite on The Goslings for the Sunday and Monday nights after this year's Jewell trip. If you're going to Jewell and would like to extend your stay on Casco Bay for two more nights, please consider joining us. The way this trip runs and the requirements for joining are somewhat different than Jewell, so please contact me directly if you're interested, especially if we haven't camped together before. We'll be paddling to Goslings, back home from Goslings, and on our day trips from Goslings in a maximum of two pods, and you'll need to be flexible and willing to join in the group's decisions rather than doing your own thing. I would like to be returning to (and therefore launching from) Mere Point or Cousins Island before noon on Tuesday. In the past we've had a second pod return later in the day. Forecasted severe weather will likely shorten or cancel this trip. 2023 version: 2022 version:

Can we at least get some clarity on which dates Jewell 2024 might happen? I'm assuming the weekend of May 17-19, but perhaps you have other ideas. I intend to host a pod from Cousins Island with a Jewell Island Afterparty on the Goslings, and those reservations open March 1st.

After signing and submitting (and receiving a confirmation email from waiverfile.com), I was redirected back to a 404 page, https://www.nspn.org/waiver/ Error code: 1S160/2. My profile page still shows my agreement was signed in April 2023. Hope something didn't get broken in the move to the new hosting provider.

I've been working a lot recently with Weldwood (you need the flammable version in the red can) to glue foam to Royalex canoe hulls, to itself, and to my fingers. The advice I've been following is to apply more than one thin coat to the foam, letting it dry completely between coats. Then one thin coat on the hull and one thin coat on the foam, let dry until tacky, and then press together. I've been using mineral spirits for surface prep on Royalex, but perhaps your hull can withstand something stronger.

Ten of us rented AMC's Knubble Bay Cabin, which is perched above the Sasanoa River in Georgetown, ME. The drive up on Friday afforded us all the opportunity to rinse our boats, gear, and selves with copious amounts of freshwater, courtesy of the sky. All but one of us moved indoors for the weekend. Dana had prepared a green chili that hit the spot on Friday night as we greeted each new arrival and watched the rain wash across Knubble Bay. By morning, the rain had cleared, but 5' swell along the coast between the mouth of the Kennebec River and Reid State Park dampened our enthusiasm for a Georgetown/Arrowsic Island circumnavigation. We instead opted to paddle down the length of Southport Island. We enjoyed just the right amount of fog - enough to make each new island seem as though it was emerging from a great void, but not enough to hinder navigation. [photos by various trip participants] Cath had seen a young humpback whale in the area a few days prior, and we all had "whale fever". As we left Goose Rock Passage and began our crossing of the Sheepscot, someone caught (and heard) a brief glimpse (and sound) of something, and the hunt was on! "Whar'd she blow?" We drifted down Whittum Island, all eyes and ears on alert. No whale. We crossed over to Powderhorn Island, checked out a very nice MITA camping site in the area, and then proceeded south along that chain of islands. Still no whales, but we got up close and personal with several grey seals and an intertidal mink. There's a statue of a dogfish at Dogfish Head. Go see it for yourself! We enjoyed an early lunch at Hendrick's Head Beach, and then continued south along the pretty coastline to Lower Mark Island. At this point, the group split, with some of us paddling back to camp, and others continuing on to the Cuckolds. The short-timers explored Cozy Harbor, before making a spicy crossing back across the Sheepscot to Five Islands. Big 4-5' swell was rolling up the river at this point, alternately lifting and dropping us out of sight as we took each rolling wave broadside. As we headed back through Goose Rock Passage, we found some wonderful tide rips and stopped to play before continuing back to the cabin. The Cuckolds group achieved their goal and then returned along a similar path. As they came through the Goose Rock Passage, one of the many small boats hanging out near Robinhood explained that they were following the whale around. The hunt resumed, and the group spent the next 45 minutes watching the humpback whale surface. Back at camp, the group lounged on the deck, watching the whale pop up in different parts of the river, and the flotilla of followers as they motored to each new surfacing. We prepared a pasta dinner, enjoyed Steph's homemade cake, and put our theoretical discussions about hull repair techniques and improvised floatation devices to their ultimate tests. After Sunday breakfast, we cleaned up the cabin, said some goodbyes, and then the rest of us headed up the Sasanoa. Nearby Beal Island has plenty of room and would make an ideal spot for an Intro to Kayak Camping weekend. It was buggy when we visited, as were most of the other islands where we landed on this windless day. We heroically fought our way up Lower Hells Gate (a bit after slack) and checked out the MITA site on Castle. Buggy. At Hockomock Point, a sheer cliff towers above the water, a unique site amongst otherwise low islands and shorelines. We continued up to Upper Hells Gate, where the heroism had to be taken up several notches, as there was a strong ebb current at this point, and a very obvious "waterfall" effect where you could definitely see and feel yourself paddling uphill. We played here for a while, with frequent stops as motorboats flew downstream on the current. At one point a boat came through with two of our paddlers eddied out against the rock wall on the right (river left), throwing a huge boat wake into their tiny eddies, and whitening a few knuckles. Many fun S-turns, peel-outs, and ferries were had at Upper Hells before it was time to head home. We stopped at Peggy's for lunch, and then zoomed down through Lower Hells and back to Knubble Bay to end the trip. In addition to the whale, the seals, and the mink, we also had multiple bald eagle sightings, including one perched in a low tree right beside the water, and saw a seemingly-infinite number of nesting osprey. All in all, this was a very enjoyable paddling destination, and 10 people seemed about right for the cabin. I hope this becomes a regular destination for the club. Thanks to everyone who attended for making it a wonderful weekend!

This trip is now full. Contact me directly if you'd like to join the waitlist.

I think you're thinking of Fort Folster. Fort Foster was where NSPN miscreants were exiled to work on bettering their forward strokes and their attitudes.

The Walden Pond twitter feed makes it easier to predict when there might be parking or capacity issues. There hasn't been a weekday closure yet this year. (There, I jinxed it) There are other local ponds that we could consider as well - Cochichuate in Framingham, Whitehall in Hopkinton (note that the Fruit St bridge is closed!), White's in Concord, Hart in Chelmsford... Plus the rivers.

There's been some talk about reviving a summer series of inland paddles and practice sessions in the Greater Walden Pond Metropolitan Area. In the past, we had weekly pond sessions at Walden on Wednesday nights. Given that a number of locals attend the Wednesday Lunch Paddles, it's been suggested that the Walden group meet any day OTHER than Wednesday. So much for alliteration... One option would be to schedule the paddles on Thursday night, the same night as the Chebacco practice sessions, since there's unlikely to be a lot of overlap between paddlers who would attend both. In the past, I've also tried to mix in some river paddles in addition to Walden, especially on hot days when Walden parking is likely to be full before we get there. If you're in the Walden area and would be interested in a semi-regular get-together, chime in with your preferred times and days of the week, and what you might want to get out of such a gathering. For myself, I would be an occasional attendee, probably 2x/month, and I would probably spend a bit of time refreshing my roll and working with others on rescue practice. I'd also be likely to show up with a canoe or SUP, practice strokes, turns, and figure-eights, and I'd very much like to mix in some river paddling. Monday evenings probably work best for me, but I'm flexible. I'd also be OK with some morning sessions. Who else is interested?

I've never tried this, but I may have to do a similar procedure on a canoe soon. I'd probably lay down a strip of paper or cardstock to act as a removable template. Fold the overlap, unfold and trim until it's nearly perfect, and then lay that down on your KeelEasy strip to use as a cutting template. Then start applying from there and work your way toward both ends, stern first.

We checked out a new public trail system that Karen discovered on Lower Goose. Given that the wind and waves were blowing in the direction we were hiking toward a pretty cove, I decided it would be faster to float than to walk. It was, but only because the rest of the group kept stopping to throw tennis balls at me and to take selfies with the local raccoons. We now have a strong tradition of amphibious adventures around the Goslings, so perhaps next year we'll leave the boats at home and just [dog] paddle over.