Lbeale

Several years ago and many moons, Some NSPNers paddled Boston Harba' on New Year's Day and then participated in the brunch buffet at the Bostonian Hotel. The Hotel was notified in advance and were accommodating towards the dry suits and rubber boots. There is a slip to tie your boats in front of the Hotel. Bob Budd would have more information on this past event. Some of us went out last New Year's Day in NH - very special day, indeed.

Hi Gary, Last year a group of us were staying in Stonnington to do the Isle of Haut circumnavigation. While there we discovered an island with a beautiful cabin you can rent from a Maine non-profit (cannot tell you the name on this post). Anyway, the thought that was kicked around by this group of crazies was to launch from the far south side of Stonnington's coast to do Vinal Haven and once out there camp or come back - the distance round trip not being that daunting round after circumnavigating Isle of Haut. We obviously did not go beyond the chatter into actually planning for this trip but a few of us talked about doing it next summer.

Congratulations Lorrie, You have had your eyes and your heart on this prize - and you got it !!! Very proud of you !!! Les

My learning experience with Derek was a workshop sponsored by NSPN at Marblehead Harbor. He had about 15 new paddlers who awkwardly tried to show him our skills - we were all so serious. He had us paddling backwards, sideways, in all directions - learning different boat handling strokes. But the best part was when he had us stand on the boat to demonstrate the strength of sea kayaks. Some of us could do it while others who were not stable, got dumped in the water. We all laughed at those who got dumped and at those who barely could balance (including myself). Derek as an instructor could be serious, knowledgeable about the sport. Yet at the same time, embrace and revel in the joy of sea kayaking. That to me was his gift as an instructor. He will be missed by many of us. PS - Buddy and Dottie - good to hear from you but miss you both !! Les

Some of us are going out of Tucks tomorrow. 11:00 launch (BIB at 11). Forecast: A chance of showers, mainly after 3pm. Patchy fog before 8am. Otherwise, partly sunny, with a high near 76. Southwest wind 8 to 18 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%. Tides: 2012/10/06 Sat 09:51 AM 1.75 L 2012/10/06 Sat 04:03 PM 9.38 H 2012/10/06 Sat 10:27 PM 1.2 L Water Temperature: 59°F Swell prediction: 1-3 If interested, post here. CAM Rules rule. Les

Hi Gary, I am interested in joining this trip- just need to work out coverage for my dogs- the pointer sisters. Will be able to let you know for sure in a day or two. Is that okay? Les aka swearing ferret

It is cloudy now and may rain later on at Walden. Walden practice is cancelled for today.

Hi Leon, Thank you greatly for your kind words regarding my paddling skills and in calling me an "expert" paddler. I am unfortunately only minor league compared to many of the more esteemed paddlers in NSPN. I am not as small as Cath - on good days I can get up to 108-110 in body weight - but whose counting. The Force 3 works for me with padding and the Tahe Greenland has the smallest size cockpit width in FG - a little over 17 with an ocean cockpit. But I pad the Tahe for tight fit. The Tahe is a fun boat for lots of different conditions but not good for rockplay due to its light layup. The Tiderace Explore has a small cockpit close to the same size as the Force 3. The NDK Pilgrim is a sweet boat but too big for me. If I was to get a new boat, I would look at the Sterling out on the west coast. It is expensive (5 grand) but the builder makes the boat to your specs - glorious for the smaller paddler. The boat gets great reviews and it is a beauty. I would sell all three of my boats (Force 3, Tahe Greenland, MakoXT surfski) for that boat because it is suppose to handle so well. The problem is to demo it, you need to go out to Seattle - no distributors on the east coast. Les I have tried the avocet and I find it pokey for me. The Nordcapp LV is another choice but the cockpit is slightly larger than the Force 3.

A group of us will be meeting next Monday, Labor Day, around 4:00 for practice - all welcome. Les

Hi, Nancy Hill and I will be going to Walden on Monday nights starting September 5. We will be working on advanced rolls such as the norsaq forward leaning roll. I will be happy to give individual instruction to anyone who wants to work on his or her roll. I cannot speak for Nancy (Walden Pond rolling mentor par excellence) or for her availability, but she is a superb rolling teacher. In the tradition of learning Greenland rolls, the design for Walden Pond instruction is mentoring. Once you have learned to master a roll through individual instruction by a mentor, at some point in the future, you pass it forward what your mentor has taught you to someone else who wants to learn to roll. Katherine, if you need help with your roll and you can make it Monday night, I can be of assistance. Do you use a Greenland or Euro blade? Do you have a preference? We try to be in our boats no later than 5:30 but people arrive at various times.

Thanks Prudence for the post. I was out of town last week in Great Wass and did not post in the calendar this week's session. The session is on. Those who want to help with their rolls and would like to practice with a greenland paddle, let me know and I can bring an extra one. Please remember to bring your nose plugs, pfd, paddle float and pump to practice rescues. Next week is the last session for Wednesday night for me. I teach on Wednesday night and will not be able to make the sessions. I do however, go to Walden to practice rolls on other days of the week. If people are interested in joining me, I can post on this Board when I am going and please feel free to join me. If someone else wants to pick up the banter and post for Wednesday night practice sessions until the middle of September, let me know. Les

Hello Northern Girl, I have a Force 3 and a Tahe Greenland OC - I do quite a bit of rolling. My height is 5'2 and I weigh under 110. I have owned the Force 3 for many years and I brought the black duck Tahe last year. I love both boats but each has its own potential. I find the Impex 3 not a necessarily easy boat to roll and not as graceful as the Tahe. The Impex Force 3 is my go to boat for camping, racing and distance paddling. I usually paddle it with a wing and have my superior Greenland paddle as a spare. The Impex with Greenland paddle is a good combination for rock play and surfing. IMHO, the Tahe is pokey in comparison to the Force 3 but it is a fun boat for day paddling, surfing and rockplay - very responsive. It also can be used for camping but less room than the Impex. If I was going on a weeklong camping trip - the Impex. A weekend paddle, the Tahe but that all depends who you are paddling with. Les Given what you want, I learned the more advanced forward leaning rolls in my Impex Force 3 - ah-hum. Got into my Tahe Greenland and, got to the dance of rolling. If you are every at the Walden Pond sessions on Wednesday nites - I would be happy to let you demo my boat. I brought it from the dealer that Ed recommends in NH. I find that it is not as responsive as the nordkapp - but that can be just me. The NDK boats are too big - even the Pilgrim. The Cetus LV is also too big.

Thank you Christopher for posting this trip - we had quite the adventure. Six of us paddled out of Lanes Cove to a made-to-order beautiful evening for a paddle. On our way to Rockport we played in the rocks with Rick C. leading the way. The leisurely rock-play paddle along the coves got us to Rockport in good form. At this point, 4 of us (Rick, Lorrie, Phil and myself) decided to circumnavigate Cape Ann guided by the moon. A bucket list event for me. Can't count the times I have circumnavigated Cape Ann but never at night. Around 8:30 we put our paddles to the test and began our journey. The moon, water, current, tide and sounds played tricks with us. Having Rick as our tour guide for shallows, buoys and crashing waves on ledges helped me to be alert for any unforeseen obstacles. As we rounded Dog Bar into the harbor, the water temp was considerably warmer than the outside. Rollers led us to the Greasy Pole for a much needed break before our final stretch up the long Annisquam River. I never knew how long that river was although I've paddled it often. Halfway up the river, I started to bonk (no dinner) and needed to get out of the boat. A quick jump out of the boat just to stretch my legs was a worthy suggestion by Lorrie. After the quick break, I was cooking again and headed towards the last lap to Lanes Cove. Got into the Cove around 1:30-2:00 am. Unloaded gear, put the boat on the car roof and drove home happy after paddling 21+ miles with the moon and good company. Special thanks to Lorrie and Phil for suggesting that I join them on this adventure and, thanks to Rick for sharing his local knowledge and guiding us along the way. The full moon lighting on water does make for strange perceptions. Was that Christopher waiting for us at the put-in? You drove away just as we were coming in to the Cove-- So sorry to have missed you.

Hi Pru and Joyce, I am not going due to the forecast of T'storms (50%) and watching the radar - bummer -- next week for me.

Forecast is for 50% chance for thunderstorms - showers here in Somerville and cloudy. Checked the radar and T'storms are moving up from the south. I called Walden to ask if they are open. Ranger stated that if T'storms happen then they call people off the water. I am going to pass - I may regret this decision - but I will play it on the safe side -- It is your decision if you want to try and go. Les

Incredibly, thunderstorms are predicted yet again for this afternoon and early evening. I leave my house around 4-4:30 for Walden. If there are Tstorms at that time - it is a no go-- fingers are crossed, les

This workshop is now closed with six participants. Those of you who have signed up please email me your commitment so I can forward your email addresses to Greg. He will then respond with the particulars of the workshop (time/location, etc). If you woul like to be put on a waiting list, email me: lbealeatspringfieldcollegedotedu Thanks, Les

Either night is fine by me - Les

There are 4 people who are interested in this workshop - room for 2 more. PM me on the NSPN message board if you are interested