cathyfoley

If there is an open spot I'll take it

Thanks for posting Ed. The problem is getting people to practice!

I love SmugMug and the annual fee is definitely worth it for me

I recently purchased a GoPro Hero3 Black Edition as an upgrade from my 1st generation GoPro Hero cameras. Here is my opinion of the new camera. 1. The picture quality is a huge upgrade, with 1080P at up to 60 frames per second (fps). 2. Still pictures can be taken at 12mp, as opposed to 5mp with the 1st generation cameras. However, you must be in the 12mp picture mode to do this. If you are taking video, and then use software to pull pictures, you will only get 8mp quality. There is also a mode on the Hero3 to take video and still pictures without changing the mode. The camera will take a still shot every X secs while filming. Again, at 8mp quality. 3. The camera can take burst of photos up to 30 fps. 4. The remote control works great, but it initially took me 2 hours to learn how to sync the remote and Camera because the owner manual is not very comprehensive. In temperatures below zero, the remote operated without issue, as did the camera. With the remote, you see all the settings that are on the camera, and can change or cycle through them from the remote. You can also turn the camera on/off, saving battery time. 5. The camera itself is much smaller than the 1st generation camera, so it requires its own size battery, and a micro SD card (up to 64GB). The waterproof case is smaller and has a locking feature. The lens housing is now flat, so pictures don't appear so "fisheye" like the 1st generation cameras. So those are the GOOD things......now for the BAD! 1. The battery life is about 1 hour and 8 minutes in warm temperatures. Outside at about zero degrees, I got only 35 minutes of battery life. Since its an entirely redesigned camera, the batteries from previous GoPro cameras do not fit. 1st generation GoPro batteries gave me approx 3.5 hours of continuous video shooting. 2. You need at least a 32GB microSD card at a 10 rating to shoot 1080p 3. The flattened lens housing doesn't shed water drops anywhere near as good as the convex housing on 1st generation camera. For kayaking, the camera needs to be mounted high, or facing yourself (blocking the splash) or be ready to do lots of wiping and losing great footage because the water drops blur the picture. I'm very disappointed with this aspect. 4. I'm not sure the cost $399 plus extra batteries ($19.95 each) and a microSDcard ($30 and up) make this camera a good choice over the less expensive models. Overall, I give GoPro a grade of B for this camera (4 stars out of 5). It's better suited to skiing, bike riding, etc than water sports where there is lots of splash.

Great...we need one more!

Wednesday looks like a really nice day for weather early. later in the day, forecast call for winds to pick up significantly. High tide is 8:31 am at Portsmouth Low tide 2:56 Thinking of a 10:00 am launch from Ordione with a return approx 2:30 pm Looking for a few other experienced winter paddlers who could join in. Minimum 3 for the trip. NOAA Forecast: SW winds 5-15 kts, increasing to 10-20 kts later in the day. Seas 1 ft or less in the morning building to 2-4 later in the day. Majic Seaweesd forecast for Jenness is flat to 1.1 ft at 4 secs. Throughout the daylight hours.

Won't work with a hair dryer

I use the Navionics app on my iPad for planning. (Not practical on the water but it has GPS capability)

They also make a 4" square piece to put in wear your feet contact the boat.

I really love the KeelEazy strip. Mine has been on my boat for two years now and is still holding up really well. It's great for general protection of the boat but it is viscous enough that if you caught it on sharp rocks, over and over, it will wear through. Mine has some wear at the front from an idiot running my boat up on a corrugated cement boat ramp. It's very easy to apply and easy to replace when it's does wear out. It's also possible to replace just the worn out section, if done carefully. It takes about 15 minutes to apply. You definitely need a heat gun, at about 800 degrees. They say 500, but I've had better results with 800. I've installed it on 4 boats (mine and 3 friends). The extra heat takes the bubbles right out at the sharper turns on the keel. When you want to replace it, just reheat to remove. Clean the hull with alcohol, reinstall a new one. It's much less work than a fiberglass strip, but also does not give the extra rigidity to the hull that a glass strip does. So there is a trade off.

I'll be there with appetizers

If you want to have a really fun time, paddle across the Sheepscott to Goose Rock Passage during the max ebb. Fantastic currents, tide rips, eddy lines and lots of curious seals to play with near the rocks.

Cathy, We stay on Townsend Gut at the Ocean gate resort every year in June. The Gut is relatively wide at the west end and narrows entering Boothbay. The current is not strong at all in either direction. It's a very easy paddle. No way does it get to 5 knots. Even the most inexperienced rec paddlers on our trips have no problem in the Gut.

I'm just going to add my two cents here. I have a mantra that I repeatedly tell people l paddle with: "Develop your paddling skills to the point where you are a group asset...not a liability". Unfortunately, many paddles I've been on especially with less experience paddlers in the group, as soon as anyone mentions "let's practice rescues", everyone disappears, except the more experienced paddlers that already know how to do them well. To me, any conditions that make you question your ability to handle them, is a risk. Using common sense and good judgment is the best risk mitigator out there. If you look at the causes of most kayaking accidents, kayakers overestimated their ability to paddle in the conditions that were present. It's usually a series and combination of small mistakes in misjudgments that end up in the worst situations. Developing your skills to handle more challenging conditions is next, but it doesn't supersede plain common sense and an honest evaluation of your own skills. It's OK to turn around or go to Plan B if you run into conditions beyond your capabilities. I just did that only a few weeks ago myself, twice in one day. Good judgement prevailed over stupid bravado!

John When will this ship?