glad

Hi Brian - do you happen to know if the fit is the same for the Valley brand or look-a-like for an NDK boat for the day hatch? I used it on for my Pilgrim this weekend but didn't give the roll and surf test. Thanks, Karen

Hi Brian - after a few decades of traveling with my hatch covers on the hatches, I decided after some advice to stow them tethered in the hatch itself because it was safer. Third time out, I lost my new day hatch cover to my NDK pilgrim. I'm using an old Valley cover from a poor Force 3 which met an ugly demise and it's sure to wear out soon. Please let me know what you find out about pricing. Thanks, Karen

Regarding paddling out of Wellfleet Harbor. Tides are only about 10 mins after Boston. If you think you will not be going out or in at dead low, a very pretty put in is just over the Herring River on the Chequessett Neck Rd. Take a left immediately after the bridge and prepare yourself for a short bumpy ride. Park as far from the water as you can since the tide could swamp your car at the exact put in site. Once on the water, travelling south, you can paddling along the eastern edge of Great Island, Great Beach Hill, up into that estuary and continue south to Jeremy Point. The currents are pretty benign but you might feel it between Jeremy point and Billingsgate Island just farther to the south. You can go west after Jeremy point and try to paddle north into Pamet Harbor which is a very picturesque Harbor. If you plan to paddle on Monday July 12 or 13, let me know and I might join you. Send me a person message through the website. Karen

An excellent place to put in is Hemenway landing in Eastham. The Tides run about 3 hours behind. Probably the best route is the northern route going clockwise around the perimeter of the marsh just 'below' Coast Guard Beach. As other folks have mentioned the currents can run fast in a few places at various, unpredictable points. It's probably most safe to try to stay on the western side of the break once you get there. If the tide is coming in - so much the better. Have a great time and watch the currents. It's is a beautiful place for seals, the vistas and birding especially near Coast Guard beach. There is a tern island on the southern end of the marsh which in the past was pretty spectacular for the number of terns. Karen

Congratulations to you all! Karen

I plan to be there after work but would love some help with my boat. Karen

I would ask Nigel Dennis who brought them to the Exumas a few years back. I think they mention their transport logistics in an article on that subject by Ella , his partner. I tried to find the link to the article but failed. Also, Greq Paquin of Wavelology would probably know since he'll likely be supplying a few this season and is in close touch with NDK. Please let me know what you find. Karen

Thanks everyone for your input. Very appreciated. I forgot to mention that I would intend on using a light board across my foot pegs and currently there is 7" between the foot peg and the bulk head. It's good for a water bladder since the seat has a large foam block behind it preventing much of any gear to be stowed there. Also, the idea of resale and another person possibly using the boat were considerations. Just pulled the trigger and will wait for the final product. Very exciting! Karen

After a few more neck problems and the prospect of lugging around a heavy boat, I have happily caved and am going to order a carbon/kevlar layup on my next boat...in two days (!!). It was difficult to put a bladder behind my seat because of the foaming configuration. I currently have enough space in front of my feet to put a 2.5 gallon water bladder and am tempted to keep that space (though I am wasting the distance between the bladder and the underside of the deck). I was impressed at how much gear I could fit in my Pilgrim Expedition this past season but perhaps more hatch space the better? I would appreciate your thoughts on the matter. Thanks, Karen

What a great question. I have been enjoying reading everyone's stories. I was 35 years old and had just had my second knee arthroscopy and figured that running was not going to be in the picture for long. I grew up on the Connecticut shore and loved the water. So, for my birthday, I gave myself a 7 day paddling trip on the Sea of Cortez. It was beautiful; camping near uplifted cliffs, swimming with seals, the desert surrounded by the pristine sea. It was very cushy. If you wanted some M and M's or cerveza you just put your paddle up and the shag boat came by to provide snacks. A few years later, I took the intro CRCK class to understand the basics and bought my first boat (an enormous plastic Aquaterra Sea Lion- which came with a 240 cm paddle) through the then "Want Advertiser." Then I bought a Romany to learn how to roll, then a Force 3 to go faster and now I have a Pilgrim Expedition which pretty much combines the attributes of both. My paddling friends are very special to me; very fun and adventurous people enjoying the athleticism, the beauty, navigational challenges, welcome gear-headed conversations, wilderness skills, the ways we can connect with nature and a shared wonder of water moving. I am grateful for all those inspiring days on the water; the fish, the sky, the colors, the fun after the paddle and everything I hope to keep on learning.

Who knows what could have happened but could a VHF radio on Cashman have avoided the deployment of these costly resources? Karen

Thank you everyone. Very helpful. I love this kayak community. And i happen to have a container of aqua seal which is even better. According to the instructions, they recommend storing opened containers in the freezer. Anyone have any experience with that or how long i could expect a tube to last? Thanks, Karen

Some of the tape on the back of the tunnel and around the perimeter of my tunnel is peeling off from the outside. The inside taping is fine. Is there any flexible glue anyone could recommend to salvage my spray skirt for now? I have an unopened container of aqua seal and an opened container of Marine goop. Which one, if any is the better choice ? Thanks, Karen

Hi Bill - i have one of Ron Novorca's greenland paddles with no shoulders. I love it and glad I pushed for it before he entered his manufacturing transition. Too bad I didn't know you were interested because weren't you on the windy NSK paddle last weekend? I would have been hard pressed to give it to you on the slog home but you could have tried it some other time in the day. If you want to try it you can try getting a hold of me at; drkglad at gmail Karen

i'm bringing a fruit salad. karen

I'd like to join the one of the L3 pods. I just twisted my ankle so a little extra help getting my boat to and from the water would be very welcome. See you all tomorrow unless my foot takes a turn for the worst. Karen

I just swam at Walden this evening (Sunday - June15) in a sleeveless wetsuit. I was very comfortable. Though I didn't have a thermometer, I would say the water temp is close to 70 degrees. Karen

Thanks for the info, Liz. This is a beautiful area. For my solo paddle last year, I put in just down the street at the Wooden Boat School. It's an excellent alternative to accessing the eastern side of the Stonington archipelago. You can provision in Blue Hill which is a very cool place. Brooklin itself is quaint and has a general store, a restaurant (or two) and a nice book/chart/gift store and ?gallery at the Wooden Boat School which is worth visiting. Karen

Hi Brian - I have a light wooden GP that was made for me by Dee Hall after a neck injury - it was one of the best presents I ever got. You are welcome to borrow it. Since that time I was able to get one of Ron Novorca's graphite/foam core GP's. It is an amazing performer, strong and beautiful. Though it was not my experience, I understand a few people have a had problems in the ordering process. If you are not in a rush and you don't mind making some friendly calls to seal your spot in the queue, you might want to consider this option. Karen

I am looking for a new boat and am going to try the Cetus, Pilgrim expedition and maybe the Tide race. I was looking for something more lively and maneuverable than my Force 3 but less pokey than my Romany 16. I've identified a Cetus to try. Does anyone have a Pilgrim that I could try or could point me in the direction of a Pilgrim owner in the Boston area? If it could be the 1/2" top deck cut-down, that would be perfect for my size according to Nigel Dennis. Thanks! Karen drkglad at g mail

Hi Doug - thank you very much for organizing the pool sessions this year. I've done it in the past and it is not an easy job. I liked the Ipswich option. Sunday late afternoon worked for me so I could do something outside before coming to the pool. Karen

I'm with Phil on the difficulty of predicting the tides. I think its a very complex interplay of water moving in and around multiple and changing "ocean floor and wall" obstructions and in some cases fairly enclosed bodies of water. I would bet that there are also multiple currents running in layers in the column of water as well. I was scratching my head when I looked at the published predicted highs and lows for George Town - about 12 miles away. Over the course of 5 days, the high tide changed by about 15 mins per day and the low by anywhere from 50-70 minutes per day. Go figure!? I copied them down on my waterproof paper as a reference and once reviewed, figured I must have made an error only to find that I had copied it down correctly. I was very impressed by the genuine friendliness of the locals, everyone wanting to know if you were having a good visit. Our location was ideal; quiet, a 4 min walk to the water. It had a floor to ceiling screened in porch from which you could drink your coffee or wine and watch the tropical birds and listen to their symphony in the morning or early evening. Kudos to Leslie for finding this property. A major plus was the knowledgeable owner of the property: very "boaty" as my niece would say. We'd review our plans before departing and get a load of important information that helped to keep us out of trouble and prevent her from coming to find us in her skiff when we didn't show up at the end of the day. I knew there were lots of different sharks in the area ranging from completely benign to moderately aggressive. Most locals don't think much of any of them. But early in the trip I had not done my homework about who was who. And in the northeast, I regularly visit the land of Great White Shark on the outer cape. And who can forget "Jaws"? One late afternoon, I was doing my swim on the incoming tide and was visited at uncomfortably close range by a shark I later identified as a nurse shark. Nothing like playing the "worse case scenario game" for real! He (or she) was definitely curious but cruised past me. What a, ahhh… thrill! I couldn't help thinking he might return for a taste so I aborted my swim as calmly as possible. It was helpful to bring down food that you needed. I visited one large market that had a decent amount of organic produce and some gourmet foods but you had to hit the market on the right day which was also unpredictable. It didn't really matter, we were on vacation.

I'm with Phil on the difficulty of predicting the tides. I think its a very complex interplay of water moving in and around multiple and changing "ocean floor and wall" obstructions and in some cases fairly enclosed bodies of water. I would bet that there are also multiple currents running in layers in the column of water as well. I was scratching my head when I looked at the published predicted highs and lows for George Town - about 12 miles away. Over the course of 5 days, the high tide changed by about 15 mins per day and the low by anywhere from 50-70 minutes per day. Go figure!? I copied them down on my waterproof paper as a reference and once reviewed, figured I must have made an error only to find that I had copied it down correctly. I was very impressed by the genuine friendliness of the locals, everyone wanting to know if you were having a good visit. Our location was ideal; quiet, a 4 min walk to the water. It had a floor to ceiling screened in porch from which you could drink your coffee or wine and watch the tropical birds and listen to their symphony in the morning or early evening. Kudos for Leslie for finding this property. A major plus was the knowledgeable owner of the property: very "boaty" as my niece would say. We'd review our plans before departing and get a load of important information that helped to keep us out of trouble and prevent her from coming to find us in her skiff when we didn't show up at the end of the day. I knew there were lots of different sharks in the area ranging from completely benign to moderately aggressive. Most locals don't think much of any of them. But early in the trip I had not done my homework about who was who. And in the northeast, I regularly visit the land of Great White Shark on the outer cape. And who can forget "Jaws"? One late afternoon, I was doing my swim on the incoming tide and was visited at uncomfortably close range by a shark I later identified as a nurse shark. Nothing like playing the "worse case scenario game" for real! He (or she) was definitely curious but cruised past me. What a, ahhh… thrill! I couldn't help thinking he might return for a taste so I aborted my swim as calmly as possible. It was helpful to bring down food that you needed. I visited one large market that had a decent amount of organic produce and some gourmet foods but you had to hit the market on the right day which was also unpredictable. It didn't really matter, we were on vacation.

That was fabulous! I have to say, I LOVE my Novorca paddle. It's a pleasure to paddle and look at. It's a piece of kinetic art. Karen

Those are spectacular. Thanks for posting. Karen