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EEL

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Everything posted by EEL

  1. Dee: Both sessions on March 19 are listed as morning sessions. Assuming one is in the afternoon, would that be the navigation session? TIA Ed Lawson
  2. I rather fear asking this given some threads I have seen here, but since NSPN is affiliated with the ACA and many also train in the BCU system; it seems not totally irrational to ask here. On the BCU North america site I noticed the following: "While BCUNA has no wish to undermine the value of ACA courses, we feel it is important for both parties to retain clarity between the two separate systems and approaches to paddler / coach education." My question is what are the differences in their respective approaches to paddler education? Not interested in opinions on which has greater value or whatever, rather just the differences in approach. Does NSPN in its training tend to follow either approach, blend them? Ed Lawson
  3. > >Vacuum forming tends to thin the sheet material where it is >stretched over high points in the form. What do they do to >reinforce the high wear areas along the keel in the bow & >stern? FWIW, I have seen it claimed that the sheets can have variable thicknesses and by using molds properly they are able to have high wear areas formed with greater thickness. Ed Lawson
  4. >The conditions are unlikely to provide "excitement". Doesn't take much to cause excitement for me. At what time and from what place would you start? I was thinking of three hours or so given expected temps. I need to consult SWMBO in any event. Ed Lawson
  5. When might you launch and how long might you be out? Temps there would be around freezing? Would this be for cruising about or going to find excitement amongst wave and rock? Ed Lawson
  6. Tides will be about right on the weekends of Feb. 12-13 and Feb. 26-27 for a trip around Gerrish Island with a 11:00AM start. Assuming good weather and decent conditions, anyone interested in a circumnavigation? Not sure what the NSPN level would be (3?), but being old, timid woodland creatures neither Gail nor I will launch unless conditions are modest. Once headed down the coast, there are not many obvious places to land and they will likely be exposed to at least some surf if there are any swells so it bears thought.
  7. Finally got out in the afternoon and found conditions much better than the marine forecast suggested. The west wind flattened the sea except for very modest swells and by staying within half a mile or less from shore there wasn't enough fetch to build anything. The wind made things a slog from time to time though. Did you find the same there? Ed Lawson
  8. >I’ll be paddling out of Pebble beach on Saturday and most >likely heading around Thatcher and Rockport area. It’s >looking warm so if your interested show up at ten o’clock. Well, that is a trip I would really like to do and Sat. looks great weather wise, but family obligations are too unsettled this weekend to make any plans or commitments. Maybe another time. Ed Lawson
  9. Count me in too with the caveat that Sat. is usally better than Sunday for me. I keep thinking about building a boat. Especially after briefly trying out Nick Schade's new Petrel last fall. Ed Lawson
  10. Is anyone thinking about paddling in the Cape Ann area this coming weekend? Forecast suggests temps will be reasonable. Ed Lawson
  11. Many thanks to you for giving the class. Gail and I learned a great deal and are looking forward to the fun/learning of relating the abstract to our observations while on the water. Brian and Bob gave us things to think about and work to do kitting up as well. Ed Lawson
  12. >In March there will be a kayak camping workshop. Great to know this is coming up. Hopefully there will be a trip or two on the calendar to provide chance to put theory into practice for attendees. BTW, do you find the Anas fine for weekend length trips? Ed Lawson
  13. >Aw, that's just Christopher So it is true that Christopher has succumbed to the Dark Force. Ed Lawson
  14. > I would like to meet you for lunch but if the >conditions are bad I won't be going. > -Jason Understood. Had assumed there was a bit of luck involved in meeting on the water regardless. Trust me, if conditions are just leaning toward bad we won't be going. Ed Lawson
  15. >Consider also Pebble Beach. That would make only a 2 mile or so paddle if going out to Thacher and back..correct? We were thinking of something in the 6 to 10 mile range. On second thought, it would give better options if things got bumpy as we could go up to Straitsmouth and down to Milk should time and conditions warrant or shorten up if prudent. Any particular weather/sea patterns make for more "issues" along that part of Cape Ann? Is anyone else interested in this shorter jaunt? TIA Ed Lawson
  16. >I was wondering if anybody is up for a trip around Cape Ann? Whole trip would be a too much for us, but what time are you thinking for lunch on Thacher? Might go for a shorter trip and try crossing paths with you for lunch. As in to and from Granite Pier perhaps. Ed Lawson
  17. >You do not need to register to take the course - it will be >for "all comers" who are registered and current with NSPN. I sent in our membership appliction and check in Dec., but check has not cleared and no mail notification of being considered member. So what to I need to prove I'm current with the NSPN at course? Ed Lawson
  18. > Perhaps that is the >downside of an electronic message board and the large >audience it addresses. All of the cues we get when hearing and seeing another speak are absent in electronic messages which in turn means it is very easy to misunderstand and misinterpret the author's intent and to get an inaccurate impression. That applies to my posting as well as others. Gail and I were less experienced than the others on the trip. I watched, considered, and did what I felt comfortable doing. I thought I was careful and prudent. In the grand scheme of things the conditions were quite benign and "just right" for me to explore and expand. As such it was a great day and fun. Part of that was due to the confidence I had in my companions who were also being careful, were well equipped, and appropriately skilled. Not only would I unhesitatingly paddle again with those on the trip, I look forward to it. The trip not only expanded my paddling experiences, but introduced me to more NSPN paddlers in a very positive way. >However, if anybody has a better way to address the three >rec kayakers that left Conomo Point at 3:30PM in jeans and >fleece sweatshirts, please let me know. It is amazing how many apparently clueless people go out and about and come back safely isn't it? Reaching out to them is not easy. Otherwise you would find them showing up at club events. To me they are a totally different category form those who knowingly assume risks in a sport with inherent dangers. Ed Lawson
  19. Seven paddlers including two with beautiful wooden boats launched around 11:30 on Monday and meandered down to and back from Wallis Sands taking time to play about among rocks and surges. A wonderful sunny day with no wind and long swells just right for this beginner to gain some experience in the rocks and to ride up and over nearly breaking waves. Wallis Sands provided modest surf to land and launch into. All in all a great day with a few misadventures and a few more scrapes from rocks. A very nice day for January indeed. My thanks to those who came and those who provided by example the encouragement for others to play amongst the rocks. Ed Lawson
  20. David: Nice. If I got it right, just around the anchor line or whatever and then one bight and another on the first, snug, done. Except for tugging it taught, it can be done with one hand. Always a good thing. Ed Lawson
  21. >"warmest" being an extremely relative term January in New >Hampshire Last night it was snowing, 15 degrees, and two wood stoves going. Rational people would be skiing I guess. Ed Lawson
  22. >If the winds are too high on Monday for an open ocean >paddle, I would suggest a nice paddle in Great Bay in the >Oyster River area. Sounds like a good alternative. I would like to do this another time in any evernt. I suppose going up the Salmon river might be a good winter trip too. Ed Lawson
  23. They say the seas will be down from storm Sat. and Sun. along with light winds. Sounds good as water was a little "textured" Sat. High temperature around 35 which in light wind will not be too bad. On the assumption that paddling more than two to three hours is unlikely I see no reason to start early when it will be cold. So a launch time of 11:30 seems logical. The channel to Ordione ramp is open so we will launch from there. This means paddling against the tide coming back, but it should not be an issue. Will go out Little Harbor and down coast. We can always change if things are more exciting than we like. Directions: Starting at the Portsmouth traffic circle take Route 1 SE for about two miles and then left on Elwyn Rd. There is a sign saying Route 1A and beaches, but not obvious. When you see a left turning lane with lights that is the place. Follow Elwyn Rd. about 1.5 miles to Foyes Corner which is an odd intersetion and you want to go straight through with a slight bend to the right onto route 1A. Again marked with signs for 1A and beaches. Follow 1A for about a mile and you will come to a bridge. There is a small area to park on the left side before you cross the bridge. This is launch site. On the other side of the bridge is the Ordione State Park boat ramp, but it is closed and not accessible now. Look for the old geezers with purple and orange poly Avocets. As if there will be anyone else out and about, but you never know. Ed Lawson
  24. >The last remaining question in my mind is ~which~ extra >first bight: release-side or load-side? But doing two >load-side links in a row makes it hard to sung, and that's >important to the knot's functioning. Did you also get the impression that without being able to make the load side quite snug the potential for the knot to "fall out/apart" under cyclical loading as in towing a boat in waves was a definite possibility? Ed Lawson
  25. > >I don't see why not, assuming you can reach around behind >you to tie it, or certainly to release it. I was thinking it would be tied in front with a long free end and then swung around. > But why would you >want to, given that tow belts generally have quick-release >buckles? Hmmm... I guess you'd not be putting the belt at >the same risk of loss as the line. Bingo! Its not loss so much since you are likely to get the line back with a little luck, but that way you have the point of connection still with you to use quickly if things get regrouped after a release. Ed Lawson
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