Phil Allen

Science geek cap on: The rod cells in the eye are most sensitive to green light (500nm), with a significant fall off when the light becomes bluish or reddish. So for the eye and brain (which is really what does the seeing) dim red light is substantially dimmer than dim green light. i.e. humans are much less sensitive to detecting it. Which may be a good or a bad thing I'd play with different colored lighting to look at charts, since chart features are designed to be read under white light and you may lose contrast of colored features with monochromatic lights. And the pirates eye patch trick works if you have to try and maintain dark adaption while looking at something "bright". Close one eye and keep it closed while looking at bright lights. The closed eye won't have changed it's sensitivity (as proven by "myth busters". best Phil

assuming Jack and Jill jump into the kayaks in such a way as to not change the velocity (all the instantaneous addition of mass is perpendicular to the orientation of the frictional surface), Jill wins. I'd even bet an ice cream cone that she slides twice as far as Jack. best Phil

Congrats! It couldn't have been easy with the conditions out there this weekend. Well deserved. Best Phil

brings back great memories. Glad you had such an amazing trip. best Phil

Hi Kate- Not sure about the main harbor wave. From an article that Chris Rolt found on Bostonglobe.com (paywall) they're taking the sandy deposits from the channel and several anchorages within the harbor and piping them to replenish Sandy Beach. The pipe and associated rigging must be running right along the shore front from the main harbor to Sandy beach which is why little harbor would be off limits. best Phil

Just saw a note that they'll be doing major dredging of the channels around Cohasset harbor and that the harbor is closed to non-commercial traffic after 9/30. The area closed (though probably not dredged) includes Little Harbor and Sandy beach. best Phil

Hi all Thread drift, but it's not clear to me how trimming a straight gasket ends up changing the size? I agree with Brian that stretching is minimally effective, as we spend good money for latex and its elasticity (which means it returns to original size after stretching). Neither stretching or trimming straight gaskets ever worked well for me, so I did switch the straight for coastguard gaskets (thanks for the recommendation Suz). Best Phil

Planning on joining you. Better half is likely to join. See you there @ noon. Phil

is that closer to the Tides or the Bathhouse?

is there finally parking for more than 10-20 cars? Might join you if the swell holds up. It's been great since last Sunday. Phil

Soapy water and a shop vac or other air source taped to the sprayskirt?

Second the bread knife if you're otherwise tool less. Best Phil

good job Jeff!

My answer is it depends. Out for a week of camping: head lamp, snacks, cag, lunch, first aid kit, float bag (like a paddle float but bigger ), denso tape backed plastic pieces for quick repair, helmet, extra line. Surfing off the beach with the car in the lot; almost nothing. There are some things that never leave the day hatch unless they're being used: two contractor size garbage bags (emergency bivy or hatch covers), some bungy cord, some skinny adjustable straps that can go around the hatch rims, a few feet of 2 or 3mm cord. best Phil

Josko- I think it depends on "how far gone" they are. An unexpected wipe out or several may render them unable to get past their fears till the next session or their in a very different piece of water. One thing I've seen a lot is the "what if" chain. What if the 100 yards of water beyond my 100 yards of water is much worse, and what if the next 100 yards is even more bad, and then the 100 yards beyond that is drops off the edge of the world..... all the while they are sitting in the same spot doing fine. The only thing I can think of that can get folks beyond that is to focus on the small pieces. Convince them to paddle small chunks of water and then re-evaluate. Make it safe for them to say yes or to say no go. best Phil

I'll take cold and damp over black flies any day! We found the same thing in Newfoundland, and it was surprising how far offshore one had to paddle before the cold of the water overcame the heated air of the land, at least as it applied to those blood sucking devils. best Phil

Sounds like a plan Sir Godfrey. Looking forward to a nice "knight" on the water. best Phil

Amazing trip and a wonderful report Pru (as always)! A minor correction, the good friday earthquake and tsunami was in 1964, not 1984. In the book by Susan Casey "The wave: ..." she mentions Shoup Bay near Valdez, where the waves reached over 200 feet up the shoreline. Glad all you had to deal with was a gale or two ;-). best Phil

It's not my paddle, but I'd recommend headlamps at minimum and possibly a glow stick for the boat and the paddler. With the full moon we may not use them, but better to have them than not. Looking forward to it. best Phil

Neoprene is a closed cell foam with trapped gas pockets. It's intrinsically waterproof unless it's started to break down or been damaged. Increasing the water repellency of the face fabric might minimize leaking through pinholes, unless the fabric gets stretched. If you can find the leaks, aqua seal is your friend. Best Phil

I'm not sure how much sarcasm was intended in this (it sometimes doesn't translate to straight text). I'll be the first to admit that I've "broken the rules" on casual paddles in benign conditions. As many folks, including me, on the board have pointed out over the years there are no casual paddles and benign conditions might not stay that way for as long as needed. I'm just thankful that they learned a hard lesson without more serious consequences. best Phil

No arguments with your points above, but someone is always going to be last ;-) To be efficient, I try to only unpack the things I need that night, and they're packed in the boat with that plan in the morning. best Phil

Once again Pru, a great trip report! best Phil

Though less secure than an actual drysuit or paddling suit, another approach is a dry top and paddling pants (with either socks or latex ankle gaskets). Wouldn't be my choice for a surf session, but it will keep you mostly dry for a bit of a swim. best Phil

Just to state explicitly state what Rob almost said, strobes on the water are a sign of distress, and shouldn't be used for anything but that. I like the little clip on ones you found above. If I remember correctly they're either in steady or strobe mode depending on how you place the battery (memories getting poor here). Even though they're not very bright, the CG folks say they can detect them from about a mile away on a clear night with their night vision glasses. best Phi