Nancy Hill

Kokatat MsFit women's Large, chest 42-46", very good shape ($50) Kokatat Outfit, men's XL, chest 48-52, very good shape ($50) Men's NSR Vaporloft Neoprene boots, men's size 11, good shape, but some wear on the bottom ($10) North Water under-deck bag, 16" long, 8" wide, never used. It has 4 round tabs at each end that are intended to be glued to the underside of the deck. ($25) Harmony Deck bag, 15" long, 14" wide, with zippered opening, unused ($30) Nylon short sprayskirt for ocean cockpit. Waist size small, good shape. ($20) Body Glove "claw" glove, 5mm neoprene, new, never worn, size L (slightly big on my normal sized woman's hand) ($30) NRS Toaster Mitts, size M, never worn. ($30) (Fit me perfectly, but I prefer pogies for cold water paddling) NRS Desperado water shoe, new, size 9, (more like a women's 8, I think. I can hold it up to my size 8 woman's shoe and it looks like it would fit, but I can't get it on (high instep). ($25) Neosport X-Span, thin (1.5 mm) neoprene long pants. New with tags. Size XL (waist 37"-39"). They are super comfy and very stretchy. I have 2 pair. I have one pair that I've put in the washer and dryer (bad, I know) and they are holding up well after two years of abuse. ($80/each, or both for $120). These are way more comfortable than the NRS pants - more stretchy and a little thinner - perfect for when a drysuit is too much, but you want a little warmth. North Water paddle britches, used and slightly faded, but in very good shape otherwise ($25) I've priced most things less than half the price of new. I think the prices are fair, but make a reasonable offer if you think otherwise. The pictures did not show up in the order of my listings, but most are obvious except for the PFDs. The women's MsFit is the one with 2 side pockets with zippers. Items are in Westborough for pickup, or I may be able to get them to an upcoming NSPN event.

Ah, thanks, Gary. I was unfamiliar with M representing nautical miles. So, now I see where you went. I am in the lead because it's just Vick and me replying. Come on everyone, surely lots of you know these places. See if you can beat me!

Thanks for the fun, Gary! I wish I could say that I know all of them, but alas, I do not. I am a little confused by #1, because if you mean 13.3miles and not 13.3 nautical miles, I end up at a buoy in Muscongus Bay.Maybe I am starting in the wrong place (Lighthouse in the middle of Monhegan Island) #2 Bangs #3 Dix #4 Isle au Haut #5 East Gosling #6 Saddleback #7 ? I guess I need to get out more! #8 Halifax #9 Monroe #10 Mistake (I never did find that boardwalk!) #11 ? #12 Umbagog - I was there, so I should remember that! #13 Roque Island #14 Seal Cove on MDI #15 I don't know where you are going, (N haven maybe, but I think that is more like a 6 mile crossing), but my guess is that you are eating a veggie sub from Amatos in Portland

I've got 4 Thule "square" bars, 42" x 2, 46", 48", 4 saddles, and 4 straps. Everything is in good condition. (Not pictured are the plastic end caps for the bars - I will try to find them). If anyone can use any or all of this, it can be picked up in Westborough, MA. A fit-kit can be ordered from Thule to attach the bars to your roof. Not pictured is an older Thule "J" bar set that I will include, if needed. All I ask for payment is a donation to World Kitchen or Partners in Health, any amount.

I have two pair of NeoSport X-Span 1.5 mm neoprene pants, each size XL. They are new, with tags attached. Here is a link: https://neosportusa.com/product/1-5mm-xspan-pants/. The size chart is pretty good. I have a pair in my proper size (XL would be way too big for me) that I bought in 2016. They are still going strong after much abuse, including always putting them in the washer and occasionally in the dryer. They are super stretchy and way more comfortable than my NRS thicker wetsuit pants. I'd like $80/pair. You can pick them up in Westborough, or we can figure out something else. -Nancy

Thank you for the humorous response, Dan. I may give it a try again and will try not to glue my fingers to anything.

Has anyone had any luck with a contact cement for attaching foam thigh pads under the deck/thigh braces of a carbon-kevlar kayak? The product I had the best luck with (Pliobond) is no longer made in its original formula which was very waterproof. The new version is now listed as water-repellent, low VOC. I've used Weldwood in the past with mixed results. I'd like to find something that will work well and last. I'm wondering if there is something out there that I've overlooked. TIA

"This boat is very low volume so with the foot pegs in not much will fit between-" Maybe I am misunderstanding, but if, while loading, you move one footpeg aft as far as it will go, you can snake gear between the two offset pegs, then return the peg to where it belongs.

Pintail's sentence started with the word "Evidently". Look up the definition of that word and tell me if you still think it is a question, rather than a statement.

On Sunday, August 6, five of us launched out of Herring Cove to paddle up along the coast of Campobello, around the northern tip, up into the Fundy Isles. About 10 minutes after we left the beach, a small, private fishing boat rapidly approached us with a plastic, yellow kayak across its back deck. Wayne was the only one that spoke to the boater and learned that the kayak was found off of Liberty Point on the SE tip of Campobello with no kayaker in sight (he looked extensively), but filled with camping gear, cell phone, passport, and car keys. A map of Grand Manan was found in a hatch. When he spoke to Wayne, he had already called the Canadian Coast Guard. We continued on our way north and expected an immediate response and search from US and Canadian SAR/Coast Guard. About an hour into our trip a Pan-pan was issued by the Canadian Coast Guard in Halifax, NS asking if anyone had seen the kayak in the past 72 hours. Another hour passed before we heard a Mayday relay from the Canadian Coast Guard for a possible person in the water in the area of Liberty Point. Four hours later, we saw the first helicopter in the area of Lubec Narrows and it appeared to be flying a grid. The delayed response was surprising. The body of Martin Spahn, from Augusta, Maine was found 24 hours later on Monday morning just off Raccoon Pt, a little over a mile from where we had launched the previous day. Had we known that the response from SAR would be so slow, we would have turned around and helped in the search. With heavy hearts, we regret our decision to continue north. Yesterday, I found the F/B page of the man who found the kayak. He had a picture of the overturned kayak in the water, off his stern. It was covered in bird droppings which makes me think that this accident did not happen immediately prior to the discovery of the kayak, but much earlier. I assume that Martin had perished before his kayak was found. Our hearts go out to his family and friends. From all accounts, he was a wonderful man. https://original.newsbreak.com/@rachel-perkins-1593055/3115570787443-tragic-discovery-body-of-missing-maine-kayaker-martin-spahn-recovered-by-fishing-vessel-off-canadian-shoreline

I'll plan on joining in on the fun!

Here is a link to an article I found fascinating, especially since lots of us kayak-camp without refrigeration and are not always careful with left-overs (particularly foods that we don't typically associate with food poisoning). Have you ever considered you could get sick from unrefrigerated left-over pasta or rice? Rice and pasta are not the first foods that come to mind when I think of food poisoning. Perhaps we have all been lucky, so far. Wow! Who knew? https://www.uhhospitals.org/blog/articles/2022/04/are-leftover-rice-and-pasta-bad-for-your-health https://www.nifa.usda.gov/sites/default/files/resource/Preventing-Foodborne-Illness-Bacillus-cereus.pdf

For those who live a little closer to me and want an easy, relaxed paddle on a pretty lake, Joyce Carpenter and I are planning to paddle at Whitehall in Hopkinton, MA tomorrow (Thursday 5/18). Launch at 10 AM and return by 2:00 PM. That should help most people avoid rush hour. It's a fairly large place and it's predominantly tree-lined with very few houses visible. There are coves and islands, loons and an eagle (usually). We can take a break along shore for lunch. Bring layers for lunch, as the rest-stop is usually in the shade and it may be breezy (although winds are "supposed" to be light). Temps mid 50s to mid 60s. Use 300 Wood Road, Hopkinton as the address for the parking lot/launch. Let me know if you'd like to join us.

I prefer a stove that simmers well (some do, some don't - read reviews). I also prefer a stove that uses a remote canister so that a windscreen can be used around the stove. Using a windscreen around a stove that sits on top of a canister is dangerous. The MSR WindPro II All-Condition Camping and Backpacking Stove is on sale at Amazon for $97.99. It looks like a great stove, can be used in cold weather, and the reviews say it simmers well. A wider flame base it good, too, so all the heat isn't directed at a small spot in the middle of your pot. If you look at that stove, you'll see that the tube that carries the gas passes over the flame. That will insure that your fuel vaporizes if your canister is inverted. There are lots of good features in that stove. Of course, if you want to wait and see what everyone else has, Jewell is the place to do that! There are other ways to go such as alcohol or liquid fuel stoves. I find the canister stoves to be convenient, affordable and easy to operate. If it is going to be cold, I put my isobutane canister in my sleeping bag overnight.

I missed this last year and would love to go this time around.

Item is sold. I have a well-used, slightly faded neoprene tuilik made by Brooks. It will fit an ocean cockpit only. It is shown on a model with 45" chest, 5'10" tall. Even though it shows some fading, it will probably last for many more years. I will accept any reasonable offer (it's well-used, so not expecting a lot of money). It will be bulky and heavy to ship, so pickup is preferred. Located in Westborough, MA.

I did look up the rules and found: "No watercraft of any kind can be launched from anywhere on the Crane Estate. This includes canoes, kayaks, and sailboards." I do not think the intent of this rule is to keep people in kayaks from landing on the beach. My thought is that they don't want you to drive up to the parking lot with a kayak on your roof and carry it across the beach to launch it. The rule does not say no landing on the beach, only no launching. So if you land, you just can't launch. Would you be like Charley on the MTA and not able to get off? It might be worth a call to the Trustees to discuss. I've landed on that beach numerous times and never had anyone tell me to leave, or to anchor my kayak off-shore. That's utterly ridiculous.

What a great resource for all of us. Thank you so much!

I'm glad you all had a nice paddle and I'm happy to report that my trip home was pretty good with very little traffic. Even though it was not what I had originally expected for the day, I walked around Deer Island and the Belle Isle Marsh and had a nice time. My mood improved greatly with the fresh air and beautiful wildflowers everywhere. Here is a picture taken when you were all pretty far away. Belle Isle is such a pretty place and I'm glad you had the chance to explore a little bit of it before heading back to the launch.

Why does anyone need a compass rose on a chart? True north is up. Plot your course and add for variation (15 degrees for MA, about 17 degrees for mid-coast Maine). People now use variation and declination interchangeably (for historical reasons - nautically it was called variation because it was observed how the compass varied with location), but what ever you do don't call it deviation - that is something entirely different) http://compassdude.com/i/declination-us.png

Most of my dry bags are either Sea to Summit, Outdoor Research, or SealLine. Last summer, after returning from a kayak camping trip, I hurriedly emptied the contents of my car onto the garage floor. This included all of my gear that was still packed in the Sea to Summit and Outdoor Research drybags. Overnight, we had a leak that flooded the garage floor where my stuff was. Sadly, almost every bag leaked. There was about an inch of water on the floor surrounding the bags. They leaked through the fabric/seams, not the rolled top. I sometimes carry a bag on my deck with the rubber-like coating material. That one has not leaked, but as others have said, they do not slide into hatches easily. All of my bags still look like new and are in very good shape (and what people consider quality brands), but still, most leaked after sitting in water for an extended period of time. Am I upset about the leaking? Well, yes and no. I have been kayak camping for nearly 30 years and (knock on wood), I haven't flooded any of my hatches or gotten enough water in to leak through a drybag and ruin a trip. I still use drybags for sleeping bag, clothes and other items but I do not worry about leaking because I trust the integrity of my hatches. For me, drybags are more about sorting things out and compressing them and offering "splash" protection more than absolute waterproofness. If I have something that really needs to stay dry (drugs or electronics) I will use a ziplock bag inside the drybag. Otherwise I am not going to worry about it. The drybags will work well enough when loading in the rain, or if I accidentally drop one in the water for a second. So, bottom line for me is that if I have water leaking into a hatch to the degree that it will flood my drybags, I will fix that rather than buying different drybags or worrying about they ones I have. The only drybag that needs to stay dry is one I might carry on my aft deck. The rubber-like coating on those seams to be very waterproof. I agree with Dan about the Outdoor Products 3-pack. They are terrible. Do we worry unnecessarily about how waterproof our drybags are (other than one we might carry on deck)?

Some of us have paddled past and around Allen and Benner Islands in Muscongus Bay. Both Islands have been purchased by Colby College. Interesting. Read more here: https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/colby-college-andrew-wyeth-maine-islands-1234617910/

Wayne and I would like to join you.

Wayne and I are interested if weather cooperates.

That's great, Mike. There will be 5 of us (2 other friends are coming who did not sign up through NSPN). See you tomorrow.