Shaila_27

I plan on paddling that day thanks!

I won't be able to make the paddle. Have a blast! Shaila

I just bought this tent. It is light, has a bathtub bottom which withstood 2 days of rain the first time I tried it out. It is free standing but the vestibules on the fly require two stakes total. I am not sure if it is long enough for you, Jason, but it is a bit wider so that may help. Full price is a bit much but I got it during the clearance sale so it was quite a bit cheaper.

Pictures!: Boston Harbor Islands 8/17/08 Lots of the Boston skyline... I figured that one of them had to turn out. Great trip... Thanks for showing me around!

I am fine with that. Is this helmet your 3rd, 8th, 20th present?

Sunday is definitely a possibility for me. I haven't really explored Cape Ann or Boston Harbor so I am game for either.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/28636641@N03/...57606731219275/

Sounds like the reasonable thing to do. For the record I most likely wouldn't have done sunday either. There is always next time!

As of right now I am a no-go. If it is at all possible, Sunday would be the free day for me. Shaila

I would like to go Shaila

I took my niece and sister out for a paddle last week and they rented from there as well. You can use the very same small beach at NSK because it is municipal and open to anyone. Really the only catch is that the people at NSK said that my kayak couldn't sit on the sand for more than 10 minutes per order of the city. That was no problem because I waded in knee deep and floated it a foot off shore. They were also great about letting me clip my boat onto their giant line of boats while I was getting things from the car, etc. The way to the small beach is just past the tuna wharf where NSK is... there is a small opening with stone stairs down to the beach. This is where your friends will get into their kayaks.

It worked! Thanks Mary!

I am interested in joining you. Right now I have family visiting so it may depend on whether I am joining them that day or not. I won't know until a day or two beforehand. Shaila

Suwin made a cupcake with frosting that I loved... and I traditionally don't like frosting! That's talent! The whole evening I felt like I had a monkey on my back but I didn't mind My list of owed rolling masks is getting longer and longer: Brian Gillian Who will be next? I promise that I won't forget guys!

Hope this works! Thanks for the Flickr pointers. http://www.flickr.com/photos/28636641@N03/?saved=1

I have a few pictures that should be up by tonight!

Thanks to everyone for sharing your local knowledge and experience. I also thought that it was helpful to do introductions and experience/assets/issues of each person. I had a blast playing in the swells and adding a new paddling route to my repertoire. I still have a smile on my face from the "bigger water" experience and I find myself wondering when I will get the next opportunity to take my boat out in that kind of stuff again, but this next time I would like to play around a bit and maybe practice a rescue or two. On Sunday I officially put the first little crunch in my hull so I suppose that I will have the joyful experience of doing some repair work. Although I love my pretty boat, I was beginning to feel as if its pristine appearance would hinder me from trading my "rookie card" in for something more advanced. Beautiful day, great people, many lessons learned!

I hear ya. I am a big believer in the freedoms of personal choice but I am also a big believer in personal responsibility. Sometimes people don't see that their poor judgement can hurt others (ie loved ones). I suppose the safest thing we all could do is not leave the house - or that may lead to caridac disease so maybe that is not safe either... I am not big on forcing my personal opinions onto others but a little common sense never hurt anyone. Most times people are fortunate enough to live to be dumb another day and in the same right, a few people who have sound judgement and preparedness come to unfortunate ends. I suppose that this is just more proof that many things don't make sense, no matter how hard we try to fit them into our formulas and models.

Wow. Whatever did I do to deserve this kind of positive publicity? Oh, I know... Gillian is just adding a little insurance for her piece of Ben and Jerry's Icecream cake that is in my freezer. Well, flattery will get you everywhere! Maybe if you get someone to bring me a present Friday I will throw in a tasty beer as bonus pay.

I was out this past Sunday paddling from the Salem Willows to Browns Island in Marblehead and I noticed something peculiar. More than half of the people in kayaks (I have never seen so many out) were not wearing PFD's. Of course there were tandems and SOTs and I guess that type of thing may be expected but I even saw a guy in an NDK explorer and a woman in another proper sea kayak without PFD's on! I realize that this must be a common thing but I honestly haven't really seen many paddlers take that chance. To top it off, Salem harbor was especially choppy because of all of the wild boat traffic from the 4th of July weekenders. I did hear the guy in the Explorer comment to his companion that maybe they should put their lifejackets over their shoulders while they cross the *very busy, very crazy* channel. Personal choice is personal choice... I would love to see a little test be given to all these paddlers for the right to go without flotation. Much like a young kid who has to pass a swim test to swim in the deep end, these guys should do a wet exit in open water and see what happens. It reminds me when I was in Conn. for a couple of days. Out of at least a dozen motorcyclists on the interstate, none were with helmet. I am thankful for connecting with NSPN at the very start of my paddling life and I am glad to have the arsenal of information in my head to help me make those wise decisions now and in the future. Thanks to everyone for the pointers and mentorship over the past year!

Who knows, maybe we can meet up or we will cross paths. Do you think that there would be a chance of, albeit minimal, surf at Nahant?

It looks like I am going to try to slip away this afternoon around 3:30ish. Most likely I will be out no more than 3-3.5 hours. Salem Harbor/Nahant/Marblehead are all possibilities because I would like to stick close to home. Anyone is welcome to join me. Shaila

I am planning to attend. I assume the put-in is the same one that we used a couple of weeks ago. Shaila

I will add, after being a kayak owner and paddler for a little over a year, that what you THINK you may be up for as far as ocean vs. lakes and how you actually think after doing it for a month or two can vary quite a bit. I had a plastic Perception Carolina 15'5" with a rudder that I bought at REI. Although it was seaworthy, I very quickly moved up to a fiberglass kayak that was more appropriate for my quickly changing interests as far as paddling destionations. I never imagined that I would be out on the ocean much, let alone really loving the experience and fulfillment of trying challenging conditions on the water and developing my skills to be competent at handling my kayak. The thing about this activity is that it doesn't take much to make you love it - and you don't have to be out everyday on expiditions to be at the point of getting serious gear. The investment at first is big, but worth every penny... buy a used boat for much less than new and the great thing is that you will be able to sell it for almost the same price that you bought it for and there is always someone that needs to buy a boat

Sadly I don't think I can finagle a kayaking break in the middle of my workday... maybe it is something about the two week vacation I took in June and will be taking in July... Have fun everyone!