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sings_evil_twin

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Everything posted by sings_evil_twin

  1. Hey Brad, THANKS! Made my morning. A moment of pure, unadulterated artistic wonder and beauty. Weird, but I had a sense of surfing a perfect wave. Okay, off to the contrived importance of downtown Boston... sing
  2. A non profit can "advocate" on a legislative issue as long as it doesn't expend more than 5% of its organizational budget on such activities before crossing over the line into "lobbying." I really doubt that you would/could do that. Nothing precludes a club from taking an "official" (agreed upon by consensus/majority? depending on how the bylaws allow for such a position to be taken) position on an issue that impacts it, as long as you don't expend more than the 5% of monetary resources. The caveate is whether your own bylaws allow/accommodate taking such as position and the process for doing so. From what I can remember, the NSPN bylaws allow for a very powerful, self perpetuating board, making the decisions. All power is pretty much assigned to that small body. sing
  3. Okay, for the budding surf kayakers. You can still join in but you must register no later than noon tomorrow. Conditions will be head plus in the AM with strong diagonal winds. Waves should drop to chest/shoulder (with some head sets) by lunch. Winds will also die down and become slightly offshore. You can always sit out the morning and the hit the smaller cleaner waves after lunch. Get amped! Cowabunga time! sing
  4. The Rhode Island Surf Kayakers (RISK) will host the biggest surf paddling event of the year in the Northeast. The event will be at Lil Compton, RI. The break is known for nice steep peaks when the waves are coming in right! Grab your short boat and c'mon down (or up) to share the stoke, meet other surf paddlers, demo surf crafts, break some bread together. The event will take place on one weekend day between 11/25 and 12/9, depending on which day the waves arrive. You must sign up to attend this event. Hope to see you there! http://www.pioneerpictures.com/surf/RISK/index.html Aloha!!! sing PS. Sorry, having long boats on a crowded break with surf crafts and boardies is NOT safe. Long boats require exceptionally skilled riders to avoid the bongo (side)surfing that can take out a bunch of folks at a time. You may be an exceptional rider but we will still be afraid.
  5. I'm making a trip up north today. Will drop a package off for you at NESC on the way back. Need room on my storage rack for something new. sing
  6. yup. Takes more out of me to surf hard 3-4 hours than to paddle all day in a touring boat. Surfing is all about repeated sprints (and then sometimes trying to remain calm enough roll back up when you have minimal air in your lungs...). It's not like you can take your time and mosy out the break zone, especially on a decent wave day. The bigger the waves, the faster and harder you have to sprint to make sure you out the backside. Nothing worse then to almost make it out, only to get bow over stern, by a big breaker. Now, your calm and rolling skills get really tested. If you make it back up, then usually with barely any air left in the lungs, you had better sprint like crazy to make it out before another big one collapses on your head. Lots of fun, eh...? sing
  7. It happens. Trying to be too "perfect..." Be truly "indifferent" to the results and play (you can afford too on a mild surf day at Nahant). The progression comes through success and failure. Kudos to you new bunch of NSPNers who seem to like the rough stuff. Wished you were all there about 5-6 years ago. Instead I ended mostly going alone (which also worked/works fine for me...). sing ex-NSPN but certified surf nut.
  8. Surf prediction. It's not enough to know that waves are there but direction. Waves were coming from ESE this past weekend. You picked the place that was directly blocked by Cape Ann. Any thing more than a bump out there was wind driven. The more you surf, the more you will follow the forecast, wind predictions, satellite pics, triangulate bouy readings to figure where the best surf will be. And, you can get pretty good at it if you become obsessive like some of us are. sing
  9. >I agree with most of what you've said. However, it is also >the human condition to make judgements, particularly about >others behavour we don't understand. What bothers me about >so many of these posts is that, let one person speak a >thought outside of the conventional wisdom and everyone >piles on! That is the crux and what I reacted to. We (kayakers) ARE outside of "conventional wisdom." I run into people who already have a judgement about my kayaking from the git go, usually without any knowledge whatsoever to make such. The point I tried to make is also that these "judgements" can be very relative. Without even hearing the whole story, that person in the other thread was quick to judge. S/he should understand the same is being done by others as soon as they see a kayak on his/her roof rack. >The guy for whom this recent event became a trigger to vent >over past hurt and harm is just being human. I don't agree >with him. He's being premature before knowing all the facts. >On the other hand if that were me dangling from that chopper >with what looked like a lot of white caps below, I'm sure >all of my friends who do not kayak would say" What the hell >was he thinking". (Including my own wife by the way.) Exactly. My wife doesn't participate in many of my activities but thankfully she doesn't judge them but rather observes that I seem to function much better when I am active. She also notes how I handle myself in these activities carries over to how I handle myself in the other realms of my life. We can live in a contracted or an expanded world. It's our choice and we make that world for ourselves. >Personal freedom and autonomy is a beautiful thing. However, >just because we agree to suffer the consequences of our free >choice; it doesn't protect us against criticism, just or >unjust. Yes. There will be critics. We can ignore (the easiest). Or, we can choose to take the criticism and evaluate whether there is sufficient basis for it. There is constructive criticism and criticism that simply intended to demean and belittle. ?I can understand the feelings many have when they >say" It's not my choice but I respect the choice of others". This is preferable. I don't get into criticizing childhood friends who have chose to live a sedentary life, have become obese and are generally unhealthy. It's their personal choice but, yes, their choice also has an impact on me in terms of rising health costs, etc., early deaths, etc. Yet, I believe they are entitled to that choice. >Perhaps an equally human response is to say" It's not my >choice and I think he or she is nuts". Yup. Try mostly to keep that to myself unless it involves someone I have responsibility for, i.e. my family. >A life is a precious thing to waste. Absolutely. Some are alive but have spirits withered from fear and anger, etc. Some periodically explode from their "lives of quiet desperation." Better to live a life with courage and integrity and recognize these can be expressed differently by different individuals. Better to recognize that life is finite. We can die tomorrow out on the sea, or die of a heart attack on the couch with a remote in our hand. Either way, death comes to us all. Accept that as a fact and live fully, however that is expressed individually. >If we're willing to justify risk taking that >might result in death as opposed to the quotidian life spent >on the couch, then we're probably living in our own personal >coccoon. Most of us have friends, spouses, loved ones etc. >That freedom of choice usually impacts a lot more people >than the chooser. This is true not just of our kayaking. In most arenas of our lives, we make choices that have just as much if not more impact on others. We should be a bit more introspective not only about our "recreational" pursuits but about how we proceed with our lives in general. sing
  10. The rescuer who died. Condolence to his family. But if you ask them, I bet they would confirm that he had been in dangerous circumstances before. It's familiar territory. When he trained to be a rescuer, he probably went through similar or even more challenging conditions. If not, how would even believe that he had the wherewithal to be able to "rescue" someone in dangerous conditions? The line between rescuee and rescuer is a very thin one. Both are "risk takers" to a relative to the general population. As a paddler, you are a "risk taker" compared to the increasing sedentary population. Don't want risk? Stay home. Anytime you call for assistance outside of your house (or from your house, for that matter...), you risking someone. sing
  11. Anything can happen when you paddle, even flatwater. Someone may have to risk their lives coming to get you. For that matter, when you drive car to the put in, you could get in a car accident. Much higher percentage of probability. EMT and other personnel may have to risk their lives to get to you. Don't do it. Stay home. Don't go outside. Anytime you do, you can't avoid interactions with others and therefore put ohters or yourself at risk. Don't go out. Then we won't need lifeguards, Coast Guard, EMTs, police, etc. Don't be delusional that you will be safe out there. Don't go out. sing
  12. You paddle? You risk taker!!! Life is safer when you stay home all day and watch TV. Best adventures are on TV. I love working my fingers on the remote. sing
  13. contractor can't get out 'til next week to fix the gate. This can be rescheduled or canceled. Spring is around the corner... Lake practice, anyone? sing
  14. the motor on the drop down metal gate for the main stairs going down to the gym got fried today. There is no other way to get boats down to the gym and pool. Given my luck with contractors I seriously doubt the motor will be replaced by tomorrow, never mind by next week. I will update as soon as I get a time frame. sing
  15. Totally my call on this and not NSPN. One year we had pool attendee cracked up her car in a storm that hit right after a session. Sorry you're miffed. But, frankly, I wasn't worried about you. It's the safety of my staff that concerns me. Judy, or whomever is in charge can arrange with me a make up session. sing
  16. The latest NWS forecast is for a winter storm watch to take effect my 7 PM Saturday evening, right when the pool session starts. That means snow is expected to arrive at that time. Intensification is expected to happen fast, with blizzard like conditions in the later hours. In the interest of safety for BCNC staff and pool session attendees, the saturday night session has been cancelled. BCNC will work with NSPN to provide an alternative session. Sorry for the inconvenience but I'd rather error on the side of safety. sing
  17. Jason, Take some of your left over minicell foam, cut to required depth and glue the pieces across the front and the back. This will be make the helmet more snug and minimize and any slippage, front and back. I do this to the helmets I wear most. sing
  18. looks to me like the weight would hang you straight upside down going through the Gap. There are several places in the drops where it'll wedge in nicely. I can picture your head jammed somewhere deep in the green and your legs flapping wildly in the foam for a minute or so before they just conform to the motion of the water. But the real problem with that helmet is the darn ugly color. Everything seems to have a negative aspect. Life can suck that way. sing
  19. I am one of those folks who constantly wear something under my helmet, either baseball cap or neoprene surf hood (with visor). In five years, I have never had a problem of the cap/hood pulling my helmet off. This includes numerous flips through the Gap, surfing and going through a class IV strainer. Just about everything else got stripped in the strainer but the hood/helmet stayed on! The key is to get a helmet that fits and wears well with the strap on snug. I have in fact four helmets (I mostly use two) to adjust to what I wear underneath. Also, when I wear a cap underneath, it tends to be made of supplex. Very flexible and really bends with the forces underneath. It's possible that the water movement will move a visor and thus move the helmet. Again, I have only experienced that minimally if the strap is on snug (make sure to adjust the snuggness after every several capsizes). I find the benefit of wearing a cap/visor is that it allows me to see better on the water. It also minimizes the amount of drip that gets into my eyes, right after a roll and also when going through foaming white water or breaking waves. Maybe because I have bad eyesight, but I get a bit paranoid when I can't see things as clearly. This affects my confidence which then affects my performance. YMMV sing
  20. "Armpit", "elbow", "behind the knee", whatever the term, you want to be inside the the Bay, Plymouth or south, where the Cape will block direct SE waves/swells. The waves will find their way around P-town but will diminish in size as they head to the southern part of the Bay. I dare say you don't want to be surfing a long boat on some of the east facing breaks that are open to the ocean this Saturday... sing
  21. There will be some pretty BIG waves (by New England standards) for this weekend. I noticed that the "beginners' class" is on Saturday, coinciding with the BIGGEST waves of this weekend. If this class is going to happen, go down south of Plymouth, into the "elbow" of the Cape to do the class. The waves will be coming out of the SE early part of Saturday. The Cape will offer protection and you'll get much smaller refracted waves down there. Sunday, Nahant should still be offering at least waist plus (could be even bigger) easterly component waves. That would be a good place to do the more advance class. Forgiving beach and you won't run into many surfers there. Good luck, have fun. sing
  22. This is posted by Bad Billy, a longtime waveskier in OZ, of his session on a break yesterday. Gut kicking in based on years of experience and riding different breaks and different waveskis: ___________________________________________________________ If its me and I'm out the back and I know it's not to shallow Id try my luck with breaking thru the lip... Sometimes you get lucky.. Sometimes not. 6-8 ft is what I took on this morning and all I can say is I wasn't keen to try any damn fangled stern rolls. It's go for it or die trying at that size. You hestitate or dont commit you'll pay. Mind you I'm talking piha which is a closeout frieght train beach break... If it's a point or river bar and theres a shoulder.... go hard.... What also was going thru my mind other than 50,000 litres of water was what the hell am I doing out here. Even the boardy's weren't venturing out.. I took 3 waves.... got that out of my system and then retired into the reform for a workout... Mother nature wasn't taking any prisoners and I wasn't keen to be the mornings entertainment. New Board.... No leg rope... Hideous rip... lone wolf...and it felt evil..... Whimp.... Regards Billy. _________________ It's better to burn out than fade away.
  23. Some rolls are just more "bombproof" than others... Surfing 6-7' waves on a beach break with a long boat is not a great idea. (Speaking from the school of hard knocks.) Not many folks can pull that off. Pitchpoling is much more likely than with a short boat going diagonal across a waveface. When your gut and fear factor overcome the stoke, then it's time to get back on the beach. Of course, it's hard to have a good "gut" for these things until one takes a trashin' or two. Some folks shouldn't even surf 3-4' waves. It's all relative. sing
  24. several of the NSPN regulars were out stoking at Jenness yesterday, though not all made it on to the video: http://www.strazkayaks.com/main.html Great waves, great surfing by all. Just good vibrations. The New England surf kayaking scene is really picking up. We got a fast growing surf kayaking scene that is as good as just about anywhere else, outside of the west coast. sing
  25. White water boats definitely give more control than long boats. Some white water boats perform on waves better than others. None really surf as well as dedicated surf boats which are optimized for control riding on waves. Regarding Kevin's observations, I agree and also think there are more nuances than that. First, for sure out of control kayakers are a hazard in the break zone. But not only to the boardies themselves but to their boards. Surf boards (and waveskis) are ultralight foam core with a thin skin of glass and epoxy. Even if a boardie safely duck dives under, an out of control kayak hitting his board straight on will likely damage it. The boardie then has to spend hundreds to repair or replace his FAVORITE board. Put yourself in his place. However would you feel about someone who can't control his craft, jumps on a waves and crashes into your lovely composite sea kayak and holes it? Second, with the courtesy consideration, yes, a kayaker can catch waves further out than a boardie. A skilled boardie catches a wave by reading it right, paddling a few strokes, catching the wave right near the crest and dropping right into the power pocket. Wave reading is a skill for all surfers to develop. Just because a kayaker can paddle like heck and catch a wave just about any place doesn't give him any respect, especially if he catches the wave far away from the pocket, or in the foam of the breaking crest (unless the kayaker can manuever quickly and catch up to the pocket). Okay, so a kayaker can catch a wave before a boardie can (by the power of his paddle vs. the hand paddling of the boardie) and he positions himself behind the boardie lineup. That itself doesn't necessarily engender animosity, if the kayaker can catch a wave with skill and control. This is very important since the kayaker will then have to surf through the boardie line-up. If the kayaker loses control and wipes-out, not did he wasted the wave but he is an danger to those in the line-up. A surf kayaker can be "aggro" (skilled and aggressive) and catch waves behind the line up. He may be able to force some respect from the boardies. But, there is always an outside chance that an equally aggro boardie can wait until the kayaker and wave comes by and "drop in" (a form of aggression and establishing the pecking order of the line-up). On a big wave, the danger quotient of a collison becomes much greater... From my perspective, even though I can catch waves sooner, I don't position myself behind the boardie lineup. Rather, I am in the line-up (make sure you think you can "hang" skillfully with them first) or on the outside edges of a line-up. If you have to position behind a line up because the break is confined, then do practice common courtesy and let some waves go by. Contrary to what wave hogs think, generally on any given day, there are plenty of rides to go around. Aggro surfers may get some respect for their ability, but they are rarely liked... Speaking of "aggro" and other surf terms and jargon, here are links to an A-Z surf talk: http://www.geocities.com/Pipeline/1597/jargon.html http://www.surfline.com/surfology/surfolog...ssary_index.cfm Last time I surfed with Kevin and Sean K was last year. Here are some pics from that session: http://community.webshots.com/album/192431558SzeIdu Hey Sean! Make a deal with the sweetie, take a break from baby duties once in awhile and come out to play. sing
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