Jill

And, if you want to see a good visual and discussion of each of these rolls and compare them, Karen has them posted on her website. Click on each of them at the bottom of this web page to view photos and her descriptions: http://www.bobfoote.com/karen/tipsandtechniques.htm

REI Framingham. Take Exit 13 off the Pike. After toll, take the right hand ramp toward Framingham. At the second light you'll see REI on the left across the street. Make a U turn at the light and REI's parking lot entrance will be on your right. Pretty tough to miss. To get back on the Pike, exit the parking lot turn right (no left anyway), the Pike onramp if a block away.

If you can get out to So. Natick, Sherborn, or Medfield those are some of the most beautiful parts of the Charles at any time of year, but Fall in particular. Good places to put in are just next to the So. Natick dam - going up river; Farm Road in Sherborn - going up or down river; Rt. 27 in Medfield - going up or down river, but up river gets a bit wide open and treeless after a while; and Elm Bank in So Natick below the So. Natick Dam. No portages for miles and miles above the So. Natick Dam.

With deepest respect for Jed's experience with rolling and teaching rolling, I submit that the feet can play a significant and effective role in executing a sweep roll. I learned this from Bob Foote (no pun intended) and have put it into practice in rolling both sea kayaks and white water kayaks in combat situations. Bob's tip is this: At the same time as you begin sweeping the paddle out from the set up position, use your offside foot (if you are coming up on your right, your left foot) to begin to push the boat away from you (in the same way as you would use that foot and knee to push the boat away from you as in doing a balance brace on the right side). This foot action is deliberate but only the starting point. Then engage the knee and hips as the sweep continues. If done well, by the time the paddle is half way to perpendicular to the boat, the boat is already rotated half way out of the water. In my experience, using the feet in this way has made a significant and positive difference in the effectiveness of my roll. Jill

Ouch Liz! While waiting for you all at Karen and Bob's class last weekend, I almost sat on a fish hook on the grass at the Lake Cochituate put in. When you see all the trash and broken glass folks leave around ... Fish hooks are another good reason to have a knife handy... not for your finger, but for attached line. I was having a nice quiet paddle at a local lake a couple of years ago and reached down to pick up what I thought was a small plastic bobber that the fishermen use. What I didn't realize was that it had a fish hook and line attached. The hook got me in the fingertip (but not deeply as it did you), unfortunately, the line attached to the hook was attached to a log. I managed to extricate myself but it wasn't easy or comfortable and I didn't want to drive the hook in further. I cannot remember if I had a knife on my pfd or just wished I had. I think it was the latter. Best wishes, Jill

Another ambiguity but I believe the intention of the drafter is for the word "actual" to apply to "wet exit" rather than "training." Thus,to mean actually getting wet!

Below is the text of this legislation and, as it is written, in my view as a lawyer, it could impact clubs such as NSPN. Here is how: It refers to "commercial and/or professional kayak instructors" but it doesn't say they have to be performing commercially or professionally at the time. Therefore, anyone who teaches kayaking for money or conceivably already has a professional cert., such as ACA, BCU, Maine Guide, etc., would probably have to comply in all cases, even if no money is paid for the class. So, the law could apply to any NSPN trip, class or workshop being led by any "commercial and/or professional instructor" even if no money is being paid for the class. There are many in this club who teach or have taught professionally but volunteer their time for the club. I've had trouble coaxing students to wet exit on warm days with reasonably warm water in a lake, imagine having to do it on a cold day in cold water. Some instructors are opting to have students who haven't wet exited go without spray skirts, something this proposed law doesn't appear to allow. Can you imagine CRCK asking everyone who wants to rent a kayak for a hour (and they don't give them skirts for these rentals) to wet exit in the Charles. Their kayak rental business would suffer. Good thing they rent canoes! Regardless of how you feel about the substance of what is being proposed, this law is not very well thought thru from a clarity standpoint. Terms which need definition include "commercial" "professional" and "open waters." Jill SECTION 1. Chapter 90B of General Laws, as appearing in the 2000 Official Edition is hereby amended by inserting the following new section, after section 13A, Section 13B. All commercial and/or professional kayak instructors shall obtain and maintain the following: (a) Basic First Aid training; ( CPR or a higher level of first responder qualification; and © American Canoe Association certification or equivalent training. All commercial and/or professional kayak instructors shall provide training to each individual on the safety procedures appropriate to the level of paddling difficulty. Instruction of novices shall include actual wet exit training, the so-called practice in escaping from a kayak while submerged in a controlled water setting, pool or otherwise, before said individuals are allowed to use a kayak in open waters. No form of release, oral or written, shall be valid or otherwise effective so as to affect an instructor’s responsibility to comply with this section. Any such release shall be null and void.

I think it depends upon the model within the Astral line. I have friends who've used the zip up Astrals and liked them very much. I purchased a women's pull over style wondervest for white water. At first I liked it because it was sooo comfortably fitted for a woman. The best feature was the inside back pocket designed to hold a drinking water bladder without having it flopping around on the outside of the vest. But, after using it for a season, I found that in making it comfortable for the chest area, the manufacturer had made it too bulky around the middle of the torso and the front pocket, which had a velcro closure had a tendency to come open when one had to lay on the front of the vest (for certain types of white water rescues). Both those characteristics could affect one's ability to crawl onto the back deck of a kayak during an assisted rescue. I also found that it really didn't float me as high in the water as some other vests (another important thing in white water, less so in sea kayaking). The two best fitting vests I've tried are one MTI model called the Nami (good for WW but not enough pockets for sea kayaking) and the Kokatat MSFit Tour. Both are well cut for short torsos, which is what I need. The latter has plenty of well designed pocket space.

The whistle/compass part of this legislation may have some benefit on navigable bodies of water, if followed. Remember, the two women who died off Monomoy were not wearing PFDs at a time of year when they are required by law. But, one of the things I find silly about the proposed legislation is that it makes no differentiation based on body of water. Why should one need a compass while paddling white water on a river, or flatwater on their local pond or lake? To be in compliance with this law, I'm going to need to put a compass in my pfd pocket every time I go run the Deerfield River or take a spin around my local lake -- ridiculous!

Others may have more insight, but I would caution against gluing anything to a helmet shell. Glues can affect the integrity of the helmet. The helmet I have came with a warning against applying any adhesive to the shell.

If you are going to wear a helmet for winter paddling and put layers under it, you might consider a helmet that has adjustable padding so that it can be re-fitted easily for summer wear. A too tight helmet will give you a headache, while a too loose one tends to flop around when rolling.

I realize that some don't like to wear headgear of any kind, but a properly sized and fitted helmet should not be uncomfortable. I wore one (a Shred Ready see link) at all times on the water for 14 days on the Grand Canyon in very hot weather and didn't find it to be uncomfortable. Sea kayakers just aren't used to wearing helmets all the time as white water paddlers are. If you are going to do rock play either planned or spontaneous, find a way have a helmet ready to wear when you need it. Rocks hurt! http://www.shredready.com/products/shaggy.html

Having made a serious foray into white water kayaking this past year, I cannot imagine not wearing a helmet when kayaking in moving water around rocks. I have now had the experience of my helmet brushing against rocks while I was upside down preparing to roll. In this respect ocean rocks are just as dangerous as those in a river. It is a given that white water kayakers always wear helmets.

Brian mentions OS Systems in his post about gasket repair. I have heard excellent things from professional paddlers who have their dry suits and put them to hard use. Although I presently have a Kokatat, if I were in the market for a new suit I would seriously consider OS Systems. According to their website, they use the brass heavy duty zippers. Jill

No experience with the company you mention, but I've had excellent experience with gasket replacements done by Amigos Drysuit repair: http://www.drysuit-repair.com/