Suz

blah, blah, blah... (It's one I like though!)

Can I just borrow yours? Does it still float? I won't throw it on the rocks or even land on them. Suz

1 Empty the boat by simply pushing the stern down therefore lifting the bow. On an NDK with sloped bulkhead behind seat the water empties right out. 2. With boat upside down and the cockpit coaming in the water (do not put on edge - that fills the cockpit)get below the boat holding your paddle under one arm and do a bit of a somersault to slip your legs into the boat. 3. Scooch into the seat and lean back to slip the back edge of the skirt on the coaming. Pull hard at the edges of the skirt near your hips to really lock it onto the coaming and then have your hands travel to the front slipping the skirt over the coaming. 4. Grab your paddle from under your arm and roll up. Another alternative is to stow your paddle in your deck lines prior to emptying the boat. This allows you to keep your hands free to move quickly in re-attaching your skirt. In the explorer, I usually end up with 2 cups of water tops in the boat this way.

I did the re-enter, skirt on and roll back up while doing the 4* assessment in Georgia. Hadn't practiced it prior other than trying it once, just seemed a good idea at the time. I have found that in the colder water up here it is more difficult to do and harder to submerge w/drysuit on. Certainly not just a party trick though. I think it is something worth practicing first in the pool to get all the kinks worked out and then on the ocean, first in flat water and then in rough water. At least that is my plan. Suz

Anyone in the club paddle a Romany LV? I would love to be able to demo one - sat in one down in Georgia and now am lusting after it. New ones are being shipped sans seat which provides for much more room in the cockpit. BUT of course I may find that although I can fit, I may sink it! What are the pros and cons of getting a LV over a regular volume Romany as a second boat? Won't be used for overnights, just play time. Suz

He forgot to empty the boat and put his skirt back on before re-entering and rolling.

Before I order a new one from Yakima, just checking to see if anyone has ONE Yakima Q Tower that they don't need. Seems that one of mine has a stripped cam. Yakima will sell individually the "stripped down" Q Tower for $25. Suz

My congrats too - great job and they had fun to boot! Unfortunately the only sun we had was the hour on Thursday that we got on the water after the 20+ hour drive down and once when it broke through the fog for about an hour - just long enough to burn my eyelids while sleeping on a sand bar waiting for the triangle to start popping. On Sunday, we almost didn't get to spend anytime on the water at all. The thunder and lightning were passing nearby and decision was made not to launch. The boats got packed up and a last glance given to the sky and we saw a small "window" of opportunity to go out and play. Within 10 minutes we unpacked the boats and threw them in the water and off to play where the river empties and 3-4' waves were forming. We grabbed an hour of fun before the next thunder cell came knocking. Three of us drove down and two took the plane. BUT due to the thunderstorms, the drivers made it back to Boston 12 hours BEFORE one of the guys flying back! All in all, it was a great few days with warmer (58 degrees)water, warmer air a few surf rides and great company! Suz

I will gladly pay a $10 for a "come save my a**" insurance policy that I would hopefully never need to use. It would be nice to know that the state has the resources to be able to launch a search and rescue in the event it was needed. Suz

NSPN has just lined up two more pool session at the Beverly YMCA. The pool is a 6 lane pool that is 25 yards long. It is the same pool as the Ipswich YMCA. Dee Hall will be the registrar for the pool sessions. Expect to see a posting from her shortly on this. DATES: April 16 April 23 Saturday night- 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. Suzanne

I wouldn't miss it! Suz

Looking ahead to April, are people interested in pool time? Not sure if it would be available but if there is interest, we could look into it. I don't believe that Chinatown would be available due to renovation work but we can check into Ipswich if there is enough interest. I also wanted to update people on other options that the board has considered for pool time. We have looked into pools at MIT and at the Town of Wayland (among others). Both pools would have worked but the cost would have been much higher and the price would have been $30 for NSPN members. The board determined, based on last years experience with the cost of the Reading pool, that was too high. If you are interested in pool time in your area, please check with your local pool to see if they will allow it. Find out pricing for 2 hour sessions on either Saturday or Sunday and provide me with contact information and I will follow up from there (suzanne dot pritchett at comcast dot net). Thanks, Suzanne

What dates have you been able to secure? Suzanne

Can I come on Sunday? Just need work on foaming out some hip pads and making tighter thigh hooks. Nothing major. Suz

Brian, Thanks for the report for all of us to learn from. The reports that are the hardest to write are the ones where obvious errors are made. The paddlers ahead of the rest of the group being oblivious to what was going on around them being one of them. More than anything, your report emphasizes the need for all parties in a group to be aware of each other's skill levels. The inexperienced winter paddler who swam in benign conditions and was unable to perform a self rescue - either roll, re-enter and roll, paddle float or even a cowboy re-entry as the conditions allowed should probably not be out doing a 4.2 mile open crossing even if the conditions were flat. If everyone was aware of the inexperienced paddler's skill level and the decision was made to still go, then it would have been appropriate to have one of the experienced paddlers be right there with them and able to assist at any point to limit the individual's time in the water and also the groups exposure. This report should make all of us aware how important it is to choose our paddling partners carefully and to keep vigilant on the water and not be lulled into a sense of security because of the conditions. Suzanne

In response to Richard's suggestions: 1 - "The gold standard for training is Chart No.: 1210 TR" - Checking with Ken from the Map Shack who believes this chart may have been taken out of print 8 yrs ago. He is checking to see if it is available. 2 - A must have!!!!! Chart #1: not a chart, but a booklet that lists and defines all of the symbols used on U. S.-manufactured charts. Not sure if it is a must have, most of the symbols that are used are pretty self explanatory and Chart 1 is available on line. 3 - As Christopher suggested...forget the parallel rulers! The USPS has a very handy, one piece, plastic ruler that replaces parallel rulers and a protractor (one tool does the work of two). I believe the rulers are only available through the USPS. For kayaking, the handiest tool I've found is definitely a Nav-Aid. Get what you want...I also have a nav-aid but for PLANNING at home, you can't beat parallel rulers and the cost is about $15. 4- Dividers - yes, in agreement here - don't get the draftsman type dividers - too sharp. EITHER way, dividers are generally used OFF the water, when planning and not from the seat of your kayak. If anyone is looking to purchase either dividers or parallel rulers, let me know and I can arrange for a purchase through Map Shack. Weems & Path 7" dividers - $12.95 Parallel Rulers - 12" $15, 15"-$18 In addition, I will have available to purchase 8 Small Craft Nav Aids from New England Small Craft at $8.00 each. Suzanne

Just e-mailed all who had either posted they were interested or e-mailed me directly. If you were interested and DIDN'T receive an e-mail from me, let me know ASAP and I will send you the details. This will take place in the function room of my condo with room for plenty of people. We will be breaking into small groups to work. Dates: January 11,18,25 Suzanne suzanne dot pritchett at comcast dot net

From their website: From Route 128 N or 128 S, take Route 1A North to Ipswich. In Ipswich you will pass the Whittier Hotel and O'Keefe Chevrolet on your right, and Ipswich Ford on your left. The YMCA will be immediately on your right. YMCA Website: [http://www.northshoreymca.org/pages/182_facility_information.cfm?redirect=yes] As always, plan to arrive early to get in the water on time at 7:45 p.m. and move quickly to get cleaned up and out of the YMCA as quickly as possible when the session ends. Suzanne

EMS in Burlington and REI also carry WS.

I have been skiing for years and resisted the helmet for just as many... until my daughter started to "forget" her helmet as I never wore one. So a few years back, I finally broke down and bought a helmet - took forever to find the right one but now can't imagine skiing without it. Warm, comfortable and now I feel naked without it. I suppose I will try and wear a helmet this winter while the extra layer is appreciated and then the practice will become ingrained. You all can remind me I said this;) Suzanne

Well, I guess we have decided that there are tons of people interested in working on navigation this winter! So sure that there will be something for everyone and no excuses for being "navigationally challenged"! As to my intentions... plan is to start with the basics and keep on going. Goal is to be able to eventually plan a multi-day trip, account for current, planning for tides... be able to adjust a course on water because I will have done it tons of times on land... Figure that people can drop out of the sessions when they have reached a point that they are comfortable with. I see my study group as an informal way of gaining more navigational experience. Suzanne

Sounds like there is plenty of interest. Shortly, I will be e-mailing the people that have expressed interest. In the meantime, here is a list of navigation essentials: -hand held compass ( I like the little Suunto A30, that has a small magnifying glass on it-[http://www.hiltonstentcity.com/library/suunto-a30l.htm]) -parallel rules -dividers -chart - will tell you the # in the e-mail It would be sufficient if half of us had these things, except the compass - everyone should have a hand held compass. Gather your tools and expect an e-mail shortly. Recommendations: Both the Power Squadron class and Jed's class would be worthwhile nav courses for people to take. Tuesday nights happen to fit my schedule and the location (my place) can't be beat (for me!). Suzanne

One of my goals this winter is to improve my navigation skills. To that end, I would like to find some like minded people to work with after the holidays on Tuesday nights. We can meet at my condo in Middleton. If you have interest, let me know via a post here or an e-mail: suzanne dot pritchett at comcast dot net. Suzanne

Just a thought... I have some kayaking books and only one video - "The Kayak Roll" that I am willing to lend. I will bring them to the holiday party THIS SATURDAY and if anyone wants to borrow, they can. Personally, I would love to borrow: Extreme Sea Kayaking by Michael Powers/Eric Soares Any books on kayaking in Newfoundland Anyone else... Suzanne

Hard question that is... everyone has there own combination that works for them. Here is what I do - if conditions are such that the likelihood of me going over is slim, my preference is just to use either one pogie and switch back and forth or two pogies. My favorite pogies are Bomber gear Spider Mitt- w/ gauntlet - combination of neoprene and some sort of wind block stuff. [http://www.bombergear.com/5070.html]. If it gets a bit colder or the likelihood of getting wet increases, I just add thin neoprene gloves from NRS. The ones I have are very flexible but they do have a shiny palm which makes it hard to hold a paddle. So when I am wearing these, I wax the shaft - I think that the wax is surf board wax - not sure as the package is long gone. I bought it at NESC. I have tried about 3 other types of gloves, heavier and warmer, with precurved fingers. I don't like them heavy as it is hard to feel the paddle. The ones that are thick tire my hands out. I believe that gloves w/o the shiny surface are easier to grip with but I haven't found ones that I like the fit. It really is very much trial and error. If you only have the one pair, it is nice to bring hot water in a thermos to warm them up after a lunch break. Suz