djlewis

I'm thinking of replacing our really old Avocet RM. The Delphin 155 on sale used at CRCK ($1100) sounds interesting, and this extensive review -- http://seakayakphoto.blogspot.com/2013/01/p-delphin-155-long-term-test-and.html -- is very helpful.

The idea is to have a plastic boat for rocks, a decent surfing boat, and a general second boat that won't slow us down, as the Avocet tends to do, especially as it has warped somewhat. I would like an easy rolling boat for my aging hips -- the Avocet is certainly that, and I doubt the Delphin can match it, but any reports would be helpful.

The lack of a day hatch does concern me.

Any experiences, thoughts, advice, alternatives?

Thanks. --David

It doesn't happen on the forward stroke. It happens if I am paddling backwards - often rather rapidly to get out of a spot I don't want to be in. On the forward stroke it is impossible to hit your hand on the back of the skeg controller that you grip to move the skeg.

[pru

ps - it doesn't happen every day -just often enough that same place on my thumb gets cut now and again. Even once is rtoo many times considering how sharply the piece cuts!

Whoops, sorry... forgot that it was backwards paddling. Well, sharp edges or not, it's still probably a good idea to become more conscious of your backwards stroke and adjust it, even in emergencies.

Speaking of sharp edges... When I first took my plastic avocet to a pool session (many years ago), after half an hour of rolling practice I popped the skirt looked inside and saw profuse bleeding down both legs. Upon inspection, I saw there was a raw plastic edge on the knee braces which had made a couple of nasty incisions on my knees (still have the scars). I hadn't noticed it before, because I had been in a wet or dry suit at the end of the paddling season, and that protected my knees. Solution -- duct tape over the raw edge -- couldn't really stop pushing the brace with my knee to roll.

If you are regularly hitting the skeg control while paddling, I think you need to adjust your stroke, whether or not it actually cuts you -- bruises are no fun either, and it also likely reduces efficiency considerably. I haven't seen your forward stroke, but has to be pretty low or close to the boat near the cockpit for that to happen, probably outside the range of reasonable efficiency whether you hit anything or not.

Love the new model in 40-42. How's she in chop?

This is all one reason I eschew "canned" GPS in favor of the visual mapping app on my phone, which gives a dynamic map and position, but otherwise makes (and helps) you grasp the lay of the land and actually figure out with the gadget between your ears how to go from A to B, via C, D and E.

The other advantage of a phone's map is that it integrates nicely with the address book, in both directions. Well, it was nice on the original google iPhone app, but google has "improved" it so much on IOS and Android that the address-book integration is now a lot weaker. Ah, progress.

But I must say, that the new google app on Android has decent voice turn-by-turn directions, for no extra $$, which is tempting. But it recently led me in a half-mile circle to re-enter an interstate after getting off for gas, and when I finally *looked* at the map, all I needed to do was make a left across traffic out of the gas station and a quick right.

Terrific. I especially like the shots with the cartop rack holding...

Generic advice -- google: seabrook surf session

Yup!

It was the 2012 Jewell Island trip. If you pan over to Eagle Island and zoom in on the north end you'll see the rest of the fleet pulled out on the beach. Rene (Brambor) discovered the shot when he was showing his dad where we had gone that weekend. He posted the image here on the bulletin board.

When I saw the shot I wondered if the satellite had also caught Mary and me circumnavigating Jewell, and, sure enough, there we were!

Amazing -- here's Eagle -- http://bit.ly/17H9pwZ

Hey, Mary,

I just checked, and that satellite photo of Jewell Island on Google Maps still has the two of us in it!

Rob

I never saw that -- is this it...

http://bit.ly/13ZqRvy

Neat!

I'm a maybe -- sounds like a terrific paddle.

...If not, then a small blade Euro is probably more efficient...

Rather than "small", do you mean a high aspect ratio (longer, narrower) euro blade? Like say a Werner Kalliste?

Actually, the total surface area of the Kalliste is 650 sq cm, which is larger than that of the Cyprus, 610, even though the latter is generally considered more "aggressive", that is, optimized for a higher-angle stroke and with a "powerful catch". Of course, the Ikelos at 710 sq cm is definitely the largest and most aggressive of their line in all ways.

BTW, I love my Kalliste for low or high angles -- smooth and relatively easy on my bum shoulder. Many thanks to Jed Luby for putting me onto the Kalliste years ago.

It was indeed a wonderful day to be out and about on the water. To give the devil his due. Although the marine forecast did not accurately describe the sea state where we paddled; it was very accurate with regard to the zone overall as shown by the buoy info for the day.

Was the NOAA graphical marine forecast accurate for sea state?

Mary -- you are an inspiration to everybody, not just those of us close behind you on the trek... ummm... paddle through life. Good luck and blessings!

--David

We are in.

I'm a definite maybe -- will also try to convince Deborah.

I'm a definite maybe -- will also try to convince Deborah.

There are several definitions of Expedition, some of which include a journey by a group of people with a particular purpose, especially exploration, scientific research, or war. I don't think that exploration requires a caveat of wilderness yet unknown origins, but more of a "new-to-you" approach. Think of the Lewis and Clark expedition being lead by Native Americans who already new the land. Also, a more informal use of the word means a short trip with a particular purpose, such as an expedition to find the best ice cream shop in town.

If we look to the root Expedite, we also find the definition "to perform quickly", as in "to do something with expedition". However, looking deeper, I found the Latin origin Expedire, which translates to "extricate" but with an interesting twist. Breaking down the Latin word, you get ex meaning "out" and ped meaning "feet", providing the most original meaning: "to free one's feet".

If you ask me, best definition of a kayaking expedition is "to free one's self with the purpose of exploration".

Neat -- an etymologist after my own heart!

By the way, after such etymological analysis, it's sometimes useful to transform the exact root words into a somewhat more colloquial and evocative form. in this case, perhaps, it's...

Expedition --> an occasion to free one's feet --> a footloose time!

Looking carefully at the radio and cradle, it seems like the cradles contact points are lower then the three points on the back of the radio for receiving the juice so when I stick the radio into the cradle it appears they are just missing each other for making the necessary contact.

I had a similar problem with an ICOM charging cradle -- was wondering if that was your issue. It sounds a bit different problem that yours, however. Taping a couple of pieces of toothpick at strategic points in the bottom of the cradle insured that the phone settled in properly for good contact.

(deleted)

Some pumps are just built that way -- hard to believe. I have one like that too, and I just don't use it. I'm not in the market for pumps any more, but if I were, I'd test before buying.

If you bought it from a "good" place, perhaps they will refund your money. LL Bean certainly will --- and I bet REI will.

And on the front page, at least for a while.

Probably the first and last time for a long while we will see an image of a kayak there.

Nice work, John!

Congratulations to Sid Cohen for taking 3rd place in the Sea Kayak class of the Blackburn Challenge out of a field of about 26. His time was 3:40:42.

Nice, Sid -- congratulations!

Fascinating article. For those that did not read it through, the information relevant for sea kayakers is...

Boaters should start to get off of the water as soon as they hear thunder. There are no reported incidents of lightning accidents on rivers in canyons, probably because the higher terrain above the canyon attracts the leaders. But there is ample lightning injury data for boaters on rivers in flat terrain, on lakes, and on the ocean.

You can employ efficient forward strokes while reducing your average speed. Just take long glides, like this

You can also put in a bit of glide on every stroke, rather than a lot of glide every third or fifth stroke as in the video.

We can discuss where in the stroke to put the pause and exactly how to do it. I like the most wound up point, with the paddle poised to move forward toward the next catch. That's a normal place for a momentary pause anyway, as everything is naturally changing direction -- you just extend the pause from instantaneous to as long as you want. At that point, there's also less temptation to lower the paddle and lounge with it, as in the video -- which uses the other direction-changing point. That drop/lounge, IMHO, is not such good form and may burn in bad habits.

--David

Will someone please elucidate me: who or what is NTSK? And what is NTSKC? And NTSKS? I really don't have a clue what group is being discussed here -- is it part of NSPN?

Sir Christopher:

I believe you have misused the verb "elucidate" in its transitive form. The object of "elucidate" in that form is the statement, concept, point, text, etc. to be clarified, not the person for whom it is to be clarified. See, for example...

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/elucidate

I suspect the word you wanted was "enlighten", whose object is a person to be enlightened on a point. Or perhaps you intended "elucidate for me", the intransitive form.

I take the trouble to enlighten you only because you yourself have been rather dogged in elucidating such points of English usage for people who make mistakes, so I'm confident you will particularly appreciate being enlightened, and will not take me to task for pedantry.

Regards. --Sergeant David of the Grammar Police.

Not an app, but very useful nonetheless...

Paste this, the URL of the NOAA graphical marine forecast -- http://graphical.weather.gov/sectors/massachusettsMarineDay.php -- into a composed e-mail message and send that message to yourself.

Open the mail message on your smarty-phone and touch the link. That will take you to graphical forecast as a web page in the browser on your phone. It responds to touches on the grid to select the feature (wind, gust, temp, etc) and time (8 am, 11 am, etc). Bookmark this page using whatever technique your system offers.

In case you aren't familiar with this web page, it shows the detailed near-shore (and offshore) forecasts that take into account all the influences such as topographical features (like the Cape protecting Boston Harbor and Salem Sound from SE swell), swell and wind direction, distance from shore, etc. In other words, this forecast gives your the near-shore details that the standard NOAA marine regional forecasts do not. So even, for example, when there is 6 feet of swell that might give you pause to go out, if that swell is from the SE you will not see it off of Marblehead or Manchester and can paddle in peace. If it's from the E, however, it will penetrate all the way into the harbor and make for exciting surfing at Nahant. Likewise, though less so, with wind.

Of course, you can also use this on your desktop or laptop, which is usually fine as it changes only a couple of times a day (unfortunately). But if you want to be sure, consult this on the beach before you launch for the latest details, particularly wind.