djlewis

Actually, I think he is putting the blade in not far from the toes. The camera angle makes that a bit hard to see, but look closely at the relationship of the tip of the "blade" to the "bulkhead". What is missing, perhaps, is the little jab forward upon entry to make sure the blade is extended fully. Is that what you mean? Of course, without an actual waterline, the true point of entry is a bit ambiguous. If the boat is sitting quite low, for example, then I think the blade is entering the water at the toes. You can also try right-clicking the image and then turning off the "play" setting to freeze the action at various points. --David.

Was't that a Standard Horizon HX460S (below) that we group bought? That's what I have, though it's now sitting on my desk awaiting return to the factory to fix/replace on account of a probable failure due to water entry. I did have to replace the antenna once, mainly becasue I lost the sheath somewhere. I think it was around $30, plus shipping of course. As usual, the cost of parts adds up to several times the cost of a new unit. --David. http://www.go2marine.com/go2_structure/8/4/2/7/84278F-p.gif

These are terrific shots of a wondrous place. Thanks for sharing them. Man, I am in-spy-red! When's the next plane leave? --David.

Another alternative for the shuttle car is to park it in a resident spot and have everybody contribute toward the inevitable parking ticket. I don't know if towing is likely. --David.

I doubt if you can park on the street. Anyway, a bunch of cars with kayak racks doing so would not help us keep our (hopefully still) good reputation. The train station lot gets commandeered by the boy scouts (I believe) and they charge something substantial, like $10, but maybe more now. --David.

There are a few parking spots available for non-residents in the far lot behind Town Hall / Police Station. Basically, it's 10-12 spots in the center of the lot. On a nice day they fill up pretty quickly however. Last year, a couple of us arrived 8:00-8:30 and got the last two or three. What we did for the rest of the group was park in the school lot, on Lincon Street, about a mile away. You can get a map here. http://www.greatschools.net/cgi-bin/ma/district_profile/482/ If you do that, you probably want to reserve one non-resident spot in the Town Hall lot for the shuttle car to return to. Last year we didn't have to, because a kind NSPN-er lived less than a block away and provided that one crucial spot, but she's no longer there. You could try leaving some boats or a pile of gear in a parking spot, and stand menacingly over it with a paddle on your shoulder? Might work, might not. ;-))) Good luck. I'm glad you are doing this, and sorry that the storm threat cancelled last week's official trip. --David.

It's more than just lots of water on the backside. Be sure to get the tidal currents right, as they run up to nearly 2 kts in lower PI Sound. --David.

Charles River Canoe & Kayak (rt 30 on the river in Newton) often has back issues of Atlantic Coastal Kayaker on their rack. They seem to keep them around until they sell or rot. So, you might give them a call to see if they have the issue you want. New England Small Craft might also. --David.

Well, I'd say Tuckernuck is off the extreme western end of Nantucket. As such, it's probably the closest land to this current station. It looks like many tide and current stations are named that way, expecially if there is no nearby marine feature. Ah, look at this NOAA page... http://co-ops.nos.noaa.gov/currents04/tab2ac2.html and find Tuckernuck. It's listed 4.2 SSW of ... It's truncated there, but I'm guessing that's Nantucket, or maybe even Tuckernuck Island itself. As for trusting MapTech, it's been awfully good so far. I certainly haven't seen any errors as blatant as that would be. And it's pretty popular, so I'd guess that such errors were long since wrung out. --David.

MapTech shows three current stations south of Nantucket: * Old Man Shoal, Nantucket Shoals, SE of Island (+-2 kt) * Tuckernuck Is, SW of Nantucket (+0.5, -1 kt) * Miacomet Pond, S of Nantucket (+1, -1.5 kt) I thought these would be in Eldridge, but I canot find my copy (never use it now that I have MapTech). If not, holler and I'll send more info. You can also find info online by googling the name (like "Old Man Shoal") and "current". --David.

>Other ways to compensate for weathercocking? Edge your boat >towards the wind while paddling. Also, on the first part >(1/3) of the stroke of your upwind paddle, tilt the >powerface a bit towards your boat. Also, time your stroke to be applying power on the upwind side at the top of a swell. That corrects the boat downwind very nicely, with little actual change other than timing. --David.

Any advice as I prepare to remove a pair of foam hip pads that I glued in with Super 77? Just rip 'em out and clean up with laquer thinner... or something else? Then, I'd like to replace them with velcroed pads, so I can swap in either a very thin one or a thicker pair. Yep, two people will paddle this boat on different occasions, and their hips are rather different fits. So, any advice on this operation? Will this result in solid pads? Is there another way to accomplish this? If this is the right way, where can I get velcro in wider sheets? Any other advice? Thanks. --David.

You want to roll... you can't do better than sign up for a lesson with Bob Foote, privately if necessary. I have not seen a better rolling instructor, and maybe none equal (in my modest but significant experience). Last year he got several people rolling, some of whom had been struggling at it for months. And I heard (is it true?) that he did it without getting out of his boat or touching anyone... just with words. Disclaimer -- I have not seen or heard of Bob taking anyone to a roll from scratch. That is not to say he doesn't do that well too, I just have no evidence. All my hearsay and actual expereince is with him tuning existing rolls and helping people already struggling with it. --David.

>Who is up for Baja? MIKCo seems to be threatening a Baja expedition in February-March. http://maineislandkayak.com/Cat%202004%20Schedule%20June.pdf But I agree with Jeff. One way or another, Baja gets my vote! --David.

>now that sounds fun (timing and money dependent) Ditto!

>I have traveled nearly two thirds of the >Newfoundland coast by coastal freighter Really?! What kind of paddle do you use with those things? ;-))) David.

The only digital cameras I know with really instantaneous (like .01 sec) response time are the Casio QV-R40 (which I have) and a couple of slightly newer models in the same line. I've seen others with fair response time, like .1 sec or so, but I don't think that really does it. Of course, you still have to hold the shutter-release button halfway down to pre-focus. And, this Casio line does not, to my knowledge, include any models suitable for watery use. You might be able to fit a generic housing to it. Someday, maybe, they will all work like this. I personally consider a camera without this feature to be missing about half its functionality. --David.

>1. Heavy-handed criticism of NSPN's offering instruction and >trips by Mikco-trained paddlers. This persistent lobbying >and attempts at guilt trips has turned me off to Mikco. As >a result, I will be persuing my BCU training in Rhode >Island. Don't let the messengers ruin the message. MIKCo and Tom Bergh are truly a New England (if not world) treasure... of not only kayaking skill, knowledge and teaching expertise, but also integrity, sociability and gentlemanly manners. Try them! --David.

Try to borrow one of the several plastic Avocets in the club -- a few I know of are second boats. It really "pops" for a roll, and if it is the right size for you, the stock padding is pretty nice. We'd loan you ours, but we need it that weekend. --David.

Have a great time! I was going to suggest this route for a SNG, but I'm out of town until Sunday evening (and not paddling). Maybe we can arrange a repeat later? ==David.

Bituthene... that's it... thanks. How well does it work vs, say, Denzo/Mastic tape? --David.

>now, the repair was made on land using denzo tape (english >plumbers tape - very foul, but will stick underwater) I'm glad this came up. Can we sort out the various products for wet repair? I found Denzo tape online. Nigel Foster mentions something called mastic tape, which sounds from his description to be the same gooey, icky, sticky stuff, but very effective. Foster also recommends epoxy putty for emergency repairs. A search for "Mastic tape kayak" also finds something called "Vinyl Mastic Tape for Boat Repair... This tape will fix any crack in your kayak's hull. Durable and easy to use. 12in long by 3in wide". Further searching finds... "Two tapes in one (vinyl and mastic) VM is especially designed for cable sheath repair, splice case and load coil case protection, auxiliary sleeve and cable reel end sealing, drop wire insulating, conduit repair and protection of CATV components plus many other general taping applications. VM Tape is a rubber based mastic laminated to an all weather 0.18 mm (7 mil) vinyl, which provides double" "Mastic Tape kayak" also turns up this at a marine store... RUBBER MASTIC TAPE 2228 is made of self-fusing, rubber-based insulating compound. Laminated to an Ethylene Propylene Rubber (EPR) backing that offers moisture resistance and an ability to easliy stretch the tape. Finally, I once got a sheet (not tape) of some stuff from Jed that's supposed to perform the same function. It's black, with a peel-off backing, and is nowhere near as foul as Denzo tape sounds. It is not identified and I forgot what it is and where to get it. Anybody know? --David.

Someone from ERBA was paddling the chosen boat. It looked like one of their trip leaders. We were near them on Essex Bay and one of their group paddled over asking if we had a camera. They also invited us to come look, which we all did. It was really remarkable. The cute little critter was not at all fazed by the attention and hubub of numerous kayaks paddling by for a looksee. S/he just raided her head, said "ho hum" and then laid it back down on the deck for a snooze. Definitely not a people-averse seal. Apparently, it had first swum around their whole group sniffing out everybody's boat, and then selected the one, and just hopped up. The ERBA leaders called the aquarium, and while we were there, word came back. Apparently this is the time of year that the pups leave mom and go out on their own. There had already been several calls that day from the area about seals, though it was not clear that any others involved spontaneous adoption. (Yes, the chosen paddler was female!) --David.

Hi, Pat: Glad you enjoyed yourself! Just one small point... the event you describe (below) is ~not~ an everyday occurrence on NSPN or anybody's paddles. In fact, I've never heard of it. >I am still in awe over watching the baby seal >napping on the deck of another sea kayak we encountred. I'm still in awe too! What a shame there was no camera in either group. --David.

I've heard it said that the greenheads start soon after the full moon of July and last until the full moon of August. That's because the spring tides associated with the full moon floods their nests. Assuming that is true, the question this year is when that will happen. There are ~two~ full moons in July, the 2nd and the 31st. So, will the July new moon (the 17th) play a role? Anybody into greenhead-ology know the answer? --David.