djlewis

>It was pretty "interesting" to see the footage of the shark

>circling at the base of the bridge where we go to play in

>the current. And to think that we've been worried about the

>rocks... ;-)

Kinda gives new meaning to the term "combat roll".

--David

... off Naushon island, to be exact. Woods Hole / Cuttyhunk paddlers might want to take note ;-)))

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=stor...lo_WCVB/2385420

WUndergound is great... glad you discovered it. They also have hookups to local private weather stations, so depending on where you live, you can see the local current temperature and accurate history. It's kinda funny to consult a service in Ann Arbor to find out the temperature outside my house in Arlington, but hey, it's the internet age... for a while, anyway.

I pay $5/year to get rid of the ads and gain some services, though I'm not sure just which ones are "premium". Seems like a good outfit to support.

--David.

I believe we use Dap Weldwood Contact Cement, at least, that's what I've been using, and I think it's what Brian recommended. See http://www.dap.com/international/intl_list...id=4&subcatid=8

I'm glad you brought this up. That stuff is a bit problematic, IMHO. You apply it and let it dry to tacky and then press the tacky parts together. But the tacky surfaces grab quickly and tight, and if you twitch or sneeze as you are positioning them, you can get it off from where you want, with unpleasant consequences.

There's something called Gorilla Glue that can be used wet, and claims to finesse that problem. http://www.gorillaglue.com/gGlue.html. The drawback is that it expands and oozes out of the joint as it dries, and you have to trim and/or sand off the hardened ooze. Has anybody tried this for outfitting? I've done a little furniture repair (in hidden places) it it works well with that caveat.

As for getting rid of already glued stuff... as Brian told me, just rip/claw/tear/cut it off and keep going down to the original surface, at which point you'll need lacquer thinner to remove the remaining foam and glue.

--David.

In the excellent forward stroke class that he and Karen Knight gave recently, Bob Foote suggested a variation on "out of the water by the hips" which makes sense to me. It's basically "stop pulling by the hips."

In other words, it's OK if the blade stays in the water a bit longer as long as you're not pulling any more. That gives you the freedom to get it out of the water more "naturally' rather than rushing to pick it up before it's comfortable.

--David.

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.

Anybody know the current greenhead situation in...

Essex Bay?

Annisquam?

Plum Island Sound North? South?

Parker River?

Rowley River?

Thanks. --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.