alex_L

many many years ago I was working at the South Street Seaport Marine Museum on the East River. I fell in one very cold day in January as I slipped getting off a boat. I ended up at my GP with shots in my bum, arms and oral antibiotics. I felt sick for days, but it could have just been in my head... The Harlem was way nastier. Alex

Thanks guys! It was an amazing, challenging, scary race. I don't know if it is still up, but I did a write up on www.nesurfski.net if you want to check it out. Alex

He rolled a sea kayak for the first time last night in the Danvers pool session! Woohoo- ya did good buddy! Alex

Try Outerwear Repair in Ct. They are listed on Kokatat's website. They do alterations etc on all kinds of stuff, not just Kokatat. Good luck!

The wing helps with balance and staying upright because it has an exceptionally solid catch and grip on the water, far more so than a Euro style paddle. You can perform low braces pretty easily with a wing, but if you get the ski moving every catch of the paddle is a mini high brace. When you first use a wing, it feels a bit like sticking your paddle in really stiff pudding. It is harder to do some strokes like bow rudders or sculls, and you really have to let the paddle take its own path or it will misbehave. If you follow the paddles lead, it will really help you inprove your stroke, but if you fight it, you will likely swim. I have a Mako XT you are welcome to try sometime, it is a great starter ski because of the slightly flatter hull shape. Alex L.

:^D))!!

your boats done. We're here till 8 tonight. Alex at NESC

Hey Kevin- I just mailed you, but I think the address is really old. Your skirt has magically arrived. Call or stop by. Alex L

I"ll write you one too, Bob. Who are you applying with? Alex

I got a chance to try the Cetus as well, and I loved it. Flatwater demo environment, so its of limited use. But, the boat is FAST, and really not much less maneuverable than my Cappella 163. The secondary stability is more robust on the top end much like a Valley boat, but the effective range of the stability is wider- I didn't seem to come off the radius as quickly as I do in say an Avocet. The finished boat I am told will have adjustable thighbraces, and it will also come standard with 4 hatches- a small dayhatch on the deck opening into a rigid kneetube as well as the regular dayhatch and bow and stern hatches. Sizewise, the proto is a bit bigger in the cockpit than a Cap 163, but hard to tell what the finished boat will be like with the thighooks. Thinking about ordering myself one, and that's huge, because I really love my 163. The boat was VERY popular at the Hartford tradeshow, so I think its going to do very well. Alex

Hi- I just wanted to add a bit to this discussion, as I just came back from a paddlesports tradeshow where I spent some time speaking to the owner of Shred Ready helmets about this very issue. He said in essence that good helmets have 2 simple things going for them- a stiff shell and LOTS of soft, thick padding. Really dense padding like minicell not so good. The third good helmet feature is of course a really good fit. The most impact resistant helmet with the softest padding out there only works if it isn't sliding more than an inch or 2 at MOST. Some of the "best" helmets out there are actually plastic rather than composite. Composite helmets look really cool, though... If the helmet is vented, you need more padding. General guidelines for helmet replacement are 3 years of routine use OR 1 hard hit. What's 1 hard hit? Any cracking, denting,or really heavy gouges in the helmet, or contact with the bottom or an object that causes you pain, visual disturbance or dizziness. Helmets are pretty cheap to replace, heads not so much. I just ask myself one question- how much is my head worth? Alex L

Sounds like a plan, Mel. Love to chat whenever ya like! Alex

Hi Bill- I also have the Adapative Paddling endorsement, and I just finished teaching the paddling skills portion of the Adaptive Paddling workshop for instructors through Northeast Passage at UNH in Durham. They have several paddling programs and other adaptive sports programs, and are great folks to work with. If you would like other info, drop me a line or call. Thanks- Alex L

hiya Alex from New England Small Craft here. In fact, the current Sirius model available is the M. That is the only one P&H will produce, as the molds are done on the S and the HF. Hope this helps Alex

Naah, no racing. Parents in town, so trying to stay dry, believe it or not! Alex

Hey Leslie- there is not all that large a surfski community around here as yet. Suz and I are starting to informally paddle our skis, not race 2 mornings a week in a few weeks, and you are certainly welcome to join us. I personally go out 1-2 times a week as well in the Portsmouth NH/York Me area.The only surfski group I know that is out regularly is a pretty hardcore one, and they are training for racing pretty seriously. The practice races down on the Charles may already have started, and that would be a good venue, as the pace there varies tremendously, some paddlers are pretty sedate about their "racing". Hope this helps! Alex yellow Mako XT surfski pretty lime Capella 163 some other boats too...

Also, there are clubs, and I think the skoanz site has links to them, I think one was the kiwi kayakers or something along those lines. Good luck!

You should check out the Sea Kayak Operators of new Zealand Association. I think the website is www.skoanz.org, but if you google it it should pop up. They have a list of members and guides, and if the extremely rigorous guide qualification process is any indicator, the member outfits should be of exceptional quality. Andrew and I were contemplating a possible move there last year, so I started looking at jobs and outfitters. In Dunedin on the South Island there is or was an outfit called Wild Earth Adventures which has a good reputation, and that area the Otago Peninsula is supposed to be a remarkable wildlife destination. Sounds like fun no matter what! We are planning a trip there next winter, so will want a full trip report when you return... Alex

Holy crow, that's awesome! Can't say I am too surprised, though. They both have well earned that award. Please send my best as well. Alex L

Hi Diana- I sent you email in regards to Tom. Thanks- Alex at NESC

Hey Vince, I manage a kayak shop here in New England, and we are going through the same process right now. A good place to start is the professional Paddlesports Association. They have a website and a list of insurers who deal with commercial insurance of this nature. Their website is www.propaddle.com Good luck- Alex at NESC

Ok, found the bill. House bill 1414. If you go to www.mass.gov you can find it. Basically, the bill asks that instructors be certified by the ACA or similar organization, have first aid and CPR and that"actual wet exits" be taught. I don't have problem with the certification issue per se, as most commercial insurance programs essentially force that requirement anyway based on their fee structure for instructors at least. The sticking point to me is the wet exit bit. The bill is ambiguous about definitions of "instructors" and whether a guide is considered an instructor and whether the wet exit applies to rentals, tours, or just classes.It also does not clarify whether all the staff on a tour for example must be instructors. Many outfitters will have a lead guide trained to a higher standard than the assistant guides, in part because it takes time and money to train staff to lead guide/instructor capabilites. In an ideal world, all tour guides would be ACA Advanced Open Water instructors,or BCU Coach 5 but I doubt we'll see that anytime soon. It is very expensive both money and time wise to train to these standards, and retention of staff is also tough, there just isn't enough stability or money in the business. I think it is safe to say your typical renter or tour participant is going to be put off by being forced to do a wet exit each and every time they rent a boat or go on a tour, especially if it is a sit on top, or a non- skirt rental sit inside. When I teach, wet exits are done with anyone I have not seen wet exit before, but when I run a tour, the participants are not expected to actually demonstrate wet exiting the boat. If we did require that, I would expect that the number of participants on guided tours would drop sharply. So, then where do those folks go? Probably to buy a rec boat and have no guidance whatsoever... Hmmm, not sure if this is increases safety much. my humble 2 cents... Alex

Regarding the possible requirement of ACA or other certification for guides, the proposed legislation is in Massachusetts. I haven't been following it closely of late, and don't know the particulars, like whether it is still a live bill. Apparently in addition to requiring certification of some kind, the law will demand that wet exits be taught as the first portion of any class, tour, etc that involves a guide and/or kayaks. Haven't pursued it much farther than that due to lack of time and sanity... Alex

So, jellyfish are some of my favorite inverts, and I am thinking that maybe what you saw was Pelagia noctiluca, which has a pretty minimal sting. If the animal was fairly large and a deep purply- red with purple in the trailing tentacles, that's a good bet. If it looked instead like a big fried egg with tomato in it it may have been the lion's mane jellyfish Cyanea spp., and those do have a nasty sting. We see that species quite commonly in this area, they get quite large, 3 feet plus across the bell at times. Man o' war is certainly possible, but not as common in the area. Hope this helps- Alex

Hey Bethany- I am going to mail you as well, but we may be able to do something to replace the boat for the Trustees. Do you have contact info for these folks? Alex at New England Small Craft. nesc at nesmallcraft.com..