rick stoehrer

turns out i wont be joining you. have fun.

what time on the 24th at pawtuckaway/public launch? too cheap to pay $5 to launch! if we wanna stage vehicles at my house so we take up less room at the launch, that's fine.

...found it. PUBLIC LAUNCH PAWTUCKAWAY LAKE from Raymond rte 107/156 junction.... take rte 156 N for 5.4 miles take the L onto Deerfield/Long Road for 1.9 miles take L onto fundy launch rd for .2 miles

24th...pawtuckaway? that'd be awesome...i live in Raymond - perfecto. what are the directions?

mmmm....gorditas...nom, nom, nom. that's hilarious.

amend tide to read.... Tide Time Depth low 0035 0.2 high 653 9.3 low 1257 0.2 high 1924 10.0 well, THAT makes more sense, doesn't it?

BASK has something out there regarding....the MMPA prohibits harassment of Marine Mammals...essentially if the thing even turns its head to look at you, someone, somewhere might make the argument that you've altered the animals behavior and are harassing it...my rule of thumb is to try to make sure you don't dislodge it from it's rocky perch and into the water....they're up there sunning themselves to warm up and rest. Cute little suckers. If they're in the water and they're near you...well, clearly they can get around a lot better and if they're checking YOU out...that's on them. Don't see how it could be misconstrued. http://www.bask.org/enviro/viewing.html

Time Tide 653 9.3 1101 0.6 1924 10 2232 0.1 Forecast Partly Cloudy, low to mid 70's, F 2-3 winds swing NW-W-SW in afternoon. Sunset 2025 Stellwagen water temps is about 61F. Dev beach has a surf forecast of under a foot with a 11-12s period. ...ie, pleasant, flat day...launching and landing mid tide.

Nope, didn't get the joke. Given where some of us have landed and the photo's that have popped up of our traipsing about private property, I didn't "get" this joke at all and am relieved to hear that we aren't proposing that landing as a course of action. Also glad to hear that my views on private property aren't ambiguous!

i will try to make it as well - should be fun and the gear is almost de-funked after Scotland...camping trip postponed so it's time to otherwise get wet again! I agree with Leon in regards to leaving private islands, PRIVATE; poor taste to land....you don't belong and it's nunya bizness being there. Emergencies trump all but otherwise, leave it alone. Miseries and gooseberries are a short hop away.

I say find the option that suits your skills and your training goal...just have an idea of who you are and what you're getting into. The video group likely understood their level of risk, assumed it and were comfortable assuming it. Other groups will no doubt be assuming different exposure to risks with their respective different skill sets, environment, etc. To me, how they did it and looking at where the break was coming in on that video (from R to L) I think they take a "safer" route than the one that might have been directly exposed if you went R about 90 degrees. Looks like...I don't know...wasn't there. I agree, you don't have to hit the max Rambo button every time but only landing on sandy beaches with tourists and umbrella drinks doesn't do you a whit of training good. Start of the sandy beach and gently work your way up towards maximum Rambo. Aut inveniam viam aut faciam - I shall find a way or make one....do that.

Safer, quieter, less exciting options? Probably. But will those option always be available? And maybe you find yourself in circumstances where THAT LANDING IS THE SAFER / IMMEDIATE option. The point of the training is that you can land in a no landing zone if you NEED to...if you NEED to get to shore RIGHT NOW and there's only an inhospitable spot you don't want to sort that out for the first time just then. Train hard, paddle easy. It would be ideal if you NEVER had to take the risk of landing in a spot like that but you don't know what's coming just over the horizon and maybe it's better to train for getting out of the way! I have no idea regarding the circumstances of the day when they shot their video but it was just as likely a training exercise as anything else. Helmets...Bandaids...it'll be fine.

swimmer isnt towing his boat...there is slack on his end. onwater person is holding empty boat off rocks....when swimmer is ashore, on water provides slack and guy on shore brings it in fast as hell. there can be a lot of force...make sure YOU are well situated and dont wrap line around any part of you or your hands, etc...it can be dangerous. boats in that video were at mercy of the water and not held off..you can destroy a boat pretty quick that way depending on whats going on and where you are landing.

we'll see if they think they're lucky when its all said and done! really looking forward to the OB...we're going to day trip out of North Uist and then if the weather holds we're taking the kayaks on a high speed RIB out to St Kilda which is on my bucket list....although i am fairly certain that taking a power boat over is cheating. Never the less, vast sea bird populations some lively water and spectacular scenery awaits....should be an absolute blast.

Gents - Schedule allowing, absolutely - weekends are filling up. That stuff is fun! It can turn into a cluster once or twice but you sort it out!

ha...that video brings back memories! yuppers, landing in no landing zones is/was part of BCU 5* and we had to do something like that on the suss. and if you think that looks like fun, the launch was even better! I don't know if that training is done in 4* leader award level - that remit was expanded a few years back to lessen the gap between 4 and 5 star awards but certain it can be. in any event, landing on a less than inviting shore is part and parcel of what you end up doing in 5* the way it works is that initially the "bravest and stupidest" goes in a bit first with a compatriots line attached to the stern of his (note "his" as certainly the stupidest will be male) boat...he dumps and attaches his tow line to the bow of his boat as his compatriot holds the boat off of the rocks as guy in water swims in while tethered to his boat...swimmer scrambles up, gets himself settled and pulls boat in as compatriot comes in a bit or lets his line out....between the two points they control the boat from getting smashed onto rocks...once that boat is ashore the guy on the rocks disconnects the towline from his boat but KEEPS the line as it is still attached to the guy on the water who now ditches and attaches that line to the bow of his boat while another on water compatriot attaches a towline to the stern of that boat. swimmer swims in and assists with next boat coming ashore. repeat as needed. it takes a couple times to sort it out and generally there's a mess in the middle. where a helmet and keep an eye on the line in the water and the people in the water. fun, fun, fun. SCOTLAND on FRIDAY. Outer Heb, St Kilda...man, I freakin love this sport! anyways, when i get back bring some helmets and some band aids and we can go try it.

Leon - do you dive? there is no way in hell i'd be holding onto a paddle and not a mask/fins and or a regulator down there.

you have a risk averse relative...huh. genetics are funny.

huh...see that? have only used the cotton balls for awhile and i'll bet you're right...some of the fire retaaahdent stuff might be a bitch to light! suppose it beats the days when everything from curtains, fabric on furniture and pj's would burn with a fury.

cotton balls or dryer lint impregnated with petroleum jelly all stuffed into a small canister. take out...tear apart a bit and apply trusty bic (of which i generally have 3 or so hanging about in the kit) and voila...fire.

I've got an ikelos 210 that i love...light as hell, nice through the water, finds the surface so nice...it lasted 2 years before i cracked it...put a small patch on it and it's okay but yup, fra-gi-lay.

Josko - FWIW, Greg has a number of Celtic Paddles - this is Nigel Dennis' paddle co out of the UK. Nigel is not associated with Lendal NA. I have a Celtic paddle that is essentially the old lendal nordkapp blade and is as awesome as that shape ever has been. Lotsa bite, plenty light - a proven blade shape from a company owned by a paddler with a proven history and impressive accomplishments. Not surprising that Ben would flout a Lendal NA paddle - it'd be kinda short sighted to recommend another company's equipment when you're listed on the lendal na site.

Bearanoia - maybe. So long as the folks that visit live to leave! As attributed to Joseph Heller - Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean they aren't after you. You paddle with all the hugs and rainbows and leave no trace ethos you like - avoidance is perfect but barring perfection I'd have a direct response handy and probably something more than a noxious hair spray.

Greg Paquin at Kayak Waveology has his schedule up for the year and for the 6th consecutive year the AUTUMN GALES is being run in the raucous and rowdy waters off of FISHERS ISLAND and in the surrounding area. Held October 10,11 and 12th, the GALES is, as always, run in the waters off of FISHERS ISLAND. The location is central to a LOT of dynamic and challenging water with lots of current. These demands keep the goal of the event in stark focus - intermediate to advanced training in challenging water! Flying in are international coaches Nigel Dennis , Eila Wilkinson, Peter Jones, Phil Clegg and Harry Whelan; all accomplished expedition paddlers with decades of coaching experience and hard earned insights into rough water paddling and life around the sea. Joining them is the Kayak Waveology crew of locals – Greg Paquin, Paula Riegel, Nick Schade, Carl Tjerandsen, Glenn Charles, Tim Motte, Ciro de la Vega, Rick Stoehrer, Paul Sylvester, Jon Tobiassen and David Grainger – all accomplished paddlers, coaches, guides and local condition gurus! All of them there and on hand to teach, lead and shepherd the whole thing around to sniff out the local hot spots - to put you in the right place at the right time! 6 years running the AUTUMN GALES has been providing the right coaches and training in advanced conditions so that you can go get yourself into big moving water and back again. Join Greg October 10-12 in Stonington Borough Connecticut for the AUTUMN GALES! http://www.autumngales.com/

Ed - yes, big fish follow little fish. a long time ago i was free diving after work at coki beach in st thomas...there was this awesome barrel sponge out in about 50ish feet of water and i'd go after work and swim a bit and dive down to the sponge, stick my head/shoulders in and look around...it was very large. i carried a little light to look at anything i thought cool. anyway, i get in the water and am swimming on the surface and some guys were taking some students out for a shakedown night dive....and between us were an enormous school of little bait fish. crazy amount...like the opening footage of the old jacque cousteau show on tv on sundays...just ludicrous. so they had lots of lights down on the bottom, fish between and me up about 50 feet....the school was backlit and it was amazing to see....and i saw a flash through the school. i wasn't sure what it was it was so fast and the fish so thick....and then another and another and a really big tarpon with a mouth like a bucket went shooting past me. i was apparently in the middle of the tarpon bait fish buffet. oh cool! little fish come in, bigger fish come in to eat them....and then i thought about the tarpon being about 4 footish and thought wait a tick, those aren't the really big fish, are they? what eats them? then i swam to shore. for all i know it's bears that eat them but i sure didn't stick around to see who was dining on fresh fish!