B

For DUMPERS, forwards is faster and safer in my book. On the back of Big and Dumpy here on the left coast. Side surfing leaves you with nowhere to run. If you survive the first one the next is going to suck you out and crush you. Back paddling is great for landing in big stuff. It gives you the power to paddle into an oncoming breaker to maintain some control. The secret to backpaddling is practice Derek Hutchinson always made a big deal of learning to backpaddle with gusto and control. I have great control thanks to Derek's insistance and practice.

As for landing using the backshoot technique, you simply backpaddle until you just reach the breakzone. After an almost breaking wave passes under you, SPRINT! Keeping an eye on the next wave for the break. If you aren't clear of the break, sprint forward to give yourself control or if you must, reach beyond the breakzone, and repeat until you are on the beach safely.

BB

I wish you all well in the new year and am hoping to pass your way this year for some fun.

Bob Burnett

You actually wash your kayak?

No rudder, no skeg, just learn to paddle properly.

Here is a picture from Yellow Bluff on the inside of the GG bridge from that weekend. I had the pleasure of meeting but not paddling with Peter since we were in different sessions. I can corroborate the conditions as described by Peter. Yellow Bluff is a small version of Woods Hole on a good day. It's best experienced of a strong ebb with a reasonable swell coming in the Gate.

"Great trip report, Peter"? Great trip report?

Peter, you mention all those big waves and yet your photo is plainly of <flat> water! Come on, mate: confess. I am thus far unconvinced. (Even if jealous!)

Leslie -

From the postings to NSPN over the course of five years or so, I think we have enough material for our own New England edition of Deep Trouble.

John

I work for George Gronseth and there has been talk in conjunction with SK mag to produce volume 2 of Deep Trouble. I can put you in touch with the right people out here if one of you wanted to take on the task of an eastcoast edition.

Bob Burnett

??

Looks like I stepped in it again. My apologies to Kevin and Gillian. I didn't know it wasn't public. I'm going paddling now and staying off this friggin board. Too much drama for me.

Happy trails,

BB

As I see it, you don't need me to kick start the machine. All you all need is desire and a little time. As is said, "Many hands make for lite work." The old NSPN wasn't the work of one person, it took many dedicated members to make the machine work.

From what I'm hearing(just stories), Kevin left the presidents position because you all weren't happy with his work. Let me say this again. One person can't do all the work! Harsh? YES. Reality, YES. I don't know anything but what I've been told so I can't make any judgments. You've taken action, now it's time to step up and put your money where your mouth is.

Step up or shut up!

Here's the challenge:

10 members = 20 trips @ 2 trips each. If you want to do more go for it. On each trip occurs a SOLO. That's a Sudden Onset Learning Opportunity, or as some call it here, Sudden Hazardous Incident Training or SHIT. Also during each trip someone teaches a stroke for all to practice during the trip. Remember that "follow the leader" exercise Mike spoke of?

5 members teach a focused 4 hour rescue session or a focused stroke session.

The point is - If you build it they will come. It may take a little time, but if you work together as we did in the early days you can have an active healthy club again.

Oh, one more really important thing. "Politics ruins everything"

BB

Why not subscribe?

http://www.oceanpaddlermagazine.co.uk/shop...;products_id=29

As long as you are buying the Guinness all week brother.

You BTW, are first on the hitlist. Maybe I'll just have Alex take you down

Joking aside, not all students benefit from my style, but the hungry, focused ones do. Most have had serious coaching in their past and get it.

B

Bob, just in case you missed it on the last topic thread

As usual........YOU ARE THE MAN! Thank you for all of your hardwork.

B

As the main paddling season nears and people are thinking about trips, the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and the Coast Guard (CG) have some valuable resources online that can aid in planning. NOAA focuses on charts and related ocean information, the Coast Guard on Aids to Navigation and current navigational information. CG information is provided according to CG Districts: the northeast from NJ to Maine is District One.

Below are descriptions and links for useful resources on line and in pdf format (you'll need the Acrobat Reader):

Learn about Charting Products. For an overview of NOAA resources see the list at the link below. In particular, check out the links under "Learn About Charting Products" for good information on what NOAA offers.

http://www.nauticalcharts.noaa.gov/staff/chartspubs.html

NOAA Charts. A few years ago, NOAA made its charts available online for free. They are in the BSB format and require separate software to view and use. NOAA offers a free reader, but you may be better off with a commercial product. Downloading charts is not simple: you need to find the charts, "order" them (which involves compressing them into a zip file), downloading them, unzipping them and then opening them with your software. However, they are free.

See http://www.nauticalcharts.noaa.gov/mcd/Raster/index.htm to get started. Note at the bottom of the page are links to demo versions of chart readers.

Chart No. 1. If you are reading charts, it helps to know what the symbols on the chart mean. The comprehensive guide is NOAA's Chart No. 1 which can be downloaded as one document (85 Mb) or section by section. Essential for chart reading, but you will need a color printer if you want to use them in printed form.

http://www.nauticalcharts.noaa.gov/mcd/chartno1.htm#toc

Tide and Currents. Links to the familar tide and current predictions.

http://tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov/tides09/

http://tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov/currents09/

Radio Marine Forecasts. Radio broadcasts of marine forcasts by the National Weather Service may make more sense if you know which stations cover which sections of the coast. See first link below for a Service Chart showing station location and frequency and much useful info on the reverse side (though note the caution that this chart is no longer updated). Select "Front" and "Back" for the Eastport to Montauk chart. A chart listing the fequencies for common channel designations (WX1, WX2, etc.) is on the second link with additional general information on the NWS's radio offerings.

http://www.nws.noaa.gov/om/marine/pub.htm

http://www.nws.noaa.gov/om/marine/wxradio.htm

Coastal Pilot. A cruising guide with all sorts of local information along the coast. It is a supplement to nautical charts, providing info not easy to show on a chart. You can download the entire pilot or just the section of the coast of interest. Note Coast Pilot 1 covers Maine down to Provincetown; Coast Pilot 2 covers south of the Cape to NYC. Don't forget to check the Critical Corrections page which shows the current edition of the pilot and corrections for each volume. This reference is particularly valuable on unfamiliar coasts.

http://www.nauticalcharts.noaa.gov/nsd/cpdownload.htm

http://www.nauticalcharts.noaa.gov/nsd/cpilot1-3.htm

Light List. A master list of all aids to navigation, though large at 384 pages. The first 31 pages alone are worth the download as they show color diagrams of bouys, signals, etc. Note this document is published annually. They occasionally publish a corrections list as a summary (see link). For completely up to date information, you need to check the Local Notice to Mariners to get any changes since the last annual publication (see below). You will need to click on the pdf for District One. If you are going to depend on bouys and lights, you need this one as the aids on your chart may be moved, missing or out of operation.

http://www.navcen.uscg.gov/pubs/LightLists/LightLists.htm

http://www.navcen.uscg.gov/pubs/LightLists...ons/default.htm

Local Notice to Mariners (LMN). Besides weekly bulletins on changes to bouys and lights, it reports other activities of concern to boaters such as bridge and channel status, construction, exclusion zones, etc. Very good to check when planning travel in unfamilar waters. (See examples of notices at end of this email).

http://www.navcen.uscg.gov/lnm/d1/default.htm

Navigation Rules. You may have heard of the "Rules of the Road": here's the official version and if you're wondering, yep, every one of them applies to you in a kayak.

http://www.navcen.uscg.gov/mwv/navrules/rotr_online.htm

There are many other resources on the NOAA and CG sites, worth an evening's browsing if interested. For instance, there is the list of all VHF marine radio channels, current listings of regions where the military is deliberately scrambling GPS signals, and lots of other info on advanced GPS services.

The good folks at NOAA and the CG are trying hard to use technology to make their tax supported information easy to access. They're even experimenting with podcasts, MP3 files, and pushing buoy and weather info to cellphones and PDAs, etc.

Enjoy.

Best Regards,

Scott

Examples of noticres in Local Notice to Mariners:

ME - CAPE NEDDICK HARBOR TO ISLES OF SHOALS-CAPE NEDDICK HARBOR

The Coast Guard has established a safety zone 100 yards on either side of the Cape Neddick Harbor Bridge, also known as the Shore Road Bridge in Cape Neddick, Me. No vessel traffic is allowed to move within 100 yards of the bridge without permission from the Captain of The Port, Sector Northern New England. Affected mariners are requested to contact Coast Guard Sector Northern New England on Channel 16 VHF-FM for further information.

Chart 13283

MASSACHUSETTS – NEWBURYPORT HARBOR AND PLUM ISLAND SOUND – PARKER RIVER – Bridge Construction and Vertical Reduction – Construction of the new Route 1A (High Street) Bridge at mile 1.8, across the Parker River at Newbury, Massachusetts, is underway and will continue through 2010. Containment netting has been installed under the bridge reducing the vertical clearance by pproximately one foot or less. Work barges will be located a various locations and will move upon request. Working hours are from 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Monday through Friday. Mariners should exercise caution while transiting the area.

Chart 13282 LNM 09/09 (CGD1)

I made my statement based on what I've heard from others that remembered the old days and from the level 4 trip I was on last summer when I was kept in check by Rick. I was surprised and disappointed at not being allowed to instigate a little practice. Afterward hearing statements like "we just don't do that anymore" bothered me. Where does the important learning come from if not the leaders? Is everyone having to pay for training when it's at your fingertips?

The learning needs to start at the lowest level trips. Hell, I used to bail out of my boat on simple trips around a protected harbor and make people rescue me. It's the simple things that count. Press the fundamentals. Getting sharked is for those game, for those that are in the arena of combat conditions.

Scenario based training should be included in every trip, by every leader. My point is that it's the simple things that count. The water is 50 degrees on average year round here and I'm in the water all the time.

My point is simply to "teach for independence". Sometimes that has to be instigated.

B

Do we know that all can assist in a T rescue or can be rescued by another paddler in conditions? Usually a pod of 6 or more paddlers raises the sense of security, but what of the many who paddle in twos or threes? I�€™m in favor of a pre launch conversation that asks these questions. While I�€™m all for the personal responsibility that each individual owns, our we guilty of enabling unsafe paddling practices when we agree to paddle with someone who hasn�€™t yet done a wet exit let alone practiced an assisted rescue?

Hi all

It was apparent during my visit last summer that the character of the club had changed drastically. When I talked about setting off a little rescue practice in some bumpy water I was given the evil eye and told not to. It was my intent when the club was started to practice an important skill, rescues, by providing intentional practice sessions through causing chaos whenever possible. To some this method wasn't attractive, but others seemed to thrive on it. It was the "OTHERS" that became the stronger leaders and teachers in the club back then. Where is the club now that they are not participating?

Please go back to your roots. The warmer side of NSPN does no one any good. My students here on the west coast thrive on "the shark in the shallows" or as you all used to call it "getting Bob'd". I don't do it out of the need to be mean. I want you all to become stronger. Sometimes that means a little push is needed for practice to begin.

Don't enable dependence, Teach for independence. That used to be the NSPN way. It's up to you to carry on the tradition.

B

Press Release

Boston Bob Burnett joins the Kayak Academy

Knowing that this amazing sea kayak teacher's experience and philosophy of "Combat Kayaking" would fit in well with ours, we asked Bob to join us in the middle of last summer to teach tidal rapids and surf for George Gronseth (Deep Trouble) at The Kayak Academy in Seattle. This year he will be working full time teaching and leading Tidal Rapids at Deception Pass and Surf Survival, as well as programs new to the Kayak Academy.

This year he will be teaching a 5 day San Juan Islands Expeditions classes for paddlers proficient with basic strokes and are fairly paddling fit for 15 mile days in loaded boats. The focus will be on building SOLO expedition skills in a dynamic environment of wind, 3-4 knot currents with plenty of tidal rips. Although the San Juan Islands are not as remote as the Kayak Academy's Open Coast trip in Sitka AK, they offer some of the most challenging paddling in currents and beautiful scenery in the Northwest.

We have also added more Tidal Rapids classes as a follow up to our 5 day training class for those that are ready for learning to handle currents of 6+ knots in our famous Deception Pass.

Bob is also leading and teaching one of the more challenging trips that a sea kayaker can do in the Northwest. The Famous "Cattle Pass" trip from Anacortes to Friday Harbor in the San Juan Islands. This one day journey of 23 nm will take you south across busy Rosario Straits on a 3+ knot, sometimes wind opposed, current and then through the famous boat eating Cattle Pass with currents running 4-5 knots with all it's standing waves and kayak sized whirlpools on the way to our take out. You just never know what you'll get for conditions on this challenging journey.

Bob will be doing what he does best, pushing you to the limits and beyond, challenging you every step of the way, building new skills around every corner.

Also, being the worlds largest and most experienced retailer of Kokatat Drysuits in the world, you may also even hear Bob's voice on the other end if you call us to register for classes.

Please watch for our NEW website and on-line store coming soon at WWW.KayakAcademy.com

CG Video of the boat attempting to be recovered.

http://www.youtube.com/uscgimagery

Hey all

I'm working for teaching for the Kayak Academy for my second season. Check us out on Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Kayak-Academy/65918031829

Bob Burnett

Bob I'm sorry to say that your paddle has been canceled and relocated to the Eastern Seaboard. Odiorne Point on Sat @ 10:00 to be precise. The tides and conditions weren't optimal for us to head all the way to the west coast so we canceled our chartered jet. No sense flying out there just for a few small waves. Besides we were having a little difficulty with the roof rack (the pilot was clammering on about the drag). We'll be expecting to see you and Alex. And the after paddle Guinness is on me! See ya then! Ross

Ross, I wish you were out here to paddle with us. You'd fit right in to our gang.

Next stop......Vineyard Sound

I'm not familiar with the area (only been to Cape Cod once in my life)--but I'm curious as to whether you could have paddled down stream with the current to a spot where it would have disapated or would that have put you too far out at sea?

Crescent Beach Washington that is Sat and Sun. Be there.

Having paddled some of the best of both coasts I miss what home has to offer. The Maine coast is a fond memory that I hope someday to return to for a long summer of paddling with my friends.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/maine_island_...324286771/show/

no commercial interest here (though I am a member)

just a nice slide show, and a reminder of what's in our back yard.

I concur, Derek may have an attitude, but many of us have benefited from his teaching and philosophies first hand. I engaged him to teach several classes here last fall and he is still one of the best even at 75.

Don't turn your nose up at Derek Hutchinson's books for consolidating those basic skills: he is sound, as far as he goes. (His book on rolling is a great help for pushing on to further rolls after learning your first)

"Deep Trouble" by George Gronseth. Read a couple of times. Skills are great. Let's not forget good judgement. Learn from others mistakes.

Maybe when (if!) I have a reliable roll I might venture out in the winter months; in the meantime I am content to catch up on some reading counting down the weeks until the water temps are a little more than lethal. Here's a list of related books that I have read and would recommend. I would be really interested in what other books you have read or recommend.

thanks,

Barry.

1. Sea Kayaking Coastal Massachusetts: From Newburyport to Buzzard's Bay

2. On Celtic Tides: One Man's Journey Around Ireland by Sea Kayak by Chris Duff

3. Sea Kayaking: Rough Waters by Alex Matthews

4. Sea Kayaking: A Manual for Long-Distance Touring by John Dowd

5. Sea Kayaker's Deep Trouble: True Stories and Their Lessons from Sea Kayaker Magazine by Matt Broze

6. Sea Kayaking along the New England Coast, 2nd by Tamsin Venn

7. Quiet Water Maine, 2nd: Canoe and Kayak Guide (AMC Quiet Water Series) by Alex Wilson

8. Keep Australia On Your Left: A True Story of an Attempt to Circumnavigate Australia by Kayak by Eric Stiller

9. Kayaking the Vermilion Sea: Eight Hundred Miles Down the Baja by Jonathan Waterman

I second your recommendation for Ray's book.

I have had a number of books in my Sea kayaking library over the years.

Many of these publications have already been mentioned above.

What I am about to say may border on heresy

I personally do not care for Fundamentals of Kayak Navigation by David Burch.

Over the years I have heard many respected coaches tout it as the book on sea kayak navigation. That may very well have been the case 4-5 years ago, but here are now better options out there.

Burch's book is OK as a desk reference on the subject, but it is in need of some serious editing. The book is overly long, poorly organized and induces a high snooze factor. Gosh, it's a drag to read!

I would strongly recommend Simple Kayak Navigation by Ray Killen. It is any easy read that is well organized and can be used to teach one's self or others the principles of navigation. It doesn't hurt that Mr. Killen is often humorous and that he has been teaching coastal navigation to sea kayakers for years.

I will add that I churn my personal kayaking library every year or two. Simple Kayak Navigation is the only book that has remained in my library over the last four years.

You can pick it up at Amazon, if you can't find it locally. I have also heard that Ferraro's nav book is good, but with a UK sort of slant, but I have not read it myself.

Yeah, good old whathisname posted that friggin trip That story will never die.

Welcome back Rick!!!!!! I was just looking at my copy of Offshore mag where I was pouring warm water in your gloves.

BB

Oh, yes: the infamous Pintail, rolling on the sand! Did it ever go like the clappers! It was really windy that day, wasn't it? I wonder how many years ago? Whatsisname Burnett was still in residence.

Rick Woo: now there is a name from the past...welcome back!

Happy Holidays to all my friends old and new. I was great getting to meet many of the new NSPN members during my visit last summer and hope to repeat it next summer. Thank you all for taking care of my good friend and student Alex during his fellowship at MIT/Harvard. He has felt very welcome by you all and challenged during paddling adventures with Ross and friends.

Cheers,

Bob Burnett

paddleseattle@yahoo.com