Michael_Crouse

Long list of boats you should fit in, all have skegs, no rudders VCP Aquila VCP Aquanaut HV/Argonaut Impex Assateague Impex Force 5 WS Tempest 180 Boreal Fjord (glass or plastic) P&H Capella 17'9" P&H Quest Kajak Sport Viviane Necky Chatham 18 Nigel Foster Shadow The list of boats with rudders is incomplete, as I'm not fond of rudders Seda Glider Perception Eclipse North West Discover XL, Pursuit XL Current Designs Expedition, Titan Also check out www.kayakplace.com lots of good advice for larger folk

http://www.phseakayaks.com//cms/uploads/catalogue.pdf page 3, kayak loading abilities, somewhat vague, but hopefully a bit helpful

>P&H only sells 1 Sirius model now, does anyone know if it is >M model? Did you get this info off the website or from a dealer? Give NESC a call, the P&H site doesn't list the Orion either, but they still make them. You might able able to find an M, HF, or L Sirius used.

Thanks Peter, if I was a more articulate person that's exactly what I would have said. Glad to hear everything turned out ok.

The Merrimack also has two put ins in Haverhill/Bradford, the Haverhill put in has plenty of parking. Amesbury and Groveland also have put ins for the Merrimack but they're resident only parking, still they're nice bail out points. Merrimac (the town) also has one put in to the Merrimack that is extremely well hidden and lacks parking, but it works as a bail out or lunch spot. I'll try to gather some directions to these put ins.

>So, is an iron bar something like a GP? ;-) Iron bar.... Toksook..... it's all the same ;-)

Have they managed to define what a kayak is, or is this the exact same version of the bill that was proposed last year? It makes so much sense for all those surf kayakers and white water paddlers to have a compass so they know how to find the beach and so that they can tell what way is down river! This bill (if it's the same as last years) won't allow kayakers to wear type IV and type V pfds. Write your letter now folks, let them know how we feel. I wrote a very strong letter opposing this bill last year which I'll have to dust off and update. Any public hearings happening?

Kim & I will be paddling the Saguenay this year. I guess we do a trip North every year, Gaspe', the Magdalene Islands, now the Saguenay. We'll be doing the "circuit shuttle" thing, they drop your car off for you and you can do a one way trip so you don't have to fight the tides/currents. Dan we missed you last time we were in Montreal, we did a quick overnight on our way back from Quebec City and I couldn't find your phone number. Have you ever stayed at the campsites along the Saguenay?

In the "Maine" section the put-in for Cousins Island is listed as Stockton Springs. Stockton Springs is located North of Belfast on route 1, which is no where near Casco Bay. I'm pretty sure Cousins Island is in Yarmouth. Welcome to the club/board GIllian, and thanks.

Since we're both vertically blessed you might have the same problems as me with a cowboy reentry. It's the whole putting my butt in the seat and pulling my legs in part that doesn't work for me because my legs are too long. I use the paddle and scull for support, then I sort of pull the boat back with the paddle while I hop forward into the cockpit. I'll show you on Sunday, it's not pretty but it works and that's what counts.

Great info Scott. What I learned about taking shelter in caves had to do with the depth of the cave versus the opening of the cave. The theory being that if the cave is deep enough the voltage would jump across the opening because that is the shorter path to ground. If the cave is shallow the voltage will flow through the cave. Of course this is all theory and fortunetely I haven't had to test it, I would much rather retreat to the safety of my car.

"During my boating days, when the possibility of lightning existed, I would always try to be next to the tallest boat in the harbor. The big guys always take the hit." No I will not paddle with you during a thunder storm and no I do not want to try out your new aluminum spare paddle! :-) There is a lot on info out there on thunder storm safety, this best info I got was when I took my WFR class. All those details like what size caves are safe and what ones are dangerous.

Some people prefer the Stohlquist suits because of thier sizing, they have sizes like "large medium" for tall skinny people, Kokatat apparently does not. I haven't heard of any durability issues with the Stohlquist. A few people who bought Ravensprings had some delamination problems, but Ravenspring fixed the problem (they gave them new drysuits). The Palm suits are another option, but get the one with the better zipper, I've heard of some problems with the cheaper plastic zipper. If the price is scaring you off be on the look out for sales and discounts. REI currently is doing thier 20% off one item spring sale. I also recall someone buying a NOS (new old stock) drysuit that needed a new neck gasket from New England Small Craft at an incredibly low price.

You aren't going to rest until I'm back in my Shadow, are you? :-) The tandem is first on the restoration list, then some Argonaut outfitting (new seat, back pad) then the Shadow or Gulfstream. The GS needs some light touching up and then it will probably be for sale. Truthfully I'm a bit scared of starting on the Shadow since it needs a new cockpit coaming and I don't think I can just order one from Seaward as my Shadow has slightly different thigh braces. Making a new coaming is not a weekend job, I bought the plans from one ocean kayak that show you how to make a carbon coaming, but it's going to take a long time to do that.

It was a good call to cancel, yes the storm started late but I prefer the cautious approach. We had a session last year in Ipswich that we had to cancel because of the snow, the YMCA and the particapants were all quite happy about it.

I've got a 3 piece Werner white water paddle, it's short, probably 197cm. It's not too light since it's a fiberglass ww paddle, but you're welcome to borrow it.

I'm interested in this, depending on the date of course. I finally have the space to build a boat, finding the time is another matter, but I have the workshop.

here's the one where you keep your head dry http://playak.com/images/reviews/liquidski...illsdryroll.mpg I don't think the dry head roll will work in a long boat, you just can't sink the bow and lift the stern like you can in a shorter low volume ww boat. Here are some clips of back deck rolls that should work http://www.kudzukayakers.com/Movies/backdeck.mov http://whitewaterwarriors.com/backdeck_set...oll%5b1%5d.mpeg http://home.comcast.net/~gsgordonjr/kayak/...k_to_C_to_C.mov

Do mean a back deck roll like this? http://www.paddlermagazine.com/issues/2001...ticle_125.shtml In this example it looks like your head goes underwater, which is not the roll I've seen. It's too bad the images are so small, I have a small quicktime movie of Chris Thomas doing a back deck roll. It's something I've watched again and again, it's just such a cool looking roll. Chris did it in the Lydon pool a few years ago, I asked him "could you do that again? once more?" about 10 times before I tried it myself, do I couldn't do it. We are talking about the white water roll where your head doesn't get wet, right? This roll would be impossible to do in a sea kayak, too much volume in the bow.

We have pool sessions in Chinatown, Beverly, and Ipswich this winter. Please read the other posts in this thread and check the calendar

If you have a newer version of photoshop (CS1 or 2) you can let the program create the panoramic. Put all the images into a folder Under the file pull down menu choose automate/photomerge select that folder You can choose if you want the image flattened or you can keep it as seperate layers, if you keep it as seperate layers you can adjust it after photoshop has done its adjusting.

Hi Dan, I can't paddle on Saturday (way too much house work to do) but if you need someplace to stay while you're down give me a yell, mikecrouse@yahoo.com

Unless my memory and my notes have both failed me the following members are staying Carl Carlson Bill Gwynn, CLERK Dee Hall Sean Kimball, TREASURER Brian Nystrom Suzanne Pritchett Paula Riegel "retiring" members are Ken Cooper Michael Crouse, PRESIDENT Karen Gladstone Christopher Godfrey Buddy Hogan

Another year is almost past and we are seeking looking for more members to serve on the Board of Directors. The BOD are the people who do the take care of the clubs business, this encompasses everything from balancing the books, setting up pool sessions, scheduling professional instructors, etc... One of my favorite things about this club is the willingness of all us to volunteer and help out when needed. This year we have several members stepping down from the BOD. If you're interested in serving please e-mail our clerk, Bill Gwynn, mac@masscoast.com If you have any questions about serving on the BOD please contact me mikecrouse@yahoo.com Here are the election rules as stated in our by-laws Under Article II, section 2. Election and Number: The board of directors shall be of such number, no less than 9 nor more than 14, as the directors shall determine from time to time. A majority of the directors then in office shall elect the board of directors at the annual meeting of the directors or at a special meeting in lieu of an annual meeting. All directors shall hold office until the next annual meeting or special meeting in lieu of an annual meeting or until their respective successors are chosen and qualified. Any vacancy in the board may be filled by the directors.

If you check out the events on the ConnYak website the details for the paddle on Saturday the 27th are on there.