RogerPollock

On first glance, it seems like a good way to take the burden off the club for training and blessing its leaders, and a way to placate the pro-certification crowd both inside and outside the club. It certainly puts the burden financially onto the trip leaders, though. And it really begins to make the club smell a lot less like a club and more like an outfitter, especially if money starts changing hands for training and per diem trip leading. To quote Cathy: “Much of the membership has the expectation that in participating in such trips, they are being led by a competent leader who has had some training.” I find this a bit scary. I think folks who have those expectations should go take a trip with ERBA. To quote David: “repeat after me... certification is good... certification is good...” While this is true, it’s not the end all, be all, and certainly not the only way to do things. There are paddling clubs that are not corporations and that have no trip leaders, and are doing better and paddle more as a club than NSPN. What about the following “what if’s?”: What if the ACA trip leader training isn’t as good as the clubs current training? Sorry, the club’s training is pretty damn good, and I’ve taken the ACA IDW and some BCU training. Does certification then trump quality of content? What do you do with the folks (like me and all the old trip leaders) who’ve already devoted six days and 48 plus hours to the clubs training? Subject them to yet more training, time, and now, oh joy, expense?

And once divested of the ACA, things smoothed out . . . Got to admit, their format is a hoot – there are already trips on their calendar. Their “official” trip? People simply “suggest” trips, and they’re put on the board, and people show up and paddle them (or . . . maybe they don’t. You find out the day you show up). There are trip ratings posted (based on mileage and the typical conditions you might find) and if you get into something beyond your ability, - hey . . . you should have paid more attention to the trip ratings . . . There are no trip leaders (and thus no followers with expectations of leadership, and such duty owed to them). No trip coordinator to approve or disapprove of trips and their planning. No RSVP’s. No emergency contacts. No route planning. No policies. No procedures. Just big boys and girls making their own decisions to go paddling. It’s Thunderdome. It’s the Bizzaro world . . . But proof a loose format can work out just fine. . .

In and of itself the paperwork required to lead a trip, I agree, really isn’t that bad when taken by itself. However, it’s only one factor among a whole host which when taken together is sufficient to discourage a hearty and diverse volunteer effort – all clearly evidenced by the lack of trips and interest in leading trips despite many able bodies leaders. It’s a drag. The whole “official” thing. The formality of it all. That, plus the club’s culture of high-pitched hysteria and paranoia regarding liability and risk . . . Having been through TLT and assisted a few trips . . . the emphasis just ain’t on the having fun part. Sure, safety and good judgment deserve their fair consideration, but jeesh, you get what you focus on, and when all the emphasis is on the negative, you get the negative . . . Only my two cents, but surely something is responsible for croaking the club’s paddling. I think, it’s the club formal model. There are better ones out there, i.e. ConnYak, with all its lively paddling and spirit of camaraderie - with insurance - all sans the red tape and formality. Paddling, trip planning and leading, networking . . . should be fun, easy, laid-back activities, politics and personality free. No disrespect to those who brought the formality to the club, but, it’s a failed experiment. I think taking the “official” out of things would go a long way . . . and this would be a great first step . . .

I have a Palm suit. It was a bit of a long and anguished saga with leakage, returns, replacements and phone calls over a couple seasons before I finally got a suit that worked. Palm was having a q.c. issue in with seam taping, an issue they finally admitted to, which seems to be resolved. The suit I have now doesn't leak, and I'm happy with it. It was always evident the fabric they use is awesome - heavy duy w/ripstop scrim (which Kokatat doesn't have), and the model I own (an upgrade at Palm's expense) has all the bells and whistles. So, with the seam issue out of the way, it really is a good suit, a tank, that withstands a tough life with me sweating it all up and beating on it. The rear zip, by the way, really isn't difficult at all to do yourself with a little practice. I often thought during the period of leaks and returns, that perhaps I should cut my losses and just buy a Kokatat, but then I leanred of plenty of folks w/leaky Kokatat issues as well. Both companies will back up their stuff, and even after it all, I'd reccomend Palm.

Though it’s always an issue in trip planning, one major component in the winter paddling equation is wind speed, as I’ve learned. Even in high summer 15 to 20kt w/ gusts to 25kt can add significant chill, necessitating an extra quick layer, like a paddling jacket, while otherwise presenting a fun, even challenging day. However, on a winter day with temps between 32 and 40 (below which I pretty much won’t go out in), that kind of wind adds a chill factor which can be VERY unpleasant to downright disastrous. Hands, face, etc. can really be freezing with even the best neoprene protection. Core temp, too, can just be sapped by the wind chill in the boat and on the beach. So, be mindful of wind-chill, and stick to less windy days . . .

Funny, I got kind of spooked in that area before Halibut Point while out solo once myself, and likewise turned back. The swells start to grow @ Folly Cove, you begin to feel exposed, and you start wondering, hmmm, am I doing the right thing here? Interesting how things look/feel differnt when you're alone. One's senses are very much heightened . . .

Lots and lots of little seals in Gloucester Harbor this past weekend - a big school or pod or herd or whatever. Obviously, the sharks follow them. They're out there. Makes you wonder what could be swimming under you at any given moment . . .

Kevin, Oh well. You'll live to fight another day. You're into it, and when you're into something it's natural to try too hard, which has a way of setting you up for failure. This is something that everybody goes through, regardless of what they're trying to learn. I lost my roll one time for a while, and there was nothing more frustrating. I mean, last weekend I couldn't launch my Greenlander to save my life -- kept getting broached and driven back onto the sand. Talk about a temper tantrum! Talk about expletives! Kicked that boat, slammed it, splashed around . . . Fourth season kayaking and I couldn’t launch my boat?!?! This was 101 level stuff! Talk about embarrassing. Figured it out, though, learned something about the boat, which, after all, with such a tricky boat, is to be expected. Just gotta relax. Everybody swims. And every swim is just another step toward a reliable combat roll. Success comes from practice, which is made up of many failures. You’re doing the right thing. You’re getting out, getting worked, getting tossed, pushing yourself. All is well . . .

I can only speak for myself, not for the fellow in this picture, but all last year in the surf (not current) I used the type of brace he's demonstrating and it led no horrible tendonitis and rotator cuff irritation, which I'm still not totally recovered from. Allowing your arm to extend so far away from you body like that, especially on a foam pile, is bad news. High brace might not be SO bad if the elbows are tucked in tight, and the wave isn't too high or aggresive, but why bother? Low, keeping in mind the same principle of keeping you elbows tucked in tight. Where he's at in the current, high brace isn't so bad at long as the water isn't overly aggessive.

Congrats to all. Well done. And to Walter . . . you've come a long way, old Sea Dog. Mega, mega kudos.

We had much the same experience on Saturday in Plumb Island Sound. Launched into the last of the flood current to play on it, then at slack managed to get around to Crane’s. Very large wind-driven swells, but they were dumping right on the sand. There was just NO surf. Then playing in the ebb at the rocks where the Ipswich dumps out. Could see the current rushing right under you. Cool. Finally the zippers started forming on the bars, so we headed out and hung around in that and caught a few rides. A capsize each (and roll) for a few of us and yet another lost hat for me. Fun enough, I guess. Then the horrible, horrible, slog back in against the ebb. Miserable. Hate it, but no way around it. When you would have expected to get surf, given the forecast, there was none . . .

This weekend, with three S&G's now on the board, with the predicted conditions, will be a great opportunity for those looking to get some practice in surf and rough water. The time is now - and it's dwindling. Reasonable temps and warm water . . .

Rick, So, wondering how early in the cycle one can get in there and find whitewater . . . On Monday we were in about two hours before time of high water. What would one have found, say, at 3 or 4 o'clock? I know like one to one and a half hours after low water, it's still rushing out of there, and at high water there was still good current coming in. Wonder when the actual flood begins. Might be a fun spot to return to this weekend with the big expected tidal range . . .

We three souls did the Goose last night . . . first time there for me, always having loomed a fearsome, “dangerous” place for long boats. I’d been musing lately of going it alone in there, and probably will in the future, but it was nice to have some company on this first outing. We estimated the narrow current to be running 5 plus knots, enough to stand on, but near impossible to make headway against. We practiced peel-outs, ferries, and surfing the constantly emerging and disappearing standing waves. Peter got to practice his roll, two or three times, all of which were successful. Over the course of two hours, the blasting fire hose coming under the bridge subsided to a flat, swift, swirling maw, and each of us were able to creep out using the eddies under the bridge, which for me took a while to figure out, so much about current being counter-intuitive. For those who haven’t been here, this a WONDERFUL place to get introduced to current, and to practice. Woods Hole, or a Welsh tidal race it ain’t, but it’s local.

Rick, I'd like to join you . . . Where IS the put in? Drove around Wheeler Point one day looking, but couldn't quite find it . . .

Ernie, My Tempest has been foamed out in just this way for two years, and everyting has been fine. Pink board has sufficient compression strength.

I’m with you in that, name, rank, serial number, emergency contacts . . . are the realm of Official Trips, and should remain so. Gawd, yes. No leaders. And no expectation of leadership. Just people getting together - informal. However, when people get together, a little etiquette in the spirit of courtesy and respect isn't out of line. Dealings between people can’t just be Thunderdome. In any situation in life, nobody appreciates being blown off, especially after they’ve invested time (and sometimes money) based on another’s commitment, that one might not have done without that commitment. I’m a firm believer in doing what I’ve said I would. It seems a bit silly not to show to your own S&G. It’s like not showing up to your own birthday party or something. Plus, let’s face it, if you post it, you are by default inviting a spirit of reasonable expectation in others in at least since you said you’d be going out and others could come, that you’d be there, and the same for the participants if they say they’re going to go. Though, things due come up. Ultimately, seems this one was just a Perfect Storm of misunderstanding and miscommunication. Not like Kevin just blew the dude off. He communicated via the forum being used (the board) not knowing the guys would have already been on the road. Just an innocent oops. . . Perhaps proper etiquette should be to call off the night of rather than the morning of?

By "north" do you mean Cape Ann? I'm looking to get out Saturday . . .

Actually, this can't be the first time over the years such a thing has happened . . . Can see a definite benifit to a public airing - at least now that the meatball's been thrown . . .

I'm in for advanced surf or boat handling. Would also be highly interested in rocks & ledges if he'll do it . . .

"Trips where participants want to ensure everyone is at the same skill level, or simply want to paddle with whom they feel comfortable, tend to be organized privately, and you won’t hear about them till they’re over, anyway." This is a major bingo. For whatever the reasons, social, liability – who knows - the majority of paddling being done by those will all the skill and all the training is done pretty much wholly off the radar. There are essentially no open opportunities to learn from these folks in real non-contrived conditions and situations. It’s like this whole other world that exists unseen, like the X Files. Obviously, the contributions that are made are major, but those are not the only ones needed, or even the most needed. It’s a club of majority sea kayakers, not lake skill session kayakers. This is not a new issue. It’s been hashed out. It’s been this way for a long time. As newbies to the club, like three years ago, we were pretty much on our own to have experiences in the sea. Certainly, a little mentoring would have lessened the curve, but those opportunities – outside of a rigidly dictated official club experience – didn’t exist. I don’t know . . . seems the sport is sort of maxed out, or fully developed or something. Just doesn’t seem like there’s a ton of people looking for paddling partners. The people that have them don’t seem to want new ones . . .

The idea that, gee, my bracing really isn't up to the challenge, only means that what one needs is more challenge. So, seek those conditions in as safe and controlled a manner as possible. Fail, swim, and repeat. I once heard someone at a lake session advise someone quite storngly not to practice their roll, because they had poor form, and if they kept practicing they'd make poor form and bad habits permanent. A ponderous notion to me. How does one go from poor form to proper form, but through practice? Once can take all the professional lessons they want, get all the pointers and tips, but for lack of practicing what they're taught, they're not going to get it down. Teachers can teach a thing, but people also have to learn a thing. All there need be is a spirit of detemination and adventure . . .

The univeral truth is that everybody, at some point, capsizes, everybody swims, and everybody needs to be rescued, even the very best paddlers among us, so there's certainly no shame in it. If you're not capsizing, swimming, and being resued, and otherwise putting yourself in "harm's way" then you're not challenging yourself to learn the skills to either keep you up and recover when you do go over. I spent three hours short-boating in three foot surf yesterday and didn't capsize. I'm not happy about that. It was surf reasonable enough to take some risks in, but I didn't. I can do better that just survive in it, and should work toward that end . . . As to getting into those conditions, like Bob says, approach those onthe S&G and be up front. Speaking for myself, I wouldn't mind all that much having a "rescue dummy" along on some of these trips. Those are skills to be practiced, too, providing a reasonable venue and suffiient skilled paddlers at hand for support. I don't think it should be something that's automatically shied away from . . . I may be throwing a meatball here, but I think the more seasoned in the paddling community could stand to do more of this in an informal way, mentor newer paddlers along on S&G's in real conditions. There's only so much that can be done in the safety of a lake session. I mean, I guess it's a personal choice, but, fear and liability seem to be the first consideration before anything else . . .

Remarkable durability of NDK. Greenlander 8 years old. Curious to see how much it could take, I bashed the devil out of it a few weekends ago – all day rock-hopping, barnacle bashing, seal landings, stuck in slots, shimmying off,. Later, beach-crawling across muscle beds in ½” of water at low tide across Chubb Creek. Just hammered it, didn’t hold back at all, everything I would have done in my plastic boat . . . Three little chips in the gelcoat . . . Easy to repair, though since first time using gelcoat it took a while, plus I sanded out all the other scratches it came with. I would rather have been paddling, but . . . will be easier and quicker next time . . . It seems the folks out there with ck layups and, ah, OTHER brand boats (like maybe . . . Impex), spend more time watching than playing, and when they do take a bang, it’s a catastrophe.

The Palm Stikine I have is really a beautiful suit. Has all features, tough, heavy, rip-stop fabric, relief, socks, tunnel. The third Palm suit. First two leaked, as Bob notes. First one, actually, the lesser model, the Sidewinder, then they upgraded me, because at the time there were none of that model left in the U.S. to give me when the other leaked. That one leaked, too, and they replaced it with same model, which now came stock with the socks. Same story, too, with Walter (two suits), and another friend (four suits). A brand new drysuit every year - for a single payment of, like, $300.00. Latest model okay so far . . . At one point I was just ready to throw up hands, cut losses and buy a Kokatat, but learned several in the club have leak issues with those, as well, so it really didn't seem like I'd be any better off . . . Note: The Palm stuff you buy in the U.S. is from Palm USA, technically a different company tham Palm in Britian, for whatever that's worth. And the gear is made in China. The problem with the suits was the seams; they were having QC issues with the taping process (which they finally admitted to, after insisting the first couple times, that they NEVER have leak issues with their suits). All in all, a good suit, and good service from Palm (though I can't say the same for the retailer).