alan

Hello All, Quick question... I've seen a few of you that have yellow, hooded, reflective, hand-warming, paddling jackets that fit over your PFD and over the sprayskirt. Can someone tell me the name of these and where i can get one? Thanks, Alan

Wow, I like it, Bryan! Very simple and very effective! I had originally thought to put a lock on mine so i could put paddles and such inside, but never got around to it since i live out in the woods. One could probably be easily added though. Alan CD Andromeda - red on white Riot Boogie II - purple/white Dagger Id 6.9 - blue/black

***update*** in my failed attempt to sell this fine piece of craftsmanship, i'm now offering it to anyone for FREE that is willing to pick it up. It's in West Gloucester, and 2 trips in a pickup should do it. Please let me know soon, or i'll be destroying it at the end of the month. It's a very weatherproof box for 2 sea kayaks, and has served me very well. I'd hate to see it go to waste. *** if anyone is interested in building an outdoor kayak 'shed', i'd be happy to send along plans for the one i built, or post them if i can digitize them. i spent about $100+ in wood and paint, and it stores 2 sea kayaks up to 17.5 ft. you can see pictures of it in the Classifieds for Individuals section (since i'm selling it, but thought i'd offer plans for the ambitious ones). it fully utilizes 7 sheets of plywood, and about 20 2x4's. it had 2 slanted roof sections that double as doors which open upwards for full access. Alan CD Andromeda - red on white Riot Boogie II - purple/white Dagger Id 6.9 - blue/black

Advanced strokes and manuevering Rough water training BCU training and assessments Surfing Expeditions I would like to learn the above (and probably more) from anyone willing to teach them, but if it takes bringing in a professional instructor, then i guess that what it takes. I took part in an informal rough water workshop last year, and gained a lot from it. Esp when Adam's rear hatch opened and he started sinking! I'm not against paying for instruction when needed, but i think a lot could be put on by the club in which the cost was only for materials (Nav Wkshp over the winter). My $0.02, Alan CD Andromeda - red on white Riot Boogie II - purple/white Dagger Id 6.9 - blue/black

Depending on how the 2-piece connects, it may be possible to cut a paddle down and redrill the hole(s) for the feather angle. I guess this would even allow you to increase/decrease the feather angle if you want. Alan CD Andromeda - red on white Riot Boogie II - purple/white Dagger Id 6.9 - blue/black

I started with a 220, and it was good for several years, and actually still is. Then i got a narrower boat, and started playing more in the surf zone. Eventually the 220 seemed just too long, esp in surf. I just picked up a 210 this year, and it feels just right. Now i have some flexibility depending on the conditions or type of paddle i'm doing. It all really comes down to personal preference, so try a few styles and sizes out, and see what fits. Who knows, maybe you'll love Greenland paddles! Alan CD Andromeda - red on white Riot Boogie II - purple/white Dagger Id 6.9 - blue/black

I've pretty much put my drysuit away for the season. Paddled around Cape Ann yesterday in a FJ and shorty drytop. Definitely heated up a few times, but it's much easier to cool off then warm up. Must have seen a couple dozen paddlers out, and none had a wetsuit or jacket, few had spray skirts, and some weren't even wearing PFD's! Granted some of these spots were in the calm, populated, shore accessible Annisquam, but in more exposed places like Halibut Pt or Straightmouth Island, i would have hoped for more awareness. I felt obligated to say something, but never did. I feel like they'd be upset with me for pointing out their ignorance, and would just end up in a pointless arguement. I even passed one guy with his feet hanging out of his cockpit on the deck, life jacket undone behind his back, and nothing on but swim shorts! I don't want to turn into the "Paddle Police" out there, but i do feel a sort of responsibility to say something. Does anyone have any good techniques in approaching people to mention something? What have some of the reactions been? The water's still mighty cold out there, and i feel it's only a matter of time before something happens again, and some sort of legislation passes that affects those of us that are more prepared. Any thoughts? Alan CD Andromeda - red on white Riot Boogie II - purple/white Dagger Id 6.9 - blue/black

Brian Nystrom has some nice info/photos on his page on deck tape and paddle stowage (http://community.webshots.com/photo/74165007/209437318bzafgZ). I used some of this tape at the last outfitting workshop and it works great! Looks really stylish, too! ;-) I usually keep my paddle on my back deck, then started keeping it on my front deck thinking i might need it while under water (i could potentially grab it from under the front deck lines and roll up). But after trying it a few times, i found i wasn't always successful, and when i wet exited, i sometimes lost grip of the paddle, and then i was in poor shape without even a spare! Now i use a small coil type paddle leash on my primary paddle and use the spare like i would a spare tire - in case the first one breaks. This way, if my first backup device fails (leash), i still have a spare on the back. Also of note, i now point the blades away from the cockpit. I also wrap the bungie once around each shaft to keep them from coming off in waves, which happened to me once (just once - i learned my lesson!). This keeps my paddle from sliding over the day hatch, which would usually happen when i stored the blades toward the cockpit. Storing in the rear also leaves my front deck free for storing my/other's paddles/gear in rescue situations. My $0.02, Alan CD Andromeda - red on white Riot Boogie II - purple/white Dagger Id 6.9 - blue/black

Anyone know of any good sea kayak guidebooks/resources for trips in Newfoundland? I'm probably headed up there for 10 days this summer and am at a loss of where to go. Am thinking Gros Morne NP, at least for a few days, but would also like to see the 'coast less traveled'. Any thoughts? Alan CD Andromeda - red on white Riot Boogie II - purple/white Dagger Id 6.9 - blue/black

The vertical squashing is more of a horizontal stretching, but it's from the map projection Google used to generate their map images (good for national scales). You can use one of the MassGIS viewers (http://www.mass.gov/mgis/mapping.htm), which has the same data for Massachusetts, except it is using a local projection, so the distortion is minimized. They have several different viewers available based on different datasets, but the aerial photos are on the "MassGIS Color Ortho Imagery" viewer. It uses a completely different architecture than Google, so you are not limited as to how far you can zoom in. However, the data is only good to 1/2 meter, so it will start to pixelate after a while. Alan CD Andromeda - red on white Riot Boogie - purple - floating to Iceland Dagger Id 6.9 - blue/black

Count me in! Alan CD Andromeda - red on white Riot Boogie - purple - floating to Iceland Dagger Id 6.9 - blue/black

Woops! I'll email you Leslie. Jumped on it too fast and then realized there may be a waiting list. Sorry for not following protocol! ;-) Alan CD Andromeda - red on white Riot Boogie - purple - floating to Iceland Dagger Id 6.9 - blue/black

Leslie, I'd like to come. I need to look for directions, but can you email them to me in case i can't locate them? Sing, Can you bring your boogie so i can practice rolling it. I'll bring my sea kayak anyway. Thanks, Alan CD Andromeda - red on white Riot Boogie - purple - floating to Iceland Dagger Id 6.9 - blue/black

I'll be there on sunday the 30th with my Andromeda. I'd like to redo my deck lines (they're too short) and add wooden balls. Also like to look into the black grip tape you used on your boat to prevent scratches to the deck. That was slick! Also like to look at options for bungee rigging and foam padding, but probably won't do anything with those. Thanks for putting this on! Alan CD Andromeda - red on white Riot Boogie - purple - floating to Iceland Dagger Id 6.9 - blue/black

I ended up building a little storage unit for my kayaks. It's 17.5 ft long, 3 ft wide and 2.25-2.75 ft high. It looks like a long coffin with a slanted roof so the water drains off. Am even considering putting roof shingles and vents on it, but haven't to got there yet. It only cost me about $130 for the materials, plus a long afternoon to build, which is about the same as these covers that only hold one boat. Of course these covers are much easier to move, but this seemed to be the best way for me since i had a perfect spot for it on the side of the house that i park my car. Given the dimensions, it fits 2 sea kayaks perfectly. The top has 2 pieces of plywood that are hinged at the back so it opens almost all the way across to drop the boats in (there's a 1.5 foot piece on the end that isn't hinged, but the boats slide right under it). If anyone is interested, i can probably get some pictures and/or plans together, which fully maximized the width of the plywood. I only ended up with about 1/2 a sheet of an oddly shaped piece of plywood, and a few ends of 2x4's. Alan CD Andromeda - red on white Dagger Id 6.9 - blue/black