ccarlson

I just read this article in ACK and found it very interesting. Surely many of us have experienced "skills atrophy" at some point in our paddling careers. E.g. my offside roll started getting very ragged and a few pointers from Mr. Gwynn plus some concentrated practice brought it back more-or-less. Anyway, a good read... Article LINK Here Carl C.

I believe each paragraph describes a different anecdotal story ;-)

I'm planning to be there.

A buck a yard... pretty good pay I'd say! ;-)

Looks heavy... think I'll keep my Explorer ;-)

Peter... I have Gemplers flourescent tape. Will throw it in the car so next time I see you, remind me it's there!

My dear Sir Godfrey... actually, I believe Heidi's usage is, indeed, correct. "Plethora" is a singular noun. So, "is" refers to "plethora" rather than to the plural "opportunities." Alternatively, "there are always plethoric opportunities available" would be correct as plethoric, in this case, is an adjective modifying the plural noun "opportunities." Now, of course, this is per the somewhat crude American version of English and usage may (and does!) differ in the original mother tongue. :-)) Cheers!

Gary... many folks successfully use the commonly available foam blocks to carry a kayak on the Thule load bars. Most of the blocks have a slot on the bottom that fits onto the bar. Use camlock straps rather than bungees to secure the boat to the load bars and snug them down well. Fore and aft tie-downs provide additional security. Also, Thule carriers can sometimes be found inexpensively on eBay and other used gear lists. Have fun!

My experience with the standard Snapdragon medium is that it leaks quite a bit around the coaming on my Explorer. YMMV. Oh, and congrats on the "real" kayak :-))

Played with a Cetus very briefly this evening and concur that it does, indeed, weathercock considerably more than an Explorer. The Explorer, in turn, weathercocks more than a Force.

This is the stuff... http://www.gemplers.com/safety/labels/G96120.html I've had it on paddles for around 5 years now and it has stayed on with no problem at all and still seems just as bright as when first applied. And, it works. A lobsterman actually stopped near me a few years ago on Muscongus Bay and said he saw the paddle blades from almost a mile away and wished all kayakers were as visible. Then, just a couple of weeks ago, ran into a couple of folks who were sailing in the fog off Stonington as were we. Their comment was that they could "kind of see something in the fog" but the first thing they saw were the orange paddle blades moving. BTW, I still have quite a bit of the stuff and you're welcome to a couple of strips should we find ourselves paddling together sometime.

This past Saturday, a few of us made the trek to Peak's Island for the annual race fesitivities. Gary, Gerry, Peter, and I met at the beach off Eastern Prom, loaded the boats and headed off to Peak's with a substantial tail wind and a bit of wind chop. All that resulted in a very quick passage to the island and gave me an opportunity to experience the Epic in non-lake conditions for the first time. Yes, it felt a bit squirrelly compared to the Explorer but proved itself to be seaworthy throughout the day. Once on the beach, Jon arrived on the ferry to demo/race one of Tom's Explorers. It was also good to see Rick C there. Our plan was for the 5 miles "baby" race around Peak's Island rather than the longer Outer Green race. Tom gave us the briefing and all jumped in boats to warm up and line up at the starting line. With a brisk onshore wind, the line-up was rapidly squeezed toward the dock so the countdown was aborted and the starting horn sounded. The tailwind made for a quick passage around to the outside of the island and, once there, we were in the lee of the island where things were pretty placid. Arriving at the North end of Peak's, however, found the strengthened breeze right on the nose which made for a tough slog around to the windward side. I managed to snap a few pix at the finish line which may be seen at http://community.webshots.com/album/559632402sMdjxP The ensuing trip back to the put-in was directly into a 20kt wind with associated chop so was, to say the least, a real workout. All in all, a great day on the water. The race is held on the same weekend each year so mark your calendars now for 2008. You don't need to be a racer... none of we who participated are... it's just a fun time in a great paddling locale!

Planning to be there!

Entertaining video... particularly for you skinny-stick types ;-) http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-7945625348635274424

http://www.pacifichorizonsfilm.blogspot.com/

There are several options for camping in close proximity to Isle Au Haut. Last time I did it, we camped on Harbor Island and did the circumnav from there, staying the second night there as well. Outside can be bumpy of course but we had pretty reasonable conditions. Swans is another trip that is best done with a nearby base camp. When I did it a couple of years ago, left from OQ and camped on Pond Island. Then did the circumnav and back for another night on Pond. That's another great trip. From Pond you can see SW Harbor on MDI and it was a bit tempting. But, we had a timetable so returned instead to OQ.

It seems unusual that you would experience that much leecocking. In my admittedly limited experience, this can often be corrected by changing the trim of the boat. Putting more weight forward (to "anchor" the bow more) will usually correct mild leecocking. Putting more weight in the stern will increase leecocking. Did you happen to have your boat loaded a bit stern-heavy that day? I usually do load mine a bit stern-heavy to reduce windcocking but have, on a couple of occasions, done this to some excess and experienced mild leecocking in some conditions. Also, if your seat position is at all adjustable, you might try moving it forward a little. Good luck!

duct tape! ;-)

The only cold adhesive laminating I've tried were some of the "do it yourself" laminating kits from Staples. In short, they sucked. Didn't last through a single paddle. Of course, with an actual laminating machine, I'm sure the results would be better. Hey Kevin, here's an idea... buy one of each and post a review of the results of each ;-)

I have my stuff laminated at Staples and I believe they use the heated stuff. Haven't had any trouble (yet).

Suz... sorry, not the Porcupines but Cape Porpoise islands per Jonathan's post. They're now part of the MI trail. I have not personally camped there but have visited the sites and they're quite nice if a little close to civilization.

There's camping in the Porcupine Islands just north of Kennebunkport.. check out the MITA book.

Suz... looks like around 15nm give or take a bit hugging the coast from Salisbury up to Wood Is per my digital charts. Have fun!

Really good rotation here though should probably lift paddle out of the water a bit sooner... http://www.break.com/index/row_row_your_boat.html

No license is required for marine VHF in the US. In Canada, however, it does require a license.