Gcosloy

>I wonder if any of the current music proposed in this

>thread will still be played or even remembered in 2107, much

>less 2334 (= 327 years later, the time that the Canon in D

>has been around (since 1680)).

>

>--David.

Very good point, however there exists implied in your message the distinction between what may be merely popular and what is good. If we go back to the time of the great masters, say Beethoven, Schubert, Schumann and Brahms and inquire who was at the top of the charts in their time, the results might surprise and astonish us. For the most part, second and third rate composers were the public's favorites. Mozart might have been the exception but even he had his contemporary competition. Mahler and even Wagner were reviled and ignored during their time. Pachebel's Canon in D as an example of what we now dub "Early Music" was totally ignored by orchestra's and the air waves until the 50's when it and many other masterpieces were resurrected by a popular radio personality in NYC called "DeKoven". Even Mozart was ignored for years in the modern era. We're currently doing the same for some of the great Nationalistic composers such as Sibelius, Dvorak, and Tchiakovsky. And don't get me started on the decline of Rachmaninoff. (I'm not talking about WCRB but the programming choices of the great Orchestra's of the West. So, the only conclusion I can make is that "times---they are a' changing". Was that a line from a classic folk song by Robert Zimmerman aka Bob Dylan?

Take my slot------------please! Can't make it.

Check out this interesting article on the foibles of GPS use in todays NYTimes.

http://www.nytimes.com/2007/04/03/opinion/...r=1&oref=slogin

>Beethoven! The Sixth is great for cruising and/or stroke

>practice, and the Seventh for working a heavy tidal race.

>Dunno about dancing, however.

>

>--David.

Ah yes- but don't forget Richard Wagner dubbed Beethoven's 7th "the apotheosis of the dance" As far as paddling music however-what about warming up to Ravel's Bolero?

Right on John. You are correct, turning the story around where you were the victim or the vulnerable one, or even the jerk, gets their emphatic attention.

Please see my post on this subject under NSPN Business.

The boat ramp at Walden opens in April. Unless your'e a senior "quaint term" parking at the site is 5.00 per visit or I think 35.00 per season. The area is patrolled and after one warning without a sticker there is a fine. The ramp usually closes for the season sometime in Nonember. The biggest problem with Walden is that the rangers enforce the evening closing time at 7:30PM even though there still may be plenty of light.

David,et al, I have a question. The Kalliste is touted by Werner to be for a low angle paddling style. One, if that is true, wouldn't you need a slightly longer shaft to paddle in that style? Two, what if any is the disadvantage of paddling the Kalliste in a high angle style?

Adam-I don't know if this is presented for laughs or not. There is one serious use which is the ability to float most of your body out of the water, thereby reducing hypothermia risk while you're waiting for rescue. (Assuming you either lost the boat or have become to weak to reenter same.) I wonder if anyone markets an emergency inflatable product that could easily be carried on the back of a PFD?

It does appear hopeless at this point. I happened upon this thread on a rowing site:

http://groups.google.com/group/rec.sport.r...39564d?lnk=raot

Maybe rowers drink something else in their water than kayakers do!

Thanks Jason-I think the 5/8" center could be filled with a 5/8" or 3/4" dowel to stiffen the noodle against collapse. They are cheap enough to experiment with.

Yes I think after looking at the product, you are correct. Not being able to fold them up into the hatches is a problem. A better solution is if each roller were self contained and could be secured into the soil with something like tent pins or stakes. When you got to the front, you would simply remove the rear exposed roller and place it forward to continue. Finally, the 4 to 5 rollers could easily pack inside the kayak and nor interfere with rescues. Sounds like a great product for me to prototype and market. What do you think, maybe 6 people world-wide might want a set of these?

Thanks Kevin-This is definitely the idea!

>Andrew Carnegie, i think , said , "A man who dies rich ,

>dies disgraced.",

>to which I say, "A man who dies with an unscratched hull,

>dies disgraced"

>

I understand Carnegie's prescription and your nautical analog and in theory I agree. To be the owner of a boat with actual battle scars, with which I could regale my listeners with tales of gallantry or woe would make me proud indeed. However I see no virtue in celebrating those mars achieved only through misuse or worse, abuse. Rather than dragging a composite hull across the rocks, I'd sooner sell my boat to one without impediment and replace it with plastic. Then any trip that did not encounter rocks would be a disappointment.

Thanks guys but the item I'm looking for is not a kayak cart or set of wheels that attach to the stern. This item looks like a loose collection of 1 to 2" diameter cylinders about 20" wide and 3' long that are somehow strung together and allow a kayak to be dragged over rough surfaces with impunity. I already have a collapsible cart which does stow in my hatches. The item I'm looking for could be used under the following circumstances: You land on a stone cobbled beach. The tide is ebbing. By the time your ready to leave the beach, your kayak is on rocks high and dry and the water's edge is maybe a couple of kayak lengths away. You can now drag the kayak several feet with these rollers underneath and stow them into your hatch. Why don't I just lift my boat and move it those few feet instead you may ask. Mother nature in the form of lower back problems prompts a search for another solution.

I remember seeing an advert in one of the Kayak magazines for a folding set of plastic rollers that you place your hull on in a rocky beach and can move the boat to the water's edge without harming the hull. Does any one remember seeing such a product and if so what was it called and who makes it?

Workshop on proper stretching and stengthening exercises for kayakers in the off season. Yes, unfortunately, not all of us are kayaking in January and February. It would also be very useful if we had any members with special knowledge of this area to lead. Physical Therapist, Personal Trainer, Massage Therapist, Sports Medicine Doctor, etc. If not we could all share what we've learned works and what doesn't.

After reading these posts I got inspired and installed two Harken Hoister 4 point systems in my garage. They are more expensive than rolling your own but have the advantage of all the parts in one place and the mechanical advantage of a block and tackle system. Mine is 3:1 And most important to me, a patented locking pulley/cleat piece that holds the rope in place as soon as you take pressure off of it. I got mine on sale from West Marine and found the Harken Company very responsive to questions via email or phone.

Hey Leon could you be a bit more brief?

<...torso rotation and by that I mean rotation starting at the base of the spine not simply moving upper body is the single most important skill for nearly everything related to paddling a kayak.>

Two physical therapists have informed me that the human skeleton is not well designed to rotate much, particularly the lower spine or lumbar region. When your're young, the back muscles from the neck down to the sacrum are reasonably limber. Rotating that torso a full 90 degrees puts a minimal amount of stress on each vertebral joint since all are contributing their share of rotation. When you grow older however, the upper part of your body stiffens through the shoulders, pectorials and thoracic muscles. If you don't focus on stretching these first you can result in over rotating the lower spine with severe and painful results. Unfortunately, while the exercises to open up the upper back while constraining and protecting the lower back are not readily found in books and the Internet. If you suspect that this information may apply to you do not undertake torso stretching exercises whithout first getting someone knowlegable to review your condition first, like a good PT. While I wish this were simply heresay, regretably I write from personal experience.

While Heathen status is quite alright in my book you might want to hedge your bets and make your peace with Neptune before or on the important date.

"Neptune is the Roman name for Poseidon, the Greek god of the sea, horses and earthquakes. He is the son of Saturn and brother to Jupiter and Pluto.

Though Neptune is a god, astrologers consider him to possess many feminine qualities. The sea, which changes shape and moves in a tidal rhythm, is an embodiment of feminine energy and is a symbol of mutability.

Neptune's benevolent guise helps to calm the waters for passengers on vessels that travel over the waters. But he can call forth storms, release the fog that confuses sailors, and whip up the waves that threaten to capsize the boat."

I'm not sure if this site is the same, but it's up and works.

http://chartmaker.ncd.noaa.gov

It was a chilly day but unseasonably warm for Christmas Eve. The Chebeague resting purposefully on 10” wheels moved stylishly from my driveway a third of a mile down the road to meet the Sudbury at the single lane temporarily cobbled bridge at Pelham Island road where it was soon anointed with cold brackish water. Paddling north we traveled under the abandoned railroad bridge just before Route 20. The air was cool and windy causing the downstream trip to be a decent effort against wind driven flow and an occasional cold spray in the face from my dripping paddle. The wind on the Sudbury was moderate but occasional gusts tried to pull the paddle from my grip. Not altogether pleasant but not really unpleasant either. Wildlife seemed to be busy somewhere else, for I saw none. Just a bright winter sky and denuded flora. Soon we were closing under the Route 27 bridge and it was time to turn around for the trip back home. Not however without testing what I thought might be a loop of the river running east and under a triple arched bridge near the Wayland Golf course. Once we were safely through the bridge arch, the river devolved into what appeared to be flood plain and wetlands without a true forward route meeting the river’s northward drive. Disappointed, we turned around and headed home, now feeling the strong wind at our back but countered by the need for correcting strokes and leans almost the whole way. Unlike the seemingly endless sea, the river wants us tracking on a straight and narrow, else it's soon into the brambles. Soon, we were bumping into still unfrozen and soggy earth under the Pelham Island Bridge. The Chebeague rested once more on its axel of wheels and made the short portage home. Cars and trucks passed us on the road coming and going from last minute Christmas shopping and must have thought us a strange sight to see, like a fish out of water but happy and smiling nonetheless.

You think you have something to regret, try starting when you're 63. Yikes!

If any of you gear heads need anymore encouragement here is one on my list.

http://www.timex.com/gp/product/B000LGVLTC...timexBrand=core

If nothing else it might warn us when not to be looking for water at Conomo.