Rob Hazard

Thanks for posting the pictures, Larry. There are some lovely shots there. That was a good day on the water! Rob

Having drunk a few frosty pints of BCU kool-aid, I prefer to have as little gear on my deck as possible. Spare paddle, chart, and short tow on the foredeck, nothing at all on the afterdeck. A couple short pencils can live in a PFD pocket next to my compass and energy-bar.

One difficulty of kayak navigation is not having a place to note down departure times, bearings, fixes, etc. A grease pencil on the deck works to a degree, but it's too clumsy to write much before you run out of deck room. Then today I discovered that if you wet-sand a patch of deck with #600 sandpaper, it makes a surface that takes ordinary #2 pencil beautifully, even sopping wet, and it erases with equal ease. It might not work too well on a black deck, but any light to medium shade should show up the notations just fine. So this afternoon I masked and sanded a couple patches of deck either side of my cockpit coaming, so now all I have to do is remember to bring a pencil! Rob

One thing that always bothered me about paddling in a wetsuit was that the arms are tailored to hang straight down, so your arms are always pulled by the taut neoprene. An old windsurfing friend just told me about a company called Desoto that makes wetsuits for swimmers with the arms tailored reaching straight forward. This might make for more comfortable paddling, too. They aren't cheap, though.

Answering my own question... The satellite photo on Googlemaps shows a ramp right next to the North end of the bridge. First exit after the bridge should put you right there. R

Cathy, This is the entrance to Great Bay, right? I went through there once in a powerboat years ago, but never under my own steam. Isn't there a park nearby with a boat ramp? Could this be the next Big Hot Spot to paddle? It looks worth an exploratory expedition. Cheers, Rob

Well told, Peter! It was a thoroughly excellent day on the water! But I felt slightly trashed this morning...! Rob

Pierce's Island sounds good to me. I'll be there at 9. Cheers, Rob

Hello all, Does anyone here know the locations of any launch sites near Thompson's Point in charlotte, Vermont? I spent some vacations there in the 1950's and am contemplating a paddle down Memory Creek. Thanks, Rob

This sounds good, Peter! Count me in! Rob

Thanks for posting this, John. It's been a while since I last read the old 4* syllabus, but this new version seems more extensive, and aimed more at group leadership. I'm still groping my way towards a 4* assessment. Cheers, Rob

Darn it! I knew it was a good excursion I was missing! I've been babying a sore muscle in my upper back. Great report! Your vivid imagery inspired me to dig out a chart so I could follow your route. Thanks for posting the commentary. Rob

Ross, I'm hoping to make it down there tomorrow. I checked the marine forecast and the Wetsands surf site, which predicted 5' swells from the SE tomorrow. That could be dicey along a rocky shore. If it looks too nasty, we might think about Good Harbor Beach for surfing on a sandy shore, or look for someplace more sheltered.

Count me in, Kevin! Rob Explorer - still mostly white

OK, Shall we say meet at Ogunquit Beach at 10:30, launch by 11? Does that sound like a plan?

Doug, I guess 11 would be OK by me. It means a shorter paddle for me, though, since I need to be back mid- to late afternoon. How about we plan to actually launch at 11, like butts in boats? Any idea how many we'll be? Rob

OK, that link didn't work for diddley. How about we meet at Ogunquit Beach at 10 am and figure out where to paddle from there? I'm sure we can find one another there.

This should show Ogunquit Beach. Where is the launchsite? /maps.google.com/maps?client=firefox-a&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&oe=UTF-8&hl=en&channel=s&tab=wl&q=

Kev, I didn't mean to change the launch site on you. Ogunquit would be fine with me. The tides will be the same, though, launching near high and returning near low. My local knowledge of that area is ZERO, though, so we need someone else to pipe up with details. Rob

I just checked the tide table for Kennebunkport. High at 10:20 am Low at 4:24 pm I have never launched from either Kennebunk or York, so either one would be fine with me. Does either one have good rock gardens? Wherever we launch, we'll be returning against an ebb tide, with all the current and mud-slogging that entails. From the Google satellite it looks like there's a bit of rocky stuff just South of Kennebunk, but I don't have a chart handy. Anyone got a chart of that area? Local knowledge? Rob

Kevin, I have Monday off too, and I'd be up for anything in the Portsmouth - Biddeford stretch. Rob Explorer - mostly white

Hi Kev, I'm up for going on Sunday. Saturday's out. Cook up the details and I'll show up. Will G. be there too? I'll bring my measuring tape and a couple GP's to experiment with. Rob Explorer - mostly white

Rick, Is this an every Wednesday sort of thing, or a one-shot deal? I ask because I can't make it this week, but I'd love to join in. Rob Hazard Explorer, mostly white

Hear, hear! Three cheers for Kevin and Gillian! I wonder why Kev didn't show up for Tidal Currents the next morning?

Jill and I will be at both.