cmfos

Here's an interesting article about kayaking around New York City and some of the regulations that are being considered: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/29/nyregion...ml?pagewanted=1 Jim Fessenden "Two Eskimos sitting in a kayak were chilly, so they lit a fire in the craft. Unsurprisingly it sank, proving once again that you can't have your kayak and heat it too." VCP Avocet, Aqua NDK Explorer, White on White

Glad you guys are alright. I hope in the coming days, you'll give us an account of what happened so that we can all learn from your experience. Jim Fessenden "Two Eskimos sitting in a kayak were chilly, so they lit a fire in the craft. Unsurprisingly it sank, proving once again that you can't have your kayak and heat it too." VCP Avocet, Aqua NDK Explorer, White on White

Just saw this on the news. http://cbs4boston.com/topstories/local_story_155164644.html Jim Fessenden "Two Eskimos sitting in a kayak were chilly, so they lit a fire in the craft. Unsurprisingly it sank, proving once again that you can't have your kayak and heat it too." VCP Avocet, Aqua NDK Explorer, White on White

Lovely stuff Werner. As a West Coast transplant who got his first sea kayaking experience in Tomales Bay, it was fun reading about your experiences. Thanks for sharing Jim Fessenden "Two Eskimos sitting in a kayak were chilly, so they lit a fire in the craft. Unsurprisingly it sank, proving once again that you can't have your kayak and heat it too." VCP Avocet, Aqua NDK Explorer, White on White

Yah, I've done that as well. You can also look at the speed of the aircraft during landing (the planes land at about 160 MPH) or when the plane is crusing. And it's also useful if you're flying across country and want to know what the heck you're looking at down below. the only thing is that you need to be at a window seat in order to get a signal. Jim > > No, they actually do use triangulation to compute >altitude. You have to be able to receive good signals from >(I think) at least three satellites to get a 3D position. > But it's not terribly accurate -- even less so than the 2D >position which is to within 30-60 feet. Still, kind of >neat to turn on your GPS in an airplane and see it reading >36K feet for altitude. > > Jim Fessenden "Two Eskimos sitting in a kayak were chilly, so they lit a fire in the craft. Unsurprisingly it sank, proving once again that you can't have your kayak and heat it too." VCP Avocet, Aqua NDK Explorer, White on White

Dear Enchant: I admire your quest for good data. I have similar inclinations myself so we have something in common. I would just point out that GPS receivers don't discriminate which direction you are going. It all gets added in. For example, I used my Etrex Legend for kayaking one day when it was quite windy with good sized waves (perhaps 2-3 ft.). At the end of the day, my companions and I were quite surprised to learn that we'd paddled over 20 miles when in fact, by the chart, we had perhaps paddled 15-17 miles. One of my companions concluded that the GPS receiver was also counting each 2-3 ft. swell in its distance measurements (since the unit itself was bobbing up and down in the waves just like me). Initially, I thought my friend was full of hooey since the GPS receivers have a limited degree of precision in their distance measurements but after more thoughtful analysis, I think he was right. A similar instance was when I took my sister's Etrex Summit hiking in New Mexico. This unit gives you elevation profiles of your hikes which I think is pretty neat. We hiked down to the Rio Grande and I got a nice profile of the descent. On the way up, I let the receiver dangle from a lanyard around my neck. I got a nice elevation profile of the ascent but it was oddly flattened out, as if I'd traveled a much longer distance. After some head-scratching, I concluded that the Arc of the Dangle was being factored into my distance measurements. So with each stride, the thing would dangle back and forth like a pendulum, which the Summit saw as extra distance traveled. So my data was all screwed up. So these anecdotes are not to discourage you, Enchant, from using your new GPS unit. I'm glad you are happy with it. But hopefully this will improve the quality of your data. Happy Paddling! Cmfos >Whether you need one or not is up to each individual. I >don't need it for navigation. For the most part, I can >always see my next destination. But I've found it very >handy, primarily for speed and distance data. I like to >know what kind of difference it makes if I change my >paddling style. How much is the current or wind affecting >my speed? Last week, I demo'd a friend's boat and found >myself going a full mph faster using my normal cadence. I >find that good info to know. > >Yesterday, we paddled across Duxbury Bay for a bowl of soup. > The chart said it would be 2.5 miles. Turns out it was 3.5 >miles, after detouring around sandbars. At the end of the >day, we have a total mileage reading. I find this handy to >know how tired I get after how many miles. > >I find the GPSMAP 76 very easy to read, even though my >eyesight isn't good. I can barely read a book without >glasses. But you can configure the unit to display >information in a large font or a ludicrously large font. > >I don't believe that a GPS is a substitute for navigation >skills, and I've signed up for Doug Lowry's course in >November. Jim Fessenden "Two Eskimos sitting in a kayak were chilly, so they lit a fire in the craft. Unsurprisingly it sank, proving once again that you can't have your kayak and heat it too." VCP Avocet, Aqua NDK Explorer, White on White

I'd recommend not getting one at all. I went through this same process a few years ago: asking for advice from NSPN, checking out all the different models, eventually settling on a Garmin Etrex Legend. i figured it would be a substitute to paper charts, I could keep a log of all my voyages, I could use it to navigate city streets or I could use it for hiking. 2 years later, my Legend is nothing but a dust magnet. For this particular model, the screen is just too small to use it "on the fly". You can't see it on the deck of the boat (or on the dashboard of my car). I haven't tried hiking with it although I don't bother since i have plenty of paper maps. And Bob's point about the batteries is key. When you're on a 6 hour voyage out to some distant island, you don't have the time (or the inclination) to change batteries. My advice would be to save yourself $350 and buy something more useful, like paper charts. At least they don't run out of batteries. Jim Fessenden "Two Eskimos sitting in a kayak were chilly, so they lit a fire in the craft. Unsurprisingly it sank, proving once again that you can't have your kayak and heat it too." VCP Avocet, Aqua NDK Explorer, White on White

I drive from Brookline to Watertown along the river every day. So far, the foilage along that stretch has yet to change so you're early. Jim Fessenden "Two Eskimos sitting in a kayak were chilly, so they lit a fire in the craft. Unsurprisingly it sank, proving once again that you can't have your kayak and heat it too." VCP Avocet, Aqua NDK Explorer, White on White

What an enjoyable post! It reminds me of a similar trip I took with my good friend Dr. Binks a few years ago. Jeez, it does seem like a long time ago but the memories are quite vivid. Thanks for sharing Rick! Jim Fessenden VCP Avocet, Aqua NDK Explorer, White on White

On the home page down on the bottom right. It's hiding. http://www.nspn.org/play-put-ins.html Jim VCP Avocet, Aqua NDK Explorer, White on White

Not sure precisely what your problem with the radio is but if it's just a broken antenna, you can just order a new one for about $15 and not go through all this warranty rigamarole. Jim VCP Avocet, Aqua NDK Explorer, White on White

It's 19 statute miles around. The time it takes depends on your paddling speediness. I've done it twice and I put in at Pavillion Beach both times. I went through the sound and timed it so that I was going through the Parker River area around high tide (otherwise, it's dry back there). Ate lunch at the northern tip of Plum and then went down the oceanside of the island before reentering the sound to get back to Pavillion. Make sure you have your Mojo for this last part since the tide will be racing out of there and you'll have to paddle hard to get back. Stay out of the center of the channel since that's where the strongest current is (as well as the motorboats). Have fun! Hope you have a good day for it Jim VCP Avocet, Aqua NDK Explorer, White on White

That is the question that I've been pondering these days. Usually when I'm paddling in wind that is not directly ahead/astern/abeam, I "tough it out" and get pointed in the right direction by my superior paddlng skills . I.e., I compensate by extending the paddle a bit further out on one side vs. the other, rather than using the skeg. I always felt that it was important to develop these skills and to only use the skeg when I REALLY needed it. As a result, I rarely if ever use a skeg because I can usually compensate for the tricky winds using the extended paddle technique. However, a friend of mine recently challenged this notion, pointing out that I am only making my life harder by paddling in this assymetric way. Over long distances in the winds, this strategy would (and does) become extremely tiresome. This friend of mine (who will remain nameless) almost always uses the skeg, even in quite unfearsome winds (like 5-10 kt zephyrs). Since he's one of the strongest paddlers I know, I take his advice quite seriously. The advantage of this approach is that you can maintain a relatively straight course in a quartering breeze with skeg deployed and still paddle quite efficiently and symmetrically. I put this idea to the test this weekend in a fairly stiff breeze (maybe 10-15 kts on the rear quarter) and it worked wonderfully although I had to tweak the degree of skeg deployment quite a bit to get myself pointed the right way. So I guess I'm going to give up the ghost and use the skeg more often in the breezes. At least that way, I'll have a better chance of keeping up with my friend and I'll also have more fun! Jim Fessenden VCP Avocet, Aqua NDK Explorer, White on White

This is an interesting article on a new shark repellant being developed: Shark Repellent Deemed a Breakthrough By IAN JAMES, Associated Press Writer SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico - Excited by the scent of blood, a dozen sharks dart about in a frenzy as a researcher dips a pole in the sea and squirts out a clear, yellowish substance. Within seconds, the sharks jerk their snouts away and vanish. Researchers say they finally have found a potent repellent to drive away sharks, after testing off Bimini island in the Bahamas. It's a goal that's eluded scientists for decades. If proven effective, the repellent one day might protect divers, surfers and swimmers. But researchers say that would require much more study. First they hope it can protect sharks — in decline worldwide due to overfishing — by reducing the numbers caught needlessly by long-line commercial fishermen. "You introduce this chemical, and they all leave," said lead researcher Eric Stroud, a 30-year-old chemical engineer from Oak Ridge, N.J. "It works very, very well." The repellent, called A-2 because it was the second recipe tried, is derived from extracts of dead sharks that Stroud gathered at New Jersey fish markets and piers. Fishermen and scientists have long noted sharks stay away if they smell a dead shark. "We have something that really works, but research remains," said Samuel Gruber, a University of Miami marine biologist and shark expert who is helping conduct tests at the Bimini Biological Field Station. Tests have found the repellent effective on three species: the Caribbean reef, blacknose and lemon sharks. Studies are needed on other species such as the great white, mako and oceanic whitetip. Gruber said the repellent seems to carry a chemical messenger that triggers a flight reaction. He said more studies are needed to pinpoint the active molecule among a dozen or so. A dose of 4 fluid ounces is enough to scare away feeding sharks, Stroud said, keeping them away from a fish head for two hours with just a few drops per minute. In contrast, sharks didn't respond to a red dye in control tests. The researchers presented their work in May during a meeting of the American Society of Ichthyologists and Herpetologists in Norman, Okla. Films of their tests captured images of sharks splashing the surface as they turn to flee. They hope to make a slow-dissolving repellent for use in baits and fishing nets, and to guard equipment on submarines and oil exploration vessels that sharks have damaged in the past. The repellent, though nontoxic, is apparently so disagreeable to sharks it can revive them from semiconsciousness. Some species slip into a hypnotic state if turned belly-up, and tests found the repellent brought captive sharks out of that trance. Repellent research began in World War II, when the U.S. Navy (news - web sites) created "Shark Chaser" for sailors and downed pilots. Mixed with black dye, it was made of copper acetate, which scientists thought would smell like a rotting shark. Studies later showed it wasn't that effective. A promising find came in 1972, when University of Maryland shark expert Eugenie Clark discovered that a Red Sea fish, the Moses sole, secreted a milky substance that repelled sharks. The finding caused a stir, and soon the makers of Coppertone suntan lotion contacted Clark, hoping to market it. She said she discouraged them, saying initial research couldn't back up such a use. Years of study followed by Gruber and others. In the end, though, the repellent derived from the sole wasn't practical because it had to be squirted into a shark's mouth to be effective. Clark — who at 82 still works at Mote Marine Laboratory in Sarasota, Fla. — said the latest findings could be a welcome way to reduce accidental killing of sharks, though she is skeptical of human use, saying few would be carrying the repellent at the rare moment it's needed. "I'd be happy to see somebody work it out, but I don't see it as a practical solution," she said. Anti-shark items on the market now include cages, steel mesh suits and a device called the Shark Shield, which when worn by divers or surfers emits an electric field. The device's Australian maker acknowledges it can't guarantee total effectiveness. In most cases, the danger of attack is extremely slight. The International Shark Attack File, at the Florida Museum of Natural History, recorded 55 unprovoked attacks worldwide last year, including four deaths. Stroud got the idea to pursue a repellent after several 2001 shark attacks drew widespread attention, including one that nearly killed an 8-year-old boy near Pensacola, Fla. Stroud and engineer Mike Herrmann do lab work in a New Jersey warehouse, relying on donations of less than $500,000 from two private benefactors. They have a patent pending and are starting a company, Shark Defense Inc., to eventually market the repellent. ___ On the Net: www.sharkdefense.com www.miami.edu/sharklab VCP Avocet, Aqua NDK Explorer, White on White

Good advice Dee. You were wise to keep the cooler about your feet in the cockpit. I tried using dry ice once for kayak camping. I had the same experience as you: it keeps the stuff well preserved for about 2-3 days. However, when I was intially packing the boats, I made the mistake of putting the soft cooler into one of the rear hatches of the Explorer. While I was packing other parts of the boats, I hear this big "WHUMPH" sound as the rear hatch blew off the kayak. After scratching my head for a moment, I realized that the CO2 gas sublimating off the ice in the airtight compartment of my kayak was the culprit. So I just left the hatch partly cracked open and it was fine. Jim Fessenden VCP Avocet, Aqua NDK Explorer, White on White