scamlin

Walden Pond has charged for parking for decades--in the main parking lot across from the pond. However, for most of that time, there was no charge for parking in the boat launch area, a small lot at the beach to the left of the main beach as you face the pond, beyond the retaining wall. The vehicle entrance to the lot and lanuch is south of the main parking lot; you drive down the slope to the water. You need a boat on your vehicle to use this lot, and there is room for a dozen vehicles at best. I don't remember an attendant at the gate to this lot, but there may be one these days. Seems they close this lot a bit earlier than the main lot, and it's possible to get locked in. I've only used the boat parking once or twice in the past few years, so can't say if they have started charging for parking at the boat ramp. Scott

Just confirming Ed's correct about MITA islands: State owned islands (BPL): open to all.Non-profits (such as land trusts): considered private by MITA but many are open to public depending on the non-profits guidelines.Inndividual/family: considered private and not open to public.Thing is, as Ed says, you need to know which are which. The critical thing for the NSPN website is that many owners are happy to open their property to MITA-educated members who know what is allowed but may be concerned if the general, un-informed public used their property. That's why NSPN regularly reminds us to not mention specific islands by name: private owners put their island on the Trail with the understanding that only MITA members will visit. Whatever the ownership arrangement, they all share a common characteristic: the owners (state, non-profit or private) get to set the rules for their property. They tell MITA where access on the property is allowed (many areas are off-limits), when it is allowed (e.g. bird nesting or family use), and what is allowed (camping, fires, pets, etc). Even islands that are open to the public (e.g. non-MITA members) have restrictions such as seasonal use. That is why being a current MITA member and consulting the current MITA Guidebook is important: you have the book and know when and how to be a respectful visitor and steward of the resource. That's what keeps MITA concept viable: people who own the islands make them available to people who will use the islands responsibly and take care of them. Scott

Pru: Come over to our place in Belmont and I'll show you our simple webbing strap setup up. In our case, it's against a garage wall--holds three kayaks just fine on their sides--and can easily be adapted to fence posts. The garage roof leaked for a while a few years ago, so I can even show you how to tip the kayaks-on-edge so the water doesn't go into the cockpits and hatches. Easy peasy, like Christopher says. Home these days so can do evenings or weekend. Scott

Was at the MITA booth on Saturday for 2013 Maine Boatbuilders Show in Portland. It was lively, like fishing in a mackrel frenzy. Didn't get lunch until 3:30 PM. Results from the MITA office: We enrolled 114 new MITA Members and renewed 30 for a total of 144. (This shatters the past record of 50 total for the weekend.)Over 90 people attended the 25th Anniversary Party, including founders and new members alike. We screened our new video and had a great time!MITA was honored at the Cruising Club of America’s annual party, with several of their members joining MITA that night. 45 people (a full house) attended our presentation on Saturday afternoon inside the boat show.Help for the MITA booth at the KTP show in April 19-21 is welcome, particularly Friday night and Sunday. Contact Emma at MITA epopewelch@mita.org to sign up. Scott

Hilleberg has some options: super light but also pretty expensive: http://www.moontrail.com/tents/hilleberg_tarp20.php Personally, I pack an MSR 10x12 with wing configuration and catenary cut. Coated nylon so it's not superlight, but compact and sheds wind like a dream. Good for 4 people. Oh, and an older 1990s Walrus Areo Tarp130 (16x18' in nylon with 8' poles) which serves well for canoe and car camping. Scott

Rob: If Carmody or other coaches want to put you in another boat, that may be the solution to your dilemma: you'll get a chance to try out different boats under challenging conditions and find out what you like. And get quality advice on the spot from someone who knows boats. If you need to practice in a Cetus or an Explorer before you go for training, there are plenty of spare boats around the club you can borrow for a few weeks. My advice is don't make a hasty decision: get some time on the water in a number of boats until you find one that works for you. Scott

Brian: Your new website looks great! Minor detail in the write up of the fiberglass repair: if I remember correctly, you held the milk jug backing for the inside patch in place with a blown-up paddle float, not foam. It conformed perfectly and evenly to the curve of the hull and probably put more pressure on the patch. I've used the technique for the first, inside patch on many later repairs on the inevitable holes. Float bags do the trick as well. Best, Scott

For what it's worth, in NOAA's RNC chart download section, they list a number of free viewers for download: http://www.nauticalcharts.noaa.gov/mcd/Raster/index.htm One of my favorites is the EarthNC viewer: it has a Hybrid Chart view that transparently layers a NOAA chart over a satellite photo view--very handy for exploring and planning. This used to be available as a free overlay on GoogleEarth, but they ended that service last year. There is a relatively inexpensive version of EarthNC available on mobile devices (I have the iPhone version). Scott

MapTech used to sell a simple version of Chart Navigator, then then distributed it as a free viewer through at least 2008 as Chart Navigator 5.08. On their website, the file CHTNAV_ENGLISH.EXE is listed as available: http://www.maptechnavigation.com/support/doc.cfm?docid=123&CFID=3284502&CFTOKEN=10577449 However, unlike the spanish, french, italian and german versions, the file this english version of the program cannot be located. Fortunately, the english version of the file is still available on their ftp server under CHTNAV_NGLISH.EXE (apparently the filename got corrupted): ftp://ftp.maptechnavigation.com/ There are a lot of other interesting resources on this list as well. This is a somewhat dated version of an excellent NOAA chart viewer with many features: they used to promote it as a demo of their full-featured Off Shore Navigator. I've used the commercial version for at least 10 years--but only for planning, not for printing charts (which as David says, is somewhat cumbersome). Note this program uses NOAA RNC charts, so you'll have to download them from the NOAA website. The good news is that they are free and you can always get the most up to date version. The bad news is you have to learn how to download them and put them in a directory where Chart Navigator can find them. Scott

John: No need to agonize about Nalgene. As is well known, I am a fan of the Little John which solves the problem of pain, dehydration and risky landings during long streches on the water. It eventually occurred to me to take my Little John in the tent at night on kayak or canoe camping trips for similar problems. Works like a charm, especially if you have a rear door: open the zipper about 12-18", slide you hand out and pour. A female attachment is available. http://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&keywords=little+john+portable+urinal&tag=googhydr-20&index=aps&hvadid=7905671145&hvpos=1t1&hvexid=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=213383874885864075&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=b&ref=pd_sl_3dil8ztvla_b Disclaimer: I have no commercial interest in Little John. Scott

Older post for this reply, but thought I'd address the reference to Hutchinson's Seakayaking. Derek, I think, was referring to some older (and some would argue outdated) rescue techniques which involved pulling fully loaded kayaks up on your deck and tipping them back and forth to empty them of water (X-rescue). See: http://www.kayarchy.co.uk/html/02technique/004deepwaterrescue/002emptyingakayakatsea.htm for an illustration. At that time, you could break the deck in the process. However, the technique was common because many boats did not have bulkheads and, well, other techniques had not been developed or widely practices. These days, most British style kayaks have decks strong enough to support even a loaded boat. More importantly, we rarely place a kayak on the deck during a rescue. Most likely to be damaged in my experience is a spray skirt as it gets pinched between the coaming and the rescued kayak. Derek pioneered this technique (and many others) in the dawn of modern sea kayaking. We can honor his memory and salute his contributions to the sport even if we no longer need to practice some of his ideas. Scott

I attended once--about 1998 if I remember correctly--and it was like Suz says: the biggest paddle sports show in North America, but still a paddle show. Seminars were much more extensive and diverse than the KTP show. Given the location in the Badger State, if I remember it had more emphasis on canoeing, especially in wilderness areas, but maybe that's because it was in the early years of the kayak boom. Nope: just checked last year's program and there's lots about the north woods. I was in Milwaukee on business, at the time, so stayed over the weekend and drove over to Madison. Checked out the store, Rutabega, and it's also extensive with knowledgeable paddle sports people. Scott

I don't use it for nav on the water, but have found a simple iPhone app very useful for planning. it's the EarthNC app ($19.99 with free updates). It has the following map layers: NOAA charts, satellite photos, OpenStreetMaps, USGS topo maps, and shaded topos. It has tidal stations with current times, sunrise/sunset and can display compass, lat/long, etc. The combination of charts, satellite, street maps and topos plus tidal info means you can really check out potential landing or camping sites. I've used it on trips where I can get a signal. Or you can download tiles of the charts and maps and use it where there is no signal. I'm not likely to use the included nav features such as routes and waypoints because it's too primitive and I'm not likely to have the iPhone on deck while underway. Besides, navigating via GPS is strictly back up for me. Scott

Ed: Pulpit Harbor is indeed interesting: a narrow opening (with an osprey/eagle on the namesake rock at the mouth of the harbor), with working harbor and a few houses, plus some deep tidal arms going inland. I wouldn't call it visually spectacular, just interesting. The north shore of North Haven is vintage Maine island coast but can be a long slog if you're just doing the circumnavitation. If you have to choose, I'd say Fox Island Thoroughfare and the Vinalhaven coast offer a more interesting and varied paddle. Scott

I'd second Gene's suggestion if the stickiness was a problem when the shaft was new: gentle, repeated sanding with 400 wet paper. I had that problem with some Lendals a few years ago when they moved production to the U.S. the parts were not longer interchangable. Worked like a charm and no fixed the problem permanently. As Gene says, less is more.

Cathy: Scott Cuningham literally wrote the book on kayaking Nova Scotia. He and his wife Gayle live in Tangiers, about an hour east of Halifax on the Eastern Shore. Scott runs tours as well as BCU and Canadian-equivilent training all over N.S., so they can provide info on places to go as well. They run a small B&B along with their outfitting/guide/training business--Beth and I stayed there in 1999--which we'd recommend. Scott

Water temps for the Cape Ann area during the spring CAM workshop were 5-8 degrees F higher than in past years. An illustration of the impact on marine species: lobster shedding in Maine was 5-7 weeks earlier than normal (second week in May vs. late June), which caused major problems for the industry. Shedders are hungrier and move around more, so they are easier to catch. Lobster landings were way up, which depressed the price. Normally, over 50% of summer shedder catches in Maine are sold to Canadian processors, but the processing plants were not prepared to accept the Maine lobsters, so that much more catch was dumped onto the Maine market. I think the prices bottomed out about $1.50/lb. at the dock, which is well below the bottom last time lobster prices crashed a couple of years ago. The fishermen say that they need $2.00-2.50/lb just to cover cost of fuel and bait, never mind paying off the boat loan and the crew. That's why there was a rash of tie ups mid-summer. It really impacted the small fishing communities and threatens their viability, especially the island communities. Point is, the effects of warming water are complex--or to put it another way, the ecological web includes humans. Scott

Always good advice to stay hydratedl, but I've heard that it's better to drink a little bit at time. Why? Because your body cells can onlly aborb water at a given rate--something like 8 fluid oz. per half hour (or is it one hour?). Anything more gets flushed out in your pee. So clear pee can be misleading if you've not had much to drink all morning, then chug a liter or more. Bettter to have a cup or so of water every 20-30 minutes. In other words, if your pee is the three Cs (copious, clear and constant) you'll eventually become hydrated, but you're wasting a lot of water. Scott

David: Don't see any posts replying to your problem. And while I have a couple of Explorers, they are vintage with the older rope skegs so I don't recognize the skeg mechanism or the problem on your boat. If you're still stuck, contact a NDK dealer. Tom Bergh on Peaks Is. in Portland, ME is where I bought my boats and he's has been an NDK dealer since the beginning of time (or at least soon after Nigel started making them), so he probably can help. Just saw him Friday at Maine Island Kayak Company (www.maineislandkayak.com) and he still has the boats and the parts. Scott

Been paddling in Maine for 15 years, often close by lobstermen and have never had a bad experience with them. On the other hand, I've had several bad experiences with recreational boaters who have ignored no wake zones, backed into us and in one memorable incident deliberately altered course in the channel just outside of Hull Gut to play chicken with nine paddlers in a tight formation trying to cross back to Hull. And I've seen kayakers without count wander mindlessly down the middle of channels, box lobster boats in against the shore and cross right behind lobster boats who are actively fishing. I'm real clear they are trying to make a living in a tough business and I'm strictly on the water for recreation. So I stay strictly out of their way, wait until they are through pulling pots or getting underway--and always wave. Many ignore me, some wave back. Besides they are bigger than me and have the right of way. Are there some rough customers among them? Sure. Do they think they own the waters? Maybe. But the vast majority of them live and let live. Actually, I'm glad they are out there, because if I ever need help, chances are a lobsterman will be the one to pull me out of the drink. Scott

Just a reminder that we still have openings for the class room sessions on April 22 and April 29. These workshops are for paddlers at all levels: people just starting to paddle and people who can paddle, but want to brush up on how to plan before going out. It is especially targeted at participating in club trips. In the April 22 class, we'll cover weather forecasts, tides and currents, how to predict conditions, route planning and reading nautical charts. In the April 29 class, we'll cover the CAM concept (Common Adventure Model) that the club uses, plus what happens on club trips: beach briefings, launching and landing, traveling on the water, plus dealing with group issues and emergencies. Classes are 10 AM to 3 PM. To sign up and get more details, please RSVP to scamlin at restructassoc dot com Scott

http://www.pressherald.com/news/Scarborough-kayaker-er-.html

Actually, I've had the opposite problem: the volume control gets progressively looser, so it often turns on accidentally in my gear bag or PFD pocket. Had this problem a lot with my old Standard Horizon 406SX and now also my ICOM M88. This is after several years of use. After the 406SX died, I replaced it with a new M72, but not enough use to date to see if there is a problem. Another problem with old VHFs is a noisy volume control: static when moved, and sometimes just sitting in place. Like Leon, I never use a dry bag but always flush thoroughly in fresh water after each trip. Scott

One other tip for drysuit care: when storing the suit for a day or a year, do NOT leave the zipper(s) all the way open: the slider forces the sides of the zipper apart which can weaken it at a, well, weak point. I think keeping it closed all the way is OK, but will defer to Suz on this one. Scott

Thanks Peter for clarifying what I was trying to say: the only real conditions at the mouth of PI sound will be when wind or swells set against the current. Without either, there's just not much in the way of vertical surface. Scott