Rick crangle

I heard recently a name from the past and wanted to pass on a welcome back message.  Chris Perkins was one of the founding members of NSPN and contributed immensely to the internet presence we had back then.  Show and go trips were the mainstay of NSPN and we had them every week.  Having a place to post and recap trips was invaluable.  Thanks, nice to see you back.

We are there rain or shine. 

Whitewater Boat

Pyranha ina-zone (large)

7’ 8” long

25” wide

I just wanted to thank Mike for his fine presentation on waves and tides. Too often this subject is looked at in a simplistic fashion, only touching on a few aspects of these complex occurrences. His thoughtful assemblage of the concepts behind the origins of our tides, and waves, in all its intricate nature was refreshing.  Just enough examples and data to peek your curiosity to learn more.  Fine job.

Thank you Mike for the very thoughtful and comprehensive view of tide and waves.  Well put together illustrations and data for each of your concepts. I think folks got a lot out of it.

Rob has done skilled job and thanks to him from all of us.

Paul, I remember those days and how many good trip reports we posted then.

I have many of David Bull's prints, including his Great Wave.  There is a series on the making of this print very much worth seeing.

congratulations on your award ,well earned

Is that really a 10 o’clock (shove off), or are you going to get all nostalgic and soppy, Mr. Burnett… before we get down to business.  

I remember a trip out of Nahant where Rodger, Bob, and I traveled over to Tinkers Island in amongst some nice swells. As we left the beach on the island we had to beat our way out through the quick surf and Rodger holed his boat. I think he was taking on water all the way back.  I'll be there on Sunday.  My first trip was out of Nahant, fall of 1998, not from the beach but from the ramp on the Lynn side at the beginning of Nahant road near the rotary.  

I want to thank all those who came to the Chebacco Lake skills session this year. We are ending the regular schedule. We had a good turnout through the summer and I wanted to credit those who came each week and participated.  I hope we created an opportunity for some fun learning and practice that left you feeling a little more confident and able as a sea kayaker. 

If anyone is interested some of us will be at Pebble Beach in Rockport on Thursday the 22 after five o'clock. Feel free to attend

There is a difference between being towed and teaming up to keep the group moving together. When two paddlers ‘team up’ it is a merging of there energies together, with some directional stability, that helps the paddler being on tow keep the pace necessary to move the group through a difficult section of travel. The one on tow may not have the skills yet to cope with the conditions at hand to the degree best for the rest of the group. However, that does not mean they are not still in those same conditions and the opportunity for learning is still there. Think of this more like drafting in a cycling, you must still do the work necessary to achieve the goal, none the less, there is a sense that your more of a team in the pursuit that goal. Remember that this is not like a dead weight being pulled along. Watch the tow line in action and you will see small bursts of assistance with plenty of slack in between.

As for the necessity for two paddlers teaming up, this is a question about the groups soundness, so, here is how I draw the line. We grow by reaching deliberately above our last known comfort level, and most of us are willing to make accommodations for growth in others as we go. Reaching to accomplish a difficult (for us) windy crossing, or heightened sea state, or current is great. But, practice when there is less a stake. Winter paddling is not for everyone, you as a group are already in contention with the environment. We are out there because we have practiced and have the skills to even the odds a bit. The environment still has the upper hand and we are very small in its midst. The winter habitat is a place you must respect, for you are only out there because you’ve taken ‘temporary’ precautions, like dressing for immersion not just comfort. The reason we wear drysuits is to postpone hypothermia. The reason we train to do fast effective rescues, or better yet, avoid having to be rescued, is not start that downward movement that takes away our small assets for survival.

I often go out midwinter by myself, not using all my assets, but you fully realized, down to the taste in your mouth, how exposed, how small, how alone you are in that world. You are only as good as you are prepared and someday you may be tested.

Rick S and I went to Jenness Beach to play. There were a lot of boarders but you could catch some nice 8 footers past the furthest surfers. If you could drop in to one of these you would scream, the fastest I've been on a wave. I did a nice endo to finish off the day, maytag and roll.

I just picked up a pair of bicycle gloves, synthetic leather palms and light breathable body, at REI on sale in a bin for $14 half hand, $19 full coverage. The last time I tried a circumnavigation of MV and Nantucket I got blisters between my calluses. This weekend I'm wearing gloves.

Of course.

Thursday evenings at Chebacco Lake is a tradition that started back in 1999. We start sometime after 5pm and go to sunset. The water is warm and inviting and the lake is a good place to practice and experience new things with boats.

Thursday evenings at Chebacco Lake is a tradition that started back in 1999. We start sometime after 5pm and go to sunset. The water is warm and inviting and the lake is a good place to practice and experience new things with boats.

I have not seen Ken in a number of years, so Friday sounds nice.

While in Scotland on Loch Eishort this example dawned on me as we made way back from a day of wandering. I immediately found it to be the visual key to understanding standing waves. If you are paddling along and lay your blade flat on the water beside your moving boat, then, press down on the trailing edge, you create a void in the surface. The void is established by directing the water under the blade at the leading edge, and then, forcing it down to a new level at the trailing edge. At a point in the creation of this hole in the water level, there is an attempt to fill this void by water directly behind the hole toppling in. However, since the boat you are in is moving forward the hole behind the blade is also moving and can not be filled. The toppling water has formed a standing wave moving along with the blade creating the hole in the water. Now, think of the boat motion as current, and the hole in the water as the initiation of a void due to surface disruption, say a sudden drop in the subsurface terrain. As long as the void remains fairly constant in the flow, the wave falling into it will remain, as it tries to fill. Now to complicate things, say that there is a swell coming from the direction of the falling wave, against the current flow. As the swell moves through the site of the established standing wave, those two distinct forms will match frequency and amplify, and move forward. The standing wave will reestablish itself and the new more intense wave will continue at a distinctly more powered state. This is the condition we use to surf forward on and against a current. A standing wave can be dropped into and surfed with the flow of current below your boat and the boat riding on the cascade of water into the void. Does this make sense? Try it.

That started in the late fifties, early sixties, with the popularity of the martini. But, I like the variation on a theme. It does give me pause, that you thought of it at all.

Hey, we’ve got a problem with the torsion bars on this new design for a folding craft, if you put pressure here it distorts the shape of the hull.

So, don’t put pressure there.

Wait, let’s call it a special feature.

One person’s distortion is another’s hull design.

Wednesday will be too late for good play at Goose Cove. We hit it just right Monday and Tuesday. This is a great place to work on entering big (7 to 8 knot) current. The window is two hours and once you go down the rabbit hole you’re in for a penny in for a pound. There is no way back until just before high water, you can paddle through at the five knot time but it is a visible one foot climb to get over. The flow is pure current and narrow. If you enter at a high angle and good speed, you can low brace turn through and switch edges to exit into the eddy on the other side smartly. Once you hit the current it is throttle up ready or not. One last thing, there is no place to get out once you are in, the land right at the bridge is posted, no trespassing (that mean you). Kayakers have spoiled this before us and the owner lives nearby, so do not think you are an exception. I live in this neighborhood and respect the benefit of this play spot and do not want it ruined, as kayakers it is important to preserve access and good relationships with the local land owners. I will try to do this again at the next favorable cycle.

I will be playing around with the flood current at Goose Cove on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday of this week from 5:00 pm on. If you contact me here, or by email, I can suggest a place to park. Bring a helmet, dress for emersion . Once you are in the Cove, you are in for the flood.

Thanks to everyone who participated this year in the Chebacco Lake skills sessions. This week, if you are interested, I will be at Pebble Beach at 5pm Thursday. It is pretty quiet out there, but a trip around Thatchers Island might be a nice touch. This tide cycle is not good for current work in Goose Cove, but, several times next week will. Bring a helmet.