adelavega

>Amy, relax. I was joking already. I only posted to get the >extra 6" out of Brian. Karen and I were laughing on Monday >when we were carrying these two boats. And, I mentioned to >her how much more nimble her Romany is than lengthy Viviane. LOL! Not to worry, I am totally relaxed, Liz. And I'm glad that you and Karen have the boats that work for you. Re-reading, I can see that your posts might have been in jest, but I so often see people who choose boat A over boat B for certain characteristics (maneuverability, speed, whatever), then bemoan that it's not boat B. No real boat can be all things to all people. As for getting a rise out of Brian, that's just too easy a mark. I'm not sure what caused his reactions to NDK's, but he has my sympathies, because it must have been traumatic.

>With a skeg AND a rudder, and still lighter than Karen's >Romany 16. The Vivian is a racing boat. It's made to be light and fast. The Romany is a heavy water boat. It's made to play in surf, rock gardens and tidal races. Would you seal land a vivian on a 6 foot high rock wall? Would you endo it in surf? Would it survive a day on the Penryn Mawr? That's the Romany's raison d'etre. Now, could the Romany be made lighter? Sure. Could NDK improve their quality control? Abso-freakin'-lutely. But please, lets compare apples to apples here. These boats have nothing in common except that they are called "kayaks". Buy a boat that suits what you want to do. If Karen was looking for a light boat and doesn't need the Romany's performance and durability, then she's in the wrong boat. If Liz wants to go in a fairly straight line, really really fast, she's in the right boat. --Amy whose Greenlander Pro is the right boat for her

>As David pointed out, the hatch covers on the Diamante are >pretty much useful for keeping the drybags from coming out >of the hatch. What? You don't use drybags for your lunch & >misc gear? You better if you paddle a Diamante. > >I've tried the "press-like-the-dickens" solution, and the >"goo-it-up-with-extra-RTV" solution, with minor >improvements. I rationalize that since I have a hatch full >of drybags (and actually real float bags for safety, but I'd >do that with the unused space in any kayak), I don't care. >However, if anybody has a decent solution, I might start >caring. > I've never seen a Diamante (or at least never looked closely at the hatches), but if they're the buckle type, you might want to try weather striping. The hatches on my Cheasapeake were always bone dry, though they were nothing more than a bent piece of plywood with two straps. The key was weatherstriping glued to the underside of the hatch cover, that fit exactly inside the opening, sealing it completely. If this sounds workable for the Diamante, it could be the solution to your problem... Of course, then you'll have to deal with the breather hole issue ;-) --Amy

> >Anyone up for a road trip? > >Suz I can be ready to leave tomorrow. That there is my kind of kayaking! --Amy

>Gondolas are not powered by >pushing off any bottom! You know how deep the Grand or the >Rialto Canals are? (Are you thinking of punts, perhaps, >poled along shallow English rivers?) Gondolieri learn to >scull from early age. Did you know that gondolas are built with an ever so slight curve to the keel so that they'll track straight while rowed/sculled on just one side? Think I could get a greenlander built that way to make up for my lopsided forward stroke?? --Amy

While in general I agree with the senitments, I must disagree with the illustious commander on one small point. >Too many folks never practice anything but forward stroke >99% of the time. I think most people don't *practice* their forward stroke nearly enough. They may *do* a forward stroke most of the time, but few actually practice it, train it, give it the attention it deserves. A strong reliable forward stroke can get you out of a hell of a lot of trouble. I think a lot of new-ish kayakers (new-ish = 2 years or so... or however long it takes you to want to be in conditions, but not yet be ready for them YMMV spend more time on bow rudders and low brace turns because they're fun and cool and not enough time on really getting the basics down. (please note, I sheepishly admit to being firmly in this group) >Skills, skills, skills! Now that is a sentiment I can agree with wholeheartedly. --Amy

>And thank the lord that physics isn't a required course as I >would never be allowed on the water! > >I am struggling to just absorb all the info as I sit here in >my chair at work wishing I could be paddling instead... Oh contraire! If it were the only requirement, I might be the four star, instead of Ciro... IIRC he and I first met when I dragged his sorry ass kicking and screaming through quantum class. I like to think of it as a down payment on future tows when the real life shite hits the fan. Apparently, *applied* physics is his true calling ;-)

>The steps to turn into a strong wind are: > >1. Initiate the turn with one sweep on the outside. >2. Continue the turn with a bow rudder on the inside. >3. Watch in amazement as the wind blows your stern around >and points you upwind. This is a very effective turn, but can be uncomfortable in conditions if people are already, well... uncomfortable in the conditions. An instructor I worked with this year had us doing a modified version that was somewhere between a bow rudder and a draw. Or maybe it's better described as a high brace that was slid just a bit forward on the boat. The effect was essentially the same, but the position felt less vulnerable to me than the classic bow rudder Now the geeking part... >Now the detail: ... >In the scenaio Bethany and Dee propose (turn from a beam >wind to up wind), there is a lot of pressure on the moving >bow and the wind is from the side. So a sweep is not >particularly effective: the bow is 'locked in' as Rick and >others point out. And any progress you make in turning is >quickly undone during stroke recovery by wind pushing on the >stern (which is in the low pressure turbulence zone). ?? If the wind is beam and the stern is not locked the wind should push it down and weathercock the boat. It should not undo the progess of a turn, unless something else is going on. I'm not sure what it might be, but my best guess is that the force of a beam wind creates some pressure on the entire down wind side of the boat. Even that doesn't seem to explain it to my satisfaction... If wind and waves are from the same direction perhaps the increased wave pressure on the bow (when you get turned maybe 10 or 20 degrees) is enough to push you back to a broached position? >Edging also makes the turn more effective as it decreases >the length of the boat in the water and (depending on the >shape of the hull and assuming you are edging to the >outside) also creates in effect a curved or turning keel. >(By the way, edging in either direction assists a turn once >the turn momentum is initiated. Try it! Apparently, the >effect of a shortened hull is greater than the effect of >carving on the chine.) I think the strength of this differs based on hull shape. There are so many factors to consider. In a hard chine boat with little rocker, you might not reach the break even point. I made myself nuts for months trying to master the low brace turn in my old cheasapeake until I took a class up at MIKCo and Tom told me to give up... "that just isn't going to work well in *that* boat". The new greenlander pro still doesn't love the inside lean, but at least it doesn't come to a sudden standstill. I would echo the comment "try it". It's the best way to know what combination will spin your boat nicely and which will have you wallowing.

... >We really had no idea that things had gotten serious. In >retrospect we probably should have pointed the sterns of our >boats towards the wind and paddled backwards to maintain our >positions. Adam and Rick C. had no easy way to ask for more >help. The obviously had their hands too full to radio, and >three whistle blasts would have been lost to the wind. I wasn't there and I've not paddled with any of the people involved, except RickS, so my comments are general rather than specific to this situation and should be taken with a grain or two. That being said, in most cases the best thing other members of a group can do is not become more victims. Trying to stay stern-to in wind and waves can be very difficult and unless the folks involved are very comfortable in the conditions, the chance of putting another person in the water isn't worth taking. The old priority rule (me, me, me, my mates, the victim, me) is not selfishness. Unless you are very certain you can be of assistance in a rescue, your obligation to everyone is to keep yourself safe, so your mates don't have to rescue you too. --Amy

>Hold the date! > >NSPN's annual holiday party will be held on Saturday Evening >December 6th at the Gopuld Barn in Topsfield (easily >reachable from Rt 1 or 95). > For those unfamiliar with it, I think it's the Gould Barn (no "p"). See http://home.tiac.net/~topshist/thjgbarn.htm for fascinating pictures of the reconstruction efforts. --Amy

>Hay........ > >What about the guys!!!!!!!!!!! >When do we get our turn????? > The day Jed decides he'd rather spend the day with a bunch of guys rather than surrounded by grateful paddle groupie chicks.... Too bad for you. --Amy

>>Captain Stoehrer, >> >>What exactly is "bonk" or "bonking", please? > >Bonk is the term (I think, initially heard from french >cyclists) to describe the 'orrible sensations and fatigue >caused by low blood sugar. FYI, English cyclists call it >'the knock' in order to avoid embarrasing misunderstandings. It's similar to what long distance runners sometimes refer to as "hitting the wall" Indeed, dictionary.com defines bonk as "To collide against something: His head bonked against the wall as he fell." So, I suppose that may well be the origin of the phrase, though I have no real idea. It can be the effect of exertion coupled with too little food or poor food choices, or it can be a sign of a bigger problem (like hypoglycemia). In the right (wrong?) circumstances bonking can happen to anyone, even Lance himself bonked on Joux-Plane back in '00, but if strange symptoms persist the bonker (bonkie?) should see their doctor. --Amy

Seven went out, eight came back... one should have stayed home. On Saturday morning 6 NSPN'ers and one friend set off (on time even from Eastern Prom for the paddle over to MIKCo. The morning was gray, with a light chop on the bay as we headed out. A head wind slowed us down, but we still managed to make it to Peaks at about the same time as the ferry (ok, the ferry beat us, but since we landed right on the beach we still got first pick of the items on sale . Tom Berg was on the beach to greet us and true to his word, fresh coffee and bagels awaited in the boat house. A brisk morning paddle, caffeine and gear for sale. What more could you ask for? We spent a pleasant few hours chatting and shopping. Boats, pfds, tow belts, paddles, pumps... And that's just the stuff Ciro and I bought. No one went away empty handed. (Except for poor Suz, who's still waiting for her new sprayskirt.) As we shopped Rick arrived. Happily he joined us for the rest of the day. As conditions worsened having one more experienced paddler in the group was an asset. After shopping our hearts out we headed off for lunch on Cow Island (the new boats, four of them if I count correctly, would have to take the ferry back, as towing in the building winds didn't seem like a good plan). Heading along Peaks we got a free ride with our backs to the wind and made city point in record time, then turned into the lee where it was finally quiet enough for the group to actually hold conversations without shouting. When we reached Pumpkin knob, we had to reign in Sir Godfrey and my dear husband so they wouldn't head the wrong way out the Hussey "but it looks like more fun out there!" As we crossed Diamond Passage the waves built a bit and that was more than enough fun for me. Rick gave me some tips on handling a following sea. From behind me folks yelled that we should pull into Diamond Cove rather than continue on to Cow. The rain was moving in and the winds were still building, so an early lunch and retreat back to Portland was in order. Lunch was pleasant, despite the rain. Suz provided hot soup and homemade bread for everyone... she's a woman who knows the way to a paddler's heart ;-). Then we were off around the lee side of Great Diamond, but it didn't stay protected for long. The rain started coming down hard and the winds whipped up. The paddle home became a slog with beam seas, poor visability and sustained winds in the 20+ kt range. Fortunately, the water and the air stayed mercifully warm and the group was mostly cheery (if you discount my occasionally white knuckles). For me nothing fights off a bout of nerves like hearing Christopher's distinctive "Wheeee!" from behind whenever there's a particularly strong gust of wind. Come to think of it, a couple of those gusts did make me wish I'd bought that paddle leash I looked at... Guess I'll just have to go back and shop some more