jwhipple

The April 7 Waltham pool session is technically full, but I have inside information that one person MAY be unable to come ... anyone interested in MAYBE paddling? (If you are, I'll doublecheck with that person to confirm one way or the other, rather than leave you in suspense.) And we need one or more spotters this Saturday ... volunteer(s) please? (Looking ahead, the April 28 Waltham session still has room for 3 more paddlers.) If you're interested in any of the above, please respond to me via email at winter_hill at hotmail dot com, rather than posting here. Thanks! Judy

Spring is nearly sprung, the weather's starting to change, and time's a-wasting to brush up on those skills you've been meaning to work on. And the remaining Waltham pool sessions are filling fast: April 7: room for 1 paddler, 1-2 spotters (come spot!) April 28: room for 3 paddlers, 1 spotter To sign up, please contact me at winter_hill at hotmail dot com. (Please note: contacting me via posting to this message thread is not a reliable way of reaching me; please use the email address.) Judy

Due to a cancellation, there's room for one more paddler this Saturday night at the Waltham Y. And another spotter would be welcome. Please contact me at winter_hill at hotmail dot com if you're interested in either. Judy

is now full, but another spotter would be really welcome. The April 7 and 28 Waltham sessions still have room at this point (both about 1/2 full), but they ARE going to fill up, so don't wait too long and risk disappointment! There is nothing sadder than a paddler left high and dry on a Saturday night. It's not pretty: bottled remedies, self loathing, neoprene fetishes, I could go on ... high and dry is a slippery slope. It's my job to rescue you from all that, to lead you to water. Contact me at winter_hill at hotmail.com to sign up for paddling or spotting. Judy

The new Waltham location has proven popular, so the club has decided to add three more pool session dates to the original two. The new Waltham dates (all Saturday evenings as usual) are: March 10, April 7 and April 28. They've been added to the calendar; please check there for further details. You can register for the new dates by emailing me at winter_hill at hotmail dot com. Judy

My cursor arrow initially obscured the word "valve" from your email's subject, and in great alarm I wondered (briefly): "Oh no!" "Where has she been now?" "Why aren't kayakers trained for this!?" HAD to check it out. Truth is stranger than fiction ... they DO "bite", not with the teeth they don't have but with spurs on their ankles, and evidently it's venomous: http://www.nashvillecitypaper.com/index.cf...nt&news_id=7175 According to another internet source which I'm sure is no less reliable, the cure (take careful note, Ye Who Dare Venture into Distant Southern Waters) is to jump into the Marshmellow Pool of the Elderyears. Check your charts.

Nope - just experience with avoiding dunking it.

I can only speak for the Kestrel 4000, which can automatically take and store a ton of readings, and I believe you can set the reading intervals to taste. Mine is set to take them hourly, and currently it still charts data going back to Nov 30 -- so, about 10 days' worth of hourly readings. Also, with optional software, the data can be uploaded to computer, if that's of interest.

I *think* the ADCs do have a very minimal sort of compass: one of the anemometer blades is magnetized and colored differently from the others, so holding the thing level, out of the wind, will at least orient you to North. So, if you're paddling in conditions, and you want to take a bearing, and you like a real challenge ... For those who may be considering the ADC series mainly for their weather tools, the Kestrel line is also excellent and worth looking into: http://www.nkhome.com/ww/wwindex.html

Waltham sessions are proving popular ... the March session is almost full, but there's still plenty of room in the April sessions, and spotters are always welcome. Here's the current roster status: March 10: room for 1 more paddler and 1-2 spotters April 7: room for 6 more paddlers and 1-2 spotters April 28: room for 6 more paddlers, 1 more spotter welcome To sign up, please contact me at winterunderscorehill at hotmaildotcom. Judy

Actually, depending on how much foam you'll be adding, it may be possible to leave the footpegs in, if you prefer -- to have your cake and eat it, too. In my case, the pegs were stubborn and couldn't be removed from the track, so we (this was at Brian's equipment workshop last winter, so the "we" reflects Brian's guidance) just pushed them all the way forward and foamed around them. I have a lot of foam (3 blocks deep), so the first foam block to go in was cut around the pegs, and the subsequent two layers didn't need to be. And yes, my feet are much happier for the change (my feet are cranky, and the pegs actually hurt).

Work permitting (and it looks right now as if it will), I plan to be there ... Judy

Until this minute, I'd been only vaguely aware (from rare visits to the Calendar, given that most of the action's in Private Trips) of the upcoming meeting, and so (since it almost never occurs to me to visit the NSPN Business section) I was basically clueless. It took Cathy's inquiry on the General Message Board about a post-meeting paddle to make me sit up straight (oof, it's THIS weekend?!). Maybe other folks are more diligent and I'm the only one who's asleep at the switch. But from a marketing standpoint, it seems as if the General Message Board is the most effective place to get people's attention and plug the meeting, if only to redirect them to the NSPN Business section for details. And maybe that's in the works, in which case kindly ignore my two cents ... Judy

Dee and Suz, thanks for your input ... I now have a sense of how to proceed. And since it aready IS drysuit season (or shoulder season at least) for me, the trick will be to find the right time gap to do what needs to be done. Suz, yes I have the tape still (thanks for including it), but I'd somehow misunderstood its use (thought it was just for seams); now I know it's the stuff for the job. The only question is whether there's enough; it's good to know I can ask Ravenspring for more if need be ... and thanks for the info on what to expect from them in the way of response. Dee, thanks for your offer of help and heating tool use, and I will keep it in mind, but I'll try not to bother you unless I end up having to. One question, though: you mentioned using the tape to prevent further delamination -- do you mean that it's best to treat the spots now before they spread and/or start to leak, i.e. partly as a preventative measure, rather than just treating specific spots once they start to leak? Thanks again! Judy

My drysuit (one of the group buy from 3 or so years ago) has begun developing telltale spots (small, whiteish) on the inside ... only problem is I'm not sure what tale they're telling. Reading bits of old message threads (and remembering Liz's comment last fall that her Ravenspring was delaminating) makes me suspect delamination is beginning. No leakage as yet, but the spots ARE telling me this much: I need to start asking questions, then listen and learn ... So, you folks out there with Ravensprings: what's your experience been with white spots and/or delamination, and what have you done about it (including any experience with Ravenspring on the subject)? Any and all input gratefully received. Thanks, Judy

My apologies, Kevin, the original form of this message was much too cryptic for its own good. I meant the "*****" as a BCU reference, but obviously (since I hadn't explained myself) it could mean something else ... and now thanks to your reply I know what those OTHER stars mean! Judy

Welcome back, you 5-star folks ... how was Scotland? Is a trip report forthcoming? Judy

Looking at some of the different Pro Tec models available, I note that one model has full ear coverage, a second model has none, and a third model has attachable earflaps (cute little fellas) ... So: how important is protecting the ears (and that area of the skull)? Thanks for any input, Judy

The pond's still there, the crowds aren't, I'm guessing you Walden regulars are still pretty regular, at least in September ... in other words, what's the likelihood of finding fellow paddlers on a weekday evening as the days grow shorter, and how far into the fall do you continue to go? Thanks, Judy

I'll be there for Fri and Sat classes, looking to camp Thu-Sat nights. It's pretty clear there's lots of space in the various local campgrounds, but I'd rather camp near kayakers than, say, bikers ... Judging from the message board so far, a few (at least) plan to camp at Mout Desert Campground ... so, is that the place to go, or are some of you (who are camping) going to the alternatives (Seawall, Lamoine)? Thanks, Judy

Can't go after all, I'm beached by a flat tire ... damn. Have fun, Judy

I'm looking to join you ... have never paddled there before ... Thanks for posting the trip, Judy

It seems that the M88 has been the gold standard for awhile ... then, this past winter apparently, the M72 was introduced, and there was a brief message thread (in March, I think) wondering about the relative merits of the two (e.g., somewhat different size/shape, better waterproof rating, cheaper price point, etc.), but at that point there wasn't any actual experience with the new kid yet to offer. Now that I'm contemplating getting this piece of hardware for my shoulder, I'm wondering if anyone has new experience or information to contribute about the M72 that would help me sort out which one my shoulder should lean toward ... Thanks, Judy Explorer, red/white Suzboat, retired

Rick, thanks SO much for doing this again! Judy

Would someone happen to know her plans going up the north coast of MA/NH? The info may be on her website, but my dial-up connection isn't having much success finding out. Thanks. Judy