alcoons

Looking good: Boston Harbor-Today NW winds around 5 kt...becoming se 10 to 15 kt this afternoon. Waves 1 foot or less. Tonight SW winds 5 to 10 kt. Waves 1 foot or less.

Dave just pointed out that the Marine Forcast has changed: Thu SW winds around 5 kt...becoming S with gusts up to 20 kt in the afternoon. Waves 1 foot or less. 1. Let's lauch on time. 2. I plan to be very conservative. 3. Please check here in the morning in case of more changes. 4. my cell is 781-879-9377. 5. Comments and feedback welcome. Al

Well let's say we average 3 mph and do 9 miles. That is 3 hours. Plus a lunch stop and maybe another short one. No promises but 4-4.5 hours? We will NOT turn this into a long trip. Hope you can join us.

Short Tour of Harbor Islands Date: Thr 6/20 Launch: 10:30 AM, (Beach Briefing 10:25 AM) Status: Confirmed (Pablo and Al) but check here Thr AM just in case. Route: Short Tour of islands: 8-10 miles : http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=5973877 Put-in: Last parking lot (on left) on Tafts Avenue before you are stopped by the Deer Island gate (back about 1/4 mile?) http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=5974085 Trip Type and Tone: Level 3-? CAM. All stay together. Support each other. Conservative decisions. Should be comfortable with wind and waves. Bring: Water & lunch. Water temperature is around 60 I would suspect. Tides: High Tide: Around 8:50 AM, Low Tide: Around 3:00 PM Al Coons Cetus Red over white, mostly over

Pablo, 1. Sounds perfect. 10 is fine with me. Is later even better for you? 10:30? Either is fine. 2. Here is a 9 mile route just to have something to look at: http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=5973877 3. Looks like a great day. Come join us! THU N WINDS AROUND 5 KT...BECOMING E IN THE AFTERNOON. WAVES 1 FOOT OR LESS. ---------------- Pablo: Please email me at kayakclass@verizon.net so we can exchange cell numbers just in case.

Tablo, I will be at the Solstice, see you there for sure. Thursday looks like a great day. It may work for me but I would rather not go too far due to other arm commitments:) 8-10? Low tide is around 3 PM in the harbor. Winthrop might be better for a late morning launch, but I know you prefer City Island. What might work for you? Al

Pablo, Sorry. I accepted an offer for a "land sport" for Wed earlier today. Al

Guess it is a no-go. WED - Boston Harbor NE WINDS 10 TO 15 KT. GUSTS UP TO 20 KT IN THE AFTERNOON. WAVES AROUND 2 FT.

Hi Pablo, Just looked at the weather report for Boston Harbor. Wed: NE winds 10 to 15 kt. Waves around 2 ft. Those are the max conditions for level 3. Not sure it is a good choice. What are you thinking? If we do go, City Point would be fine. Please confirm this is the location: http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=5973049 Al

Thanks Suz. Rookie question: what is the best way to create a "hot knife"? Box cutter?? over stove or lighter or ??

Much of what is below is probably very obvious, but I learned a lot of little things replacing my deck lines for the first time on my Cetus. Of course, other boats are different. So, for what it is worth, here are some observations that may or may not generalize to other boats: Cetus has wonderful allen-bolt fasteners for the deck line cleats rather than screws. There are no nuts, just fiberglassed threaded receptacles ready to accept the bolts so you do not have to work from both sides. The plastic cleats have two holes in them so purchasing the correct size bungee and line does matter a great deal. I purchased replacement bungees and line from P&H. Relatively expensive, but the right stuff and right overall quantity.The existing lines and bungees had rubber shrink rap around the end of each line. While P&H supplied new shrink rap sleeves, they were actually smaller than the line and need a special, expensive tool to install. The line was very difficult to thread through some of the cleat holes since it was almost the same size. Melting the end just made it worse. However, and this is my big discovery, the local hardware store had plastic shrink-wrap sleeves of different diameters. So, cut the line, place the sleeve on the end, heat it with a lighter and you have a great looking end. This made it easy to thread the line. However, it was still too big in some cases to thread through the holes. Solution: Cut the line leaving just the tiniest piece of sleeve still on the line. That seemed to work (along with a lobster pick if necessary).I am sure there are better ways to do this and would love to hear about them. Al

Looking for others for a moderate/mellow early season paddle this Wed. Very flexible. Harbor Islands, Lane's, Boston Harbor? Here is an old float plan updated for this date. Weather report right now is good. Location may vary to keep it mellow and for convenience of all. Tour the Harbor Islands from Wintrop with hopes of visiting Boston Light. Level 3 because of a possible combination of distance, tides, boat traffic and possible wind and waves, and current in Hull Gut (this has never been a problem along the Hull Shore). Date: Wed 6/19 Launch: 11 AM, Winthrop End of Road, Airport Side (Beach Briefing 10:45 AM) Routes: Tour of islands: 10-12 miles http://www.gmap-pedometer.com/?r=3013230 Trip Type and Tone: CAM. All stay together. Support each other. Conservative decisions. Should be comfortable with wind and waves. Bring: Water & lunch Tides: High Tide: Around 7:53 AM, Low Tide: Around 2:00 PM Al Coons Cetus Red over white, mostly overLike This

Or a Boston Harbor Paddle launching from the Seaport District ramp?

Looking for a easy, relatively short 2+/3- paddle for Sunday. Just shaking out the old body and seeing how the injuries are doing. Morning might be better, North Shore, 2+ hours? A stroll on a beautiful day? Lanes Cove? Low tide is 11 AM. Flexible. Al Cetus Red/White

I was privileged to kayak and walk in Scotland last summer with the outing company Wilderness Scotland (www.wildernessscotland.com). I have never been with a more professional, more sensitive company and I hope to return to explore other parts of Scotland by kayak with them. I just received an email alerting me to their first in a series of short films. While it is not about kayaking, it is about very special people, land, and water. Not a touch of advertising. Enjoy. Warning: It will make you very hungry for many things. http://vimeo.com/67654970 The Wilderness Episodes - Episode 1 Knoydart 'Knoydart - Shaped by Wilderness' is the first part in a series of short films (the Wilderness Episodes) from Wilderness Scotland which explore the people, places and culture of the Scottish Highlands and Islands. The Knoydart peninsula is often called Britain's last great wilderness due to its inaccessibility and dramatic wild landscape. This film gives an insight into life on Knoydart from local people who have spent most of their lives there and others who have chosen to make it their home. The values they live by are shaped by their location but not controlled by it, highlighted by the local fresh food culture. The strong connection with each other and the land make it a very special place for the visitor.

I lived on Houghs Neck for a short time 30 years ago but don't remember a Maritime Center. Could you provide some info on the put in? Is it public? Parking? Thanks, Al

Michael, If you can find what you want locally great. I also have had great service speaking with P&H America directly at 828-254-1101. Al

Hi Warren, A few years ago my wife and I spent about 5 nights circumnavigating Orcas starting and ending near Friday Harbor. The group was another couple and a guide, so I cannot give you the specific information you need, but certainly remember how important local knowledge was. At one point on the east side of Orcas moving a couple of 100 yards futher away from shore turned a serious slog against the current into a neutral paddle. I wonder how we might have known this without a local guide. On the next to last morning, we woke up early to get a start on what was to be a relatively long day and found the current much more benign that even the guide expected. This allowed us to get into a following current much ealier than expected and the day ended up being relatively short! So all of this is to say exactly what you know already. Local knowledge really seemed to make a difference, but even in large stretches of open water it was hard even for the guide to know for sure. This was something he had said the first day. Wish I had more specifics for you except except to say it was a wonderful, interesting area. Yes there was some boat traffic at times, but that part sure seemed a lot less bothersome than Boston Harbor. Have a great trip. Al

Oh. Actually, will be in Austria with wife and maybe somewhere else on my own - Dolomites or Switzerland. All too expensive, too crowded this time of year, but neither of us have been to Austria and it was on our bucket list while awaiting time to finish our bigger bucket items. Actually, Austria is still the only part which is confirmed. Lots of other forces at work. Thanks for asking, Al

I also contacted P&H directly. Here is their response: Hi, I will have to order it from the UK . It the deck cord and bungee runs 1.00 a foot. The boat takes 33 feet of deck line and 17 feet of bungee. Give us a call at 828-254-1101. Thanks, Dinver I am still not clear which product you guys are suggesting to order from the web site and I am looking for red. Thanks, Al

Don't have much choice about the dates. Need to dove-trail the kayaking around some hiking with my wife further north at the end of July. We teachers get a lot of vacation time but do not have much flexibility on the dates. Thanks again, Al

Thanks.

The red bungee and non-bungee deck lines are wearing out/fading badly (one has snapped) at a faster rate the rest of Cetus. Suggestions for the best source for replacements for the all the lines? Thanks, Al "If you are not good, your bungees better look good."

Josko, Thanks for the complete and very useful feedback. When you mention the area around Dubrovnik as "boring", I assume you mean the Elafiti Islands Archipelago: Lopud, Kolocep, Sunj, St. Andrija, Trsteno, Sudjuradj and the like? I was looking at trips to these location rather than the (perhaps) more demanding ones to Mljet due to my physical limitations. These trips certainly have some pretty pictures posted, yet some the islands seem pretty dry and harbors busy. One of the company owners (she lives in Boston) said however they are fairly isolated and not busy. Not sure of the reality.Would love to paddle Mljet, Kornati, or Vis. Looking for the right trip.Would you know how to contact John or Pete? You can connect privately to me by clicking on my name to the left and sending a message.Thanks againfor the great feedback. Al

I am looking for recommendations for kayak companies for a multi-day trip out of/near Debrovnik, Croatia. I have done my homework on the web looking at references, but they are more sketchy than for other locations. Many of them are for day trips. Does anyone have personal knowledge of any of the companies? Of course, any other information is welcome. I am looking at the so-called 7-8 day trips. While I can still paddle long on any given day, my age and shoulders problems limit going too far day-after-day. So, I may look more like a tourist kayaker than a guy that deserves to carry a knife and radio on his PFD Then again, who knows if we need to call in an emergency supply of PB&J and need a utensil to spread them. Thanks, Al