alcoons

Great pictures Dan. Thanks for sharing our fun trip with everyone. Al

>I have to agree, I used my wetsuit so rarely that I finally >gave it away. Much prefer Hydroskin and fuzzy rubber for the >shoulder seasons, and then drytop/suit for cold weather. > >kate Kate...when you say drytop/suit what do you mean by "suit"? Thanks, Al

Hi. Need general suggestions for what to consider when buying a Farmer John. NRS seems to only sell 3 mm. When I called EMS they suggested those were too thick for the flexibility need for kayaking. What features would you considered "essential"? Zippered ankles? Pads? What features would be "nice" to have? Thanks in advance, Al

I have found the WeatherUnderground marine weather and general weather pages very useful: great organization and graphics with a large amount of data. Try http://www.wunderground.com/MAR/AN/250.ht for our regional marine forcast. Click on the Boston Buoy to see wondering graphs of wave heights and wind speeds for the day/week/or month. Try http://www.wunderground.com/MAR/AN/250.ht for Boston Harbor. Much prefer their pages to weather.com for most weather related information. Al

Dan. Glad you and Linda had a good continuation...would have rather been with you than on land. Al

Leslie, Al, Deb, Dan, Linda, and Al put in on this beautiful, windless, flat seas day about 9:20 from Lanes Cover one and one half hours before high tide. Flew down to Annisquam Light with little effort riding the incoming tide. Deb lead us down the Annisquam River, showing us Town Landing. We continued around Pierce Island and then continued down the river 1/2 mile past the bridge. Turned around and headed to Wingaersheek Beach for lunch. I have always wanted to go to Wingaersheek and it surpassed all expectations...what a wonderful place. After lunch we headed down Coffins Beach knowing that half the party would have to head back to the put-in soon due to late afternoon commitments. Suddenly a large gaggle of unattached (as in on the NSPN Singles Paddle) paddlers blocked our way and disrupted our lazy paddle with lazy chit-chat. Then it was time for Al, Leslie, and Deb to head for the put-in. Easy paddle back. We took out and notice somehow that the rest of our group that planned to stay out for the rest of the afternoon had somehow already taken out on the other side of the harbor. Seems as if they were trying to fake us out with macho paddling plans but we caught them. A fun, relaxing, perhaps close to perfect paddle level 1- was had by all. Al PS. It is important to note why my radio did not seem to be working for most of the trip. Since it is high on my the shoulder strap of my PFD, I made a point of memorizing which way the volume knob turned to increase volume. As the trip progress I turned it up every once in a while since I was not hearing any chatter. Of course, I actually was turning it down. I think I need a radio operator along with the rest of the endless gear.

Wow -- what a wonderful trip. Hope you will post the details when you get a chance. Al

Thanks Carl. Do people feel strongly either way about shoulder straps with a neoprene skirt? The ones on my nylon skirt do not bother me.

Time to get a neoprene spray skirt. Some questions: 1. Should they be designed specifically for my boat? 2. How do you deal with variations in clothing over the seasons? For instance, some times I have a thin shirt on, or a wet suit, or a layer and a dry-suit (assuming I get a dry-suit). Plus I am always planning to lose an inch or two off my waist in the next month. Does one-size fit all? 3. Other suggestions for getting the right size for a given cockpit? Particular brand? Who has the best selection? Thanks, Al Eddyline Nighthawk red/white

Thanks for your help so far. Am I correct then in assuming you cannot park on the streets anywhere near the Police Station? Anyone know about the commuter rail lot? Police were unclear about it -- suggested something about paying $20 because it was near the beach? The MBTA web site says there are 71 free spaces there.

Leslie Beale and I have posted a SNG for this Saturday out of Manchester. We launch at low tide. Can anyone help us with the logistics of the put-in/parking? Just called the police and they were NOT very helpful. If we want to launch at the Police Station is there parking nearby? Same question about Tucks Point? I assume Masconoma Park is NOT an option at 10 AM on a Saturday in the summer? Thanks for your help. Al

As a coach and teacher it is hard not to be over-critical of other teachers but my hour plus with Bob and Karen yesterday afternoon could not have been better. Bob did not start by saying "this is the roll you will learn" but rather "let me see what you have left" (I had a white water roll in the 70's) and then "we will decide which roll seems best for you and your boat." He was patient but directive. Most importantly, he was able to describe both what to do with the body parts and why things worked. We only spent 15 minutes left at the end to work on the forward stroke but that also was very effective and solved some problems I could feel but not diagnose on my own. At $30 per hour per person for a two person lesson there is no better deal available. Thanks Bob and Karen and NSPN for making them available. Al

What follows is a personal statement, but I hope it fits the goals of others in the club. ------------ In the last 24 hours there have been two very inappropriate posting to the "Classes and Courses" threads. Each has attacked the writer of a previous posting rather than the ideas contained in their posting. As a moderator of very large message board on a completely unrelated subject, I know how quickly this can get out of hand. On the other hand, I know if those offenders are quickly told of the standards and expectations, this usually stops quickly. -------- On our message board, we eliminate those posting that are clearly inappropriate and send a comment similar to the one below: This type of comment is inappropriate on any message board and particularly a club board such as ours. Much more is accomplished when we post comments about "ideas" rather than "people." There is nothing wrong with disagreement, but there is something wrong with disrespect, particularly in a club that goes out of its way to accommodate all of our individual quirks. Perhaps an apology is in order.

>Oh, dear: sadly, Dee, you do not express yourself very well >and I do not understand your implication. Christopher. This type of comment is inappropriate on any message board and particularly a club board such as ours. Much more is accomplished when we post comments about "ideas" rather than "people." There is nothing wrong with disagreement, but there is something wrong with disrespect, particularly in a club that goes out of its way to accommodate all of our individual quirks. Perhaps an apology is in order. Al

>I'm departing in mid July for a solo Ketchican to >Haines/Skagway journey, with side trips along the way. Does >anyone have any contacts along the route or have first hand >info on the area. I've studied everything I can find on the >bookshelves. You just can't beat local knowledge. > >Bob Burnett Bob. Thanks for the info on SJs. I just returned from a Vancouver to Hubbard Glacier trip....it was a family reunion or I would have taken something smaller than a 1000 foot, 12 deck kayak. However, I did go out of Ketchikan with: http://www.kayakketchikan.com/ They seem very knowledgable and might be a good source for local knowledge. ----------- By the way, if you have not been up in that part of the world, don't get too down on the tourist traps at either end of your jouney. Both are examples of how to destroy a town to make a buck. Many of the towns in between are much nicer. Not sure which way you are headed when you get to Skagway, but if you are just returning by ferry, Haynes is a lot nicer place to recover. ----------- Best of luck, Al

Bob. This is off topic, but do you have any knowledge of Cyrstal Seas, a guide service out of Friday Harbor in the San Juans. We are planning a trip with them at the end of July and I am still looking for references. If you have any input, you might email me at alcoonslists @ verizon.net Thanks in advance for any help. Al Coons

Since I was unable to take a VHF basics course, I have been doing a lot of reading. I am left with some basic questions particular to how most NSPN paddlers use their radios. 1) If you paddling solo in NE, would NPSNers monitor Ch 9 rather than 16? 2) In general, after deciding to change channels for a private chat (so to speak), I believe 68 is one available non-commercial channels. What other channels do we typically use? 3) When paddling in a group, do those with VHF radios monitor 9 and a non-commerial channel ( I believe that can be done automatically) or does the group just monitor 9? Thanks as always. You guys are wonderful. Al

Thanks Brian. Ah. My fault. I asked about this situation here about a month ago, but I guess you did not see my post. I looked at your great site and probably did not browse far enough ahead to see the specific solution. Now I have a use for my knife. I can use it to cut off the useless rig I just sewed into my PFD Thanks, Al >The mounting clips for the M88 and the HX460 are nearly >identical, so much so that the radios will interchange in >each others clips. > >Here are the clips, M88 on the left and HX460 on the right: > >http://community.webshots.com/s/image11/8/...02pwyNDZ_ph.jpg > >Note that they attach in exactly the same manner. All that >is required is a wire tie and a small shim, taped in place >to keep the clip from sliding through the wire tie. It >literally takes five minutes to do this. > > >Here are the radios mounted in each other's clips: > >http://community.webshots.com/s/image12/8/...36JYzPiE_ph.jpg > > >More photos of this setup are viewable at: > >http://community.webshots.com/album/63141273BimkGp

Note that the ICOM-M88 is not easy to mount on the shoulder strap of a PFD unless someone has had more luck than I have. The belt attachment that comes with it is actually a horizontal clip. There are no other attachment options available from ICOM. I did find a solution by sewing both a vertical and horizontal elastic bands into my shoulder strap and sewing them together where they cross. The radio slips in from the corner. Have not used it in the field yet. We will see. Al Coons

I know a few of us bought ICOM IC-M88 VHF radios last year. Anyone found an easy way to mount it on their PFD? I have looked at Brian's great page on mouting a Standard but the cradle for that is different. The bungee idea makes sense for the bottom. However, the vertical belt clip (large alligator clip) with no slot to run webbing through makes this mount harder. Thanks for all the help so far! As always NSPN comes through! Al Many part all over the place.

How long should the lanyard be which attaches a knife to your PFD? Too long and imagine it is a danger of wrapping around inappropriate body parts if you let go. To short and it may not be useful. Should you have one at all? If you do, do you use a clip at the PFD end so it can be unattached or tie it in? Thanks, Al

Anyone have suggestions for a sleeping bag to replace my wife's wonderful but very large (even with compression stuff sack) sleeping bag? Needs to stow nicely in kayaks, but she usually is in a double - so it does not have to be ultra-small. She is 5'5, thin and all muscle ( needs a 15 degree bag) for 3 seasons. Thanks, Al

>I used to guide for a competitor of Crystal Seas on San Juan >a few years back. At that time, they were a pretty small 1 >or 2 person operation, and I know they have grown quite a >bit since then (1997). Seemed to be fairly safety oriented, >good gear, good client:guide ratio. I don't know what sort >of experience or training their guides have. I believe the >owner's name is Johan, and he was a fairly experienced >paddler when he started the company. >Hope this helps a little anyway! >Alex at NESC Thanks Alex. Yes it does help. Actually I have spoken to Johan a couple of times and he seems like a great guy and gives the correct answers. Can anyone recommend other good guiding companies/trips in the San Juans? Looking for a 4-6 night kayak camping trip in the San Juan's area....done the north east corner of Vancouver Island and further north. Also considering Tofino area. Al

Is anyone able to comment on/have experience with the Cysteal Seas Kayaking Company that is located in Friday Harbor in the San Juan Islands (Wash)? Thanks in advance, Al

United Divers Inc 59 Washington St Somerville, MA 02143-4407 (617) 623-3483 When I bought my wetsuit from United Divers (above) I discussed alterations. They have a women who specializes in alternation of neoprene and it was relatively inexpensive. Hope this helps, Al