stnoonan

Mike, Visit HP's website, they will have the drivers for the printer.

EWA cases are indeed little more than plastic bags. Expensive ones too. They are also prone to condensation and can be tricky to close. That said, there isn't much out there that is really effective and does not cost an arm and a leg. What body and lens are you planning on using? I may be able to find something for you.

Sounds like a beloved pet was taken by those scourge. As a coincidence, I am in need of parting with two cats, both spayed females, always kept indoors; one a six-year-old short-haired tuxedo with milk mustache, the other, her baby, a five-year-old calico. We need to give these guys a good new home as our condo association forbids them. These guys would never take his place, but could possible help fill his space. Any interest, please let me know.

Brenda! I didn't know that was you! I was the guy chasing you! You were my "rabbit" to beat at the finish. I thought I had you, but apparently not. How about a rematch?!? ;p Good racing with 'ya, Sean P.S. as a fellow professional photographer, I would suggest that you put up a "Images copyright xxxx" message on your page. That wouldn't necessarily keep him/her from having you remove their pix from your page, but it at least shows you care about their licensing rights.

On October 11, 1998, I took the BCU 4 course at Maine Island Kayak. I was not ready for it. I have never felt comfortable in my Pintail. Though I am a pretty good kayaker, both in river whitewater and in sea kayaking, I never got used to the Pintail. I am used to bracing with my knees far apart (from 30 years of river whitewater). In the Pintail, your knees are closer together, even if you refit the boat with minicell blocks to make knee braces that are wider apart than what you would have with the standard Pintail outfitting. Although I did not feel secure with the bracing, I sort of denied the fact. (Ego getting in the way?) I've paddled fairly challenging seas in the Pintail and always felt pretty good. But the BCU 4 day was a different story. The seas that day were rougher than any sea I've ever paddled in. Here is how Tom Bergh (who is head of Maine Island Kayak and who ran that course) described the conditions that day in an email to me afterwards: "The conditions were a bit beyond 4 Star, both in wave height, exposure, and wind speed. Lets be very clear here. Those were advanced conditions - conditions that only a few dozen boaters in the Northeast could manage in, conditions that most paddlers would't even consider. I hope we didn't diminish the extent of what you were doing. I do have a tendency to over-stress what the sea can be like because I so frequently run into the opposite situation...where someone was way too much confidence and none of the very solid skills you have put in place. Do you know how few boaters could have actually rolled up in that spot you did? Wind speed was frequently greater than Force 4, the limit of the 4 Star award. It varied from about 12-20. Swell height as reported at the Portland LNB (Large Navigational Buoy) was 5 feet every 8 seconds which means the average of the 1/3 larger swells. Generally the swells were around 2-3 feet, a few larger in the 4-6 feet area. Of course, when a swell comes ashore it gets bigger as it stands up before it breaks. The length of them - 8-10 seconds was due to the several days of Easterly winds. Water temp was around 52F." Well, those conditions were definitely too much for me! Most of the rest of the class did well. I stood a few hundred feet off from a lot of the stuff we were practicing, because I was just not in control enough. It was a terrible feeling, to be so out of the picture. At one point the class went right up to the bottom of a near-vertical cliff, where the water height surged up and down over a range of (I would guess) 4-6 feet, cause by the piling up of the swell (which was not breaking at that part of the shore ). The class (or at least the better members of it) went right up to the foot of the cliff and bobbed up and down, almost touching the cliff. It looked so much fun. I longed to be right in there with them, but I stood well off because I had lost a lot of confidence by then and did not want to get in touble and give other people trouble by having to rescue me. (Once you start losing confidence, you keep losing it.) I want very much to take the course again with Tom Bergh next summer or fall, in the same rough conditions as we had on that day, but in a boat that I feel secure in. I know I have the skill. I just have to have the right boat, one that I feel strongly braced in. (Yeah, I know, "It's not the boat, it's you, stupid!") Unfortunately, I will be working in Seattle next summer, and I don't see that I can make a trip back east just to take the course with Maine Island Kayak. I highly recommend Maine Island Kayak to anyone interested in instruction, at any level. Tom Bergh and his crew are a great outfit. They are great instructors and the nicest people. Maine Island Kayak is located on Peaks Island, which is a 20 minute ferry ride from Portland. If you want to paddle out from Portland, park your car at the East End beach park and paddle first to Fort Gorges Island, then to the southern tip of Little Diamond Island, then to Peaks Island. This route keeps you out of the ferry lane. But keep your eye peeled for traffic just the same!) Keith Attenborough took the BCU 2 with Maine Island Kayak and liked it. I should have taken the BCU 2 instead of the BCU 3-4, but in a way it is good that I took the 3-4 because it opened my eyes. I now realize that I must find a boat with more secure knee bracing (such as in a Romany) before I go out again in the conditions of that day. The reality slap was good for me, though at the time I felt very deflated. I have decided to sell my Pintail. It breaks my heart, because Tom and his crew worked so hard to outfit it for me. I don't know what boat I'll end up getting, but the knee bracing set up must feel as good as you find in a Romany. I'd appreciate any suggestions. What I really want is a playful Pintail with a Romany cockpit. (There ain't no such critter, I know.)

Bethany, That comment sounds like a pant-load to me! My dermatologist recommended waterbabies to me as my psoriasis meds make me burn terribly. I use the SPF 45 stick and I've never burned with it on; my skin is almost translucent thanks to the Irish heritage. I have also used Coppertone's OZONE sun block (spf 70 --yes 70--, somewhat goopy and very pricey) with good success. Sean

Dee, You had me fooled; you were looking good as you went paddling by! I admire your resolve to take that course on so early in the season. I had the so-so day I expected as it was the first time I'd been in the boat for about a year! Unfortunately, they got my category wrong so my posted time is a couple minutes longer than it was supposed to be--don't the organizers know that the male ego is a fragile thing?!? Anyway, you looked good in the home stretch and I managed to beat the "rabbits" I had picked out to chase, so it was a good paddle all around. Sean

The only time I have this weekend would be Sunday morning. Where are you surfing and when?

Any ww paddlers planning on doing any river paddling anytime soon after this storm system finishes up with us?

Glenn, You did great. I'm glad you were open to trying a different roll and were rewarded by nailing it multiple times. Bethany too was amazing, and she will have that hand roll before very long. Besides these tricks, there were multiple first-time offside rolls, twig rolls, and a relative newbie that Sing almost had rolling, too. Congrats pool rats! We all had a good night.

Mike, I'll come if there is still a spot open. Sean

Hi Deb, I keep a list of videos and books that I own and enjoy at [a href=http://stnphotography.com/kayakbooks.html]http://stnphotography.com/kayakbooks.html[/a]. I hope to add reviews soon. Hope it helps! Sean

Richard, I've made the same thing quite easily. Take two dowels and cut them to a bit larger than your hands' size. Pre-drill then drive in one 2" stainless screw in the bottom of each dowel, leaving about a 1/4 to 1/2" sticking out. Use a dremel tool or hacksaw to cut the screw heads off. Viola! You could easily use cord to connect them, but I like them by themselves.

Ken, I'm sadly not able to join you, so have a good time for me!

This technique will come in real handy whenever I paddle with my very best brick. I would hate to lose it.

Great, I may well see you there. I'll post positively by Saturday.

Ken, How long do you plan to be out? Sean

Bob, As a professional nature photographer, I can't think of much of a worse way to take a picture than how you describe! When you want to take an underwater shot, you don't want to be in your hull which is bobbing around on the surface; even with a flash you don’t have a hope of taking a sharp picture. Even if the water is calm, can you hold your breath long enough to calm yourself, compose the shot (ie find a seal) and shoot? Also, the action of inverting your kayak is likely enough to drive the seals away. If you spot a seal that seems interested in you, exit the boat as quietly as possible, let the animal get used to your presence, submerge under water, compose and shoot. I would only want to attempt this in the presence of another paddler who could hold my boat.

Hi Bethany, I found that it was easiest for me to learn a sweep roll prior to a c-to-c. Everyone can do a sweep above water, so it is a natural progression to do the same thing when attempting a roll. My hull design allows for a full lay back on the rear deck and I can nearly get the boat over without the paddle, with just a lay back and a twist of the hips. If you have a low rear deck, you should also try a sweep roll. When you do get a roll down (no matter which type) I think it is important to stick to that one for a while until it becomes instinctual before adding more rolls to your quiver!

Hey racers, been out on the water training this winter? Me neither, but I'm looking to make up for it soon. What ever happened to our Sunday training sessions for the Blackburn? Anyway.... I was wondering if folks use a shorter paddle length for racing. It would seem that a shorter paddle would help maintain a quicker cadence, no? I'm using a 220cm for my current touring paddle. Any suggestions?

Yes please, count me in.

Have a look at [a href=http://www.stnphotography.com/risk/index.html]the RISK Image Page[/a] for the goods!

I've got some of yours out there now, check page four. There are many other new ones spread throughout, and many more to come!

I sometimes get sideways looks from the attendants, but I don't think they personally care. I rarely ever take my racks off, and they have been washed dozens of times without a problem.

Thanks for the kind words, Sing. Sven and I both want RISK to prosper, so splitting the $ was a no-brainer. BTW, I hope to have some of your pix up there tonight! P.S. what is the url for the sz site?