kate

Just one more thought that may or may not apply - can't tell because I didn't actually see your seat position. I'm wondering if the more forward position also made it possible to lay back more during your roll. Many boats have too high of a rear cockpit coaming. If you are sitting back in the seat in such a boat, it's hard to lean back over the back of the boat at the end of a roll. Sliding forward would let you lean back farther, increasingly lowering your center of gravity so that the boat would roll more easily. This might have been working in conjunction with the tighter leg grip on the boat. I'm very loosely outfitted in my sea kayak - minimally, even (no hip padding at all, one layer of thin foam over the thigh braces - for comfort more than fit - , and a foam bulkhead with no footpegs). But I can lay way back on the back deck without the coaming obstructing me. Great to hear that you now know it can be effortless! I'm sure you'll dial it in. Kate

Thanks for organizing this, David. It was great to be out on ocean swell in warm weather, with no wind.

I often sing when the going is rough, especially if I'm paddling alone. It feels like I have company, and it gives me a focus other than my difficulties. No favorite itinerary, just whatever comes up, maybe make up a song. Lovely that your wife did this for the whole group! (I doubt they'd ask me to sing again...) I'm very interested to hear about the Isles de Madeline. Mark and I had seriously considered this as our summer destination this year but ended up in Maine instead. The Isles seemed to me to be a very windy choice - are you finding it to be so? Kate

three photos to say thank you for letting me tag along... Kate

Adam, the closest I've come to this is on the outflow at Plum Island. I was there last summer with a friend who outweighs me 2.5:1 . We were having a grand time playing in the standing waves until he flipped. He missed his roll and punched out. We got him back in but almost immediately he was over again. This happened several times. As soon as I let go, he wobbled and flipped. Before long he had no energy left to roll or even to re-enter if he were to flip again, we both knew he couldn't stay upright in the conditions, and there was nothing for it but to tow him in the midst of this strong current. We tried several ways to do this but what worked out was for him to lean over and hold onto my boat while I paddled for both of us, as if we were lashed together. (After this, we both bought a tow system that is used just for lashing 2 boats together like this.) We took turns paddling or holding the other boat. It took awhile and it was exhausting, but we made the ferry across with no mishaps. Don't know if this would have helped in your situation. Kate

I wear my regular whitewater/everything PFD over my tuilik when I am practicing greenland rolls and braces. It doesn't get in the way. Sometimes in the summer I practice without a PFD at all (warm water, close to shore) and yes, the range of motion is a little better but not enough to worry about it. I figure I'm going to be paddling with a PFD so I should practice with the one I'll paddle in. I also practice with a regular whitewater sprayskirt (Seals brand) when it's too hot to wear the tuilik. Again, less range of motion but not enough to prevent rolling/bracing. kate

I've seen seakayaks run a class 3 downriver race - they are fast! And I also saw a 14-foot seakayak cruising down the class 4 Dryway this summer - surfkayaker from RI. Friends and I often go to the Cohasset rip (class 3-ish) in our long boats. I don't think a class 1-2 rapid is going to be a problem for you. Keep the boat aimed straight downstream and she'll rocket through. Kate

That's a really good story about the whale wave. I saw only one whale (Minke) the whole time I was at Mingan. Maybe more eyes mean more sightings - but then again your feeding whale made itself known in no uncertain terms! I too heard the term "stern" but the person who told me they were sterns also knew that we call them terns. Well, you have rekindled my interest in the East of East area. Ah, to have more time for kayaking.... Kate

Just $0.02 worth, in addition to everyone else's. I use a Mountain Hardware Trango 2 - free-standing, 4-season, fits in the hatch, sets up quickly, watertight and rock-solid. A friend who is a NOLS instructor said they use the Trango for their month-long kayak trips. Mark fit into mine with room to spare. Take a look, see if it would suit your needs. Has a spiffy window in the roof to see the moon, and a window on the front vestibule to see outside without unzipping the flap. Also has both front and rear door/vestibule. Well-designed and rugged. Kate

Spider, I'm really thrilled to hear that you went to Mingan. Isn't it a beautiful place to paddle? Did you get to Grand Isle and see Le Chateau? My favorite spot. Where did you camp? Any photos? You were so lucky to have good weather the whole time. Did you see other kayakers? I think that going East of East would be some excellent expedition kayaking, esp past the end of the road where there are thousands of little islands to protect you from the rough ocean. I have been eyeing that area for awhile now. The ferry could be used to shuttle back to the beginning point. Take a look, see what you think. There's so much wild coast up there, isn't there! really pleased that you made the trip! Kate

Rick, I'm interested but would like to know where it is so I can gauge how far I'd have to travel. And would you allow someone into your trip who wrote about you whimpering on the beach? I promise I won't do it again.... kate

Newfoundland Trip Report Above is the link to the report for the trip to Newfoundland that Mark Stephens and I took. It's long but it's almost entirely photos. At the end is a link to the google pedometer map, for anyone who is interested. I can't say enough about how wonderful this trip was. Nova Scotia looked very plain-vanilla in comparison. Newfoundland was rugged, big, wild, remote. And blessedly warm (not the water though - it was at about 40 degrees F). We saw very few people, no kayaks, and only a few boats. Mostly, the bays and islands were all ours. Mark insisted on carrying enough kitchen gear to outfit a four-star restaurant, a fact which struck me as absurd until he started cooking. We had the best meals I've ever eaten on any camping trip. We could easily have spent another week in the Bay of Exploits. We could easily have spent another month in Notre Dame Bay. We could easily have spent the next year exploring the wonders of the Newfoundland coastline. I hope that we have the chance to return someday. Please enjoy the pictures! I hope that you too have a chance to paddle there. Kate

Boof Gear sells them. Rather pricey but I've used mine for at least a decade now, every time I kayak. Love it. www.boofgear.com kate

email is received and I have replied! k

I demoed one at Charles River Canoe/Kayak last year. It looked great on paper. But I didn't care for it at all when I paddled it. No secondary stability, not very playful, less than great for rolling. For a small paddler I'd suggest the Avocet LV over the Eliza. But for this paddler (the person who started the thread) it's probably smart to demo and buy used. What she thinks she wants now and what she'll want a year from now could be very different. Agree with the others that inflatable is not going to be compatible with the kind of trips NSPN runs. kate

Good trip report. I was there on May 2 in much less textured water. Beautiful area for kayaking and camping, at least at this time of year. I hear it becomes lobsterboat-insufferable later. I launched from a marina at the end of Muscongus Road, across from Hog Island, and paddled ever outward. There were so many pretty islands to stop on. I didn't make it as far as Eastern Egg, stopped at the last island before that one. Even on the very calm day that I was there, afternoon winds picked up and made for 2' chop. That bay is small enough that the chop sloshes around and becomes confused. It was fun paddling. Squalls, I'd guess, would have been a lot less fun. I saw close to a hundred seals on one big rock island. Hundreds of eider ducks. One other boat - a sailboat which came alongside - the sailor felt obligated to say hi to the only other vessel on the whole bay. Beautiful place to paddle off-season, isn't it? And only about 3 hours from Boston. Thanks for sharing the report! kate

I was there about 3 weeks ago for a first rolling session (carrying the lightweight raceboat down from the upper lot). The water was frigid, probably the coldest I've ever rolled in. Been in the ocean several times since then and it is warmer! That said, I've got my Walden pass for the season and expect to be there on various weeknights before long. Let me know if you're going and I'll try to make it. Gotta work on that forward-to-forward norsaq roll.... kate

John, why waste it on them? Teach it to us. One comment on the land navigation and our prior conversation on this topic. I checked with my bro about the orientation of churches to the east. He is a Baptist minister and they just built a new church on a large parcel of land. The church could have faced any way they chose. I asked him if facing east is a primary consideration. He laughed, said no, you put the church however it best fits on your property. He thought the eastern orientation was a very old-fashioned notion that no one uses anymore. So you might want to include a caveat with that one. kate

Brooks makes tuiliks to order, you need only specify that it be sized for a large cockpit. Mine fits most any standard cockpit (I've yet to find one it doesn't fit), and I can tighten it down to make an approximate fit for an ocean cockpit too. My experience is that hoods don't work as well as the tuilik. They leak more, they aren't as hefty and warm. It's hard to beat a tuilik - hood, jacket and skirt all in one, no place for water to enter. There's a reason why the Inuit designed them this way. Kate

Agree with everything you said, Suz. Wow, underwear with a zipper, where'd you find that? Doesn't get too bulky, two zippers at the butt? My only additional comment is to plug SmartWool long undies. I am a recent and fanatical convert. Perfect first layer and in cool (not cold) weather all that is needed. No bulk and warm like a heater. Doesn't stink afterwards. Looks good too (go for the plum color), you can wear it to the put-in and be stylin'. We all know how important that is. Kate

He never got in a kayak again. We had a hard time convincing him that he had to paddle to the end of the river. He wanted to hike out but the Cheat is in a deep wild valley with only a single road coming down the mountain at the take-out. Totally unhikeable. We had to shepherd him out, rapid by rapid, to the end. That was it for him. Last I heard he spent his free time making jewelry. Who can blame him? K

Better sacrifice beans for wind... Congrats, Jason and Walter! Jason, your description of the panicked swimmer reminds me of a real-life event on the Cheat River in WV some years back. A kayaker had gotten stuck in a hydraulic, came out of his boat, and was being recirculated in the small but violent hole. Every now and again his head would surface in the foam pile and one of the kayakers would try to reach him with a bow before he disappeared again. Finally he came up next to the kayaker and was so panicked that he tried to climb up onto the boat, threatening both their safety. The kayaker had to hit his hands with the paddle to make him let go. Down he went again, recirculated, and when he came up again he flushed out on his own, possibly because he had relaxed (given up) and gone with the flow of water. So these things do really happen. But I hope you never need to use the training! Kate

Link didn't work for me either, but here's the writeup and on the sidebar are links for a newscast video. http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/...ayak-death.html Very sad. No lifejackets, no sprayskirts, no wetsuits. Eight foot seas and 80kph winds. Amazing that any of them survived. Kate

QUOTE(Kevin B @ Sep 24 2007, 01:26 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>Shaila, A couple of points: 1. Given two camera's of similar mega pixel size (I know there are many, many other considerations, but someone who actually knows can fill you in ), I really can't tell much a difference. I'm sure others can, particularly those who take a lot of photos (Joe, Brian and Matt come to mind), but if you can't, don't sweat the mega pixel size much. 2. As for land vs water, I have found there to be a difference in quality. The land only cameras seem to be much better, even with a lower megapixel rating (may have better "other stuff", but who knows). 3. Like all other marine electronics, waterproof does not mean bombproof. Unless you're a habitual rinser, you may need that protective case regardless. 4. For me, a big and bulky camera case wouldn't be the way to go. I like to be able to take a one handed shot and then stuff the camera down into my pfd. 5. I'd stay away from Olympus. We have one and are not pleased with it. Of course, doesn't mean you wouldn't have better luck. 6. Also consider the wrist camera I've seen advertised. Paula has one and it's not as bulky as many of the magazines seem to indicate. A few comments on Kevin's comments (not to argue with his experiences but just to add mine)... 1. More megapixels give you more latitude for cropping the image. But there's a point of diminishing returns, as trying to cram more pixels into the same size CCD doesn't necessarily buy better resolution. IMHO, 5 mpixels is plenty unless you are going to do extensive editing. 2. Shouldn't be any particular difference between land and waterproof cameras that would be attributable to their waterproofness. There are a lot more choices amongst land cameras so better quality can be had more easily. 3. I never (NEVER) rinse my water-resistant camera (it's not even called waterproof). It has been on every trip with me that I've ever taken in a boat (or out of the boat, in the water, or rolling - and sometimes accidentally dragging along in the water when I forget to tuck it into my pfd), as well as for skiing and sometimes just around town. It's doing fine. 4. Agree! 5. No comment. 6. The wrist camera is a great idea but don't expect high-quality (or even medium quality) pix from it. It's more of a fun-cam. My personal opinion is that someone should snap up Ernie's Pentax Optio WR43. That's what I use and it is a fine little camera. I refuse to buy one that doesn't have a viewfinder so I've stayed with this model for 5 or 6 years now. Love it. You can see the quality of the photos here (particularly the ones of David and Mark): http://www.cathyhartland.com/temp5/ The last one (kate_cohasset) was taken with a wrist cam, for comparison. The Pentax isn't an SLR, but in good light it will take fine action shots. Kate

Karen, I realized somewhere along the way while writing the report that I hadn't made any mention of the boat! It is a Valley Avocet RM (that is, a plastic Avocet). I think it is not an ideal boat for an expedition in a windy location, but then again it was ideal for me because it is my boat and I know it through and through! There are boats aplenty that hold more gear in the hatches, but even so, the Avocet held enough. The upswept bow catches the wind like a sail, even when fully loaded with gear (that said, it was never a problem on this trip - the wind difficulties had to do with my own lack of strength to paddle into it). I figure I couldn't have brought more than a 60 lb load. With my body weight that comes to a total load of 180 lbs. And the Avocet was still riding high in the water. I do think that a plastic boat is a good idea for the Mingan islands. There are many shallow reefs and most of the landings are onto rough rock slabs. I left plenty of plastic behind on those rocks, dragging the boat out of the water. So let me praise the Avocet, a nimble boat and very seaworthy. It's the first seakayak I bought, 6 years ago, and I have yet to find a kayak I like better. Kate