ChrisM

That would be great! This is exactly the type of involvement we are hoping for! We really want to encourage our members to become involved with island stewardship. I've heard that the eagle may be gone, I'll check with the trail director to see if he knows the status.

NSPN is now a member of the Maine Island Trail Association! NSPN now has a Club Membership with MITA. We are the first club to try out this new pilot program with MITA. If the program is successful MITA will offer this membership to other clubs in the future. What is the Maine Island Trail Association? The Maine Island Trail Association (MITA) is a non-profit organization that promotes access, stewardship, and responsible use of the 180+ sites that make up the Maine Island Trail. The sites along the trail are available for day use and some for overnight use (some exclusively to MITA members) and go from the Isles of Shoals in the south to Machias Bay in the east. What does this mean? Reduced MITA membership rates for NSPN “Paid Membersâ€. For 2009, the reduced rates will be: $25 for an individual membership (normally $45) $45 for a family membership (normally $65) Membership includes: 1. The Annual Guide to the Maine Island Trail - a 250-page guide to the 180+ sites on the trail, where they are located, and how to use them. The guide also provides important information on the safe and responsible use of the trail. The guide has been updated for 2009 with new sites and new more detailed maps, and is an invaluable resource for kayakers exploring the Maine coast. 2. Newsletter - a content-rich semi-annual publication of stories and announcements concerning the Trail and the coast of Maine. 3. Electronic newsletter - a periodic bulletin concerning upcoming events and announcements. Please provide MITA with your email address to gain this important component of your membership! 4. Member Discounts - MITA members receive a package of discounts from local retailers and outfitters including LL Bean and Kittery Trading Post. For members making significant gear purchases, or planning a trip on the coast, the value of the starter kit can easily exceed the cost of MITA membership. 5. Programs and events - MITA holds events and sponsors outings each year and is working to develop more in the future. 6. A portion of your membership dues supports MITA’s stewardship work. 7. MITA memberships are based on the calendar year and expire on 12/31. Memberships purchased after Labor Day include the following calendar year. Over the course of the year, NSPN members plan to initiate several CAM trips out to visit MITA islands. These will consist of day and overnight trips. (Of course, individuals are encouraged to visit these islands whenever they want.) These islands are beautiful, and many are not as far away as you may think! (Kennebunkport has several.) Remember, many of these islands are only accessible to MITA members. There will be a presentation at the Gould Barn given by Dave Mention the Trail Director of MITA entitled “Paddling Opportunities Along the Maine Coastâ€. Dave will talk about the Maine Island Trail Association and the many wonderful areas along the trail. MITA will arrange a Leave No Trace seminar at our annual camping workshop and will hold a two-day Certified Leave No Trace Trainer workshop later this year for people who want to learn more about Leave No Trace principles and to help teach others about them. What we, as a club, need to do to make this program successful: 1. We plan to offset the lost revenues due to the reduced membership fee by: Making a once a year donation to MITA, holding at least one fundraiser to benefit MITA and by recruiting new members for MITA. We hope to not only offset the lost revenues but to exceed any lost revenues to help this fine organization. 2. Island Stewardship - NSPN has adopted two adjacent islands in Casco Bay. As island stewards we, as members, are encouraged to visit these islands and help maintain them by picking up garbage, dismantling illegal fire pits, spreading the word about Leave No Trace, and, most importantly - reporting to MITA on the conditions of the islands. 3. Volunteering - We want to encourage our members to help MITA by participating in: Island cleanups, work projects, and event volunteering. We hope that enough NSPN’ers will take advantage, and become involved with this great opportunity to make it worthwhile for both NSPN and MITA to continue this arrangement in the future. How to become a member: For this year's pilot program we are going with a paper sign up method. Instructions are located in the NSPN Business forum.

Not sure where you can get it online, but New England Small Craft sells it.

Sounds like a good idea! I never would have thought of doing that.

I've had a Pintail as my only kayak for about 4 years, here's my experience with it (others experiences may vary). Strengths: The Pintail is probably one of the most forgiving boats in the rocks. This is due to the fact that you can spin, or pivot, the boat easily to make the tight turns. Also, the soft chines don't tend to get hung up on rocks as much as a hard chined kayak would. It's a great rough water boat. I've always felt very steady in choppy water. I think it's because the low volume of the boat means your sitting fairly low in the water - lower center of gravity. It does great surfing. You can usually turn the boat quicker than most, after heading out, so you can catch that nice wave that's coming at you. No hard chines to trip over once you get side surfed (I've never surfed a hard chined kayak, so I don't know how much of a problem this is). Weaknesses: Paddling in a straight line. The nose of the boat tends to wander around like a lost puppy with each paddle stroke. You really have to pay attention to where you are going because it's easy to get off track. Since buying an explorer, I find that I can look around and enjoy the scenery a lot more. Of course, you can always put the skeg down. I did. Just got to remember to put it back up when you're going into the rocks or surf. Since the Pintail has so much rocker, quite a bit of the front and back of the boat is above the waterline. So, even though it's 17'2" long, it has a short waterline, which, in theory, means a lower hull speed. I always felt like I was plowing through the water, rather than slicing through it. I was usually one of the slower paddlers in the group (mostly because I was playing in the rocks!). Although, even in my Explorer, I'm still slow. Go figure... Overall, in my opinion, the Pintail is a fun boat to paddle. Great for play and rough water. Just maybe not one of the faster boats out there. (As a counter point, some people do weeklong camping trips in their Pintails, and at least one person has done the Blackburn in a Pintail). Hope this helps.

QUOTE(Kevin B @ Aug 21 2008, 07:17 AM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>Phil, Sounds like you had a good trip as well. By the way, what 15+ headwinds? Oh, I felt every one of those 15+ headwinds! If you figure in our 5 knot pace, it was more like 20+ headwinds! Ok, maybe not 5 knots, maybe more like 2...

Yup, the business forum is only open to NSPN members. The Auction is closed and a winner has been picked.

I'll be there!

Just a little reminder that the club is auctioning off a spot for the upcoming Rough Water Symposium that's being held down in RI August 29th -31st. Don't let the "Rough Water" scare you away, rough water can equal "fun water" It's also a great way for intermediate paddlers to build confidance. Details are in the NSPN Business forum.

Yes, there was quite a bit of disscussion about the Rough Water Symposium offer. The BOD has decided to pass on this opportunity to a clubmember and hopefully, raise some money for a great organization - MITA (Maine Island Trails Assoc.). The bidding will start at $250 which is a substantial savings over the regular price. As Suz stated above, details are located in the NSPN Business section.

I could do the 27th.

I do, just have to go through the pics and shrink them down to web size.

I'll be there!

Yup, still looking to paddle. Gloucester works for me Pick a time and I'll be there.

I'll second that! I learned alot about the weather today. Most importantly, not to trust ground level winds to predict whether a storm is coming my way. (Which is what I always used to do... Oops ).

Ed, I attended Connyak's kayak safety day where we got to fire of different types of flares. The Pains Wessex Miniflare kit that Mary's link points to worked really well for their size. They were comparable to a standard 12 gauge flare in hight and brightness. I was quite impressed with the kit as it was compact and you had 8 flares to fire, which as I'm sure Keith can tell you, the more the better. The Orion Pocket Rocket flares are basically the same idea without the handy carrying case. They are about $25 for the pencil launcher and 3 flares. An extra set of 3 flares without the launcher is about $18. I ended up buying these because of the price and availability. If I had the money I'd go for the Pains Wessex Miniflare kit. One note about both of the kits mentioned above: If you shoot one off, hold it as far away from your head as possible. Since there is no barrel, these things are really loud and some people have reported getting their hand getting (slightly) burned. (although, if you're in the water - who cares?) In regards to the flares Suz was talking about. One side is a handheld flare. It doesn't get launched up into the sky, you hold it and wave it around (making sure it doesn't drip on you or your kayak). The other side is smoke. I didn't see these get tested but they also sound like a good idea because smoke really attracts attention during the day and the flare would be effective at night. I guess the ultimate kit would be to have a miniflare kit in your pfd and the double ended flares/smoke in your day hatch. Hope this helps.

Sounds like a plan, see you there!

I'd be interested. Surfing or Rockgardening if there's no surf...

I'll be there!

If the rest of you guys still want to paddle, I up for anything. Oqunquit, York, or Portsmouth area.

I have the day off and will probably paddle around the area before the surf session. I always wanted to check out Egg Rock, but I always end up staying at the beach and surfing Looking forward to seeing you and Lady Beckwith

Thanks guys for your words of wisdom. I really like the Pintail, I'm just looking for something alittle faster.

I've been offered a '95 Nordkapp as a possible trade for my Pintail. I have never paddled one and really don't know much about them, except that it is an expedition boat meant to be paddled long distances with a lot of gear. How does it paddle as compared to an Explorer or an Aquanaut? Does it paddle OK empty, or does it need to be loaded down with gear (I weigh 185)? I'm looking for a kayak that I can do some longer distance paddles with, while still being able to play in the rocks and surf.

I've been given the "all clear" by SWMBO. See you tomorrow!

Me too!