rcohn

You're the expert, where do kayaks fit? We're not driftwood, we must have some rights/obligations on the water. The idea that a kayak might be best classified as limited ability to maneuver came from a Coast Guard article. Please explain why is does not pertain. Ralph

Why would you say this???? Clearly, a kayak not under sail is not a sailboat. However, the Colregs do not define power. If a kayak is not anchored or adrift, it must be powered by something. Ignoring surfing where the power comes from a wave it is under human power and it could be defined under the Colregs as a powerboat. Any vessel can be a vessel with limited ability to maneuver, towing, divers in the water, laying cable, restricted by a tight channel, why not a kayak? Can we quickly move out of the way of a speeding powerboat? We’re already called speed bumps. The Colregs are written to cover ALL vessels. These are legal rules, they will be applied in determining fault in case of a accident. Claiming you are follow the spirit of the rules as you interpret them will not get you too far. How can you assume any skipper you meet will be following your interpretation of the rules? Now you are digging yourself further into a hole. A powerboat on a collision course is burdened relative to a boat under sail regardless of whether the sailboat is on starboard OR PORT tack. Tacking is not a scary a maneuver as you seem to imagine (jybing can be different matter) an alert boat can tack quite quickly. And, a sailboat maneuvering in close quarters to another vessel should be very alert. If a sailboat is beating to windward down a channel it will tack at the channel edges, power boats are expected alter course and speed to avoid it. However, this does not give the sailboat the right to tack at any moment you must give the powerboat or other sailboat safe room to see your maneuver and take action to avoid you. If the skipper of the sailboat is paying attention, tacks should be timed so that there is no need to hail the other vessels to give way. That is THE ONLY TIME it is heard, period. Why??? We still have failed to determine where a kayak fits into the rules. If it is a power boat the sailboat has the would not be expected to give way regardless of which tack is on. If it is defined as limited ability to maneuver, the sailboat is the burdened vessel and should give way. You can yell anything you choose (except fire in a theater), but you have no reason to yell starboard and no reason to expect this would be understood. If you need to hail the other vessel yelling “right of way, give me room” or “bear off” would make more sense, you will have a chance of being understood. Ralph

I know we fall under the rules, but which rules? Are we a power boat,or a sail boat, or a vessel with limited ability to maneuver? I read awhile ago an article from a Coast Guard officer that suggested kayaks should be considered vessels with limited ability to maneuver. In this thread, it was suggested we might be sailboats! And it is very reasonable to assume we must be power (human) boats under the Colregs. When I first start sailing, we were taught that power boat are the burdened vessels relative to sail, and that sailboats and power boats are burdened relative to human power. I have seen this rule in older books. Is this standard seaman’s practice? It doesn’t seem to be the case today. A sailboat should only be yelling starboard to another sailboat, the tack governs interaction between two sailboats. It has no meaning relative to a power boat or other craft, and if a skipper is yelling starboard to a kayaker it simply shows he doesn’t know what he is doing. Ralph

So, how and where is the ordinary practice of seamen defined? Does every seaman have and follow the same set of practices? I know where to find the colregs, but I haven't seen a definitive source specifying ordinary practice. Ralph

Gay, The trip was set up by Jonathan Bird, so I'm not sure of the operator. http://www.jonathanbird.net/holbox_trip.htm. I know the trip was done through Jose, who also works for the Villas Paraiso del Mar, so you could call the hotel and ask for Jose. Note we were on a noncommercial "friends and family" trip, so the rates were a bit lower. If you're interested, Jonathan always runs good trips. Sorry, I don't know anything about Tulum. There are cenotes in that area, many are really spectacular, I want to do that someday. There are some which are not overhead environments and can be snorkeled. Ralph

Not sure I would be that worried. As a diver, sinus infections are a bigger problem for me. I often don't realize I have a sinus infection until I try to dive down and find I have a sinus block, that ruins the day particularly if I'm freediving, which requires many fast descents. But a single accidental roll in fresh water usually does not result in a sinus infection. Raph

This is the first time I've seen someone else using an ice cap. The may look a little strange but they work well. If used under a diver's or tuilik hood it will really keep the water leakage to a minimum. Ralph

Patco has been selling wet suit and dry suit heating pads for diving for years. I don't know anyone who uses one, but if anyone is interested you could always ask on scubaboard.com for a report http://www.patcoinc.com/aqua_heaters.html Ralph

Most neoprenes I am aware of for wetsuits and drysuits, are closed cell foam. The trapped bubbles provide the thermal insulation and they are gradually lost in diving suits with repeated exposure of higher pressures at depth. In wetsuits, there are plenty of waves for water to leak in at the wrists, neck, zippers, etc. The suit needs no extra help to get you wet and the warmed layer of water does not provide insulation. Of course, in a neoprene drysuit (at least a new one before the seams have begun to seep) you stay dry. Ralph

We're planning on arriving at the boat ramp at 11 am. As always, anyone interested in Greenland kayaking/rolling is welcome. Ralph

No nose plugs in fresh water = sinus infection. Takes about 3 weeks to cure. I may not notice I have one until I try to go diving, then you have a "sinus block" which means no diving until it clears. Ralph

We plan to be out on Sunday, time TBD. Scaling of traditional designs is not reported to generally work too well. Simply altering one dimension can change the qajaq's character. Increasing the beam without changing the angle of the gunnels will alter draft, change the gunnel angle and then the shear line tends to change, etc. Those who have built replicas frequently recommend you pick a qajaq that is the size you think will be right. Some believe replicas provide the best performance, but matching an often complex shape requires additional work. Many of us build generic West Greenland kayaks as described in the various building manuals with good results. You also need to consider what you intended use will be. Few would want to use a rolling qajaq if ocean paddling was their goal. The first qajaq is often consider mainly a learning experience. Avoid trying to "innovate" in the design. For example, think a wider foot brace will be more comfortable and secure? It won't be and it would prevent you from learning advanced Greenland rolls or paddling in the forward position. Hope to see you (and anyone else interested) on Sunday. Ralph

Many of them are quite robust, it depends on how the frame is built and what skin material and coating are used. There are a few videos on line of SOF abuse and a report on fabric testing here http://www.qajaqusa.org/newsletter/Masik_S...r2003_07034.pdf . Those tests used an 8 ounce nylon. A 12 ounce nylon with a good polyurethane coat is quite tough, Miriam has stood on the deck of my qajaq during a rescue with no ill effect. I believe the greatest risk is if a sharp object cuts the fabric. Also note that folding kayaks such as Kelpper and feathercraft are skin-on-frames and their skins seem to hold up well. You can get Hyperlon coating that is reported to be very tough and Dyson sells a 26-ounce Nylon, double weave material. Therefore, a SOF can be as robust as you want it to be. Ralph

We are still paddling and rolling SOF qajaqs on Walden Pond on the weekends if you want to se some. Unless your knees hyperextend I suspect you would only fit in mine. While an SOF can be built in a range of sizes, most of the Greenland ones you'll see are geared to an intermediate or advanced paddler. I love my qajaq now but would not have wanted to start out in it as a beginner. Also, only a few use their kayaks for open water paddling, with no bulkheads, potentially minimal volume, and tight ocean cockpits they require a solid roll and paddling skill for open ocean use. There are some other designs around such as the Ginnyak, which have higher volume and may be more suitable. If you are interested in building a Greenland kayak, you should look for Mark Starr’s, Christopher Cunningham’s and Robert Morris’ books on construction. http://www.amazon.com/Building-Skin-Frame-...8627&sr=8-1 http://www.amazon.com/Building-Greenland-K...8627&sr=8-1 http://www.amazon.com/Building-Greenland-K...8828&sr=1-1 ]\ Also look at Tom Yost excellent online manual http://yostwerks.com/MainMenu.html he now has instruction for wood frame and inflatable kayaks as well as the folders. There are other manuals or plans available for different SOF designs such as baidarkas and Bering Sea kayaks (Hooper Bay). Ralph

I carry this one, http://www.leisurepro.com/Prod/CategoryID_...QTKE.html?Hit=1 Simple, cheap, with a very secure grip. The Ocean Master knives are pretty large for a rescue knife (with a large sheath), I've used a steel one for diving for 9 years until til it disappeared last Sunday. Ralph

If anyone is interested in getting some help with Greenland rolling, or improving non-Greenland sweep rolls by learning to make the rolls more efficient, I'd be happy to come along Miriam this Tuesday. Please let me know with a response on the board this evening. Ralph

Miriam and I took a double for a tour on St. Croix, using paddles ~50% of the time and the pedals the rest of the time. Big and heavy, but kind of fun to use. The drive mechanism is quite clever and the guide who was used to it could move along pretty well. We found the double required the rudder for steering; we couldn't get it to track straight when paddling without the rudder. I would think that it would be suitable for any conditions a comparable sit-on-top would be capable of handling. Ralph

If I remember correctly, Derek put the lead behind him, not between his legs and he strapped it down. I have carried lead under my legs and it does greatly improve the stability. This was carrying scuba weights in the small beckson hatch of a Necky Dolphin sit-on-top, so the lead did serve a purpose beyond ballast. Ralph

QUOTE(Kevin B @ Aug 13 2007, 05:18 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>Ralph, In the pics, what are those other fish (?) that appear to be piggy backing (?) on the Manta? Those are some type of remora (sharksuckers) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Remora photos at: http://www.oceanlight.com/lightbox.php?sp=Remora_sp. They are all over the whale sharks; some big whalesharks may have 10 or more inside their mouths. I've seen them on dolphins as well. They hitchhikers, not parasites. I’ve heard about them attaching to divers, but the couple of times I’ve been around free swimming remoras, they had enough sense not try to attach. Ralph

It's little known, not unknown, must be 20 boats or more heading out each day to the sharks. Search for whale sharks on the internet, most sites mention Galapagos, Australia, Philippines, etc., but not Holbox. That will change! Too primitive and remote for the average US tourist, but that may change as well. About 10 ‘hotels’, but only two have ac. It’s a popular destination for Mexican tourists. I'll be happy to supply any info I can. I didn’t kayak, as usual I’m having tendonitis problems. By the way, if this continues next season, look for a nice kayak and gear sale. There were sit-on-tops around and there are some guided day kayak trips. The island is a bird sanctuary with a reported 144 species. Ralph Cohn Black rolling SOF White (Mark Starr) SOF Elaho DS, blue & white with yellow trim

We stayed at hotel Villas Paraiso del Mar a very nice, newer hotel with ac. The island seems to be in good shape, several good restaurants with better food than we were expecting. I hadn’t heard about the hurricane, but when observing the island from the boat I remarked to Miriam that if a hurricane hit with a strong storm surge, the entire island would be 8 ft underwater. Miriam has a few pictures but I haven’t seen any others yet (only returned Tuesday night). There were multiple serious photographers in our group so I’ll post a link when they are up on the web. Jonathan was also shooting a video episode for Jonathan Bird’s Blue World ( http://www.blueworldtv.com/intro.htm ) so that will also be online someday. Ralph Cohn Black rolling SOF White (Mark Starr) SOF Elaho DS, blue & white with yellow trim

Holbox Island just north of the Yucatan peninsula in Mexico, roughly a 3 hour trip from Cancun. It was a rare case of a place fully living up to the claims. Amazing and constant whale shark action with mantra rays around as well. They are feeding on the abundant plankton (vis. ranged from ~10 to 30 ft). The whale sharks were in the small to medium range, I’d estimate roughly 12 to 25 feet long. Snorkeling only, with two swimmers in the water at a time (per boat). The view of the action from the boat, with sharks swimming just below the surface is great, so it’s fun whether in or out of the water. Sometimes we’d follow a single whale shark, sometimes we’d be in a concentration with sharks coming and going. Twice I was swimming with a shark and felt my fin kick something; looking back, I saw a huge head coming up behind me, very exciting! I know divers who would be thrill to see one whale shark for 30 seconds, people in our group became bored with single sharks and wanted to search for clusters. Miriam saw mantas in the water each of four days; they are shyer than the sharks and tend to dive when swimmers come near. I only saw one, but had a relatively long swim with it. Bottlenose dolphins were in the area, but we only saw them from the boats. Holbox is nearly an unknown site, but from reports, it appears to be the best location for finding whale sharks in the world. If you’re in the area during the summer, it is well worth a visit Ralph Cohn Black rolling SOF White (Mark Starr) SOF Elaho DS, blue & white with yellow trim

Wow, we were gone for a few days (swimming with whale sharks), didn't realize it was closed. Thanks, Ralph Cohn Black rolling SOF White (Mark Starr) SOF Elaho DS, blue & white with yellow trim