rcohn

Don't know of a place, (except Isles of Shoals) but the best time is at low tide when the seals are more likely to be up on the rocks. Ralph Cohn Elaho DS, blue & white with yellow trim

Didn't think I needed to, but I guess I should point out that the idea is to pick through the pile and only buy the good stuff. Ralph Cohn Elaho DS, blue & white with yellow trim

>I couldn't find red cedar, so substituted >fir. This is a bit heavier, and the splinters during rough >out can be ugly, but the paddle feels strong enough to dig >post holes, and doesn't look bad for a first effort. Now >I'll have to see if I can use it to propel a kayak. > >Where have folks found red cedar in the Boston area? >Boulter Plywood was out of stock. > I've had trouble finding cedar too, I think I've seen some a Lowes. If you have the right tools (I don't) your best bet to get decent grain is to resaw a 4x4. I've carved paddles out of pine, a bit heavy for a full length paddles, but certainly ok for a storm paddle. Fir is even heavier, not my choice for a paddle. Ralph Cohn Elaho DS, blue & white with yellow trim

I've started using this one (the blunt tip in 420 stainless) and like it. http://www.leisurepro.com/Prod/CategoryID_...QTKE.html?Hit=1 The handle is large enough to be gripped with heavy gloves and the knife was reasonably sharp right out of the box. I think a knife so easily lost should be on the cheaper side. Many scuba shops carry these Wenoka knives (I think they may be associated with Aqualung/Seaquest) if you want to look at one. Ralph Cohn Elaho DS, blue & white with yellow trim

>Ralph, that's exactly what I've found when I make my >paddles. I'd suggest that Dan looks at his boat's width. >I'd guess that the rule of thumb is off a little because the >skin boats are usually a bit narrower than our plastic or >glass boats. So if our boats are say, 2 inches wider than >theirs, it makes sense that a wider grip will help you keep >from banging your thumbs on the side of the boat. In my case the issue wasn't boat width, I could paddle easily with an 18 inch loom. I developed tendonitis in my wrist, which may have been caused by side to side bending. Greg Stamer reported in one of his articles that wrist pain can be caused by too short a loom. I've been doing quite well so far with the longer loom. Ralph

I find after several experiments I like a loom about 2 inches wider than that measurement suggests. That is, when I raise my arms up from my sides I measure 18 inches and use a 20 inch loom. When we made a paddle for Miriam in Don Beale's class at Delmarva I used the same estimate, she measured 16 inches and we made the loom 18 inches. The next day we did Greg Stamer's basic Greenland paddling class. When he walked around and checked paddle sizing he commented that Miriam's loom was a bit too wide. Later when he watched her paddle, he suggested she might want a longer loom. The measurements suggested online are a starting point, you need to find what works best for you. Different areas in Greenland used different paddling styles, and I've never heard where that hands at sides estimate comes from. I wonder if it might be from a region where a short sliding stroke is preferred. Ralph Cohn Elaho DS, blue & white with yellow trim

Paula, I have not had a response to my last emails. I am assuming I am not registered for this class and you will tear up my check as I requested. Thanks. Ralph Cohn Elaho DS, blue & white with yellow trim

> Eschewing a safety option because it might >have you ignore proper technique is analagous to learning to >hand roll before learning rolling with the paddle since it >may encourage bad technique. I think learning to hand roll before learning to use the paddle is a way to encourage very good technique. There are many ways to be very sloppy with a paddle, hand rolling requires far more precision. For example, lift your head a bit with a paddle, no problem, do it on a hand roll, big problem. This is not merely a hypothetical point. When teaching Greenland technique to a paddler with an excellent balance brace (usually a woman) it may be easier to progress directly to a hand roll where there is no need to worry about the mechanics of handling a paddle. I haven’t seen this done, but I’ve heard reliable reports of teaching this sequence. Ralph

Hi Kevin, It sounds like a fun afternoon. From the map it looks like it might be roughly a 5 to 6 mile paddle with the tide helping a bit. Is that about right? Thanks, Ralph Cohn Elaho DS, blue & white with yellow trim

>...between a 6'-8' long seal and a 15'-18' sea kayak. GWSs >may not be the brightest creatures on the planet, but I >doubt they'll confuse any of us for seals. The aren't likely to confuse us with seals, but they don't know what we are and may try to find out. Lacking hands, they tend to do a test bite to evaluate whether something is good to eat. There was a published story about a California kayaker whose boat was bitten, does anyone have a link to it? Doesn't worrying about a two foot long spiny dogfish seem silly in light of this discussion? Ralph Cohn Elaho DS, blue & white with yellow trim

>Great White sharks are found in our waters though not in >significant numbers. Remember that you are much more likely >to have a fatal accident driving to/from your paddle than >you are to be bitten by, or probably even see, a shark of >any breed (or gender). The odds may be changing. the seal population is exploding For eample from: http://www.workingwaterfront.com/article.a...toryID=20021004 "In the early 1970s, the seal population was reduced to an estimated 5,000 animals in Maine waters; hence, their inclusion in the MMPA. But now, according to a study conducted by James Gilbert of the Department of Wildlife Ecology at University of Maine at Orono and Gordon Waring of the Northeast Fisheries Science Center, the population has exploded, with nearly four times as many seals actually counted in 2001 (38,011) as in 1981 (10,540). Gilbert and his colleagues estimate there was a total of approximately 100,000 seals, the majority harbor seals, in New England waters during May and June of 2001. To obtain this figure, they used aerial surveys to count all visible seals and radio tags to track the movement of other seals under water, which provided a way of estimating the number not visible in the photos." Great whites like to eat seals and they are expected to follow the seal population in closer to shore. It may be already starting see:http://www.nesurf.com/Articles/news_full.php?id=134 "GREAT WHITE EATS SEAL OFF CAPE 07/18/06 There has been a confirmed sighting of a 15 Ft Great White Shark 50 ft from shore taking a seal. It was reportedly seen south of Lighthouse Beach in Chatham, MA and witnessed by at least 15 people. Just when you thought it was safe to go into the water... More info here and here." This provides an addition motivation for learning a roll so you get out of the water fast. ;-) Ralph Cohn Elaho DS, blue & white with yellow trim

Kevin, Do you have any sort of a rough idea of how long you might be taking in the festival? Are you thinking of something like 1 hour, or 5 hours, or ? Thanks, Ralph Cohn Elaho DS, blue & white with yellow trim

The boat ramp is not free, and it was not free last year. The rangers do come around to ticket (mostly seem to be warnings) but the timing is sporadic. If you arrive there after 5, I don't know if they will bother you. All the regulars there have season passes so we don't need worry about timing. Ralph Cohn Elaho DS, blue & white with yellow trim

>Sorry, my mistake. I am not a greenland paddler and had no >right to call the type of roll that I was referring to as a >greenland sweep. I got my knowledge from watching others and >messing around myself. I do know that you can sweep further >back to 5 o'clock and lay back to finish. I just don't know >what to call it. Maybe we can name it after me. No problem. I find the Greenland rolls have a great deal of subtlety and I try to learn to do them as accurately as possible. Greenland rolling has been developed over many centuries and there is usually a reason why each roll is performed a certain way, even if it is not obvious. David Crantz described 10 capsize maneuvers in 1767 and the descriptions relate well to modern practice. (see: http://www.kayakers.nf.ca/sea_kayaking/ins...kayak_roll.html ) In the case of the sweep, the paddle near 3 o’clock is in a strong position providing maximum support and leverage. The arms are close to the chest keeping the shoulders in a safe position. At 5:30 useful leverage is minimal and you might want to evaluate your shoulder position from a safety standpoint. A skilled roller can recover with the paddle in many different positions, the leverage and buoyancy from the paddle is substantial. Once you refine the technique to enable norsaq or hand rolls, paddle rolls seem easy. This is the main reason to learn advanced rolling, it really identifies mistakes in the basic technique with body and hips, enabling you to correct the flaws. However, while you can roll with the paddle in a variety of positions, I believe most training should focus on using the optimum technique, in a combat situation you will naturally revert to the instinctive, heavily practiced rolls. As always, anyone is welcome to join us at Walden and we will try to help. Ralph Cohn Elaho DS, blue & white with yellow trim

>a greenland sweep which is a much slower sweep and continues >further back than the euro sweep. A euro sweep finishes more >abruptly (around the 4 o:clock position) with the paddler >sitting straight up and looking down the paddle shaft. The >greenland sweep finishes further back (5 or 5:30) with the >paddler looking up towards the sky. The Greenland sweep does not finish further back, if the paddle is at 5:30 you would not have any support from the blade. Take a look at the video of the standard roll on this page http://www.qajaqusa.org/Movies/movies.html . You'll see the sweep finishes near 3:00, the angle with maximum support. Also note the blade is kept in (or near the surface of) the water while the paddler sits up to provide support if necessary. Ralph

Thanks for the cancellation notice. Things weren't too bad at Riverhead beach, a couple of people were kayaking, but with the changing fog conditions, I probably would not have launched. Ralph Cohn Elaho DS, blue & white with yellow trim

There is a great picture of him face to face with a shark online, i just can't find it. His other secret is to only swim with "smaller" great whites 10-14 ft. In an interview he said the larger shark are territorial and will immediately kill you. From my time reading the freedivelist I believe the South African's are the craziest divers in the world. With their risks from GWs and large crocodiles most of us would stay out of the water. Ralph Cohn Elaho DS, blue & white with yellow trim

I have been diving with the scalloped hammerheads in the Galapagos, very cool. They are extremely skittish around divers. You lie on the rocks, skip breathing as much as possible (the bubbles can frighten them), and wait for them to swim in. Any sudden movement or even if they notice you below can cause them to bolt. We also saw the schools above or below us at times while swimming in the blue searching for whale sharks. I have never heard of a scalloped hammerhead attacking a diver. A great hammerhead (which I’ve never seen) is a completely different story of course. Ralph Cohn Elaho DS, blue & white with yellow trim

It's just a dogfish and a small one at that, it barely qualifies as a shark. At my dive club meeting tonight two divers had stories about meeting dogfish over the past month, one had two dogfish, the other four with the longest 4 feet. They circled the divers taking a good look, but not coming closer than 4 ft. While gearing up for my first dive in Mexico’s Revillagigedo Archipelago, ~7 year's ago, I looked over the side of the boat and saw a 9-10 ft Galapagos shark passing back and forth under the boat. That gave me some pause before jumping in, landing accidentally on the shark might not have been a good idea. But of course with divers splashing in, the shark split. The sharks were actually dificult to get close to, we spent the better part of our dive time there searching for them. By the way, it's really not the sharks you can see you need to worry about. The freedivers in Rhode Island virtually never see sharks, however I have heard reliable reports of diver feeling a slight tug on their float line, typically 50 ft or more long. When they later check on a float their fish are missing. You may not see a shark, but they see (or sense) you. Remember that the next time you're rolling. ;-) Ralph Cohn Elaho DS, blue & white with yellow trim

Dogfish (and nearly all sharks in general) are very very unlikely hurt you. I've only managed to see dogfish once or twice on dives and in silhouette at a distance, but I’ve had friends lucky enough to swim in a school of dogfish where they are surrounded, dogfish on all sides, swimming between their legs, etc. I’ve yet to hear of anyone being bitten. Many of us seek out opportunities to swim with sharks. Next time you might bring a mask and try a roll, or even snorkel and fins and take a swim for a closer look. Ralph Cohn Elaho DS, blue & white with yellow trim

I'm also interested in going along. I'm an NSPN member. Thanks, Ralph Cohn Elaho DS, blue & white with yellow trim

I've been diving near it, not a spot you want to get sucked into. A local skipper/commercial diver we talk to had some stories about rescues of divers who were blown off a nearby Deer Island site and caught in Old Sow. At the bottom of the page some pictures were shot from Dog Island area. We circled Dog Island underwater, an interesting dive since the currents reversed on us part way through, it was probably the fringes of a large eddy. Ralph Cohn Elaho DS, blue & white with yellow trim

There are several species in this area. I seen some while sailing in Boston Harbor and on whale watching trips, so it certainly would be possible. It would have surface to breathe at regular intervals after you saw the jump, but those would be hard to see unless you were looking in the right dirction at the right time. Ralph Cohn Elaho DS, blue & white with yellow trim

It wil be nice to see you and you can see Miriam's new qajaq (you should be able to squeeze into it). Dan was the only one who somhow mangaged to wriggle into it last Sunday. Ralph Cohn Elaho DS, blue & white with yellow trim

Keep in mind when planning to visit Walden that on really nice sunny hot days, the pond is frequently closed when the maximum number of visitors is reached. Also it may be better to use the back roads instead of Route 2 on busy days. Ralph Cohn White SOF Elaho DS, blue & white with yellow trim