Kevin B (RPS Coach)

I was just down on the Rowley river earlier today and off of Crane's Beach last week. There seems to be one or two left around the area, but for the most part they seem to be gone.

Definately not unheard of...there are quite a few jelly fish that wash ashore in Amesbury, MA along the Merrimac.

>Yes, I think that 215 is probably the most common size >among us average size males. I started a year ago with a 220 and I think the new paddle I will buy will be a 215. It's much easier to do some of the advanced strokes with the shorter paddle and I found that when I moved to a boat with a narrower beam, the 220 was just too long.

Cathy, Pawtuckaway is a very nice state park near you. I've done a lot of hiking there although I've never paddled it. I believe the lake is of fairly good size. In re the hiking, if you have a clear day, you can climb the fire tower and have a good view of the Boston skyline.

And of course the highlight of the night, besides the animals scurrying about, would be Tom's reference to the (remember, this is a quote) "fart shack". I think it would be best for him to explain ;^)

>Ok everyone a Surge is a pretty unique boat, lets try to >give Doug a hand and help him find this boat. > Michael, Why is it considered unique? I have never seen one so besides the colors, I'm not sure what to keep an eye out for. After doing a seach online, I couldn't seem to find the Surge website or a good picture of a Surge kayak.

At the moment, this may be a bit hasty, but thinking ahead, is there a "proper" way to store a drysuit? Assuming you've repaired everything and the weather has finally cooperated, do you have to do anything else besides store it in a cool, dry place? Should it be folded or hung up?

Dee, What time do they start? I didn't see anything on the calendar.

>I like the looks of the back and hip pads but the seat looks >like it would be too soft or that once you sit on it, all >the "sqwoosh" stuff will move to the sides and your sitz The substance used in the pad doesn't really move at all when you shift while sitting on it. I guess the best way to describe it would be a rubberized gel.

David, I have one of those pads (one of the many items that I purchased as a newbie only to realize that I didn't really need it). You're welcome to borrow it if you want to see how it might work.

"do not be so skeptical until you have tried it." Walter, don't get me wrong, I'm not doubting its effectiveness. It just struck me as funny that the two commerical products offered as solutions both have less than desirable origins--either originally intended for animals or in the case of vaseline, the junk that collected on the oil well rods: "Where did the idea for Vaseline Petroleum Jelly come from? Robert Augustus Cheesebrough. In 1859 when oil was first found in Pennsylvania, Cheesebrough was a 22 year old chemist in Brooklyn who had become an expert at extracting kerosene from cannel oil. He realized that petroleum products would be the fuel source of the future so he headed to Pennsylvania to get his piece of the action. He noticed that a colorless film called "rod wax" collected around the pump rods on the oil wells, gumming up the works until it was removed. He also observed oil workers who would slap the stuff on a cut, instead of a bandage. Not only did it stay on the skin and stop the bleeding, but it seemed to help cure the wound. Cheesebrough returned to Brooklyn with some rod-wax and spent months creating a clean form of rod-wax which he called "petroleum jelly". He began making so much of this stuff that every beaker in his laboratory was full, so he threw out his wife's flowers and filled the vases with his creation. After awhile, he added the popular medical term "line" to the word "vase" and he called the product "Vaseline Petroleum Jelly."

I had never heard of Bag Balm so I went to the company's site. Assuming there aren't two products out there with this name, this is from their history page: "For over a century, Bag Balm has been a fixture around farms. It all started in 1899, after John L. Norris bought the formula for Bag Balm from its original creator in the little town of Wells River, Vermont. The salve was created to soften cow udders, and it worked extremely well." LOL, I can't wait till I have a chance to recommend this to people...

Of course, it would have been much funnier to leave the seat and hide the kayak. At least that way no one would be in the hot seat

Well, I'll stick my neck out with an idea. Have you tried vaseline? I don't know how latex would react to it but I would think that it at least wouldn't compromise the watertightness of the seal.

You could just keep the car in a garage and the boat itself on the side of the street where there is a No Parking sign. After all, the street signs doesn't say No Docking

I remember seeing that as well. Personally, I would be wary of the deal myself. WM is not being a generous company by offering the deal. The radio is not selling well for a reason. More often than not you do get what you pay for in this life.

For those who may not know where the lake is (like me), I found this from the NSPN put-in page: <(Although, I think the lake actually lies only in Hamilton and Essex)> "Wenham, MA Chebacco Lake- Another lake used by NSPN for rescue, rolling and general skills practice. Take exit 16 off Rt. 128 and head north for approx. 1.2 miles, then turn right into the parking lot at the boat ramp."

Rick, With regard to pocket space alone, I believe that North Water has a Guide vest (basically a mesh vest with pockets and lash tabs) that can fit over any pfd. Not having tried it personally, I can't comment on its attributes; however, it might allow you more flexibility when looking for the ideal pfd.

Walter and Rob, Great paddle today as always. Walter, many thanks for your always generous hospitality...

Hey guys, great pictures...it looks like you both had an absolute blast!

Suz, I'd be interested in selling a boat and either month would work out fine. Kevin

">I think counting out loud would really take the fun out of >it pretty quickly." I didn't mean the entire trip--that would not only take the fun out of it, but probably drive all concerned insane. It might work for the first five minutes or so until you get the rhythem down. I would guess, however, that the responsibility does lie with the backseat driver, since s/he has at least the visual advantage regarding timing.

Does anyone know where I could purchase some neoprene fabric locally? I want to try my hand at making a cockpit cover and perhaps a sprayskirt so I don't need a large amount.

It is sycronization seek you must. One, two, three should both you count. Only then will truly tandem you be. Obvious advice of course. I just wanted try out my own Yoda speak. Believe it or not, there are just so few chances to do so nowadays.

Walter, No problem. Several people stepped in to help at the last moment so the session went off without a hitch. Many thanks for getting back to me. Best, Kevin