guido

They usually offer paddle testing at Charles River Canoe and Kayak Guy

Sandy, Fit to Paddle is a great source of things to work with. Another good one that is not kayak specific but a great program for overall core strength is Core Performance by Mark Verstegen. Guy

Tori, There are lots of opportunities for training and racing in the New England area. There are weekly training races on the Charles River http://www.ski-paddle.com/racing.html and a series of races organized by the New England Canoe and Kayak Racing Association http://www.neckra.com . While there are probably as many theories on training as there are paddlers the general rule is to put the first 4/5 ths of your training into building your aerobic base by doing low to moderate intensity distance work (one hour sessions) four to five times a week with a long paddle on the weekend (building to 3 to 5 hours hours if the crossover is your goal). The last 5th adds speed work. On water training starts with ice out on the Mystic river (below the lakes in Medford) and moves to the Sudbury and Concord rivers as they open up. Guy

Bob, It's on Lake Memphremagog. It starts in Magog PQ and finishes in Newport VT. This year is will be on July 29. Here's the web site: http://www.jaychallenge.com/ At the top of the page there is a link to the kayak race info. guy

Last year it was held into a 20+mph headwind for most of the 26 miles. In the broad part of the lake the waves were in the three foot range with a very short period (two to three under the boat at the same time). Ocean paddlers felt right at home. The 9:00 start time was moved up to 4:00 to try to keep out of the worst of it, but that didn't work... Did I mention the rain and fog? Organization is good and folks tried hard to make it a good race for all despite conditions. Previous years have been dead flat and sunny. It certainly is a beautiful lake. The race certainly qualifies as an adventure. Guy

Got it Michael -- Thanks a lot! It's going to make John's day. Guy

A friend was featured in an article on the Adirondack Classic Race in the April or May issue of ACK. The Publisher has not responded to their request for a copy. Does anyone have a copy of the magazine or a photocopy of the article they would be willing to share? Thanks! Guy guido02474 aht yahoo daht calm

Ken -- You are a racer. You are supposed to like pasta

Good call Ken! Seems the day was won by power and the ability to handle the boat in sloppy conditions rather than surfing ability (that would have given Oscar the nod again). Nice job in the Essex race? What boat did you use? guy

I agree Liz. Tony and Cynthia were fantastic. Great program. Now i just have to figure hout where to get that extra week of vacation to do first responder with them... Guy

Congrats on the new boat! One way I have found really helpfull in learning to be core comfortable in a new boat is to intentionally explore the stability edges of the new boat. Once you really experience what the point of no return is you then will be able to relax in the comfort of really knowing how much room you have. How to explore this edge? An easy way is to find a dock or friends boat or someone willing to stand in shallow water to spot you (dry suit might make this option more comfortable this time of year). Get parallel to the dock ot boat, put down your paddle and start working on edging your boat, tipping it toward the support, but keeping your body upright. Do this by lifting the knee on the side away from the support. Go slowly and feel but keep going until you pass the edge and need to catch your self on the dock, boat or hands of your spotter. Right your self (dropping the lifted knee and lifting the lower knee) and do it again several times being aware of how the boat feels as it transitions from upright to beyond the edge. Then try to slowly work up to just before the edge stop and return the boat to flat again. Practice this a few times as well focusing on feel and the feedback the boat provides. Now for comparison try leaning your body towards the support. You will not get as far, this demonstrates the difference between edging and leaning. If you are comfortable with a low brace, pick up your paddle and try the up to the edge and return exercise without the spotter or support. Brace with the paddle only when you need it to avoid capsize. It might take a few tries to get as far as you did with the support, thats ok take the time. Remember to focus on how it feels and what the boat is telling you. Why is this edge stuff important? It is what gives you control of the boat in wind and waves and it lets you turn the boat on a dime. Start to explore the the impact in wind and waves by finding the onshore windy spot on your lake and practice with the waves striking your boat on the side (called a beam sea) notice how boat lean helps you control your direction and how much effect the waves have. Practice edged turns by doing 180s first with sweep strokes on one side only then alternate lean and sweep sides. One you have done these exercises for a little while you will be a lot happier with your new boat. Enjoy! Guy

3rd place Womans Sea kayak! Good Job Brenda! Guy

It didn't seem that this thread is complete without a plug for Lotus Designs. I have a Rio Grande that has lasted 7 years without showing anymore for its service than a bit of fading. I moved it into the guest slot to make room for a StraitJacket at the end of last season. The StraitJacket is completely adjustable, very comfortable without restriction for a full racing stroke. It has two pockets one big and one bigger, knife attachment and a point strobe holder. I am fond of front zipper style but the make pull-over and side zip styles too. Good gear. Guy

According to the stream flow page http://waterdata.usgs.gov/ma/nwis/current/?type=flow most rivers in MA are from 2 to 10 times their median flow for this date. Last week most were at less than half the median flow. Fine time for whitewater folks but the flatwater fans sort of wish they had spread it our over a few weeks... Guy

Andrew, Have you talked to the Futura folks? They are now offering the S1-X and S1-A it is not clear from their site if they are just reselling Huki boats or are building them now. Worth a call to Vince if it would save some turnaround time. If you (or anyone else for that matter) want to try my Mako (6'3" size but with a bit of padding behind the back and under the heels it world make a good first try for anyone 6' or over) please let me know and we can set up a time for next weekend (not this one as my car is in the shop). Guy