ayong

Is there room for another 'yak? I'd like to join the trip Tom Hirschfeld

Kayaking in Boston harbor with tall ships has been on my bucket list, so when Al Coons suggested going out to watch the USS Constitution drop her sails in the outer harbor, i took the bait. We put in off Carson beach, paddled a short distance into the inner harbor, then picked up and joined the outcoming flotilla..they'd formally established a 300 yard perimeter around her...she had flanking escorts that kept all of us out of the way; she was moving faster than paddlers could keep up; when she turned to port towards Presidential Roads and eventually Deer Island she was followed by a scrum of civilians...it was a calm day, but there was plenty of chop from the wakes, so we held back, stayed around the north end of Spectacle I. She was far off, but we could see the unfurled sails, impressive from the distance...could imagine what it must have felt like to have a man of war appear on the horizon...then she returned towards the inner harbor, so we went out towards the channel to watch her take the salute from Fort Independence... ...it was a terrific experience; would have seen a lot more watching it on TV, but it was thrilling out on the water! Tom Hirschfeld

i'm coming... ern, lemme know if you're going... al, if ern doesn't go, we could carpool, i could pick you up--8:30? look forward to catching up... should be fun tom

Will see you Wed, Lane's Cove Fingers crossed Raven/Tom

I am coming to the Feb 5 session (with Ern) but cannot make the Feb 26 session Thanx Tom Hirschfeld

I hope to attend Tom H

Count me in Tom

i'll join for thursday's splash...mebbe carpool? Al, haven't seen ya for months, howzabout it? tom

When I put in a new seat in my Force 5, it stopped responding to the skeg; when I added weight in the rear hatch, it responded beautifully. I then moved the new seat back 1/2 inch, voila--excellent response to skeg. Al, hope to get out later this month. Tom

... cold water in the ear canal stimulates the balance center when it hits the ear drum, causing vertigo (sensation of spinning), nausea and vomiting. An observer may notice jerky eye movements ("nystagmus") at the time... When done as a lab test ("calorics") the subject's head is tilted 30 degrees for optimal stimulation of the balance sensors (not unlike a roll, no?) Actually, having wax in your ear canal would protect you, but the downside of wax is that you're 1. hard of hearing and 2. vulnerable to infections of the skin of the ear canal ("swimmer's ear") ...earplugs should offer real protection against the cold water... Tom

First, may I second it--foam really beats footpegs! It might weigh a pound or so...worth it!! You can save a lot by using (pink) closed cell insulation for the first several layers aft of the front bulkhead. Slide the insulation in front of the footpegs, then trim a slot for the footpegs and back the footpegs into the slots, holding the foam. Cover that with a final layer of high quality black mincell foam and you have a great foam bulkhead with the footpegs still available if needed...you can look over my example in the Force 5... Tom

I probably will be able to join the fun, will contact one of you if I cannot make it. Tom H

bill--terrific pics! that was one helluva weekend, can't wait to do it again--only 50 more weeks to go... thanx hope we get in some more paddling in the next few weeks tom

I'm interested in the workshop; Nov 15 works for me Tom H

Sorry Ern--and all of us--the boat ramp to the upper Mystic Lake is closed! It's fenced off and will be off limits for perhaps two years while the damn dam is "fixed". There are some access points along the shore near the parking turnoffs along Mystic Valley Parkway, but it ain't the same...so much for the backyard playpen... Tom

Hi Scott we have four firm commitments and two tentative; it will be great to have you in the gang. we don't have a lot experience inthe area but have charts and the MITA book; given the conditions of numerous islands in a reasonably sheltered bay, we should be able to get around pretty well using comjon sense to stay out of trouble . We've started some discussions about sharing meal responsibility and possibly helping each other fill in gaps in equipment. Have you done any kayak camping? have dry bags, etc? contact me or bill to discuss--email for me is ayongtom at gmail.com. all right! tom

FYI ...this morning, the Manchester police said they are enforcing resident-only parking at Tuck's until Sept 30... Tom

"...if you'll have me..." ...send your latest dry cleaning bill and dental records, we'll consider you... ...hope you can join us... tom

Bill and I have already posted for this trip; so far, not many responses, so we're re-posting to remind people that September can be a wonderful time to camp, and there are few crowds on weekdays. We plan to start on Wed, Sep 23 and return Friday the 25th; some folks may want to stay into the weekend. We'll stay on a MITA island (tbd) in the Deer Isle area. We'd like to have up to 6 participants as that seems to be the average capacity of the islands. However, if there is much interest, I'm sure we can accommodate more. We plan on parking at the Old Quarry Campground in Stonington and launching from there, camping on a MITA island and exploring during the days. This will be a level 3, CAM kayak trip and destinations, etc., will be agreed upon by the group. Please reply here if interested. Bill & Tom

If you change to Wed, I can join you. (Sorry I couldn't make it last week) Tom H

Al--Call me Tom H

Hi Ern got in late. call me thurs am, i'm up by 8 am Tom

Thursday looks to be a lovely day; looking for some ideas--Boston harbor, north shore, ??? Tom

Sorry, unable to go Wed...wish I could...thurs is open... tom h