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Beth: What about Fall camping when the foliage is good? Ed Lawson

Rob; Oops. I did not mean to hint or suggest the location 0f the launch site. I am just partial to the food at the Round Pond lobster shack so I go there when in area. I was assuming the launch site was elsewhere, but failed to make that clear. Me bad.

Rob: I am tempted, but might be a case of the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak after last week. Still, relaxed drive up with lunch at Round Pond before heading out souinds like my kind of trip. Ed Lawson

I believe NDK has always used Valley hatch rims and covers for the day hatch while the bow and stern hatch are Kajaksport rims and covers. So NDK boats come with Valley hatch covers for the day hatrch becasue it is a Valley rim. P&H boats have kajaksport rims/covers for all three hatches. Why NDK uses Valley day hatch rims/covers is intriguing. Valley and Kajaksport day hatch rims are different sizes and thier hatch covers are not interchangeable. .Well, Kayajaksport does make covers for Valley rims, but their covers for their rims will not fit a Valley rim and vice versa.

I second using Brookline area. At least during "season". Current runs strong so it can be a fast ride down and back with planning. Now Stonington would be fine and that would make IAH, Marshall (definitely visit it) and Swan's easy on long weekend. Now is great time up there till weather turns. Also, visit Frenchboro on Long Island. Great place and real fishing village. Ed Lawson

A couple of additional points. I doubt anyone would say the Solstice GT is a bad boat for what it what designed for, but I doubt it is a good boat for the type of paddling you have described. It is and I suspect will continue to be a buyer's market and there are many nice FG boats to be had for very reasonable prices. A well made FG boat if cared for can last well over 15 years. There are some great deals around for really nice "classic" boats. As in around $1,400 for Valley, Impex, NDK, and P&H boasts in great shape. Wouldn't you rather be paddling than mired in a dubious repair job? Ed Lawson Whose newest boat is over 10 years old

I thought the classified post concerning the kayak foiund on a beach was a decent teachable moment so I offer the following comment. If the owner had put his name and contact info on the boat, it would be easy for CG or others to ascertain if the kayak was simply lost and see it was properly recovered or if a rescue/recovery operation was warranted. We all should have names and contact info somewhere in cockpit area just in case. Ed Lawson

You are far more likely to see something like this than a shark looking to do you harm. http://photos1.meetupstatic.com/photos/event/a/a/c/5/600_439783717.jpeg Its a basking sunfish BTW. Ed Lawson

I doubt you saw a sea lion. Perhaps a Gray Seal? They are bigger and can be more aggressive than the harbor seals which love to follow and play along. Sharks are around on the Maine coast (friend watched a reputed Great White trail a fellow paddler once), but not sure there is anything to do about it. Just enjoy the experience if you manage to see one. A couple of weeks ago I was with a group that had a shark swim by a paddler. Same size, around 4-6' they said. I unfortunately missed it. Ed Lawson

I liked the "flying footballs" comment. They do look so improbable in the air, but they do zoom about. Great pictures. Thank you. Ed Lawson

Nancy: Cannot open pictures link. Being a luddite, I do not have a Facebook account. I'm sure they are wonderful. I was out on Damariscove Sat. and assuming to was the same at Eastern Egg, it must have been a spectacular day. Ed Lawson

"If you're worried about stuff on the deck, in your pockets, etc.. making a rescue more difficult then you should practice with it." Absolutely. Constructive point. Its a little like always practicing rolls by first carefully getting set up or always practicing rescues in flat water. As if that is how it will happen. "Does this make sense?" Makes perfect sense. The bone of contention seems to be what should a paddler do if they can use only one technique. I believe the answer to that is just be careful, which of course is easier said than done given the dynamics of the ocean. Just to be the devil's advocate, if you are solo and wet exit, then your ability to perform any of the remaining self rescue techniques depends up holding on to your kayak. Another thing to practice seems to me as I imagine we have all see boat and paddler going their separate ways. Ed Lawson

"Is this the end of Rico?" Or at least the end of one more chapter in the ageless debate over the value of paddle floats as self rescue aids? As parting shots: 1. I suspect Rick S. never had to show an ability to perform a paddle float self rescue in all the steps necessary to achieve a BCU 5* certificate. There is a reason for that and perhaps it had a role in the formation of his opinion for good and bad. 2. Experience and skill are not synonyms. At some point capable is about skill sets and the fewer skills the less capable if capable means coping with difficult situations. 3. Its about levels of risk in given environments with given skill sets. Unless you are on the same page concerning these factors you are talking apples and oranges it seems to me. So long as something actually works in the environment you can reasonable be expected to experience, then good to go with little risk. Just don't expect to survive a black swan moment. 4. Some of us remember the video of the CG retrieving a kayak off Boon Island a few years ago. Very nicely attached paddle with paddle float . Wrong environment and amazingly poor decisions by what many called a "very experienced and safety conscious" kayaker caused a life to be lost. Was it the failure of the technique or the seamanship of the kayaker? To me it was obviously the latter and that failure meant the kayaker was in an environment totally beyond the technique or at least the skills to implement it successfully. Finally, a question about those big foam paddle floats on the rear deck. Based on experience, do folks find they make T-rescues more difficult than a clean rear deck? Ed Lawson

I believe it is part of the game. Little like mountaineering. If you don't accept the odds of dying or serious injury, you don't do it. I know a former a class V WW paddler who starting seakayaking once it became probable that if he kept upping the ante doing more difficult runs, he would die. The close calls add up in many ways as you get older. Ed Lawson

Brian: Have you considered the new KS hatch covers for Valley rims? Just another option. FWIW, there is a kayak parts shop in Ossipee, NH (seriously) which stocks the Sealect covers and can order the KS ones. Nice people. Ed Lawson

Les: Far as I know there is no good place or even a place on Little Deer Isle to launch and park cars for several days. Don't know from experience, but based on chart going from Ames Cove to Dark Harbor is not feasible. I assume you meant Dark Harbor. As Gary said, talk to Rene or call Brooksville about Bakeman Beach on Cape Rosier. I mention calling allot because you will often get a great deal of good info by calling. Lots of possibilities that are not listed or made known generally, but when you call you odds are you will find out. You did not mention how many days, but if I were doing the trip, I would bite the bullet by going to Augusta, then over to Belfast , and then over to launch site. You wilol spend a day driving regardless seems to me. Not sure it is all that much longer and overall easier driving than up 1. Purely personal prejudice. The island chain down from Rosier is really, really nice. Just pay attention to tides as the current is strong in the area. You could go from Cape Rosier to the islands on the south side of Vinalhaven in one day with a following tide and early start.. Also check out MCHT islands as well as MITA islands in the area. Ed Lawson

Les: I believe you will find it worthwhile to call the Rockland harbormaster and ask about overnight parking at their public ramps. Provides a good route to Vinalhaven. BTW, there are nice approaches from the north via an island chain from the Castine area and riding the tide makes for a fast trip. Ed Lawson

Kevin: Besides the MITA islands, MCHT has a nice island for camping near Vinalhaven that you might want to check out. The MITA island near the south side outlet of the Basin is really nice spot for camping, BTW. Once you get there, it is a neat/interesting place to paddle isn't it? I guess those long crossing serve a purpose in that you don't see many kayakers there. Ed Lawson

Doug: This is an ashore planning tool I'm guessing. With all the electronic plotting software around it is easy to plan by staring at a screen and moving a mouse, but there is something very satisfying about playing with charts and simple tools. I think I need one of those for the home nav bag. I confess I don't use it that much, but for on water use I find one of the square navigation protractors handy and somewhat more useful than the Nav-Aid product. Just another toy or tool to play/use. http://store.hamiltonmarine.com/browse.cfm/protractor-square-5-146470-/4,30497.html?gclid=CjwKEAjw4-SrBRDP483GvreDr2ASJAD5sCIuhsAlSGhmkkJgY1nEFXQWEsxQWE1FH-fQ3qhE1GxBRhoCPW3w_wcB

In the interesting news department, MITA has recently started a Meetup group. Apparently you can be a member of the group without being a MITA member, and it will be a forum for trips/events on the Maine Coast that are linked to MITA. I noticed a trip in the Chauncey Creek/Gerrish area for July 24th. Ed Lawson

Actually that would be comfy and I recall someone using one for that purpose on purpose thinking it would speed self-rescue if needed. Jed Luby used a rolled short, closed cell sleeping pad (remember those?) as a back band which seemed to me to be a neat idea. A great deal to be said for using things on a boat that do not rust, snap, etc. Ed Lawson

Rob: I was afraid someone would ask that question. I tend to take food and water for two extra days so it is never empty is one answer. Another answer is my Bahiya has one of those old, great FG seat pans similar to the newer NDK ones which makes a backband superfluous for me. Actually I don't use a backband with the AA either. So maybe its a unique solution since I just rely on something back there to rest on when leaning back as opposed to the coaming. I keep backbands installed in both just in case, but they are loose and normally slid behind/under the seat. Ed Lawson

Gary: If the oil can felt good, think how comfy a big water bladder would feel. Might want to think abut using one instead of a backband since it puts the weight in a nice location. The foam solution undoubtedly works very well, but I loath to loose the storage space when touring since that space is so useful for some things. Day tripping and play is another matter, and if you can use removable foam insert, then bases covered. I suspect Doug could fix that up very quickly and nicely. Ed Lawson

Suz: I'm not sure about scarce, but there has been a very worrisome decline over the past two years. Chick survival is down and adults are starving as well. The thinking is the food they rely upon is moving north and/or becoming scarce which is causing population to drop. They are a great deal of fun to watch and they almost seem improbable in flight. Ed Lawson

I wonder if a late June or july trip to see the puffins should be discussed..planned given all the interest being shown. Ed Lawson