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GPs come in a large variety of shapes let alone lengths. Generally, they are more gentle on the shoulders than a EP or at least there are GPs which are. I believe they are best suited to touring and day trips that are not focused on rock play. I also believe ones made of wood and relatively narrow would be easier on the shoulders than ones made of carbon fiber and wider. Having said that, I strongly second the suggestion to talk to Harley and Turner if not someone local who uses GPs. A good GP is customized or at least fitted in more ways than length and width. The length of the loom, the shape of the shoulders and loom will have a big influence in how it works for a given person. I have several, and I use them all with selection depending upon trip and boat. Last, but not least, I suggest you have someone who knows how to paddle with a GP spend time with you on the proper techniques of using one. Very important. Ed Lawson

Josko, actually there is something to that, but rather it is the commercial weather services that want to minimize, if not eliminate, readily available, free weather data from NOAA so they can monetize that data by packaging it on their websites, etc. Or at least that is one of the stories in Michale Lewis's book "Fifth Risk" Ed Lawson

Fortunately the NERACOOS buoy data is up and current on its website. http://oceandata.gmri.org/data/recent.html Ed Lawson

I hope this is not a thread hijack, but those who expect to rely upon GPS enabled devices for safety in "consequential" settings should look carefully at the specs and review literature on the effectiveness of various services and devices. In 2015, there was an unfortunate death in the Presidential Range where a winter hiker activated a device to indicate they were in trouble. Critically, a the second activation resulted in an inaccurate set of coordinates. Unfortunately, SAR used the inaccurate info, it was logical to do so, and the person died before they were found by using the the original set of coordinates. Absent the inaccurate coordinates, the person may well have be saved. Suffice it to say there are many ways for GPS systems to provide inaccurate info and for related systems to not perform well when it is critical that they do. Ed Lawson

Second Jonathan's opinion. I wanted to like the Cetus LV as I like low volume boats, but I felt constrained in it. At 5'10", 170# and size 11 feet it just felt uncomfortably small. Volume wise it is about the same as a Cappella 161 if you believe the P&H numbers, but the 161 seemed roomier as the cockpit and depth are quite different. If you physically fit well and you camp like a backpacker, then the boat would hold the gear for 3 or 4 night trips quite easily. It would not dance, but anything under 225# payload is within P&H's weight range for the boat if you believe the numbers. Ed Lawson

Or aim for 4 hours after HW and have the flood in your favor if late. Ed Lawson

According to info presented here and that found in a cruising guide, the Lubec narrows current is predicted to be at slack 2 hours before St. John HW and 4 hours after HW. St. John tides are based on Atlantic time which adds a potential source of error. I have noticed the Eastport/Lubec HW times are almost identical to the St. John tides in that if HW at St. John is 1300 AST, then Eastport HW is 1200 EST. While the HW times are nearly identical, the LW times vary, but the current predictions are based off HW. So why would it not be easier to deduct two hours from the Eastport tides? Or have I totally mangled the times? Ed Lawson Who is busy planning trips between adding logs to the fire.

Gail just finished the Last traverse and was absorbed by the story. Unfortunately some never get the word. In the last week or so two trail "runners" tried to to do same route using lightweight trail running shows. It did not end well. One had his shoes slip off in the snow and ended up trying to get out shoeless. Ended up spending the night and rather badly frozen feet as one would expect before being extracted. Ed Lawson

Jim: PM to you about working on problems. Ed

Heather: This is a roundabout way of answering your question. I use OpenCPN for trip planning and it includes the ability to print charts which are NOAA charts for use during trips. I mention this option since it provides many tools for planing a trip including tidal information, courses, time/distances in addition to printing a chart. Also, when at home you can zoom in or out to seamless span charts which can be very helpful for planning purposes It is free software, but it works quite well in my experience. https://opencpn.org/ Ed Lawson

I believe it is appropriate to indicate this is not a commercial event, but is the monthly virtual meeting of SMSKN. For those who attend this and other such meetings/events in the future, you might consider joining SMSKN as some in NSPN have over the years.

Neoprene is waterproof, but is it inherently "windproof"? My experience has been that it is not and it is the cooling effect of the wind that makes neoprene gloves less than ideal. Neoprene gloves/mitts with a smooth outer surface from a coating or some process which makes them more windproof seem to be much warmer to me. Ed Lawson

Seldom mentioned and not often seen, but the Level 6 Neutron mitts worked well for me once I got accustomed to paddling in mitts.. Greg Stamer raved about them after his trip around Newfoundland which is a far better based recommendation than I can offer. Pairs of Glacier gloves for swapping and waterproof liners usually made things tolerable, but confess I rarely paddled when air temps were much below 25F so comments based on limited experience with cold weather paddling. Ed Lawson

Jim: "posse to break trail" , boy does that recall memories of beautiful days in the woods, but such hard work to go anywhere. Needed snowshoes to get to bird feeders. Reckon nothing worse than cold rain for any critter. Ed Lawson

Jim: I see you too are getting a heavy dusting today. Your horses and work them through winter so no blankets? Ed Lawson

Jim: You are right about the interpretation in Maine and that is a great explanation of the state of the law in Maine, but everything is still tied to the original concept of navigation and any walking about for purposes of navigating must be incidental to navigation through the area.. Property law is interesting in that even concepts that date to the feudal period in England may still apply in the US. Of course many have also been deleted or substantially changed. Basically, the law of 1641 is still "good law" and it is still applicable. Of course how courts apply a law is another interesting question.

Perhaps someone with a more complete understanding of the case law will chime in, but my understanding is the term "navigation" as used in this context is quite different from the commonly held view of kayakers and other boaters. The case law, at least the cases in the 19th century, make clear the right of navigation referred to is to protect against the upland land owner interfering with the public's right to travel over the tidal zone by vessel. It does not refer to engaging in the task of navigating as in figuring out where you are and how to get from A to B which you might do standing on a beach. It refers. essentially, to moving across the water in a vessel and does not include the right to land to navigate. Ed Lawson

My $.02 is that for kayak camping the temps are never going to be that low so may make more sense to "winterize" your sleeping system as opposed to getting a limited use sleeping bag for cold weather (assuming you are not going to be out camping in the winter on snow, etc.). For starters, make sure your sleeping pad is a good one for cold weather. This is very, very important. Next, use the hood properly so maybe the opening is down to around 3" max in diameter. Don't hesitate to wear extra clothing in the bag. You are dragging that stuff around, so use it is the mantra of most mountaineers. A scarf around the neck can really help too. Finally, eat some energy munchie before turning in. Don't forget that part of staying warm at night is managing heat loss and fatigue during the day. Hanging out around a campfire on a cold night before getting in the bag is not a good way to sleep warm, IMHO, but I have an aversion to campfires and am prejudiced on the point. The suggestion to get a liner bag or an over bag is also great advice. You can get a huge increase in warm at very little cost and weight gain. By "winterizing" a solid bag good for say 40 degrees should be comfy down into the high twenties. That should easily suffice for kayak camping. If you are going to be ski touring and staying in minimally heated yurts or cabins or camping on snow other than the dead of winter, a good 15 degree down bag is quite versatile. True winter bags are wonderous things to behold, but have very limited usefulness for most of us. By winter bag I mean something from say Western Mountaineering rated 0 degrees or lower. All that said, some need really warm bags and some do not. Some can use a tight mummy bag with hood puled down to an opening the size of a quarter, and some need space. So really hard to give any firm advice beyond its a good idea to "winterize" first and then spring for a warmer bag if that fails. If your heart is set on a warm bag for cold temps, do not mess around; get a quality down bag made by the likes of Western Mountaineering. Expensive, but they last forever, are light, compressible, and have a wide comfort range. Ed Lawson

MITA has story of three recent college grads who wanted to do an adventure so they decided to paddle the coast of Maine. After buying kayaks off Craigslist and practicing for a couple of weeks on lakes; they embarked on their journey. Wonderful story. https://maineislandkayak.com/george-finbar-rob-go-downeast/ Ed Lawson

Gary: Admit I have a similar tendency to hang on to things, but cannot match your receipt retention for sure. I wonder what type of battery your radio has. It may not be a Li-Ion. My favorite radio is similar aged SH HX270S which keeps chugging along and replaced battery at @10 years even though seemed fine.. It uses a Ni-MH battery. My ham radio VHF radios are used far more than the marine VHF radios, and their batteries need replacing more in line with the suggestions I gave. Jim: I like your DIY spirit and willingness to open it up and do some work on the contacts. Takes very little to inhibit a good electrical contact and these radios are used in a very corrosion prone environment. Ed Lawson

So anyone know where they camped on IAH? Did not look like Duck Harbor, but I have only visited it for a break after rounding south end so not sure. Ed Lawson

Paul: I believe the rocker is more extreme than the AA and does have a "broken" look as mentioned by Peter since boat's rocker starts steeply midhull. Seems that some NSPN member owns one as I have seen one in a "signature line" My thought when they came out was someone had taken the ALAW Bach design and radically taken it to the extreme. Not having paddled it, just my guess that it is one of those boats that has the potential to do one thing extremely well, but everything else is a muddle. FWIW, the AA is by no means a fast boat, but when I have taken mine out on three day camping trips its pace was not bad at all compared to unladen and remained relatively fun to paddle along shores. I did not have the impression it plowed like a Romany when overloaded, but it would plow through breaking wind waves making for a wet ride. Ed

Paul: Surfing and rough water were reported to be the forte of both Vaags. No personal experience, but rocker and hardish chines suggest good rough water boat. I read once the seat was actually positioned to maximize surfing performance. Price is good for sure. If memory is correct, the people who bought Lincoln Kayaks were big fans of the Vaags and using them at Popham FWIW. Ed Lawson

Gary: Given it is potentially a matter of life or death, you might want to replace that 10 year old battery. It is definitely at the outer limits if not beyond. Ed

Sir Christopher; I don't know. If there were only six of us there at the time, then it must have been Gary. Since that is his boat on the far right. Ed Lawson