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> We're simple folk down >here in Little Rhody. > No doubt you simply get in your boats and go have fun paddling about and enjoying the company of fellow paddlers. What fun is that compared to introspective angst and debating the finer points of whatever. Ed Lawson

>Or, I bet that NSPN could post >it as itself; it's not a company, but is kinda acting like a >company in this context. Note how easily a perceived step onto the slippery slope of potential liability/commercial promotion can be made. No opinion of whether good or bad/valid or invalid, just an observation. Ed Lawson

Its early, but for planning purposes if nothing else I'm posting this jaunt to provide a little trip to prepare for Gary York's camping trip weekend to Jewell. Launch at 10 AM from Kittery Town Dock located behind Frisbee's Store on 103. Back by 4PM. Route will be clockwise around Gerrish including a potential meander up to York with a relaxed stop or two to eat, brew up or whatever to try out cooking kit. Likely one stop at mouth of Brave Boat harbor and one on Woods Island depending upon conditions. Assuming an on water pace of 3Kt min. Won't launch if raining or conditions more than modest (@10Kts and @2ft) based on the York buoy info. More details as date nears. Ed Lawson

>or you can buy a used avocet for real short money...hint, >hint. You found the skeg? Ed Lawson

> If it is not a brittish style boat then would >it be a Greenland, Are there other styles as well? In my highly opinionated view this is a huge can of worms and best to just ignore this stuff when selecting a kayak. It is however something that is worth studying to get a perspective on the history and "culture" of kayaks if you are so inclined. Based upon what I have read I believe it is fair to say the range of sizes and shapes of Greenland kayaks is immense and varies over location and in time. In addition there are the kayaks used by the Aluets which were designed for very different uses than the classic hunting kayaks of Greenland. Arguably the Aluets built kayaks for far rougher seas, longer trips, and more speed that the Greenland Inuit. The NH has some design features that hark back to the Aluet kayaks. However, the polar Greenland Inuit built kayaks that share features with the Aluet kayaks. In fact, the NH shares several design features with the polar Greenland kayaks so in that sense even though the NH does not even begin to resemble what most would call a Greenland kayak, it could be called a Greenland inspired kayak. In fact it is as much like a polar Greenland boat as an Aluet Baidarka. As Deb correctly points out, most people think of Brit style kayaks as being derived from or inspired by the type of kayak built in West Greenland and the marketing people call any low profile boat a Greenland style boat. Well, the Anas Acuta is closely derived. To go "postal" about it, they are derived from the type of hunting kayak build in the upper mid coast region of Western Greenland in the middle of the 20th Century as adapted by native builders for the Englishmen who asked to have some kayaks built for them. One of these boats got back to the UK and the rest is history as they say. Obviously more to the tale. See what I mean about can of worms? I only know a little about this inane minutae because I have started playing with Greenland Paddles, toying with skin on frame boats, and Gail bought me a book that details the history of Greenland kayaks which I have to sit and read to show I appreciate the gift. For all practical purposes in terms of selecting a modern kayak and paddling, its rather useless. So don't worry about it, just paddle boats. Obviously I need to get in more time doing so. Ed Lawson

>Does anyone have any input about these kayaks (ie: the >nighthawk 16x22) I have one and I have reluctantly put it up for sale so that disclaimer needs to be up front. These are my opinions. I think it is a great boat, but like all boats be cannot be all things nor suited to all uses. The NH has a great hull that will never do you wrong in terms of dealing with rough water. The owner/designer of Eddyline boats comes from a whitewater and a big ocean Northwest background. So it surfs and it is nimble. It is very efficient and you can easily paddle it well over 4 KTs. It tracks well without using the skeg. It has quite a bit of volume for a 16' boat and you could camp for a week in it easily. It is obviously not a Brit style boat and has more in common with the Mariner line of boats which are famous for their rough water performance. Since Brit style boats are deemed in NE as the boats of serious paddlers, many may look at it and consider it odd and be dismissive of its design. It is a very well designed boat for the design goals of a roomy, but playful boat. That said, it was not designed to do certain things well like paddling backwards. The rear deck is high so a pure layback roll is not easy. There is plenty of room in the cockpit comapred to say an Explorer or Avocet let alone the snug fit of an Anas Acuta. It has a full, plumb bow for speed, efficiency, and looseness; but that comes at the cost of pounding on chop. It has a well rounded, flared hull which makes it a pleasure in beam seas, but also makes it a bit tender when still. To me it has a feel on edge akin to the Avocet which is to say it takes little effort to get up and down on its edge. > Why dont they have dayhatch, The designer thought it more important to provide a larger storage area in the stern and questions the safety aspect of getting into a day hatch on the water. I like day hatches, but it is no big deal either way to me. > How does is it different/similar to >Avocets/capellas. These are my impressions as a beginning paddler/owner of the NH and the Avocet. (Avocet also for sale BTW) I found it overall nicer to paddle than the RM Avocet and easier to deal with since it is around 10# lighter. In a following sea/surf it broaches much slower and can be controlled easier on a wave. It has a lively feel compared to the Avocet which feels "dead" to me. It weathercocks less than the Avocet and had less windage issues. I think they are equally nimble and stable. The hull seems adequately tough to me and they are well made, but I would pick the Avocet over it for rock play and if the focus was to be on playing through some BCU stuff. The NH was not designed for that and Eddyline has designed a boat just to appeal to those who prefer a Brit style boat called the Fathom and it is reviewed in the latest SeaKayaker. Both the NH and Fathom received good reviews from SK. >I am looking for a comortable/fast/stable >kayak.I'm 5-9 170bs. Do mostly daytrips, some overnight >camping , pull up on the beach for the day, and fishing too. There are many boat well suited for that range of use. The NH would be a very good choice, but what matters most is how you feel in the boat. It is really important to try boats and pick the one that feels right for you among the great boats out there. For example, I just don't care for the Explorer, but it is obviously a great boat. To me the Anas Acuta is not an easy/pleasant boat to paddle, but I relish paddling it. In other words, find a boat you can enjoy knowing its shortcomings. Its all about what boat works for you not what the coaches paddle or the hard folk paddle in your area. Ed Lawson

>Any interest? Gerrish perhaps? Are you thinking of leaving from the Portsmouth side and then meandering up the coast side of Gerrish to play amongst the rocks? Gail and I are likely to paddle Sunday afternoon from Portsmouth. Either going down the coast toward Rye from Odiorne or from Kittery and out along coast of Gerrish. If you and whomever go to Gerrish, we probably would launch from Kittery and wander about till we found you and would then observe the fun and games from a safe distance until it seemed time to land and have a brewup before heading back. I doubt we will make go/no-go decision until Sunday morning. With forecasted winds seems to make sense to go out Northly and back Southerly which leans things toward Gerrish. Ed Lawson

>that my dad can beat up your dad, i think debate is good. > I see with your new found discretion you did not comment on the mothers of others. Ed Lawson

>Does anyone have any input as to what the best type/style of >kayak car carrier is. Yakima or Thule I suggest you look at Malone racks before buying. http://www.maloneautoracks.com/ Have no opinion on the other questions. Well, the Malone wings seemed to work well and load easy. Using the more vertical racks involves lifting and then rotating the boat when done by two as opposed to one and that can be a pain. The Malone vertical rack has a nice lip to help get the boat up and over and into the saddle while the others don't I think. Maybe that is a greener grass situation since I have Yakimas which I like otherwise Its a preference thing ultimately. Help people take boats on and off and see which you like. Ed Lawson

> best to not worry >about it, just paddle, paddle, practice, paddle more, >enjoy, learn, To that end: Sunday...High temp 36....Marine forecast for Portsmouth. Sun N winds 10 to 15 kt...diminishing to 5 to 10 kt in the afternoon and evening...then becoming NE 10 to 15 kt after midnight. Seas 2 to 4 ft. A chance of snow. Time for a SNG? Ed Lawson

> >bottom line is that the bcu 4* requisites are being expanded >to include more leadership skills so that the gap between 4* >and 5* decreases. > Is it also true that the certification standards in the US will not change until later than the implementation in the UK? I wonder if this will lead to folks debating about who has a true or hard or real 4* award. Or maybe a lot of folks trying to get in under the wire...why I don't know. Ed Lawson

I found the description by Jay of ConnYak's history to be revealing and informative. It would seem they too had to confront the same demons. Its the last article in their Fall 2006 Newsletter. Newsletter, what a quaint idea: yet I was more than a little interested in the reports of paddles here and there. I suspect it is valuable means of making ConnYak a club as opposed to an organization. http://www.connyak.org/Newsletter/10_Issue...r_Fall_2006.pdf Ed Lawson

> I think if there is a >similar trip offered in the future ... in warmer weather ....I could go for it .. Don't worry about it. With a little luck there will be more trips when it is warmer of a similar nature. As a heads up, I am thinking of two trips where the camping will be on the shore in a campground with day trips one on Southport Island and one farther up for a trip out to Muscle Ridge. Also a couple of day trips on upper Casco Bay. Ed Lawson

> since the Maine >water in May will very cold The water in this part of the bay might be warmer than at the Casco Bay buoy, but the data from that buoy suggests the water temps will be between 45F and 50F in early May and the crossing from Falmouth to the first decent island upon which to land along the way is over 2NM and goes across lanes used by commercial vessels. So there is a modicum of seriousness to the trip. Still, it is not a big deal either as the waters are rather protected, etc. I would not be shocked if people paddle to Jewell all the time in rec boats designed for fishing on ponds and have a great time. I hesitate to add this, but the devil made me do it. This might be a delightfully easy trip that any person with modest skills and reasonable physical condition with a decent kayak could do, or it might be just the opposite. To me one needs to evaluate all trips in terms of seriousness and difficulty. Seriousness depending upon the potential consequences once something goes wrong. Difficulty depending upon the how skillful a paddler needs to deal with the conditions. In my opinion, proposed trips on the ocean such as this one cannot be described in advance as having a certain level of "difficulty". Such trips can be described in terms of "seriousness" given relatively fixed and predictable objective features as in water temps and mileage and distance from landing spots, etc. Trips can also be described in terms of "difficulty" based upon whether or not they will happen if the conditions observed at launch time or the conditions in the marine forecast exceed some standard such as those listed in the NSPN trip level ratings. Even then the conditions encountered during the trip may change dramatically so that the paddling "difficulty" which might be encountered during the trip can never be known absolutely and might easily change when judged by some standard such as the NSPN trip levels. To me the essential feature of private trips is that the poster describes a trip and may or may not establish go/no go criteria and further details, but it is the personal responsibility of anyone going on the trip to check the charts, check the weather forecasts, develop a float plan and pre-navigate the trip, evaluate the sea state at launch, evaluate their sills and equipment, evaluate whether or not to accept the risks, and then decide whether or not to launch their boat. For these reasons private trips, I suspect, may not be a good choice for the risk adverse, or those who are not confident of their decision making skill regarding paddling, or those who want to challenge themselves in a more controlled setting. I hope many take advantage of the private trips offered to expand their experience level and comfort zone, to accumulate memories of great adventures regardless of what "level" of paddler they may have been told they are or they may think they are. My comments are solely to point out that going on private trips should be done by paddlers who are active and involved in assessing the trip, conditions, and themselves. You are the captain of your vessel and only you are responsible for the safety of it and yourself. Ed Lawson

>Saving the date, sounds like fun! Given temps in early May, I think it critical more than adequate protection against a chill in the air be available. To that end if you bring the wine, I will bring molled cider and rum. Ed Lawson

> Tentative plan is to launch from >Falmouth Town Landing 10am Friday, Will plan on it, but may not be able to leave until later in day. Thought is to go straight across to Jewell through Chandler Cove? Maybe a couple of hours to get there? Ed Lawson

Any thought to having a swap/please buy my surplus stuff/please take this junk type event as part of any of these? Ed Lawson

>OH and i forgot to mention i dont find the colapsable aspect >of bags to be of any real advantage for myself anyway. >In fact i like the way the bottles take up space inside the >boat...It keeps my other gear from bouncing around in lumpy >water. Very good point. Its not like you are likely to need more storage space as the trip progresses. OTOH you can also inflate the water bags and use them as mini float bags to take up space as well. Keeping it simple as in buy a water bottle, stick it in the boat does have an appeal. Ed Lawson

>One our more experienced kayak campers has kindly agreed to >offer a camping workshop for those who might be interested. Hopefully this will include an opportunity to go do it as well as indoor class work. Ed Lawson

Sounds great to me. A few things I am curious about and would like to see discussed are: Differences in the weather patterns between when a low passes north or south of your location, using wind direction to estimate location of a low, what various cloud formations can tell us, how to estimate coastal conditions from marine forecast, and how to estimate tidal currents/eddies from chart/underwater topography. Ed Lawson

>I don't intend to start a long thread or debate, just want >to offer some club history and support the current club >leadership in their efforts to improve us all as paddlers. I don't think of these exchanges as debates, I see these as an exchange of ideas/opinions and neither a debate nor personal. I don't think we disagree on the end point and even if we do; I value differing views, think about them, and often dial them into my own since one needs to keep an open mind and change opinions when warranted. My views are colored by a history of climbing and stuff where being many hours if not a day or two from help let alone medical attention was not unusual. I need to recalibrate for kayaking. Ed Lawson

>so please let's not let this post go the way of the CPR post Wait a minute...I resemble that remark. More seriously, maybe a late start, but you are certainly getting a nice line up activities in the works. Kudos to all. Ed Lawson

> >As far as administering CPR/EAV while on the water is >difficult at best. I think if anything points to the critical importance of judgment and overall paddling skills to safety and the likely inadequacy of trying to deal with the consequences of the lack thereof, the thought of having to start, let alone deciding when to stop, CPR on the water fills the bill. I'd rather deal with a sucking chest wound. Ed Lawson

>I might like to take the CPR (with EAV, right?). > I believe it is fair to say every course for laymen called a CPR course includes EAV. My question is whether such courses provide any meaningful instruction on how to do either or both under the circumstances that might well arise during a paddling trip. Ed Lawson

As a contrarian, my view is understandably a bit different. My opinion is that the primary goal of the courses sponsored by NSPN should be to provide an opportunity for the overall membership to obtain the skills they need to be competent and safe paddlers and posters of SNGs and/or leaders of the typically modest level "oficial" NSPN trips. I doubt this goal is best met by sponsoring classes along the WFA let alone WFR model. If someone wants to become a coach/instructor I assume they wish to do so in order to act in a commercial venue and that is an entirely different kettle of fish. The level of training a true guide or coach/instructor should be on another level and such courses are likely overkill for most NSPN members. If a person is motivated to take them just to enhance themselves that is great, but we are talking here about what NSPN should sponsor to best benefit its membership not what might be nice for a subset who wish to pursue individual goals. Ideally a first aid class would be taught by physician or EMT who understands the real risks and injury exposures while kayaking and has experience in sea kayaking in order for the course to be applicable, relevant, and short. It is one thing to provide CPR in a home or office and the EMTs will arrive within ten minutes and another to on a bit of ledge with no assistance for nearly an hour. The advice about when to start, when to stop, and how to proceed overall would differ considerably and what is appropriate in one would not be in the other. If I had to choose between traveling with someone who took a short, simple class that got the basics down and provided the tools to create solutions versus one who took an extensive, complicated class that led them to think they know how to handle any circumstance; I would pick the former. Finally, as part of a class I think it would be good to have a medically trained person provide information on how to assemble a small, but useful first aid kit since most for sale are not. Ed Lawson