PeterB

I read through the thread from this website in the aftermath of this incident, and I can find nothing in it that I would characterize as brutal, ill-informed, or revolting. I or others may disagree with some of the perspectives offered, but I see nothing in any message here that reveals a debased character in its author. In fact, I found the thread to be generally productive, offered a variety of perpectives in a civilized forum , and think that the disinterested paddling newcomer, unencumbered with the personal baggage that attends long membership in an organization, would find this thread to be generally informative and civilized , and might well come away with some valuable perspectives . In this sense, the message board, this thread and this club have done okay. I would also be reluctant to label remarks found here as Monday morning quarterbacking. People naturally want to share their perspectives in the aftermath of such an event . Even if they haven’t had the experience of a fatality (personally, I hope to avoid the experience for a little while yet ) they still may have some perspective, anecdote, or snippet of technical information that could shed some light, however dim, on the proceedings. An incident posted on a message board presumably is done so to invite such discourse. That’s what a message board is for. If one were to describe the Darwin Award mentality as the viewpoint that : an individual went into a given situation unwisely which led to their demise, therefore the responsibilty is chiefly their own : well, one may agree or disagree , but it is one more perspective among many that deserves to be considered.

The Beluga is a fine boat, fast and seaworthy. I would recommend getting one in fiberglass, which weighs about 81-83 pounds, a very good weight for such a large boat. One flaw of the Beluga is that it lacks perimeter deck lines, so I would recommend installing these. The standard Beluga , I believe ,comes without a middle bulkhead , between the rear cockpit and the center hatch, which creates a huge center compartment ,great for storage but not so great in the event of flooding, (capsize or surf landing etc.) If you can, get one with an optional bulkhead here, or see about getting one retrofitted.

'The water was less than 40 degrees, Andrews said. Goodsell and Lemire, who were not carrying life jackets, were in the water for about 10 minutes. They turned down a ride to Concord Hospital for evaluation. ' I wonder if this article has the facts straight. I doubt that anyone who spent ten minutes in water that was less than 40 degrees would be turning down a ride to Concord hospital for further observation, let alone depart under their own power. I would guess that the article either got the water temperature or time spent in water wrong, probably the former. I hope that nobody reads this article and then thinks that they can spend that amount of time in water that cold without more severe consequences.

The ducks were probably oldsquaws. Sorry I missed the action. Sounds just grand.

http://www.duluthpack.com/

Blaine, In kayaking, I think that early instruction will be invaluable. I have found kayaking to be the most counterintuitive sport I’ve ever undertaken : When in rough seas, a narrow boat that feels tippy can be safer than a wide boat that feels stable? When you roll from upside down to rightside up, your head and face is the last thing, not the first thing that comes up from underwater? When you paddle you don’t use your arms? It would probably take me years and years, if ever , to discover these things on my own (I imagine it took the Inuit generations to learn by trial and error ,probably at the cost of many lives), but getting good instruction from the get-go can really streamline that learning curve, and you can avoid some bad habits that take a good while to unlearn. I first paddled for few years alone or with my family, mostly in a tandem, and I did a lot of kayak camping: Georgian Bay, Umbagog, Lake George, but when he got older and and was no longer a captive of my whims , he lost interest, and I struck out on my own and sought instruction and to learn something more about kayaking. It has taken a good while to unlearn the bad habits I picked up following the intuitive course I had followed on my own. I think where I suffered the most was in the forward stroke, which I consider the most difficult of all kayak skills (again, the counterintuitive: paddling forward is more difficult than moving your boat sideways, or rolling, or rescuing someone?) Mr. Stoehrer’s tome on BCU may have your head spinning, but to keep it simple, it’s a good system. You’ll notice that some of the best paddlers you will meet have some BCU experience: for my part, I like the BCU because it’s designed to build skills in a systematic, progressive way (“from the root to the fruit” ) and in so doing you will meet some of the finest people anywhere. Peter

In addition to demo-ing boats at lake and pool sessions, Charles River Canoe and Kayak (in Newton, on Rte 30 right off the Rte 95, which some us still call Rte 128) has a bunch of boats , including Impex and P&H, (although no Valley and NDK, unless there's one there for sale on commission) )and you can stop by and paddle however many you want , from their dock, in a pond- like setting, although its actually a lobe off of the Charles River. There is zero sales pressure there, and the staff is helpful, although not as helpful as we are, (but who is?) You might be able to demo some Lendal and Werner paddles there too. Try the Werner Cypress if you can: it's an in -between blade :not too big(Ikelos) not too small (Camano etc) and the Kalliste is a beauty too.The foam core in these blades is what makes them so expensive but gives them a lovely buoyant feel which is much appreciated in bracing, sculling and paddling long distances. Get a good paddle at all costs. Also, grab a drysuit if you can: April , May and part of June are drysuit months, and you'll then have the safety and confidence to push your skills, like rescues, bracing , (i.e you can push things without being so afraid of getting wet) which will in turn accelerate your learning and enable you to better evaluate which boat will be best for you.

Picked up my Cetus yesterday. Eight month wait , as I’d custom ordered a boat (Retailers have boats more ready available) with keel strip, , no footpegs, custom bulkhead and deck color. (sort of a putty grey, would be well camouflaged in woodlands or mangrove , except for the red trim and decklines.) Superb workmanship; finish and layup, hardware etc. appear to be perfect. Well-designed deck rigging. 4th day hatch is excellent. I‘ve always wondered why this feature wasn’t incorporated into more boats, as it makes all the sense in the world. The seat fits me, a rare thing. I’ll probably not have to change the seat and won’t need to do much cockpit outfitting at all. . Lots of footroom, which mystifies me as the boat has rather slender, shallow look fore of cockpit. I took it straight to Odiorne and paddled it yesterday in pretty stiff, raw winds, close to 20k.I paddled without footrests, as the foam insert was not yet cut to fit. I missed having the use of my feet and lower kegs, both to get power and to brace myself to keep from sliding around in the seat. (The bandsaw will be humming this evening) I think I might keep the backband as it can be tucked under the coaming and is generally out of the way, then if I need that extra room I can stuff something( like a small thermarest, or water) in there behind the seat underneath the backband, where in my other boats there’s a block of minicell. . Fabulous edging ability (some call that secondary stability?) Boat is most comfortable on edge. Responds with alacrity to corrective strokes, as if startled into action. I was paddling with someone and we had agreed to stay in protected water ,but I briefly ventured out past the jetty at Little Harbor, where waves were crashing, and felt most comfy in that bumpy water. This is a boat for big seas. I’ll need to work on weathercocking, as the boat still feels skeg- dependent to me, and I’ve fallen into the I-should-be-ashamed–to-use-my-skeg way of thinking at this time. Looking forward to paddling the boat loaded. Well, perhaps we now have a NE.Mass/Southern NH Cetus quorum, and should have a Cetus cotillion sometime, someplace like Great Bay, or Great Pond, or Odiorne….

My cell phone seems to have crapped out on me: I've gotten a few calls which may or may not have been from people planning to paddle, but I can't seem to talk on it or hear messages. In any event, I'm headed to Odiorne, will be there @ 10:15. Peter

I'm still planning on going. Sounds like there's some tentative interest, so I'll be reachable till @ 7:30 AM tomorrow (Sunday) or can be reached by cell phone 617-877-5824.

A couple of us will be launching from Odiorne Point/Seavey Creek at 10:30AM, with no set objectives. High tide is at noon, so there's the option for Gerrish Island Cicumnav. We'll plan to be off the water by @4PM. Weather forecast for tomorrow looks fairly good .

That is just too funny! Looks like the rescuers hadn't taken the Canoe Safety test yet ...

For a deck-mounted, the Suunto Orca is great, $49.95 at REI. It straps on with clips at the end of bungees, you can put it where you want it , or on whatever boat you use. Good price, simple, durable, easy to read, works great. http://www.ems.com/catalog/product_detail_...rcid=GoogleBase Also, you might consider a hand-held as part of your essential paddling items, right there in the pfd pocket all the time. Since you can get one for under $30 and they stow so easily, it's a bit of a no brainer. "The key to not being lost is knowing where you are."

I woke up this morning feeling crummy (unsettled stomach, mild headache) and as the temps low-mid 30's) are at the edge of my paddling comfort zone, prudence dictates that I cancel for today. Sorry, I was looking forward to this , but I'll be geared up to paddle in the coming weekends. I'll try to reach the individuals who reponded directly. Peter

Good Weather forecast for Sunday at this time. High tide is 1:30, favorable for a Gerrish Island circumnav. Launch from Odiorne/Seavey Creek at noon. Common adventure model, so float plan is flexible, but prefer circumnav. of Gerrish Island, most likely clockwise ( Chauncy Creek first) SUN... W WINDS 10 TO 15 KT. SEAS 1 TO 2 FT.

FYI - kayak related as you can take this on trips with you and it requires no refridgeration. I have started making homemade kefir recently. It is a healthy probiotic drink sorta like drinking yogurt. It is high in protein, B vitamins and just generally good for you. If anyone wants to give it a try, I have extra grains to spare. Ms. Hutchinson is perfecting a culinary art steeped in history. Kefir was a diet staple of the Mongols and nomadic tribes of the Central Asian steppes; it was a key source of nutrition and energy that could be carried on long uninterrupted journeys on horseback, as it would not spoil. These same attributes make it a great choice for kayak nomads.

I would highly recommend SOLO and Todd Wright. Great outfit, and it's great to take a class that is designed for watersports. In this setting, kayak related situations (such as dislocated shoulders, & hypothermia, and moving ijured persons ) may be more emphasized. And doing the work at waters edge, or in the water, is of great value. Also: taking wilderness first aid is vastly preferable (IMO) to standard first aid. Standard first aid emphasizes stabilizing a patient until EMT's arrive ("the golden hour"), where wilderness first aid gets into treating a patient where help cannot be counted on to arrive soon ("the golden day" ) , which is, of course, a scenario more likely to confront kayakers.

Great pictures, Doug. Thanks for posting them. Made me want to be there. Maybe next year. Love that red and black Anas acuta! That looks like Mr. Maynard in a Cetus. Sweet...

Has anyone observed and/or utilized the "sector" light projections from beacons/lighthouses, whilst nighttime navigating? Refer to the white sector emanating from Goose Rocks Light, at Fox Island Thoroughfare, Vinalhaven. http://www.charts.noaa.gov/OnLineViewer/13305.shtml Gary I have. What do you need to know?

Can you send me a message, or email me (pbradyatneaqdotorg) or call me (617-877-5824)? I need some info. re: Portsmouth pool sessions. Thanks, Peter

There are two pool sessions in Portsmouth on the calendar: March 8th and April 26th. April 26th was full, but one person switched to March 8th, so: Both sessions now have one spot open. The first Portsmouth session was a good time: There were hand rolls, first rolls, beautiful strip build greenland kayaks, and general good kharma. To sign up, send me an email. Peter

Removing minicell: scraper (some good tools in the paint/wallpaper removal section of Home Depot), thin gloves (latexor or nitrex), acetone, respirator with fresh organic vapor cartridges, coarse sandpaper, and patience. There’s something to be said for having a seat that can be moved. I initially installed the foam seat in my Explorer farther aft than customary; the boat didn’t weathercock at all; then I moved the seat about an inch and a quarter forward, and there was quite a difference: my thighs were in better contact, and the boat seemed faster and handier: looser stern, I guess. But then it weathercocked a little bit. Interesting how an inch makes such a difference. Adjusting trim can be a useful tool. However, at this time my preference is to find a spot for the seat that works for me and keep it there, and just get used to it the way it is. Since stock fiberglass seats are generally harder to move this is mostly what their owners do anyway.

If you want to place the seat and to have the option to move it later, or if you’re test fitting to see if you like the placement : spot gluing (e.g. a dab of contact cement in five spots) will hold it okay and then you can pull it free easily. If you are sure where you want your seat and want to keep it there: make sure you have a dry, prepped surfaces. Apply a thin coat of contact cement (boat and seat), wait 10 minutes. Apply another coat, wait ten minutes, apply a third coat, then 10 minutes later, or when its tacky, fix the seat.

Most of my water goes inside my cockpit - behind the seat, under my legs, beyond my feet and not in my DRY hatches, just in case I develop a leak in a bag. Suz On an expedition where use of storage space is imortant , the most potential lost or gained space is in the cockpit. If you wanna get really slick, you can attach d-rings to the floor of the cockpit and strap down water bags right along the keel line. http://nrsweb.resultspage.com/display.php?...amp;w=D%2Drings