PeterB

This is a reminder that the NSPN Solstice paddle will be this Sunday at Riverhead/DevereauxBeaches in Marblehead. For all the info., go to the calendar section. This is a traditional NSPN event, a group paddle followed by a pot luck cookout in a open air paviliion on the beach. It's a great opportunity for new and old members to meet, paddle and eat (the Holy Trinity of NSPN) Bring good food. NSPN has high culinaary standards! (one of the first things I learned when I joined.) Its also one of the several opportunities for the whole club to get toogether. There will be a level 2 trip launching at 10AM, a level "2+" (going a bit further out of Marblehead Harbor) launching at 11:00, and an informal level 3 trip launching at 10:30. The level 3 is a show & go format posted on the Private Trips forum of the message board, but the level 2 trips are official NSPN trips posted on the calendar , so you will need to sign up if you're interested. Looking forward to seeing old friends and meeting new ones at this fun event!

Have you tried out a Nigel Foster Legend? It's in the same family as the Rumour, designed for paddlers including those in your size range.

I would vote for return to original owner. We live in the same town so I will contact you to negotiate for its return...

Gene, The 167, I think, is conceived as a Capella for larger paddlers: as you are medium sized I would try the 163, which is a tried and true winner, with the 161 a bit smaller tried and true winner , as Ed says. Since P& H boats have a solid reputation and lots of paddlers will have lots to say. almost all positive, the best thing would be to get some butt time in the boat you're interested in, paddling in the kind of environment and conditions you would ultimately be in if you owned the boat. (ha ha, sage- like advice I've not always followed...) I'm pretty sure you can demo and/or rent one from CRCK, and probably deduct whatever rental costs if you chose to buy. NESC would do well for you too; I'm sure they have demos for all the P&H boats (Shameless Brad G. plug here) . John Carmody now is a P&H emiissary, and if perchance you could cross paths with him you might even get a test drive laced with some instruction (shameless BCU/Carmody plug here..)

A friend of mine who is an avid fisherwoman said that the Charles is an excellent fishing destination, ("underfished') ; underrated partly because most people think of it as polluted ( perhaps conditioned by that old anthem by the Standells; why do the Boston Pops play "New York, New York" during fireworks finales when they could be playing "Dirty Water"?) What's the point ? The point is: the Charles River has been cleaned up considerably, is cleaner than perhaps most people think it is, and sections of it provide fine paddling with turtles, waterfowl etc. David is most correct: CRCK is the resource to check out.

Better, I suppose, than convincing your boat that you need a new wife...

"if I'm overheating and my noodle is cooked it makes me wonder if it's safer to be slightly underdressed for the water and be at the top of my game or... be slightly dizzy and in the drink???" Interesting thread. Up in Bar Harbor recently, Dave Legere, who runs Aquaterra (most reputable outfitter in BH) and has a ton of experience with paddlers, said that with all the paddlesport emphasis on hypothermia, hyperthermia does not get due attention. Might well be that in his experience ( lots of trips with lots of paddlers) hyperthermia is a problem outfitters and guides deal with regularly, perhaps more often than hypothermia. I'm not a physiologist, but if "dizziness is one of the first symptoms of hyperthermia", that implies that one of the parts of the body affected by overheating is the inner ear, which in turn affects balance and could cause motion sickness .

I'm prone to motion sickness and I think that it can be aggravated by a lot of different things: a tight latex neck gasket, minor inner ear problems or some minor malady, what one eats and drinks, dehydration etc. . Can't quantify anything but it wouldn't be surprising at all to have overheating or related discomforts aggravate motion sickness.

These incidents make a serious point: even if it happens only once every few years, uncontrollable leecocking can be dangerous in an offshore wind. Also a good argument for having some bivvy stuff in ones paddling kit. A couple of years ago at a Ken Fink lecture he talked about "destination-itis", how too many paddlers in a stiff wind get fixated on returning right to their car, when returning to a spot several miles down the way and walking back to the car can be safer and wiser . (A five mile walk oughtn';t be the worst thing in the world). or just staying put could be wiser. Having a cheap bivvy sack and the cheapest sleeping bag one can find: you could insert a water flled dromedary right up in the nose of the boat, and secure it with the sleeping bag so it doesn't move around, which could cure leecocking. Having the bivvy stuff (adds maybe a minute to loading and unloading the boat) also could have the psychological effect of knowing that there's the option to stay put in a troublesome wind. Without bivvy stuff, one might feel the necessity to press on against ones better judgment.

Things look okay here: I guess we're not in Kansas anymore. Remember: if a tornado passes through, stay out of the Suck Zone. (I got my terminology from the movie "Twister")

Not a bad argument for bringing 30 lbs or so of kit even on day outings when it's not all needed: You can then adjust your trim by loading your compartments where you need the weight. In this instance, of course, loading the front compartment would be the thing to do. It rarely hurts to carry extra water anyway , so it might be a good idea having some water filled dromedaries (e.g. against the front bulkhead, on the bottom of the hull in this case) and then some float bags to inflate and lock them in their place so they don't roll around. If you need them they're there, if not, you can always empty the dromedary, especially on your truddge back tthe car from the put in. Another thing you could do is wedge something (jacket etc) behind your butt to push you a bit foreward in your seat, This may or may not be comfortable dependng on how you fit in your boat, and you could just slide forward with no backrest, but I have found that a little adjustment makes a big difference . I recently moved my seat forward @ 1 1/2 inches. and the boat handles differently, better in a lot of ways and my contact with thigh braces is better, but the boat does weathercock a bit now, easily fixed by loading most of my normal stuff in the dayhatch and rear compartment. Except when I paddle backwards...

That's easy: British racing green with yellow trim.

You could apply heat and see if it hardens after a day: set up a heat lamp so its heating the surface but not cooking it. If you probe around and determine that the patch is sound but just the surface is tacky, you can apply talc or baby powder and get rid of the tack on the surface. If the fiberglass cloth is still moving around in the patch area when you probe, the whole batch might be faulty and you'd want to scrape off or otherwise remove your work, then prep & patch the surface again.

This past weekend, two separate s&gs sort of merged to become a two day paddle in Portsmouth area & Gerrish island. Of the 9 paddlers on Saturday and ten on Sunday, six of us paddled both days. This more standard trip report is intended to compliment Gail’s observations: Sunday April 29th On this quiet, overcast, far-from warm Sunday morning, ten paddlers showed up at Frisbee Wharf in Kittery, and soon enough there were: 6 Explorers (one strip-built) 2 Force 3’s 1 Aquanaut 1 Anas acuta: all lined up at the public boat ramp at Frisbee wharf, ready for action at around 10AM. The sky was a battleship gray, temps were about 45 degrees F for both the air and the water, and winds were from the SE As a group, we agreed to paddle to Brave Boat Harbor through Chauncey Creek, assess the conditions there and decide whether to continue back on the exposed route around Gerrish Island, or return the way we came on the more protected route. We launched and made short work of Pepperrell Cove and Chauncey Creek, passed through the culvert under Seapoint Road, and formed into single file for the trip down the sinuous channel through the salt marsh to Brave Boat Harbor. Kevin and Joe looked to be practicing for the Gerrish Island race, and repeated Saturday’s speed metal rip down “Bow Rudder Alley” to Brave Boat, with the rest of us winding our way along at a more leisurely pace. Behind me I heard Gillian begin to grumble about our seemingly endless series of bow rudders , so I broke up the monotony with a couple of reverse high brace sweep turns. We entered Brave Boat Harbor , passed through the old railroad trellis, and did a reconnaissance around the mouth of Brave Boat. A few paddlers were not entirely comfortable with the conditions awaiting on the outside of Brave Boat (officially it’s a level four trip from here) , so we split into two groups: Team Bravo (three paddlers) headed out of the harbor for the outside passage, while Team Not-So-Bravo (the rest of us) returned the way we came. We figured that perhaps we would meet up again around Fort Foster, perhaps not. So, after a bit of surf play in the mouth of the harbor, we started back, once again resembling a bow rudder chorus line. At the culvert, we noticed that it was 12:30PM, two hours after high tide, and there was still plenty of water, revising my traditional assessment that this channel only has water for an hour on either side of high tide. Once through the culvert, we rode the ebb current down Chauncey Creek and , entering Portsmouth Harbor and Pepperrell Cove , we briefly fanned out, and gathered again, landing on Fishing Island, a pleasant little affair of perhaps one acre, perhaps half a mile from our original put-in. We perched ourselves on the remnants of some old structure (probably a bunker or gun emplacement) and broke out lunch. Lisa became the the star of this phase of our operation ; her fabulous home made brownies and guacamole showed that she had made her food preparations that morning with more than just herself in mind, bless her heart. Amidst pleasantries, we spied our three friends in the distance, emerging from underneath the pier at Fort Foster, returning from their outside passage and after some ribald vhf banter, we drew them to our location , where we they joined us for the remnants of our picnic. As things turned out, the conditions we saw at the mouth of Brave Boat had not materialized, so their trip was much tamer than expected. By now is was around 1:45 ,so our group split in half, five of us returning to Frisbee wharf while the other half headed out to poke around the islands and reefs around Whaleback Lighthouse. Among my own reflections for the day: The mix of general quiet and gray skies added a contemplative air to our undertaking.I felt a somewhat rueful sense of pleasure at having these waters to ourselves, knowing that this will only last another short while. I was overjoyed to be back in my Explorer, which had been in gestation, awaiting weather warm enough for me to repair a hole in the hull I had made about a month ago. I had also moved my seat forward an inch and a half during repairs , and found the results in both cockpit fit and handling to be extremely gratifying. The day before I was demo paddling a different boat that didn’t suit me, and I felt like I was paddling with one hand tied behind my back. The Impex Force 3 is a cool boat. It's got little rocker and is a go straight machine, but it held its own with even the Anas acutas through all all the one-eighty turns in the salt marsh. Over the weekend It was good to paddle with people of different skills , comfort levels, experience, all complimenting each other. The more experienced enjoyed their chance to teach, and the less experienced enjoyed the examples set and their own chance to learn. Thanks, everyone.

You might get a wide range of opinions re: the strength and general soundness of fiberglass vs. carbon/kevlar. Also, layups may vary in quality from boat to boat and manufacturer to manufacturer. The one thing that all agree on is that carbon kevlar is lighter, so if weight is of prime importance to you, (e.g. if you must handle and cartop your boat alone, much or all of the time) and is worth the extra $$ it would be a good choice, and I wouldn't worry about the layup being better or worse than fiberglass. If weight is not as big a concern , the differences in strength , hull speed etc. are arguable and probably not significant enough to warrant the extra money. Personally, I see fiberglass as a tried and true product, repairs are straightworward and I can handle the extra weight, so I would choose fiberglass unless I saw a really good deal for a c/k boat somewhere. If you always paddle with others and handle your boat with the someone's help ( both are generally advised anyway) , I would say; go with fiberglass.

During our rest stop on the familiar cobble beach in Brave Boat Harbor, there was an impromptu nav. session. Our pious instructor included an acronym to help in remembering the formula for declination; something involving "timid virgins", but I can't remember the rest. Fine paddle with a good group of people.Thanks, Paul, for putting it together.

A source like Eldridge can never be entirely accurate because rains can't be predicted at time of writing, and heavy rains can significanly affect max ebb on a river like the Piscataqua.During the rains last spring he Merrimac looked like it was running 10 knots. The passage from Chauncey Creek to Brave Boat Harbor (passable for maybe an hour on each side of high tide) is through a culvert under Seapoint Road, which has a nice current through it except at slack tide, which is short. From there it leads to Brave Boat Harbor by a winding channel through a salt marsh: probably a dozen sharp turns: I call it "bow rudder alley".

Yeah, that's why I have more than one boat. I forgot I owned one, so I bought another... By "discreet kayak storage service" I meant the latter. After all, what is a kayak owner more afraid of: theft, or the wrath of ones spouse?

AL, I think the new Capella 167 is designed as a (sort of) Capella 163 for larger people. At your size you probably span the weight for both boats (you’d be towards on the high end of the 163 and towards the low end of the 167) so it would be a matter of your preference; if you like more room for your body and your gear, the 167 would be preferable, if you like a smaller, handier ride, the 163 would be preferable. The Capellas are a great series; a number of NDK and Romany-philes have moved on to Capellas , partly because they have superior build construction, they’re a bit faster and they hold very comfortably on edge. I guess that’s what people call “lively”, so the Capella is a nice lively boat. (I've paddled the 163 but not the 167) The Romany and Explorer have a different feel, when on edge they do all the things kayaks should do, but you have to work a bit to hold them on edge; relax your hips, thighs etc and the hull plops down from on edge upright. This same attribute probably is what makes them so easy to roll ( in the second half of the roll, the Romany feels like it springs upright on its own!): the Explorer/Romany hull seems to want to be upright, so In rough water, you just stay relaxed and the boat kind of takes care of you, hence it’s many paddlers boat of choice in rough water, and in conditions where you start getting on the outside of your comfort "box" . But some paddlers dislike that: the hull of the Capella likes to be on edge, so if you’re into edging and getting the most out of your hull, Capellas are a great choice. Like most problems in life , these issues are all resolved by paddling rather than talking about it, so I'll take the "yak" out of "kayak" and shut up for now... Peter

I’m sure that private trips/s&g’s will come around in time, so I wouldn’t be inclined to read too much into this. No worries. This is definitely drysuit season! So paddling in the ocean at this time of year will always be restricted to those who have invested in all-season paddling (perhaps a minority in the club who may dominate public forums). In the mean time, it is good to see replies reflecting general prudence in paddling at this time of year when the allure of the sea is so great. "Alone,alone, all, all alone. Alone on a wide wide sea..." -Coleridge

The challenge to such a plan is that it involves crossings (Vinalhaven to Stonington & back) ,so you risk being stuck in the Stonington area due to weather and/or sea states, possibly unable to return to your car when you choose. if your trip planning allows for such a contingency, sounds interesting!

A swimming pool is now only a place to put your kayak in. A vacation in Tuscany is full of nothing but regret and anxiety because it means you won’t be kayaking. A copy of Burch has replaced “The Da Vinci Code” on your bedside table. You worry more about maintaining a proper degree of edge during a backwards figure-of-eight than about The war in Iraq. You find yourself doing a websearch for services like “Discreet Kayak Storage”

I always liked the Allman Brothers; in fact, the song “Whipping Post” might be especially appropriate for this message board. I ‘ve always been a bit of a folkie, so I ‘ve always liked: Tom Rush Tom Paxton Tim Hardin Dylan (if you can separate the good stuff from the pretentious) Mimi & Richard Farina The Pentangle “Light Flight” Van Morrrison: “Moondance” Joni Mitchell Everyone probably has something they are utterly ashamed to say they like for fear of losing what few friends they still have: for me it’s Gordon Lightfoot, and Jackson Brown (or “Jackson Down”, as a friend calls him) It’s hard to dislike the Stones, especially their earlier stuff before they stopped being musicians and became just performers, with Mick Jagger little more than a wind-up dance toy. “Kind of Blue” by Miles Davis is a no-brainer McCoy Tyner I’m an Eric Dolphy fan (“Green Dolphin Street”) I was a drummer, so Max Roach always hits the spot: Clifford Brown & Max Roach do a great version of “I get a Kick out of you” Which reminds me: I like anything by Cole Porter (especially if you can find the unsanitized stuff: like “Love for Sale”: “If you want to try my wares follow me and climb the stairs. Love for sale”) Coltraine: I could easily hear “Central Park West” playing in my head while riding a nice l swell along the eastern shore of Saturna Island, and everything is just right. If things aren’t as under control, like in a tidal race, inside my head might instead be playing Muddy Waters, or Little Walter doing “”Roller Coaster” or maybe The Clash, or Joe Strummer and the Mescaleros I like show tunes: Carousel Oklahoma Kiss Me Kate (Cole Porter again) , The misanthrope in me likes Tom Lehrer (“no fellow could ignore the little girl next door she sure looked sweet in her first evening gown. Now there’s a charge for what she used to give for free in my home town” Also: The Ramones (especially “”Bad Brain”, although that’s better suited to driving in traffic than out in a kayak) And Desmond Dekker (who died this past year) “ Pretty Africa” an early Rasta song from the 60”s , and almost any Reggae /ska recording by the great Jamaican producer Leslie Kong. If everyone has a falling in love song, for my wife and I (in 1979) it was “Hit me with your Rhythm Stick” by Ian Dury and the Blockheads

Bob, As Jason and Ed have pointed out, unfortunately there cannot be different edit functions for different forums. They all must be the same. To update a pool session message with a lot of text that you wish not to retype, I would suggest: go your message: copy the text, paste to a new message, then edit as you see fit, type a new heading and post the updated message,. I have done this with the Portsmouth pool sessions, and found it to be pretty fast. I wouldn’t worry about numerous outdated pool session messages cluttering the board , as your most recent message will be at the top of the page and the one that people will read; your old pool session messages will most likely drop to the bottom and off of page 1 and few if any will look for them or post there since they have already seen the most recent pool session message.

Friends, The benefits of having no edit function have been well expounded by Suz and Mike Crouse here.I will only add my personal view. I tend to post messages with a lot of typos, and, and sometimes I have posted messages that have been intemperate or impulsive in nature, and I almost always have regretted posting them shortly after doing so. The absence of an edit function will be a good thing for ME, because I will be more likely to use the message board functions as intended: I will now compose a message, I will read it on the preview (that’s what it’s there for , after all) and when I’m sure that it is fitting in both content and English, I will post it. In other words, I will no longer engage in the sloppy practice of using the message board itself as a print preview. This in turn will have the benefit of encouraging less impulsive, more thought-out messages on my part. If I do lapse in some way, I will still have the recourse to: post another message and apologize for my mistakes. Peter