PeterB

A bit of clarification for those unversed in Chota muklukology: http://www.chotaoutdoorgear.com/CyberMerch...6&section=store The mukluk light is the one most kayakers use, as its tread is lightweight and other models like the quicklace mukluk are more substantial and might not fit inside ones boat , as Mike says. They're probably used more by canoeists, for whom footroom is not a concern and who need a substantial tread for portages etc.

The Chota quicklace mukluks have an added benefit in that they are excellent as winter snowboots. When its time for me to shovel the driveway, on they go. I'm surprised that the Chota people don't try to tap into this larger market.

If you wish for a gadget and are willing to spend that much, get something with a barometer function . http://www.brunton.com/product.php?id=260

Excellent resource! Luddites of the world, unite! "Alone,alone, all, all alone. Alone on a wide wide sea..." -Coleridge

I might be available Sunday, would prefer Conomo/Essex/Pavilion area. -Peter "Alone,alone, all, all alone. Alone on a wide wide sea..." -Coleridge

Agawam Diner, intersection of Rtes 1 & 133, Rowley.

South Georgia Island, my guess. And no Photoshop! "Alone,alone, all, all alone. Alone on a wide wide sea..." -Coleridge

I am game for the Portsmouth area, or possibly even farther north, like Casco Bay. I had been anticipating 4* training this weekend, but it was cancelled , so my blood is up. An early start to get through Chauncey Creek to Brave Boat with options to retrace steps would be fine with me. I would be up for some practice (rescues, tows etc) & rocks along Gerrish, if others are. Peter "Alone,alone, all, all alone. Alone on a wide wide sea..." -Coleridge

I will make an attempt to join you. Where the *#@& is the Black Cow? "Alone,alone, all, all alone. Alone on a wide wide sea..." -Coleridge

Thanks, Have I absorbed it all yet? No. For a while, I was curled into a fetal position, overwhelmed with hydrological overload, but I am absorbing, slowly. Have these posts been helpful? Yes. Bob, looking forward to drawing on napkins with you, perhaps at the Agawam Diner after an Ipswich pool session. Do I understand that opposing swell, wind, waves etc. is an essential ingredient in the creation of standing waves? So, that race next to Pond Island at Popham , at max current on a full moon, could conceivably be inactive, with no standing waves if there were no incoming swell or opposing wind waves . If so, in that case, I would imagine just a swiftly moving current, like a river.

Thanks for three informative replies, which I cannot absorb all at once, but have printed out and will take a few days to chew over. It would seem that tidal races and standing waves would tend to be more pronounced on the ebbing tide, as they are more likely to be affected by incoming/opposing swell, and an ebbing tide is usually stronger than a flooding tide. E.G. At Popham, I have paddled twice in the standing waves next to Pond Island, just out from the mouth of the Kennebec River, both times on the ebbing tide . Would that same spot be not as active on the flooding tide?

Natalia dear, How is the blushing bride? I saw your boat this past weekend, gliding about this way and that in the hands of a handsome, courtly gentleman with a foreign accent. Now that you’re happily ensconced in the bondage and discipline of holy matrimony, I suppose you would like the boat returned without its occupant.

I continue to be mystified by the hydrology of standing waves in tidal races. There’s something about paddling down a wave while actually moving backwards which short circuits my analytical abilities. SO: Why do standing waves fall/break against the current (what I would call the back side of the wave) , rather than with the current (what I would call the front side of the wave) ? If this is too dense or complicated to explain in this forum , can anyone offer a good reference(preferably with illustrations) that explains to the layperson the hydrology of tidal races? The following is an example of an explanation that I would consider not helpful: “Oscillations of the water surface are common features of flows around critical conditions (Fr _ 1) and of both natural and structure-induced undular hydraulic jumps. The dimensionless wavelength and wave amplitude were correlated to the Froude number at the sill. The first wavelength appears linearly related to the Froude parameter, whereas the amplitude of the first wave shows a less defined behavior, possibly indicating that a maximum value occurs for sill Froude numbers around 1.6–1.7. The corresponding wave steepness (i.e., wave amplitude/length) results between 0.15–0.16, and this range also characterizes the point at which the dimensionless trough depth below the sill achieves a local maximum, probably related to hydrodynamic conditions just before wave breaking."

To the rolling and bracing discussion I would add: Its hard to argue with a roll in winter ; it’s the fastest way to get upright with the least amount of body contact with water, and you stay in your boat. Coming out of ones boat always has the potential to set in motion that spiraling sequence of bad events. ( e.g. you’re out of your boat and rescuers fingers are cold don’t work so well, they can’t grab the decklines, etc. and grip is lost during reentry ; you get the picture…) A roll in winter is different from a roll in a pool or skills session. The shock of cold water and possible added stress with the situation can inhibit ones roll. The drysuit with some unburped air and the added bulk of winter clothing can inhibit torso movement especially in the set up. So its good to practice a roll in safe or controlled winter conditions to confirm that one can do it when it counts. I would disagree that a brace is always preferable to or safer than a roll. In some situations, a high brace to prevent a capsize can be more stressful on joints, and sometimes it might be better to tuck in, let oneself capsize, (let the water do the work of stopping your downward momentum) and roll up when good and ready.. "Alone,alone, all, all alone. Alone on a wide wide sea..." -Coleridge

I would say: all of the skills that are important year round apply to winter paddling, only ramped up: most important(by far) winter skill of them all: judgment But that applies year round, doesn't it? "Alone,alone, all, all alone. Alone on a wide wide sea..." -Coleridge

Deb, If looking like Death from "The Seventh Seal" is what you have come to call stylish, you've been hanging out with too many kayakers... Peter The balaclava is very comfortable with that fleece inner layer , does a good job keeping a rush of water (short term immersion) from entering your ears while still enabling you to hear, and can be tucked into the collar of your paddling garment. "Alone,alone, all, all alone. Alone on a wide wide sea..." -Coleridge

Sorry, I didn't describe the product very well. The item I described as a storm hood is the Kokatat Surfskin balaclava. It's in the "insulation" section of the Kokatat website. http://kokatat.com/product_detail.asp?code=sba "Alone,alone, all, all alone. Alone on a wide wide sea..." -Coleridge

Give special attention to headgear. A dunking in frigid water affects people differently: a very few are affected little, most get at least an ice cream headache, and a few have extreme reactions that can incapacitate them or worse . Until you know, its prudent to wear something that protects your head and your ears in the event of a dunking. One concern is that cold water in ones inner ear can affect ones balance, and even a superpaddler can suddenly be unable to stay upright. I wear a Kokatat storm hood, it’s fleece lined with a thin neoprene outer shell and there are options to wear thicker neoprene caps, hood, or a helmet over that.

Night Nav stuff needs some attention. The deck mounted compass will probably be too far away & unreadable at night; I have a Suunto strap- on compass (from NESC, where else?) mounted close enough to read, with cool little mini-glow sticks (from NESC, where else?) to illuminate the compass from underneath. Having the needed stuff (chart, hand-held compass and/or nav-aid, reading light on pfd, and reading glasses,) set up so it can all be at hand can take some sorting out, especially if everything is tethered. Something to write on (dive writing tablet, waterproof notebook etc) would be good , as having as many compass bearings and general nav. info worked out in advance can be good. ( too much chart work from the cockpit at night makes me a bit queasy) Some paddlers write on their front deck. When it gets cold, those fancy sealed chart cases (I’m told) can fog up, a pretty good argument for laminated charts.

Pool sessions, as I recall, were $20/person last year.

I would attend Peter

You can get one from NESC; it would probably need to be ordered. Around $160. I ordered one from there and it arrived in a week or two, as I recall.

Brian, In addition to the clothing underneath, you will find that when you stop for a break, you may rapidly begin to feel chilled. Ironically, this is the breathable drysuit Gore-Tex doing its job: as it moves moisture away from your skin, especially when the wind blows, it accelerates evaporative cooling. So ,keep a windblocking outergarment (parka, cag, windbreaker, etc) in your day hatch, ready to throw over yourself when you’re taking a break and out of your boat . A cag (essentially a kayak- specific windbreaker) is a great garment: it can be thrown on easily, and can be worn on the water too, as it can be fitted around your cockpit . But a wind blocking parka will work well too. Since the day hatch often has rattling things in it (water bottles, thermoses, tupperware containers with sandwiches etc.,) a cag or parka in the day hatch also provides dunnage (keeps stuff from rattling around, e.g. water bottles shifting their weight at the bottom of your hull. ) Peter

I'll be there

Recently there has been a movement, in BCU circles and elsewhere, to discourage or eliminate the use of the high brace, especially in the surf one , because of the obvious risk to the shoulder. I haven’t surfed much this season, but had been giving this matter considerable thought, as I had an experience out west in July (I high braced, with sound technique, into a pretty forceful wave; wasn’t injured, felt no pain but did feel a noticeable, unsettling level of stress on my shoulder), and had listened to others, especially Bill Gwynn, who in message boards and in person has emphasized the use of the low brace exclusively while surfing. So it was with all of this in mind that I surfed at Popham Beach last weekend resolved to use only the low brace, and see how things went. I was pleased to find that the low brace worked perfectly well, both bracing into a wave, bongo sliding, whatever, and I now will feel comfortable in the surf zone entirely sans high brace. If I’m the last person on the planet to have come to this this realization , please ignore this post. If not, well, don’t ignore. Now that I think of it, I had loaned someone or other a video on the surf zone (by Wayne Horodowich) , which has a lengthy, involved section extolling the high brace (shows you how two persons can practice high bracing using a sling , the whole nine yards). Whoever you are, (senior moment, can’t remember) please consider this disclaimer… this may be a prime example of how kayak videos and dvd’s should not be taken as gospel , as they can have out-of-date stuff in them…. Peter