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I must say I wish I could go back, I lived there for a year. www.seakayakiceland.com I met the owners severl years ago, great people. Leave some time for some 'land' site seeing. Enjoy! Chuck

Hi Christropher, I purchased, in '06, a new Avocet & covered it in 3M film (6 mil I think). My assesment of this stuff is that it is almost bullet proof. I don't remember where I purchased it but I remember finding it online, the company primarily sold protective products for cars. I did my whole deck. Thanks, Chuck

I did a trip up there several years ago with Coastal Spirit Expeditions ( www.coastalspiritexp.com ), the did a great job. The owner is Peter Enjoy, Chuck

Hi Cath, My wife Nancy's is the same size as you are. Her first composite kayak was an Impex Mystic. At 14' this a great boat for a smaller paddle, excellent handling, a good turn of speed, good in the surf & in glass it only weighs #40. I'm 5'7 & #155, I loved it in the surf. She said that you would have to pry it from her cold dead hand if you wanted it. Then one day she tried a P&H Vela (which she now owns), 15'8" x 20" wide. This is a sports car of a kayak. The initial stability is lighter than the Mystic, it will turn on a dime & is very fast. These are 2 very different boats. You will find the Mystic to be very solid, where as the Vela will require more of your attention until you get accustomed to it. I would strongly recommend that you find them & paddle them. Though they are shorter than the boat you have or a longer boat you will probably find that it will be easier for you to 'keep up' in a boat that is appropriately sized for you. I think you will be hard pressed to find a 'long boat' (even an LV) that will be easy for you to control. Of course the proof is in the paddling. Well, there is my 2 cents ($2.50 w/ the coming inflation). Thanks, Chuck

I have had a Kestral 1000. This unit only measures wind speed, in knots, mph ft./sec. It is water proof so you can actually measure speed through the water. Great unit, about $75.

I was stationed there in the early '70s, it is a beautiful place. You might want to read a book called 'Around the Rock', it is by someone who paddled around NF. Their is also an outfitter & touring company out of St. Johns, it was highlighted in one of the 'This is the Sea' videos. Also if you go to the Back Packer magazine wed site & search you will find several articles they have done about hiking there. Have a great time! Chuck

So here is my 2 cents. I have a Pentax W60, it is about 2 years old. One of the reasons I choose this camera is that it did not have a closing lens cover. When compared to the Olympus from turn on to first shot it is twice as fast (it doesn't have a cover to open). As to the gasket issue, when I am not using the camera I leave the battery door open to allow the gasket to expand to its normal shape. I do this with all of my water proof boxes, etc. I would also recommend at least a 5x zoom which is the equivalent to about a 120 mm lens in the 35mm world.

Hi Kevin, Here is the link to the Palm UK site http://www.palmequipmenteurope.com/gear/surface_immersion_suits.php it will give you all of the specs. for their latest kit. I have a Palm Aleutian dry suit & an Aleutian semi dry top. I am very happy w/ both plus other misc. Palm kit I have. As Suz says the warranty if needed may be an issue. Thanks, Chuck

Hmmm, I always thought that SS was non-ferrous. Now I'll have to find a magnet & satisfy my curiosity.

Though I'm not a big camper, I have a few ideas -When Nancy & I kayak camp we always use a 3 man tent. It is nice to have the extra room in case you get weathered in -As to stoves, I use a compact butane stove, easy to use & no mess. Alcohol can actually be very dangerous since you can't see the flame. As for carrying alcohol in a thin water bottle, that could make quite a mess if it leaks. -I carry a SS multi-pot cook set, a titanium tea pot & cup. -Also a folding camp table. This along w/ everything else that you need. I feel the beauty of kayak camping is you can 'even bring the kitchen sink'. All of our 'luxuries', including group gear & food, fits in my Avocet (16') & Nancy's Vela (15'8")for 2-4 days of camping. Just my 2 cents ($2.50 w/ the coming inflation) Chuck

Cath, That sounds great, what is your area code. Thanks, Chuck

Any experience with the PN 60 GPS? Thanks, Chuck

Thanks everyone for the info. Anyone else?

Is anyone paddling an Atlantic or Polar. I'd be interested to see a review. I've read the reviews @ paddling.net & know I need to paddle it...but I'm just curios. Thanks, Chuck

The end of the outer cable housing may have come loose @ the skeg box. As I remember for that boat Impex simply glassed the outer housing to the skeg box. If you find that the hatches leak their could be 2 reasons (maybe more). The inside of the hatches were not smooth so did not seal well to the gasket. Sand them until they are smooth where the gasket touches the hatch. Another problem maybe that the gasket ends have separated from each other. They can be glued back together. Great boat by the way...enjoy!

I think the M72 might be on sale @ West Marine.

Ok, here is my 10 cents ($2.50 with the coming inflation). I'm a fair haired boy...so I burn easily. I have tried the expensive stuff & the cheap Walmart brands. No matter what the SPF, when I got back from paddling my wife would always say "you got burned today". I found some would run in my eyes & just about blind me (I taught a beginners class once with my eyes closed most of the time). I tried Coppertone Kids Pure & Simple SPF 50 ($8.95 @ Walmart). After a few paddles I realized I wasn't getting the old refrain. It has 14.5% Zinc Oxide, one of the 3 magic ingredients. It also does not bother my eyes. A lot of sunscreens have zinc or titanium, but a much small percentage. As for clothing I usually were a Columbia cap with a big bill & a drape and an NRS Hydrosilk L/S (SPF 30). For sunglasses I wear Natives which are polarized. Well there you have it.

I found the valley ovals relatively easy to get off if you start pulling at the bow or stern end of the hatch, not in the middle. I have a sea dog oval & it doesn't seem to leak.

This symposium is put on by Barrier Islands Kayaks in Swansboro, NC. It is always extremely well done, typically with small groups and is always a great time. Here is the link Southern Outer Banks Sea Kayak Symposium I have no financial interests in this, I'm just trying to get the word out. Enjoy, Chuck

Hey, Adam, I can't seem to find your blog w/ all of the great info. As I remember you had a article on how to attach a vhf to a pfd shoulder strap, still available? Thanks, Chuck

Yesterday I did a rolling session with my new oval Sea Dog hatch on my composite Avocet. I found the hatch easy to get on & off @ a temp of 60 degrees(I did give it a liberal coating of 303).I had to drill out one of the holes on the grip area to attach my external lanyard. After the session I found that the small sponge that I keep in the compartment was slightly damp. Their was no loose water in the compartment (that is what the sponge is for). All in all it appears to be a great hatch.