gyork

Walrus (to me, a premier tent maker in its time) trekker tarp. Doubles as a canopy tarp (think vaulted ceiling) and single wall tent (no floor,obviously). Has served as a community kitchen on all my group outings. Don't know where you'll find one (ebay or the like?) Gary

i will be in the Muscle Ridge archipelago (W PenBay region) kayak camping Sun-Tues, then off to outer Muscongus Bay, Tues-Fri. Send PM if interested in joining any part of this trip. gary

Mr Neatfreak made the mistake of clipping the toggle of a fellow camper's kayak, whilst beached, resulting in an outburst heard clear across the lake, when owner grabbed the toggle to launch. My thrifty solution to keeping the toggle from flopping around was a purchase of a few feet of very thin elastic cord at Joann's fabric, from which is made a a small loop (the knot carefully hidden in the RDF, of course). Though quickly discouraged at discovery, toggles can still be grabbed for transport by the uninformed, as the cord allows considerable stretch.

The number of posts so far (27) would suggest otherwise. I'll remember Leon's helpful suggestion if I'm in dire straits, and consider CUTTING THE DECKLINE.

This doesn't seem possible under the recommendations posted. What if.......the towee passed the 'biner/snap hook through the toggle cord and ran it aft to the front of the cockpit coaming, and attached it to a closed nylon strap (think stirrup rescue) that has been looped around the coaming. Now towee has the option to release. Yet attachment point is not optimum placement for directing the towee's boat (?too far aft?). I suppose the 'biner will more than likely get snagged on the toggle loop on its "return" trip, too. More fuel for the fire, so fire away! gary

1 Nm, 336 strokes, 15'30", Werner Kalliste 220cm, unfeathered, wingspan 6'4", Valley argonaut glass, blah, blah, blah...

Seconded. What a great introduction to encourage hydrophillia, especially if there is any inclination to turn him on to camping. Some of my fondest on-the-water memories are of canoe-camping on Squam and Umbagog when my 2 boys were young. Gary

Because I'm intrigued by primitive science, I did this Saturday on flat, freshwater. 1 Nm, 336 strokes, 15'30". Gary

Compared two waypoints on recent Casco Bay trip. The Google Earth "given" and cheapo GPS "measured" waypoints at Jewell campsite and Cousins Island launch differed by 100 and 16 feet, respectively. Of course this will vary day-to-day, based on availability of satellites, and I wasn't paying attention to "accurate to ____ feet" at the time I was "marking" the 2 waypoints. FWIW.

Here you go: http://outdoors.webshots.com/album/572205379kAImGx

Would gently suggest exit 11, left at end of ramp. ~2 mi to stop sign, straight through ( Rte 103A) for ~1 mile. At bottom of long downhill turn right onto Blodgett's Landing rd. 1st left onto Bowles Rd for 100 ft. Parking and launch on right. I'll plan to join you. If plans change or delayed, contact me at numbers I'll send you via PM. Gary

Last call.

yes-handy to have smaller sections of charts at 8.5 X 11 size. Remember to put 2 maps back to back, as you pay the same price/lamination. I find it helpful to draw in parallel magnetic North lines, separated by a distance equal to N nautical miles, depending on the scale. I'll also assign letter designations to different landmarks or aids to navigation, and record their waypoints on a non-critical area of the chart. Related, but somewhat OT, I'll "sharpie" tide information directly on deck before embarking on multi-day excursions.

Welcome to the club Les. There is limited utility of employing a VHF radio on inland waters. Aside from the weather radio function, 2-way communication is possible with cheaper models by motorola/others that are sold by the pair, and that could be protected from the elements with see-thru bags made for that purpose. I'll defer to others regarding reception limited to "line of sight", but I've lost reception with a fellow paddler on Squam Lake because of intervening islands. Having said that, the "weather alert" function on my ICOM 88 has correctly warned me of a fast moving weather cell bringing heavy thunderstorms within 10 minutes. This function would serve a paddler well, regardless of where they are paddling. If you and your wife expect to do more ocean paddling with groups, a VHF is a great way to stay in touch. As most of us can attest, group paddles tend to dissipate into smaller groups, and without preparation, these pods quickly lose contact with one another without radios being ON and MONITORED. I think they are under-utilized on such paddles, and feel that they should be encouraged at the beach briefing, with radio checks at every interval launch site-$0.02 Gary

REFRESHING! (pun intended) Here's a great opportunity to enjoy a leisurely paddle and camping trip, coupled with stewardship of NSPN's newly-adopted sister islands Bangs and Crow. For those of you with intermediate paddling skills, this would be a great first-time kayak camping trip (privies provided).

Wasn't able to make this event, but interested in the "tag" mentioned elsewhere for kayak/kayaker ID. How to obtain this item? Gary

The upcoming Jewell camping trip (paddlers wanted) lends itself to a great stewardship opportunity for NSPNers. Last year's trip confirmed that Crow is a prime stop for lunch (Bangs off-limits at nesting period). Shall we plan the same stop, and make a clean sweep of the small island? Gary

Sent a PM.

Jason, you're welcome to sit in the unaltered "School Bus", on our way to Jewell (I'm hoping you're joining us after a one-year hiatus), though I can't attest that the dimensions of my Argonaut '04 are the same as the Aquanaut HV. In fact, the width and length listed for School Bus are 22" and 17'7", respectively, and the Aquanaut HV dimensions from the website are 22.5" and 17'8". Gary

Or, phone and ask kindly if the Staff would please change the event date on the posted flyer, as I did today at EMS Concord (NH that is, as we do get a number of people "from away" passing through our beautiful State). Longshot perhaps, but effortless on my part. FWIW BBLean's across the street would not permit the flyer to be posted. Gary

I have used 5-minute, 2-pqrt marine epoxy to adhere the rubber-like portion of 4 D-rings (disk-shaped, commonly used for canoe tie-down points http://www.nrsweb.com/shop/product.asp?pfi...1&src=champ ) to the floor of my cockpit. This, with a length of elastic cord secures my 6-liter dromedary. One of the rings has come free. Any recommendations for the best adhesive for this application? Thank you. gary

Can't wait for the video version ;-)

A buddy once told me that seals are more apt to launch if you stop or slow to watch, versus continuing to paddle at a regular cadence. I suspect this might be true, but only outside their "comfort distance", which I suspect, as Ed suggests, is >100m, based on my half-vast (say it fast) experience?

QUOTE(Kevin B @ Mar 26 2009, 04:47 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>Thanks for the link. If you are interested, I posted this one a while ago which connects to google maps. http://demo.geogarage.com/noaa/ Thanks Kevin. This site avoids toggling between charts; now a "favorite".

While there is not inherent software ability to point/click/drag to determine these figures, a compass rose and scale allows for accurate trip planning on your monitor, using simple tools as dividers and simple straightedge, such as ruler or piece of paper. I have printed many of these maps for detail, being careful to transfer scale and magnetic North line(s), and highlighting aids to navigation, as these are sometimes indistinct in the printing process. Gary