Pintail

Beckers, If I can get a full weekend "off", I should like to take the class, too; but I must see about getting a Saturday off and that <might> be tricky. I shall let you know as soon as possible, I promise.

Would someone <please> enlighten me? What does IAH stand for? Damn these modern habits of acronyms, initials and abbreviations (as when having to listen to radio journalists use the expression "24/7" on air! Ghastly...) I do recognise MDI as meaning Mount Desert Island; but will someone elucidate? I honestly do not know what Gary is writing about -- and I think I have a right to know, after all... Yours, in earnest, etcetera!

I wondered if anyone would know the answer to that one: Cathy, you are just a <mine> of information! ; ^)

Gary, Does IAH stand, perhaps, for International Airport, Hobart? If not, do please enlighten me...

Paul, Our local music shop is, indeed, selling tickets and I'll gladly buy yours if you say the word. I may have one or two friends with me -- and I am sure the Crouses will try to be there. I <like> Nock school: it's a good venue and he has played there previously. (Yes, open seating) In addition, I see he is playing Passim in Cambridge the next night, Sunday 13th. and I might be in attendance there, too! A person can't hear too much of RT, right? Have any of you fans heard him with his son? <That's> a treat: Teddy has the sweetness of voice of his mother and the experience of hearing father and son together is not far-removed from the Richard-and-Linda days.

Michael -- of course I have the Free Reed set! I believe I have <all> his albums, except for bootlegs made at various gigs. Also every Fairport Convention album; also every Sandy Denny album. Then, there is Steeleye Span...oh, and The Albion Band...and...never mind!

Just found this online -- some poll of NYT readers' thoughts on "greatest guitarist ever": EDITORS' SELECTIONS (what's this?) February 22nd, 2008 8:17 am Link Others will argue for Jimi Hendrix or maybe Segovia, but I think for sheer inventiveness on the instrument, combining technique with a wide range of interesting and novel musical thoughts, Richard Thompson is the best guitarist ever. He's certainly the best non-blues based rock guitarist ever, but his folk and acoustic guitar is second to none. And his knowledge of the history of the form is untouchable. Start with his album "Rumor and Sigh" and work forward from there. — Kurt, Los Angeles Recommend Recommended by 184 Readers

It probably feels like electronic dental hygiene?

Yes, good man, Sal: thanks. Beckers, RT is simply one of the greatest singer-songwriters anywhere!

<...I think it would pretty hard to confuse the "forward stroke" with a "roll"> No, Mary: I think that if you capsize going rather quickly, you can probably incorporate the roll sweep into part of your forward stroke, and just keep making forwards progress with very little reduction in velocity...should we investigate? It's not such a stretch of the imagination, is it?

Ah, but does it float in the bath tub?

I am not nearly as polite as our President; neither am I half-as-conscientious regarding "waveband width" as Miz Beckers (I cannot see how a subject can be wasteful of waveband width when there is no declared topic, you, whatsyername? Something you wrote the other day...); but I <am> wanting to mention to others that the afore-mentioned Mr. Thompson will be appearing at Nock Middle School, Newburyport on Saturday 12th April and <I think> that everyone should try to hear him (being the unmitigated fan that I am!). When I first came to The States, his albums used to carry a sticker, saying something like "Britain's best-kept musical secret"; but nowadays his gigs are usually sell-outs. I know there are others who read this message-board who are also fans of RT (Mr. Crouse, Mr. Cooper, et al), so I shall hope to see you there. <Is> there any rule, in fact, that states that all posts here must be kayaking-related? Surely this is our club communication system? Maybe RT is also a sea-kayaker? Ha ha!

Beckers, that's going to be a "solo, <snowy> trip", is it?

"Do you need an old rusty spotter?" Very old and very rusty!

IMG_0165p.jpg Who are these two people: have they either mislaid their boats or perhaps don't have any and are merely trying <to look> kayak-ish? Whatever, they appear to be happy, romping in the water... (I like that word "kayak-ish")

Beckers, If you'll stay in touch with Ross, I'll stay in touch with you -- if plans for Sunday materialise.

Why is all this talk limited to the area of <children's> health? I rarely get colds -- nasal irrigation (and consequently sinus irrigation) has been part of my daily ablutions for years. That's partly why I love to be upside-down in the ocean. Everyone would be a lot healthier if they tried it...it is a habit as old as the hills: I believe yogis in India do the same thing!

Jonathan Richardson uses one of those, Gary, and he camps for days-on-end in Maine (he has several times given us talk/lectures on low-impact camping) If I remember correctly, though, I think he uses slightly-larger diameter tubing (three-and-a-half sounds less-than generous to me). I had a (slightly amusing) thought while looking at the link you provided: it might be a prudent idea to attache the screw-in lids at each end with a piece of safety-line -- imagine opening up at the tube-emptying station and...oops! Goodbye, screw-in lid! Ummm...

PS: Ed, please tell about Mark's plan for Scandinavia (you never mentioned Sweden; but that comes between Finland and Norway, unless...)

"in reading the boy's exploits/blog it looks as if "called off" isn't exactly correct sir. "they're done the first half (roughly) and will finish up in the next go. looks like the're about hitting the goal they set for themselves" Ricks, I did understand that from their website; but (I must apologise in advance) to me, the point of a circumnavigation or expedition such as this, in part, is exactly to test ones endurance -- if one stops and takes a break in the middle, one is not accomplishing that. Simple en klaar! Whilst I have enormous admiration for Simon (he is one of the two or three coolest paddlers I have met!), I did wonder at outset whether they had bitten off too much and wrote thus to Suzanne. Madagascar is one <enormous> piece of real estate -- isn't it the biggest island in the world (perhaps you might say Greenland, but that one is almost continental)? Nothing from Simon's reputation: I simply think that an expedition should be accomplished in one fell-swoop!

"To become the first ever expedition to kayak from Australia to New Zealand" -- which is exactly why I find it so incredible! (By the way: that other expedition around Madagascar has evidently been called off at roughly the halfway point -- Simon Osborne and his buddy Phil)

Unf(rigging)believable!!!!!!!!!!!

If reflective material in (say) one's PFD is going to make any difference to one's visibility on the high seas, then I presume that that infers proximity to the source of radar and there is <one> aspect of all this that no one has mentioned -- and I am guessing that no one is even aware of this. To wit: radar is not good for the human (animal) body. I once confronted the owner of a motor cruiser which was tied up at the dock at Cape Ann Marina: his radar scanner was running (although he <said> it was "on standby"). Any microwave radiation, in significant quantities, can harm the gonads and who knows what else...it should not be used deliberately close to other vessels. After landing an aircraft, one of the first tasks up front is to switch radar back to standby. I shall continue to try to stay well-clear of any boat using radar near me and, as Brian Nystrom points out, all this talk is highly academic and we should attempt to be as self-sufficient as possible.

It is some time (years?) since I have paddled out of Rye in winter; but there used to be unlimited access, free parking and no one in attendance, as I recollect...go for it!

Beckers, Many years ago (nine or ten?) we used the pool at Hanscom to host a demonstration by a certain Mr. Hutchinson -- I suspect it was owned/run by the Air Force; but I am not certain. Might that be an idea? I have absolutely no idea whom to contact or where to start enquiring; but others in that area might...? (It isn't strictly an indoor pool: it is covered by one of those huge inflatable affairs)