Pintail

Scotland and the Shetlands part-and-parcel of the United Kingdom! Scotland may have home-rule; but it is still UK, along with Wales and Northern Ireland!

Jason, See the classified page: E-ZLoad is very similar in concept...

>Actually, level 2+ has been added as an official distinction >to separate out trips for very early beginners from trips There is nothing about it on the website as far as I can see!

I would hazard to stick my neck out and say that crossing Casco Bay cannot be a level 2 trip by definition -- "a landing place within one mile" (or some such wording)? It can only be described as level 3, if you go into the trip level definitions. Secondly, what is a level 2 minus? I have heard talk of re-defining trip levels, but there is no such thing mentioned in the above same place -- only "level 2" and "level 3". "Inner" Casco Bay can be quite daunting at times, what with plenty of boat traffic in summer, ships coming and going, channel markers everywhere and lots of fetch from the south. Treat it with care. By the way, you call Fort Gorges "ancient"? It's positively brand-new, compared with, say, Rheims cathedral!

I know it is after the fact and that Jason has already made his decision; but there need be no talk of here: all it takes is application of vaseline or similar to avoid any corrosion whatsoever.

I hope I might be forgiven for thinking that "passing legislation" is what the United States is all about? It often seems that way to an outsider... It also seems the authorities, in their infinite wisdom, have forgotten about BCU coaching qualifications?

How early? (What about dawn?) If you come up Gloucester-way, you can count me in, Beckers!

Well, all these stories about seeing and even swimming near various sharks are not very impressive: there is a South African (an ex-fisherman) who studies them and who swims regularly in the company of great white sharks. After accustoming them to the human presence (prodding-rod in hand) he even showed off the teeth of one individual to the camera by grasping the animal by the snout: it was perfectly docile! The secret is in first demonstrating to the animal that you are its natural prey (yes, hence the prodding-rod). In the morning he took Cousteau's team down and they warily started to get used to the sharks and to allow the sharks to get used to . Later in the day he took Jean-Michel Cousteau back out (with snorkel, no scuba) with one cameraman and they were each of them hitching rides on a huge shark after getting to know that particular animal! It was all filmed for posterity and Cousteau said afterwards that it would remain the most memorable day of his diving career. Of course a surfboard (or kayak?) may look like the silhouette of a seal; but the point is that these creatures do not instinctively like the taste of humans and they do not attack on sight -- they go to pains to investigate first. And so on and so forth. I hope you like this story -- it showed last week on PBS.

Kevin, Are you doing anything this evening, after work? Want to paddle Gloucester harbor? I shall be around after 1800.

Ag, man: that's nothing! You should see the daily storms in summer on the highveld -- now the day we had hailstones bigger than golf balls: was something to write home about! It damaged about a dozen Boeings that were parked outside, requiring complete upper surface re-skinning! (Sorry about your cars, Cathy!)

Mr. Hazard, those greenhead flies are far too vicious for -- perhaps you have thicker hide than the rest of us? They drove me off the water last Sunday morning, which means that Mr. Beckwith is slightly wrong regarding the full moon -- I somehow doubt the pupae are aware of the of full moon? Mind you, nature is mysterious, innit? Chinese whispers -- pass it down the line -- we pupate tomorrow! Pintail Assorted sea kayaks (as someone else says: life's too short to own an ugly boat!)

Al, be careful of your wording -- you start off first post saying "weather supposed to be fine" or words to that effect, then in later post you refer to the fog of this morning (there here in Gloucester harbor) and the thunderstorms of this afternoon (there be, as sure as as eggs are eggs!) Pay attention to detail, my man! Regards and all that...

Mr. Beckwith and Mr. Carlson are right: a little care with grease/Vaseline/motorcycle chain lube (nice and sticky: stays right where you spray it) is all it takes to avoid the corrosion -- you just need to be as anal about it as anyone who cares about their equipment. I have a Bearclaw that is several years old and it still looks new.

There has been a lot of talk about "flukes" -- are you sure you mean flukes and not "flooks"? There's a big difference, after all...

You'll love the Sirius, believe me: it is a quick boat; it is a strong-tracking boat and it turns dramatically enough if you get it properly up-on-edge. Ignore what others say about it neither tracking nor turning -- I lived with one for six or seven years! Go and try one out!