bazzert
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Posts posted by bazzert
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An exciting development for MITA in 2011 is the addition of Smuttynose, Isle of Shoals to the trail with permission for MITA memebers to stay overnight in the cabin. Prior permission is required and is limited to 6.
This would allow splitting the trip over 2 days and give more time to explore/hike the other islands. Would anyone be interested in doing this? perhaps a weekend in June or July.
Barry.
I spoke to Lawrence Bussey at MITA and have tentatively proposed Saturday 6/11. This has to be confirmed by the steward on duty for that week, so this is a tentative date. If for some reason this date does not work we can propose others.
The cottage is spacious, but basic. There is a limit of 6 people, mostly to limit the use of the outhouse. You must be a MITA member and should consider making a donation for the island upkeep.
I'd suggest an early start with a BIB time of 9:00am, this will allow plenty of time to make the crossing get settled, hike and explore the other islands. Weather will trump all other concerns for this trip. It's a solid Level 4 trip, dry suits required and you should only consider it if you have paddled to the shoals before or have made similar long distance open water crossings.
Let me know if you are interested or if you have questions, concerns or suggestions. I'll follow up with a "formal" trip proposal.
Finally, Lawrence is proposing running a trip where he would take a number of kayaks out on his lobster boat; participants could then explore the islands, stay the night and return the next day; the cost would be nominal (ie. cover costs) and he would like to gauge interest. Would be a great way to experience the Shoals without the long crossing. Let me know if this is something you would do and I will pass it on.
Barry.
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Barry, the link didn't work - at least for me - pru
oops, here's the public link.
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A handful of pictures from the trip.
Barry.
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An exciting development for MITA in 2011 is the addition of Smuttynose, Isle of Shoals to the trail with permission for MITA memebers to stay overnight in the cabin. Prior permission is required and is limited to 6.
This would allow splitting the trip over 2 days and give more time to explore/hike the other islands. Would anyone be interested in doing this? perhaps a weekend in June or July.
Barry.
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Some pics from todays paddle.
Barry.
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Tucks Point, Manchester MA
BIB 11:00am
Sun...N winds 5 to 10 kt...becoming E in the afternoon. Seas around 2 ft.
Mostly sunny; nice 69°F|51°F
High Tide 11:01am
Destination to be determined by conditions and group consensus. Could be the breakers by way of House and Baker islands, or north east to Norman's woe. Bring your helmets and drysuits.
Level 3
So far we have Peter, Gene, the Allens (?), the swearing ferret, who else ?
Barry.
Latest forecast ...
Sun...NE winds 10 to 15 kt. Gusts up to 20 kt in the morning. Seas 2 to 4 ft.
Mostly sunny; cool 54°F|40°F
It'll be bumpy but within tolerances. See you all tomorrow. Ernie, a car pool would be great (I'll buy the gas, or you can take my first born).
Barry.
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There is considerable amount of wear and tear on the fiberglass area where my heels are positioned. I have never repaired a fiberglass cockpit before although I have made a Night Heron; so I know the procedure, more or less (it has been awhile). Can anyone suggest a method for doing this type of repair? Is there special materials or procedures for the cockpit other than the general instructions for fiberglass repair? Also, any particular resin and catalyst anyone can recommend?
Thanks in advance for any information or tips,
Les (SF)
Hi Les,
I cant off much specific advice, other than I imagine glassing in 2 to 3 layers of tape will really reinforce this area; however I have a bunch of materials (resin, hardner, white gelcoat, sandpaper, brushes etc.) from work I did this winter left over if you'd like to borrow. I can bring it on sunday.
Barry.
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I'm better with 11AM but I don't wish to be picky and will do what ever the majority is happy with. I think Tuck's is fine-don't know if the baths are open yet but in a pinch the Yacht Club probably is.
This trip has been changed to 11am on Sunday. To avoid confusion I reposted a trip for 11am on Sunday; please post there.
thanks,
Barry.
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Tucks Point, Manchester MA
BIB 11:00am
Sun...N winds 5 to 10 kt...becoming E in the afternoon. Seas around 2 ft.
Mostly sunny; nice 69°F|51°F
High Tide 11:01am
Destination to be determined by conditions and group consensus. Could be the breakers by way of House and Baker islands, or north east to Norman's woe. Bring your helmets and drysuits.
Level 3
So far we have Peter, Gene, the Allens (?), the swearing ferret, who else ?
Barry.
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Barry,
Can't do Saturday (Opera HD tickets) but Sunday is good for me!
I can switch to sunday ( Mothers day is 5/8 not 5/1, phew!). Do we want to say tucks point 10am ? I think it's early enough in the year that we wont annoy the locals by parking there. The alternative is Ocean St, but I think that goes residents only 5/1.
Barry.
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Anyone up for a paddle on saturday ? The marine forecast looks good
SAT
NW WINDS 5 TO 10 KT...BECOMING NE IN THE AFTERNOON. SEAS
AROUND 2 FT.
High tide is 10:20am.
One suggestion would be Tucks pt (or Ocean St) Manchester out to the breakers; but I'm up for anything. Just want to get in my boat.
Barry.
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Endangered whales gathering off Cape Cod in record numbers
If only the weather forecast was better this might be a great trip.
Barry.
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John:
The idea of extending the Maine Island Trail to NH, MA and beyond comes up regularly in MITA circles, including strategy sessions of the Board of Trustees. I can tell you that for the foreseeable future, MITA is committed to developing the Trail within the State of Maine. As America's first water trail, we field inquiries and visits every year from groups interested in starting trails in their own regions. MITA staff provide advice and moral support and would encourage and cooperate with groups wanting to build trails in the rest of New England. So while MITA is willing to provide support, it's up to to paddlers and other boaters in MA, NH and the rest of New England.
One of the challenges in southern New England would be the fact that there are relatively few island and even fewer wild places. In part, this is due to development--on average a lot more densely populated--and partly due to geography--predominantly sandy shores, barrier beaches and low hills. That's true of the southern Maine coast as well, which is why our current initiative to fill in the Trail from Portland to Kittery will be a long process.
Scott
Scott, thanks for the really interesting insight; I'm sure the ground work of building the trail is grueling, requiring the buy in from land owners, regulatory bodies and numerous stake holders.
I think in MA our best option would be a partnership with an organization such as the Trustees of Reservations. They have done an amazing job of preserving and providing access to numerous properties including many we, as paddlers, already know and love eg. Crane Beach and Misery Islands and many coastal properties that would be ideal links in the chain.
Barry.
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Interesting article ...http://www.pressherald.com/news/the-revenue-trail_2011-04-17.html
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if you go out and play in water that's rough or stormy (you know, fun) you too are self indulgent.
in doing so, you're increasing the risk on the harbor master, marine patrol, coast guard or other emergency service personnel that may be tasked to come save your bacon should you overestimate your skills and underestimate the water. isn't that more self indulgent than someone merely making noise on a scooter? can you see where some good meaning folks might want to call that "stupid" and "actively impacting" emergency personnel and want to make it illegal?
fine lines.
yeah, I hear you Rick. But I still think there is a difference between where the normal and expected outcome of your activity (in a given context) will specifically and actively impact others (noise, pollution, danger) and where there is an exceptional or possible impact on people who are trained (and dare I say it ... paid) to rescue numbskulls like you :-)
Barry.
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Oh, but kayakers do impinge on others freedoms. It impinges on their freedom to "open it up" and feel the wind in their hair. Kayakers may not cause deaths of others, but they do cause their own deaths and we must protect them from that! They also cause expensive rescue missions and accidents when they get in the way of a power boaters that can't see them! That is why many people don't like kayakers and do everything they can to restrict their freedoms.
Please note that I am playing devils advocate here. The point isn't about kayaks vs. power boats. It is about reasonable balance of freedoms and respecting others freedoms instead of all out war. There is more of them than there is of us and the "winner" won't be determined by reason and logic. Government doesn't work that way.
Cheers!
Ty
Your definition of freedom is starting to look a lot like self indulgence. If you want to "open it up" then go somewhere where you can do so in open water, safely and without disturbing people. Freedom has a context and a set of responsibilities; in a civil society you wouldnt have to legislate for it, it would be called respect for your fellow citizens. I have no problem with jet skier's per se, but its not an activity you can indulge in on a small lake without impacting a lot of people. Also I think there is a huge difference between a passive impact and an active impact ie. the difference between the impact caused simply by being there and say projecting 80+ dba two cycle engine noise.
However, I agree that we shouldnt be in the business of protecting people from themselves.
Barry.
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I'd suggest being very careful about that. It would be very easy to convince the Joe/Jane Public that kayaking has a higher death rate and that kayaks are what should be more heavily regulated. When you try to take an other man's sport, he's likely to try an take yours. More broadly, if you believe in freedom, you have to support the freedom of others, not just yourself. The place of policy is to maintain opportunity. As kayakers, we may work to have a place that we can safely kayak without getting run over. ...but we still need to have places for the power boats to play also.
The difference is that the freedoms enjoyed by kayakers do not impinge on the freedom (freedom from noise, visual and atmospheric pollution) of others ... and even if they had a higher/accident rate I dont know of any case where a kayaker has caused the death of somebody else.
Barry.
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A bill that would allow municipalities to set restrictions for powered personal watercraft on bodies of water smaller than 750 acres in their jurisdiction dominated the hearing.
Can't say I'd have much problem with this part of the legislation.
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I've been prone to motion sickness my entire life and have had ugly bouts with it on fairly large sailboats in moderate seas. However, I have yet (knock on wood) to have any problem in my kayak and I've been out in some pretty rough stuff. I'm not sure why this is but I think it has something to do with being actively involved in paddling and handling the boat as opposed to passively riding in it. I do, however, carry the OTC meds with me just in case. So, try it and see how your body responds. As others have said, the meds do work so even if it turns out to be a problem, there is an easy workaround.
Carl
Interesting ... when I did a lot of sailing I found that if we had a passenger who got seasick, giving them a turn at the wheel often worked wonders.
Barry.
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Footage from Japan's Coast Gaurd
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Rare 'supermoon' shines brighter than usual tonight
"It all comes down to the moon's oval orbit. At one end of the orbit – the perigee – the moon is about 31,000 miles closer to Earth than at its farthest point, the apogee.
It’s quite rare for a full moon to coincide with a perigee. The most recent example was the near supermoon in 2008, when the full moon occurred four hours before perigee. Saturday’s occurrence is even closer to the full moon and perigee lining up."
Too bad it's not quite warm enough (for me at least!) for a full moon paddle.
Barry.
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I don't know how long this link stays active...but 100,000 plus washed up on our shores certainly deserves mentioning....
http://www.wmur.com/news/27182052/detail.html
Though Plum Island Refuge is technically closed to us as paddlers...it still about the last thing you want to see happen.
Hampton beach Salisbury Beach, Plum Island all closed....to my understanding
Apparently they are used to increase the surface area on which sewage-eating microbes can breed. Hopefully a one time event!
Barry.
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I just got this email from MITA. Very disappointing that someone would steal from an organization with such an important mission.
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We have the unfortunate duty to inform you that we recently uncovered evidence of a significant case of embezzlement at the Maine Island Trail Association (MITA). The Board of Trustees and staff take very seriously our responsibility to make sure our membership dues, donations, and other contributions are used as intended for the stewardship of Maine's wild islands. It was in the process of fulfilling that responsibility and improving our financial controls that this fraud was uncovered, triggering an immediate investigation.
MITA retained Verrill Dana, LLP to assist and advise us in this matter. The accounting firm of Dawson, Smith, Purvis and Bassett has completed a full forensic examination of the case. As a result, we believe we know the identity of the embezzler, a former member of MITA's staff. The activity appears to have taken place over a period spanning five fiscal years. The total amount involved is approximately $117,000 -- the equivalent of 4.5% of MITA's operating budget per year on average of the fiscal years affected. Despite these past losses, we are pleased to report we are able to meet all our financial obligations and continue to move forward.h
Rest assured that the Board's Finance Committee and staff took immediate action on a wide variety of fronts to enhance the security of the organization and its finances to help ensure such a tragedy does not occur again. We have begun to take all appropriate steps to recover the missing funds and to hold the responsible individual fully accountable. We have brought a civil action in Cumberland County Superior Court to recover money damages and have reported this matter to the Portland Police Department.
We want you to know that we share your disappointment and are deeply sorry. Your confidence in MITA and its mission is critically important and we sincerely hope to maintain it. We will be working with the Board, staff, and professional experts to that end so that MITA's work on the islands will continue and grow.
If you would like to discuss this matter with either of us, please call 207-761-8225. While extremely upsetting to all of us, we ask that you treat this situation with appropriate sensitivity. Please know that we will provide additional information as it becomes available.
Sincerely,
Rod Vogel
Chairman, Board of Trustees
Doug Welch
Executive Director
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I think this is the real source of the problem. There is circumstantial evidence from the legislative and PR followup to the South Cape deaths of two women that this was a big part of the dynamic behind the proposed laws -- and will continue to be. In short, power-boaters would love to see kayakers legislated and regulated off the water to whatever extent they can accomplish.
One $00.01 more. --David
This story probably grinds their gears
kayaking tragedy - anglesey 2010
in General Message Board
Posted
Ocean Paddler is a great magazine. You can get an online subscription for not too much money. Here's the BBC story on the coroners inquest ...
BBC
Barry.