Phil Allen

Great day on the water.  I actually took a pic of Pru to prove she actually does paddle, in addition to writing great TR's.

Pru-

Lorrie and I are planning on coming,  I will PM you info.

best

Phil

Pablo-  Just checking, but was this for April 30 or are you really good at planning ahead?

best

Phil

Cathy didn't clarify, but the red helmet at Newbury was left at the WFA class we did back on April 2 and 3.

Phil

:-)  

Nothing more to say.

I had a blast and hope stuff was useful.  

best

Phil aka Chuck the Great Pumpkin (thanks Pru!)

13 hours ago, jason said:

Phil,

Any chance in finding the rechargeable one in blue.   I have picked up a number of these: http://smile.amazon.com/Cyalume-SnapLight-Industrial-Chemical-Duration/dp/B004NBZLJC  as it takes the  the red/green confusion/special meaning out of play.   

Hey Jason,

I doubt it.   It's basically the same phosphorescent material found in the glow in the dark plastic toys, just embedded as chips in epoxy or the like.  I think the choice with this approach is green, green or maybe green.

best

Phil

4 minutes ago, rfolster said:

Just a thought about glow sticks - during a night nav training last fall, we noticed that the glow sticks were very distracting, and I was suggested that, if you let your eyes acclimate to the darkness, you can see people better than you realize.  With that said, I would make sure that everyone had emergency lights available that can easily be activated or turned on should things unwind.  I will caveat this by saying that I have not experimented with this yet, but I will at my next opportunity.

Moonlit night, the glow sticks probably would appear dim.  Dark night, it depends.  Human eye is most sensitive to green light, so appears brightest.   Steve Maynard introduce me to UV PacLite rechargeable glow sticks.  Clip them on the deck during daylight and they'll glow for several hours after dark at a light level dimmer than standard chemical sticks.  Can also be "recharged" by shining flashlight on them for a few minutes.

best

Phil

darn day job.

Enjoy.

Phil

Route:  I'd combing the first half of John's with the second half of Dan's.  Cross the inshore channel early at  a place of good line of site. Also, any large vessel coming out of south portland would have just had to make a turn to the south and should be moving more slowly.  Handrail Peaks, cross to Long and handrail (either side, environment depending) to NE corner.  From NE corner of Longs, short crossings to Cliff, then Hope then Jewell.  Concerns would be channel traffic and local traffic off channel.  

Wouldn't worry about currents with small crossing and hand railing.

Markers:  dim green glow sticks on paddlers back and on boat bow toggle.  Long enough so that they float to surface if boat is upside down.   Another glow stick on top of leaders helmet.   Headlamps on all participants, around neck for navigation or if "lost paddler" situation or highlighting self to other boat traffic.

Group selection: small 4-5.  Wouldn't include someone who'd never paddled at night.  Especially not with a boat loaded with camping gear.

Environment:  would probably call it in anything more than 2-3 foot seas especially if short period.  Winds would have to be less than force 4 and would be especially cautious about winds blowing from the West.

Phil

Lorrie and I are planning on being there for June 12.

best

Phil

I'm interested.  Schedule dependent of course.

Phil

Hi Folks

if dealing with first aid issues big and small is something that you might need to do when you're off paddling, and you want to join a bunch of other NSPN'ers for a fun weekend of learning how to cope, I've organized to have Todd Johnston Wright teach a water centric Wilderness First Aid class and CPR refresher the weekend of April 2/3.   Classes will happen at Newbury Canoe and Kayak, in Newbury MA.

WFA runs ~8-5 Saturday and Sunday and costs 185$, while CPR is likely to happen late Saturday afternoon at an extra cost of $35.

As of 3/16 there's a few spots open.  So if you have the time and interest, please reach out to Newbury Canoe and Kayak at 978-465-0312 to register.    

best

Phil

H20 Adventures out of Maine has/had some nice looking trips along the Italian coast.  I've done something with them in Maine years ago when I was much more a beginner and found them nice folks.

best

Phil

Philip mentioned it, but I'd argue that a compass is the one piece of safety gear that most beginners don't think about and should carry.  Simple understanding of the direction of land in the fog might have saved numerous lives.

best

Phil

Minor thing.  Viewing this morning from my IPad the text and the background graphics had very different spaces within the  page.  As if the text was left aligned and the background was centered?

best

Phil

Pru,

I have no words to change the way you feel/felt. As a leader I find it's much more difficult to deal with the speed demons then the slow pokes. Something seems wrong that the speedster encouraged towing and yet did not tow. It's a difficult issue as a leader, but I always think trips should be defined by the (unintended judgmental words here) "weakest" paddler that day. And we all have days where we're the weakest.

best

Phil

Hi Rob-

Interesting question that might get more responses if separated from the trip report and posted on the main board. A quick not well though out answer on my part is: what are the consequences? Will the slower pace cause a delayed return? by how much? is that past dark, past a gate closing or past the worry time? Are the faster paddlers able to go slow and, in the cold especially, maintain their temperature and energy balance? Will the rest of the group resent moving at the slower pace? Will the group be willing and able to be cohesive at the slower pace? No real answer but things that would go through my head.

best

Phil

From Lovels in Boston Harbor it's a good 30 miles to the next "official" campsite on Thatchers off Rockport. Don't know of any beach side hotels in the Natasket to Marblehead stretch if you wanted a shorter day, but there are some AirBnB rooms near the water. Maybe leave the boat at one of the marina's or yacht clubs for the night and walk up to your BnB? I was looking at doing this in legs last August, but then the surf came up so I went surfing for the week instead.

best

Phil

Morning Leon.

Risky saying this, but I think you missed something more obvious than Hills equation. When paddling upwind in calm water, the paddle of your 'good paddler' is fixed in position over the ground with no wind induced movement of the blade. In contrast in moving water the paddle slips over the ground along with the boat. So without increasing the stroke rate or stroke force (bigger blade) there is less effective propulsion in moving water than calm water.

best

Phil

Might be able to join you Sunday.

Phil

getting away from Josko's question about chart reading, but I like the phosphorescent plastic glow sticks from UVpaqlite that Steve Maynard introduced me to on a 5* training. Leave them out for a while in the sun or charge them with a flashlight and they glow dimly for a few hours. No where near as bright as the chemical glow sticks but sufficient to find people or boats in the dark.

best

Phil

It's getting cold and of course I put a small hole in the boat. Does anybody know the working temperature range of plumbers putty? While we're here, how about other resins and gel-coat?

best

Phil

There is a trend away from the high brace, as its a short hop in position between functional and shoulder damage. As for using it when crossing eddy lines, I'd question whether that's the most productive stroke. As JohnyS says, speed position and angle are what get you across most eddy lines. If your goal is to ferry across big current, then something like a forward strokes & stern draw stroke will help keep the bow pointed upstream.

best

Phil

I've had the 3m clear protective tape on my deck since I got my boat in 2011. No problems staying stuck. Removing it might be another matter, but I haven't tried. As for the compass screw, maybe try some epoxy putty from the hatch side to seal things up.

Best

Phil