Phil Allen

Hi Josko It's hard to really comment without seeing your examples, but this is the inter web, and you mentioned theory, so I'll do it anyway ;-). But since I wasn't there to see what you saw, feel free to ignore the thoughts below. I'll speculate that it all depends on wave speed, steepness and duration/run time. In long period traveling waves (classic surfing waves over a shallow rising slope, and places like Ed's video), once the boat is accelerating down the wave, the bow is locked by the bow wave and turning strokes from the stern work better, particularly if the stern is high on the wave. Short steep transient waves are more common in a tide race, the bow and stern alternate being locked in and front or back stroke effectiveness varies quite a bit. If you can catch a wave where the bow stays loose (say overhanging the wave), then strokes at the front would be more effective. best Phil

I think you hit the nail on the head. Finding holes you would not know were there (training) and then seeing if you've found a way to fill them (assessment). I think 4* and 5* have some practical benefits. Industry folks and other paddlers recognize that they're substantial achievements and are more likely to go out of there way to help you than they might otherwise. For example, borrowing/renting good boats in a far away local can be easier if you can demonstrate your skill set by saying you passed your BCU 4* (stopping here as I see Rob might have answered the same things) Phil

Having gotten seasick during 5* training in the spring, I can model that for you. :-) As Doug says, have some fun paddling. Integrate your "training" into your normal paddling skillset and eventually the assessment will be just another day on the water. You'll get there if that's what you want. Best Phil

For a personal answer to the "how much does a small change in paddle length matter" I borrowed Lorrie's 205cm paddle for a bit yesterday (I usually paddle with the 210). Overall paddle stroke was shorter which allowed higher cadence and a more vertical entry of the blade into the water. Didn't have a gps to test if overall speed was different. Not much difference in the ability to link strokes, do hanging draws or rudders strokes. best Phil

Hi Josko, Maybe I'm missing something (this is the internet after all), but why use your wrists to change blade angle relative to the boat? Wouldn't rotating more or less transition you between draw, neutral and pry? best Phil

Congrats Dave! Best Phil

I have problems with that sometimes, and find that it's due to my air hand being to low and not far enough across the boat upon paddle entry. Something I'm still working on. best Phil

the kayak surfers (with specific surf kayaks) often use kids size whitewater blades. not sure if this might be a reason or not. As to the cross versus longer direction flow, wouldn't you want it more towards the longer direction? Then with subtle changes of arm position you can transition between neutral rudder, stern pry and stern draw. best Phil

I just took a picture of the text "ICE call "my lovely wife" at XXX YYY ZZZZ" and made the picture my lock screen image on my iPhone 4s. Now I don't have to upgrade. best Phil

Rapid Media publishes Adventure Kayak and a few others. If you're an ACA member, or subscribed to Sea Kayaker, you're on the their email list. You can unsubscribe fairly easily, but I think you'll need to do it by title. best Phil

Unfortunately no. The day job gets in the way of so much fun :-(

Just to add complication to the nicely written simple article I linked to, the devil is in the details of local geography (above and below the water) as well as swell direction, height and period. A great example is off of Nazare, Portugal, where an underwater canyon funnels the energy of ~30 foot swells into wave heights of ~100 feet on a good (or bad) day. Google "big wave surfing Nazare portugal" best Phil

Written from a west coast perspective, so some of the modifiers might need to be adjusted for normal new england conditions http://paddlecalifornia.blogspot.com/2014/09/surf-forecasts-for-sea-kayakers.html best Phil

http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/2014/09/03/reports-shark-attacks-kayak-near-plymouth/PIBHWmL1iDT5WbiXYfpqEK/story.html?p1=Topofpage:sub_headline_1 classic bite and see what happens behavior. best Phil

Wood smoke is a major public health issue in many third world countries. Breathing it just isn't good for us. That said, the amount of smoke one is exposed to these days is so much less than someone who lived in a late 19th century city or in a rural village that I would't worry too much about it. Burning plastics releases formaldehyde and other small organics that aren't good for us, but I doubt on milk bottle would do much damage. Like all things, moderation. best Phil

was at capacity at 2:30 and won't reopen till 5:30 or so says the twitter feed. I think I'm going to miss. best Phil

Not to make your decision any harder, but when the hatches were leaky on my Cetus, I just ran 5200 around the outside of the hatch rim and that solved the problem. Wont likely work if the hatch rim itself is cracked. best Phil

Great TR once again Pru. Glad you all had a blast and we'll have to look for a big tide this falll so you can do it again. Best Phil Ps: glad the Duxbury shark was not in attendance.

Welcome back. Looking forward to the stories. best Phil

Hi Beth- Folks have covered a lot of good points. I like to think of repair kit as an ever changing collection of pieces that work to what you (and your paddling buddies) are likely to experience. The average paddler might put a hole in a boat and that could make it hard to get home. On a day trip, loss of a skeg is probably not so disruptive. Various tapes and a dry towel make patching a small to moderate leaky hole in the boat pretty straightforward. The plumbers putty/two-part epoxy putty is great if that hole is somewhere like the keel where where tape would get abraded. Emergency hatch covers and flotation are valuable if you lose a hatch cover (I accidentally let go of an untethered one at sea this year). And don't hesitate to get creative. The best solution to my dropped hatch cover event was a moderate size kids inflatable beach ball! Also, consider your clothing and it's repair. A small tear in a drysuit when you slip on a rock might really screw up the day, but some gear-repair tape (like tenacious tape) would probably deal with the situation until you could get off the water. best Phil

The whitewater folks have a saying that we should take as our own "We're all in between swims" best Phil

There's a great article with the photographer that took this pic here: http://www.imagedeconstructed.com/post/spotlight-on-paul-souders he actively goes looking for the bears photograph them. best Phil

I like the a serrated bread knife, one of the high speed vibration sanders and googone. Phil

As Jason said, contact cement. You might need to sand off any existing dried glues. If the foam is highly porous, multiple coasts (3?) with drying between each coat might be necessary before you adhere it to the contact cement treated surface of the boat. best Phil

I'm happy to make it around in 5+ hours, so I am really impressed with our club mates that can do it under 4.