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Phil Allen

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Posts posted by Phil Allen

    VHF Radio reminder

    in General Message Board

    Posted

    Hi Suz

    Good of you to help out and stick around till the CG showed. Did you consider offering the folks on the boat the radio, or going up on the boat to use the radio? Better line of sight from the extra height might have made communication with the CG better.

    Best

    Phil

    Steering Fishform vs Swedeform boats

    in General Message Board

    Posted

    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

    Cloudy skies this past weekend - not enough stars shining

    in General Message Board

    Posted

    A related question I keep asking myself is why folks go through the time, expense and effort to get 4* (and 5*) certification. I can understand it for people employed in the field, but the answer is not so obvious (to me) for those of us who don't have a financial incentive from ceretification..

    I guess my own partial answer is that BCU training help me plug holes in my skills that I wouldn't otherwise even know were there, but that's still not a complete answer of why go through assesments.

    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

    Cloudy skies this past weekend - not enough stars shining

    in General Message Board

    Posted

    So I have a dislocated shoulder, head laceration, and hypothermia. Do I have a sea sickness? Anyone? Going once..... Going twice........

    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

    Paddle Length

    in General Message Board

    Posted

    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

    Stern rudder in big waves

    in General Message Board

    Posted

    ... I really like and appreciate the ability to generate a lot of force in either direction (towards or away from the stern) by just wrist control. The body and arms can stay put, thus allowing me to focus on edging.

    If you've never tried a high-angle stern draw, you'll likely find it a go-to move in a range of surf conditions.

    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

    Paddle Length

    in General Message Board

    Posted

    Any issues (early on?) with hitting the boat with the paddle when initiating the stroke that you have since resolved?

    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

    Stern rudder in big waves

    in General Message Board

    Posted

    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

    a nice write up on swell and surf

    in General Message Board

    Posted

    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

    Burning beach litter

    in General Message Board

    Posted

    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

    Leaking hatch

    in Boat repair, outfitting

    Posted

    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

    emergency repair kit

    in Boat repair, outfitting

    Posted

    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

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