John Martinsen

I picked up a carbon two piece 210cm early spring and it's been a great paddle. Coming from a Werner carbon Corryvrecken, which works great for short sessions, but not ideal for me as a touring blade. Really like the catch and feel of the xrange, solid and smooth with enough power to play but great as an all day paddle. Materials and build are excellent, but the finish isn't quite as perfect as a Werner. Haven't had it near any rocks, so not sure how it will hold up to a little abuse. Also picked up a two piece glass Cutback in the large size and it's been awesome for use with the surf kayak, tons of support for bracing and maneuvering.

1. The Skook is definitely high on the list, and pick up a custom Sterling while I'm out there. 2. Paddle the Maine Island Trail. 3. Anything in Newfoundland, but would love to circumnavigate. 4. Anything in British Columbia, amazing place. 5. A month long trip of Baja. 6. Surf kayak trip to Ireland, England or Portugal.

I've had pretty good luck with the MSR stainless steel stuff, has a 3 liter pot which is good for groups on a stove. Ditch the cheesey pot grips for a pair of channel locks that do double duty for repairs as well. I don't really trust non-stick stuff unless it's high end, like to keep it simple. To keep things from burning use a scorth buster. http://www.rei.com/product/401120/msr-alpine-3-pot-set http://www.backpackerspantry.com/products/outback-oven/outback-oven-parts-and-accessories/scorch-buster-only.html

Not sure these fit an 8 inch hatch, but they're really nice... http://frybake.com

Mexican fishermen like to burn everything plastic on the beach, leaves some funky looking "rocks" behind. I'd stay clear of the fumes as already mentioned. Probably best to pack out at the end of a long trip when boats are empty.

The Samsung Galaxy s5 is water resistant right out of the box. Not sure how it holds up against salt. Also has a ridiculous amount of run time with the battery, of which you can carry a spare, and a power saver mode which can run just the basics for days of off a 10% charge.

Good article... http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/history_of_innovation/2014/06/the_grizzly_history_of_bear_pepper_sprays.html

Vacuseal?

This looks like it would work in the field. http://oscarmanguy.blogspot.com/2011/08/how-to-fix-your-drysuit-neck-gasket-in.html?m=1

Josko, from my understanding the Xrange is similar to the older Lendal Kinetics, and the newer storm is probably similar to Werner's foam core Cyprus and Ikelos.

http://www.nols.edu/nolspro/pdf/wrmc/PracticesforTravelinginBearHabitat-KatieBaumMettenbrink.pdf

If you're looking to save space but still be comfortable I'd check these out... http://www.cascadedesigns.com/therm-a-rest/mattresses/trek-and-travel/neoair-all-season/product

"What I learned about navigation was worth the trip alone. Number # 1 big lesson --when in doubt, WATCH THE WATER. If you're not sure what direction the water is flowing, let the boat drift. The drifting may take time to accurately determine if its winds or water that is moving the boat. That's how I got caught in the shallows -- I could of swore (literally) it was the water moving the boat but it was the winds - the water was actually moving in the opposite direction and it was the winds pushing the boat. It wasn't until the third day of paddling that I got this trick and it is how I avoided shallow waters in the future. When in doubt, let go of the expectations (charts, weather and tide predictions, etc) and just watch and feel (hands in water) the water flow." That's awesome advice!

Ask to race backwards next time. Have also heard those things are garbage in current as well.

I just picked up a new Lendal Xrange 700 two piece straight shaft. Very very sweet, glad to switch out the Werner Corryvrecken I was using. Looks and feels very well built, very light, great catch. Have only had it out once but it paddled very well. Got a 210 for playing and surfing; I think a 215 in the Xrange 650 would be great for touring. Looking forward to getting out with it more as it warms up. Still have a Carbon Corryvrecken if anyone is interested.

Suz, thanks for the heads up about the vacuum sealing, was going to seal an electronic key fob and keep it in my pfd. Car is too smart to lock with the electronic key fob in it, have to hide it or take it with. Might give it a go with the vhf as it's waterproof anyways, and I almost never use except as a weather radio. Have a few hard cases for my phone\wallet\keys but I never trust dry bags with electronics. Not a problem to drag along a case in the sea kayak, but harder on the sup or surf boat.

I wouldn't want to wear a wetsuit for a whole day, unless I was surfing. If I had to tour in one, I'd probably want a semi-dry top to help shed some wind, and lock in some bodyheat. I've heard neoprene is a horror show to tour in for multiple days; no fun putting on a cold wet wetsuit in the morning. Also kind of of bear to change out of, wet and clingy, whereas you can pop out of a drysuit and drive home in your layers. But lately I've been using wetsuits for surfing (sup and kayak) trying to save wear and tear on my drysuit, and I'm really impressed by the new technology. Peeing is a little troubling, especially if you've had a lot of coffee, just necessitates a good rinse later on.

These guys are making an inexpensive drysuit. http://www.mythicdrysuits.com/ Many of the new surfing wetsuits are pretty sweet, really comfortable and warm, but will run you the cost of a cheaper drysuit.

Warren, I've camped on some of the larger islands; Culross, Esther, Knight, Evan, Elrington. I've also been lucky enough to paddle out of southeast Alaska, starting from Petersburg and paddling around Kuiu Island. Lots of bears in both locations, but probably more in the southeast. Was really lucky to get out to Coronation Island off the southern tip of Kuiu Island, which is the island where we heard wolves, and I saw bear prints right next to my tarp. Always lots of wildlife, humpbacks, sea otters, sea lions, the occasional orca, and of course the bears. Not sure sticking to islands will mitigate that. Camping was either nice big storm beaches, tighter beaches near streams, or off in meadows that could be a little marshy. If you don't have one already, a good tarp goes a long way to keeping you dry and happy, probably at least 10x12. Good rain gear is a must.

My most memorable bear experience was in southeast Alaska over the course of two nights. The first night waking around midnight to the sounds of footsteps right outside my tent, hearing something snuffling around my tent, realizing it wasn't human but a bear, and then noticing it was so close I could smell it. Of course I had not closed up my tent fly that night either, not that it would make much of a difference. The next night was a repeat of the first, but there was a cub in tow making strange little whining and cooing noises as he\she followed mom around. Both nights a little bear call from me sent them scurrying. It took another half hour for my pulse to return to normal though. Another morning after I had slept out solo under a tarp (and waking up to the sound of a wolf howling) I headed to the water's edge to take my LNT morning pee, to discover bear tracks going right past my tarp. Had walked past at some point without stopping to check out our camp. The black bears use the beaches like highways, makes for easy traveling. Also the prime spots for camping, on a nice rocky beach by a fresh water source, are where the salmon are often located, which attracts the bears. So as you paddle along during the day, assuming you're near land, you're likely to see bears traveling along the beach, or forging under rocks for small shellfish, or hanging out by streams where there are salmon. My three summers up there I only saw black bear, lots of them though. I talked to a ranger who said in a few places the grizzly come down, but it was mostly black bear. So it might be good to do a little reading up and research on the black bear. Examine their scat and you'll see the remains of mostly berries and small crustaceans; never fiberglass, Gore-Tex, carbon fiber or costly electronics. So I'm fairly certain they don't make a habit of eating sea kayakers. But leave home without a few cans of bear spray I would not. Going out to take a poop? Grab a buddy, some bear spray, your shovel (you did pack a small shovel right) some nice round smooth beach rocks (you are LNT right, you're not leaving toilet paper in your cathole?) and start making lots of noise as soon as you start heading into that rain forest. Stopping to scout out a potential campsite, fill up a water bottle in a nice looking stream, take a break for lunch? Start making the bear calls. Get everyone on the same page regarding bear calls. Often "bear!" means there's bear in proximity, get everyone together and scare him\her off. We used the Spanish for bear "Oso!" Flows from the lips and is easy to yell. They're everywhere up there, but can be scared off easily with some noise. Also no food or toothpaste in the tent, although there are differing opinions on this. Done with dinner for the night? Make a pile consisting of your stove, then food bags, topped by your pots so they make noise if disturbed. To hang or not hang is something you'll have to decide for yourself. Headed to bed for the night? Make sure each tent has it's own can of bear spray. A lot more LNT to have to mace a curious bear, than to have the forest service out hunting for a man eater. Guns aren't my thing, I'm not trained to use them, and wouldn't feel justified having one along unless having to deal with polar bears, cougars or pirates. If I'm correct bears in Alaska are hunted by the locals a few times a year, so they know to stay away from humans. But I've also heard they associate a gun shot as a dinner bell, as something has been killed and therefore gutted, leaving a nice pile of free dinner. Other than that they don't necessarily associate people with food, as they might in more populated or well traveled areas, where they have learned to open coolers and or cars for food. Not to say they aren't curious and won't come to check things out, but can be scared off pretty quickly. One instructor I worked with told me a story of how the natives back in the day called the black bears "bashful." As a common response for dealing with a curious bear, was to lift your clothes up over your head, exposing oneself but also making you look bigger. Hence the bears were considered bashful and would run away. Not sure if they're aware of shrinkage though. The mosquitos (if around) required a head net and an oversized wind breaker covering hands, I never even bothered with repellent, but everyone is different. An umbrella also seems to keep them at bay and works great for going to pee, don't need to put on your rain gear.

Get a smaller boat. I picked up a surf boat a few years ago, started kayak surfing, and feel I've learned a huge amount from that. Great to get out in the surf boat for even an hour every few weeks during the winter, if it's not polar vortex cold. Ditto for getting out in a little white water, helps tremendously with bracing, edging, and rolling.

From my experience in Prince William Sound it's a fairly benign place to paddle in the summer, other than the rain and a light bit of traffic. I don't remember currents being a huge issue, other than in obvious places with constrictions, like Culross passage, but nothing like you would experience in the San Juans. Not to say there isn't something to be gained from the preparation and practice with that type of tool and what not, or that there isn't a little current here and there, but it's nothing you can't assess and deal with as you go. So here's my take on crossings. I like to try and keep things simple so I can focus on my paddling, not have to fuss and look at the deck to constantly check a GPS or chart, but instead have my kayak make a true course and clean crossing. I'm not the most technical navigator, I like to keep it simple and intuitive, but here are my recommended ingredients for a PWS crossing. Know where you want to start the crossing, once there, look over to where you want to cross to, pick an obvious landmark on the other side, point it out to your group so you have a common reference point to head to. As you leave shore look over your shoulder to check your back bearing, and adjust your angle as you go to compensate for wind\current if need be. Fairly simple. But it relies on strong piloting and chart reading skills, reinforcing position by terrain, landmarks, and range lines if possible. Also means doing a fair bit of homework the night before, having a solid compass bearing (preferably in magnetic north as John recommended) to help solidify my course (but only as a reinforcement to my line of sight) knowing the distance without having to think about it and therefore my travel time. Keep your eyes up. Find a good place to take a break before starting and once finished. I found on the west coast the scale of things would throw me off for a day or two until I could get my head around that, and the seeming reversal of magnetic north would take awhile to adjust to as well. Also a lack and or spreading out of nav-aids on the water takes away any cheats as in more populated areas. But I think paddling in the sound will offer you a chance to focus on a line of sight type crossing until it becomes comfortable, and John Hugh mentioned the word intuitive, which is something I aspire to in my navigating. A good pair of binoculars are hugely helpful for "scouting" out the crossing before even leaving shore, as well as for assessing ocean state before leaving camp and or protected waters. Also great for all the amazing wildlife you're likely to see out there as well. Have fun, sounds like a great trip.

I just picked up a M73 to replace an older radio on which the contacts corroded too much to charge. Hope it doesn't suffer the same issues you've had with yours. Going to keep it stashed in the day hatch for the most part. Also think I will vacuum seal it in a foodsaver bag, and make sure there is a notch cut into the plastic for easy access.

I had a Greatland laser flare I kept in my lifejacket corrode over a season. I'll probably buy another laser flare, but keep it drier next time. Maybe put it in a foodsaver vacuum sealed bag and keep that in my lifejacket pocket. Like the small size of the laser flare. Don't like having too much stuff in\on my lifejacket, find it hinders mobility. When I was guiding and on the water for months at a time, I found the thing I used most out of my lifejacket pockets was my toothbrush. Still want to perfect my toothbrush roll. Wouldn't mind getting a PLB if I ever start to get into remote tripping again, especially solo, but for now I'll rely on my wits and good looks to get me through..

Time for a case? https://store.aquapac.net/explore-product-range/handheld-vhf-radio-cases.html