brambor

What weekend is the next session? I would love to see if I can make it and participate.

Hi Leon, I saw this a few years ago. I wonder if it could be a handful after the roll up when peerson just needs to stowaway and go. Rb

I rather like the R thingy on our Tandem Kayak. P.S. Gene, we're going to miss you camping on Jewell this weekend. There is still a chance for you to go. I'm departing tomorrow morning at 7AM. Come join us. :-)

Pintail, Of course I'm practicing my rolls and of course I will be practicing my rolls. That goes without saying. But DJ is correct. There is no such thing as a bombproof roll. Furthermore I think you're familiar with the articles from Seakayaker Magazine and their book on stories when things went wrong (forgot the title now). So you surely know that there are many kayakers out there who think they have a bombproof roll who FAIL their roll when things go wrong. What this also means - I do not even think that I would be RELYING on the paddle float technique because that too can fail. I'm guessing that for this summer season I will use this as my backup until I feel good enough to ditch it during good weather conditions. But I might bungee strap that paddle float close to my hands if I get caught on some island by worsening sea conditions and need to return ... However it is a good thing for me to practice because because of this I can be practicing rolls on my own and never get out of the boat. If something fails I roll up with the paddle float. In addition I also paddle a double kayak with my 12 year old son. I can't roll that thing yet but I'm sure I can roll it with the paddle float. In case of emergency it would be far better if I stayed in the boat in case of a capsize. It's just another trick to help me out while I progress in kayaking technique. Also I have practiced rolling up with the float without a paddle. This too could be handy. I remembered reading stories from storms when experienced kayakers capsized, rolled up only to be knocked back over by another incoming wave. Repeat several times and all of a sudden they had no more strength to roll up and were forced out of their kayak. Perhaps (no personal experience) having that foam block on the paddle gives a person extra anchor to stabilize, relax and then get going. I just try to keep an open mind and realistic expectations P.S. I wish the foam paddle float did not have such a high profile. I'm thinking about finding or designing something with less height and maybe shorter but perhaps wider and rounder.

It's not really 'stupid' but it is useless as a rescue technique. It is quite useful for practicing other techniques with a buddy because it eliminates the need to get out of the boat :-)

One of the major doubts I have with bow roll rescue - in conditions the ability to get to the capsized paddler in time and at the right angle is 'a crapshoot' . I have been experimenting in a pool with a backup plan in case of a failed roll. A foam paddle float under bungees in reach of my hands can come quite handy after a few minutes of practice. While capsized I am able to pull out the paddle float and, affix it to the paddle and roll up (similar to reentry and roll minus the water in the cockpit). The obvious disadvantage is the bulky paddle float on the deck but for the time being it keeps my interest going.

I thought it would be of interest. I found this article on a quick tow technique to get paddler quickly out of imminent danger. It is on page 26.

You could also try coating the seat with honey. It will go in between sticky and slippy and will make for a sweet ride.

Scott, Here is a map of where we found the nests. The 5 egg nest is kind of hard to miss. It is right next to the beach on the rock outcropping. It is exposed. The 1 egg nest was discovered by me while walking the perimeter around the island, seeing a duck fly out of the bushes and looking in the direction it came from. I left the nest undisturbed by basically moving on. My guess is that there are more nests on this island.

This is very sad. We were out camping not far from Jewell island and I can confirm that the winds were very strong from about 10AM until late afternoon. The winds came from North or North West which means that anyone had a very hard time reaching the mainland. This is only a speculation on my part but I think it was probably easier to reach Ram Island than returning back to Peaks Island. QUOTE (Kevin B @ May 17 2010, 12:11 PM) <{POST_SNAPBACK}>http://www.necn.com/05/17/10/Missing-kayak...amp;feedID=4215

We arrived at Cousins Island Beach Parking lot around 7:20. BIB at around 8:30. The day was cloudy but nice. We caught some following seas from the winds that blew from the NorthWest. Once we reached the tip of Chebeague Island we were making slower progress, I think partly we caught a little bit of current on the incoming tide. Bangs island on the left provided nice views. Bangs island is closed until about mid June. Apparently they are trying to protect nesting ducks. We arrived at Crow island in about 90 minutes. Crow Island has a cabin for overnight visits. It has 3 mini rooms with wooden floors and nothing else. Not bad but we opted for a great camping spot under the oaks right next to the beach. The day was spent prospecting the island. Lots of raspberry bushes. Might be a nice visit mid summer. Otherwise overgrown and we resorted to shore access. Found a couple nests by accident. The eggs are beautiful to look at. Otherwise we left the nests alone and tried not to get in the way. I couldn't resist and made a quick dip in the ocean. Cold but refreshing for a few seconds at a time. Later in the day we hopped back in the kayak and made a pleasant circumnavigation of Bangs Island. The eastern side provided nice respite from the wind. In the distance Eagle Island ... looked soo reachable and Cliff Island was right there. Next weekend NSPN trip will go beyond Cliff Island to visit Jewell Island. Along the way we saw a few seals and a racoon on the shores of Bangs Island. Later after sunset we made dinner, sat and watched the horizon when we noticed something that looked like a seal. To our surprise if was a couple of porpoises. We watched them for about 30 minutes resurfacing and listened to them when they came up for air. The night was pleasant in our winter sleeping bags. Next day the forecast called for small craft advisory due to strong North West winds. We left the island around 8:30AM. Paddling was nice in the lee of the Chebeaugue Island. We saw a fox on the shores of Chebeague Island. Channel 16 Coast Guard alerted all the ships in the area of Sheepscott river about a kayaker adrift. I wonder with it was about. If it was a sea kayaker or someone in a fishing kayak. Once we left Chebeague Island on the way to Cousins Island we hit very strong winds. It was very slow going but we eventually made it to our parking lot. Besides the struggle against the wind we had a great weekend.

I'm just enjoying the coolaid. btw - Going camping. 7AM at the Cousins Island put in tomorrow.

Besides the infamous issues of liability ... and besides getting "dennis the menace": We could do a 'youth day' or several of those in a season. Or perhaps we could work with a local boy scout group or with a local school system or a local community outdoor program.... Many of us have more than one boat. We could designate a few outings when the water is warm enough where we show up a couple of hours before 'BIB' (butts in boats). We bring extra boat from our fleet (the one you can spare, the one you could use for an excuse to get a new boat etc...), someone brings extra lifejacket, sprayskirt ... I could bring the goop repaired paddle I broke during my pool session and we take the kids out. After the trip we give them a one page printout with our web page and tell them they can join the club, participate in discussion, check out posted trips and if there is a trip they would like to do they can post an inquiry. If we can get a spare boat for them again they can go. Something like that...

Now now now where is the adventure in that ? :D

Same here. I would photograph you. Send me a PM if interested.

err. that was 'turnouts in the teens' lol my reading comprehension is shot - I'm going to the dentist. bye for now.

Speaking of attracting teens...that would be a great endeavor. I have an 11 year old and a soon 18 year old but taking them on trips where there are no other peers is not always attractive.

Hi Gene Which way did you lean and turn? With the hull to the wind?

Ross, The beach time is just opening up. Just take your baby to the beach. Get one of those dome screens, food, diapers and either your wife or a buddy who has dealt with babies before. Bring your boat too and go out there and play in the surf for 15 minutes at a time (or something like that) and come back to check on your offspring in case he/she wakes up or needs a diaper change or food. I remember with my first boy. I packed a bag of diapers, baby wipes and baby food, packed the tent and sleeping bags and went out camping.

I don't necessarily think I am having a particular problem because I don't have much of a baseline to compare it to. Most of the time I do not paddle with a group because of scheduling conflicts but the experience of paddling in a group will increase with time. Only then I will have some idea of what is a problem and what is a normal occurrence on dealing with wind and waves. In the meantime I'm trying to learn as much as I can. I definitely think I do NOT know my boat enough. The bronco isn't tamed yet but we're working on a mutual relationship. It is a tricky boat and I like the challenge. I have one boat that is less twitchy but in general I do not use that one unless I really desire primary stability. Every once in a while when I get humbled by my Nordkapp or my Q-Boat I think about returning to my Seda Ikkuma to settle down. :-) But the comfort curve is increasing with time and that is encouraging to me. Mission accomplished. I do that and plan to do that in the future with paddling against an onshore wind, paddling along a surfing beach, surfing and practicing execution of braces in tricky environment. What is that? I think this is where I could use instruction. I would like to see and learn from accomplished paddler on what kinds of strokes and leans to use under various conditions. Although I am now rolling my boat (most of the time) I find my competence in choosing the right stroke for a given skill element to be severely lacking. I plan to attend the SMSKN weekday skill sessions. I hope to make all of them. I also would like to attend weekday surfing sessions that Sal was running in Hampton last year. I hope that those will happen again this year. Thanks for the helpful responses.

Thanks Brian, I will check into the video. I usually can't take these high profile classes because of my intermittent schedules and few other rea$on$. I think I would enjoy a 'local' 1 on 1 session that would take only an hour or so but would occur several times over the course of the season. I also have tried and will continue so to go out when it's rougher during ONSHORE wind and try to get a feel for the maneuvering. In case of extreme problems I figure I'll just get blown back to shore. In these conditions, I don't play too far from the shore anyway.

What would be the best technique to turn a boat around when paddling into a 30mph wind in choppy waves?

Emilie, I've had one made by Fred Randall whom I believe you met during some balance bracing sessions.

My redneck solution (and a protest against abhorrent closed cell foam prices): Removed the footpegs. Kept the rails because I thought I might want to use the footpegs sometimes. Found a broken boogie board on the beach. Cut to shape until the right shape and right fit was achieved. Found a blue minicel foam (1 inch thick) and cut to shape too for those days when I won't wear my booties I could just add this to the boogie board fit. Took used chinese rice sack, stuffed the boogie board art project into it and tied a knot with a string to the end. The rice sack holds the 2-3 layers of boogie board foam together without spilling mess into the cockpit. The string allows for easy removal from the cockpit if necessary as well as holds the pieces in the sack tightly together. The fit works great. I've spent about 20 pool sessions in this boat, soaking it up, rolling, wet exiting, practicing rescues... the sack never interfered nor dislodged.

I followed Brian's information to rip out a seat in Valley Quajariaq and install minicell foam. It worked quite well. My desire was simply to sit lower in the kayak ( I think I have too much of natural padding / lol) NESC has the minicell squares the last time I checked (month ago). You'll need this tool and Wellwood glue. Brian might chime in with his link. I don't have it anymore. Rene