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sidcohen

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Posts posted by sidcohen

    Thursday paddle in Gloucester

    in Past Trips

    Posted

    Now, there is only a slight chance that I'll make the this trip tomorrow. Something good actually came up and I may need part of the afternoon to prep for it. My wife just realized that she gets this Fri off. We want to go out in our RV and do some camping and paddling through Monday. So, we're heading up to NH first, Friday morning, to visit a summer camp on Newfound Lake in support of a venture I'm working on. Then we'll either hang around the Lake District or head to Mid-Coast Maine. I might open a new topic, but does anybody know where the state run boat ramps are on Casco Bay. With the whole rig, tailer and all, I need long parking slip.

    Tucking into the Seals

    in Trip Reports

    Posted

    Marc,

    Thanks for your planning help last week. I too went out last Saturday, 5/16/09, from Cohasset Harbor with a group and a private instructor. We practiced on the fog too. A moderate wind would have been our friend, a lot of the fog hung in there until mid-afternoon.

    My group also went out of Hingham Harbor on Sunday 5/17 with a pair of private instructors, and we launched off the public beach. We island hopped to Grape I. and back practicing a a whole variety of scenarios, drills and skills. First we had steady 10 to 15 NM winds from the NW in our faces. We practiced some skills to the leeward side of the islands. And it was calm on the way back in.

    Grape I. was delightful with it's campgrounds and it's great view on a knoll of the Boston Skyline and the causeway between Moon Head and Long I. We had lunch there.

    We launched at 10 AM about 2 hours before low tide and the boat ramp an the beach were just peachy. No mud at 3:00 PM too, for our take out.

    Again thanks for all the info that you gave my group for planning our trip. And a hearty thanks too all others that piped up too in response to my board post.

    Boston Harbor Info

    in General Message Board

    Posted

    Hi Ya’ll,

    Can someone who knows the area or part of the area of NOAA Chart, Boston Harbor, 13270 like the back of their hand, send me a private message before you respond here? Of course we can post responses here but I’d like to take it off line at least at very first. http://www.charts.noaa.gov/OnLineViewer/13270.shtml

    I'm interested on tips on pitfalls and were the best landing sites are for lunch and the best places to play in the water are for intermediate paddlers. If there is a tread on NSPN forums you can point me to, that would be great: let’s not re-invent the wheel. I’m doing my research with all tools available to me including this one to plan this paddle. It’s good and its safest to tap ones community of practice. With the Internet it’s world wide now.

    Thanks in Advance!!!

    A boat for three uses?

    in General Message Board

    Posted

    An Avocet worked for my (then) 13 yr old and is great fun for me to surf in...and I have had newbies in it at the lake.

    Used are short money.....

    Thanks Paul,

    I have a Wilderness Systems Tempest 165, that has become like an extension of my body and it's a super play boat, much like like the Avocet in configuration and handling. I'm going to use it to train a different nephew, a 14 year old, he's about 5'6 and maybe 130 or so pounds. The 165 is my wife's boat but after I discovered a while ago that my Tempest 170 was too high volume for me I decided to would paddle the 165 when ever we didn't paddle together. I kind of stole may wife's boat. Now I'm working on the cockpit of my Impex Cat Force 4 to make it more comfortable, contacts not a problem, it just has a weird fiberglass seat with a very high back and a back-strap that is mounted to high for me. I like the Force 4 much better for longer trips with friends who are strong paddlers and have fast boats and I love its lines. It handles so much better in the wind and I hardly ever deploy the skeg. I'll borrow the 165 on occasion to surf or play in the rocks.

    I was thinking of getting something smaller than the Avocet. If can use my 165 with the 11 year old then I'll just take turns with my nephews on the water. However his is a lot smaller than the 14 year old, about 85 pounds (I'm still trying to get his height from his parents). Maybe a long white water boat would work with flotation bags? But that wouldn't work for newbies who need a lot of primary stability.

    Sid

    A boat for three uses?

    in General Message Board

    Posted

    Hey Gene,

    Thanks, I'll take you up on that sometime soon., because I don't think I've paddled many rec boats. But I'm pretty sure thats what I need for this purpose. It's probably a little higher end than I need but it would be a great SUV topper. However I was thinking something in heavy pretzel mouse rotomolded plastic and low $$$. I think I blew my most of my wad on the Impex boat. ;)

    :rubberring:

    A boat for three uses?

    in General Message Board

    Posted

    Hi Ya'll,

    I know I need at least one more boat for my fleet. Maybe more, I'm addicted!!! My name is Sid and I'm paddling addict ;)

    I'm looking for a unit that:

    1) I can train my 11 year old nephew on Walden Pond this summer, all the basic stuff, and maybe how to get back in the boat if his swimming improves a bit. And, maybe he'll use it again next year if he doesn't get to big by then. Hopefully I can post his height and weight here shortly.

    2) A totally untrained adult can use it in light conditions, in protected waters, comfortably.

    3) Might be fun to surf in for an intermediate paddler, mainly me. :surfing:

    I'll probably end up selling it for him but a guy named "Joe" is selling a BorealDesign Kasko http://www.borealdesign.com/_en/kayak.php?id=11 It's got all three of the options listed. It looks to be about the right length and beam to me . Something my nephew could grow into, stable enough but not so wide at the beam, 23 1/2 inches, that he couldn't roll it next year or the year after if he practiced and it turns out he's into it. I could live without the rudder because I want to him to learn how to paddle a kayak but I suppose it could be useful in the wind for adults. I might get in the way or be dangerous for surfing? I'd like to use it for "guests".

    Am I expecting to much for one boat? Will this be such a compromise that it won't be good enough at anything but number 2 on my list above. Can you suggest some other units that might fit this bill. Do I need three boats for this purpose? Your thoughts?

    Options for paddling Cape Ann this sunday

    in Past Trips

    Posted

    The "Brace option" is not a complete circumnavigation. It goes from Lane's Cove as far as Brace Cove and back, ~20 nm, thus "hardier souls". Of course, with any trip this can be shortened because someone finds it more than they can handle. The most likely option would be to judge fitness and perhaps get a tow part of the way back if you run out of gas. Participants might consider bring adequate clothing to "hunker down" for someone to pick them short of the goal. It might be possible to use the "shuttle option" but I'd consider that too complex to coordinate. There are no confirmed participants.

    OK, I'd really like to do the circumnavigation so the "Brace Option" is not for me. As a year round paddler and runner, I'm confident that if we have the conditions that are forecasted, paddle with the tides in our favor, and stop for lunch I can easily complete it. If it gets a little squirrelly in the canal think I'll be OK because I have some tidal race experience and a roll.

    NSPN is now a club member of MITA!

    in General Message Board

    Posted

    Kudos to all who did the work. I signed up for membership early this spring before I was aware that NSPN was planning this program. I'm hoping that I can upgrade my membership from individual to family through the program.

    I dream about paddling the entire trail....piecemeal that is.

    I'm sure we'll all be kept up to date on volunteer opportunities.

    Thanks again folks,

    Sid Cohen

    BCU Star 2 and 3 Assessments in RI, May 2 and 3rd

    in General Message Board

    Posted

    I’d like to take the BCU Star 2 and 3 assessments with Peter Casson, of the EMS Kayak School, down in RI, Saturday and Sunday, May 2nd and 3rd. I need at least one other person to take them with me. The cost would be $200 per day, much less if we can get up to 6 persons.

    I’ve had the Star 3 training last fall and I’ve been paddling through the fall and winter. I would be willing to practice with you if you can get out during some of the weekdays. Please e-mail me with your questions at sidcohen@simcatecservices.com

    Sid Cohen

    North Billerica, MA

    Wednesday 3/25 - Tucks Point

    in Past Trips

    Posted

    Based on the Marine forecast I' m now looking at going out of Tucks Point meeting 11 AM this THURSDAY, 3/26. Tomorrow it will be pretty gusty and there will be some swell. Conditions are forecasted to improve Thursday although it might be cloudy.

    Sid

    Wednesday 3/25 - Tucks Point

    in Past Trips

    Posted

    Thanks Gene,

    The NOAA site was very useful, I did have that site bookmarked, I just forgot about it. It confirmed the difference in wave height. It looks like the forecast for Manchester will be wave heights around 2-4 feet. I'd be willing to paddle the Charles basin, leaving from Magazine Beach and a little of the inner harbor instead OR if I can get company for Manchester I'd like to paddle there.

    Sid

    Wednesday 3/25 - Tucks Point

    in Past Trips

    Posted

    Hey Y'all,

    I'm eying this Wed, 3/25/09, as a day to embark from Tucks Point or some similar put-in. I'd like to go out and look at the harbor seals on the Dry Breakers. (From a respectible distance of course.)

    So far the forecast looks tolerable. However there is a pretty big difference between the marine forecast for the "Coastal Waters From Merrimack River Ma Out 25 Nm To Plymouth Ma" and "Boston Harbor" on the Weather Underground, 7-10 Ft vs. 1 Ft or less. Anyone know where to get an accurate forecast for the waters between Marblehead and Manchester-by-the-Sea?

    Anyway if you can get way mid-week and you've got everything else you need for a trip this time of year on the North part of the Bay of MA then respond here, or by PM or e-mail.

    If there is a small craft advisory for Wed then I'm going out on the Concord River instead.

    Sid

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