Marshall

Any NSPN'ers racing at the Blackburn on Saturday?

I plan on it again. If you want to get a jump on a slightly warmer latitude the Bay Bridge Paddle Race on the Chesapeake is fun and an excellent beach party at Sandy Point State Park in Annapolis, MD. Don't forget the Lighthouse to Lighthouse Race in Norwalk, CT in September. Marshall

Doing the night portions on Watertribe events the Princeton Tec Point light (6/12 lumen) clipped to the headband of my main headlamp is bright enough to illuminate my chart and see the Suunto or Brunton 58 compass on my deck but no so dazzling as to kill my night vision.

I've got both here and it's going to be nearly 60 degrees today. I could be talked into hanging the sign on the door "Test Paddle". See you on the water, Marshall The River Connection, Inc. Hyde Park, NY (not next door to Dedham) www.the-river-connection.com hudsonriverpaddler.org

Princeton Tec Point light clipped to the band of my Petzl Vario Rush (wicked bright) or on the brim of my cap has worked well on the night time paddling portions of Watertribe events. 6 or 12 lumen mode. Been water resistant enough to get bashed with waves and keep working. About $14 See you on the water, Marshall The River Connection, Inc. Hyde Park, NY www.the-river-connection.com

Excellent! Thank you Liz.

Thank you Pintail for the emphasis "!" although the description of lurking underwater boulders makes for far better reason to look into Lane's Cove than slippery boulders. I've rappelled into ww launches before so if it's less than that effort no problem but no need to scrunch up a composite hull unnecessarily looking for passage between hiding rocks. Some other forums have claimed some safety issues for parked vehicles there. Is this a current concern or something of the past? See you on the water, Marshall The River Connection, Inc. Hyde Park, NY www.the-river-connection.com hudsonriverpaddler.org

Thanks. Being that the house I'm staying at is almost across from Folly I'll put my Astral Rasslers uber grip to the test. I'll see how they do on saltwater infused slippery rocks. See you on the water, Marshall The River Connection, Inc. Hyde Park, NY www.the-river-connection.com hudsonriverpaddler.org

A friend and I are going to be staying close to Folly Cove. Other than what I've read on dive sites, paddling past it on a number of Blackburns and drive bys, is there anything of interest I should be aware of launching/landing here? Anyone want to come along on day paddles June 8-10? See you on the water, Marshall The River Connection, Inc. Hyde Park, NY www.the-river-connection.com hudsonriverpaddler.org

Cathy did terrific at this past weekends ACA L1/L2 IDW/ICE with Instructor Trainer Educator Karen Knight. Great group management in scenarios when things, intentionally, went downhill on a staged all-in with paddler types such as Bravado gone a-Panicky, Major Mechanical Malfunction and Frick 'n Fractious. I especially liked your having Fractious hug your bow for support (ulteriorly, ballast) on your rodeo reentry. Some photos of from each of the days are on hudsonriverpaddler.org. Hopefully I'll see you at the Blackburn? See you on the water, Marshall The River Connection, Inc. Hyde Park, NY www.the-river-connection.com hudsonriverpaddler.org

Nate, Wait till the new Astral LoYak and HiYak models come out in 2015. Very different footbed but the same super grip soles. Looking forward to a pair that'll work with my Fenn Mako Surfski and my P&H Loki ww kayak. See you on the water, Marshall The River Connection, Inc. Hyde Park, NY www.the-river-connection.com hudsonriverpaddler.org

Hi Nate & Suz, With 3 boats on the ELRR it's going to be about 150+lbs so it's technique thing not brute force lifting. Keep in mind the bars on the Land Cruiser are at about 6'4" from the ground so the longer ELRR 1500(?) would actually be easier as the angle of attack would be less. The overall goal is to have the ELRR swing out like a pendulum to a point where your skeleton is holding the load and not just muscle tension. Here's the steps for 3 boats and to keep you out of the chiropractors office Squat and grasp lift bar with a palm downward gripExtend legs while stepping back and perform an upright row for the lift bar to reach collarbone height. As the bar reaches this height roll your wrists back into a palm upward position (weightlifting term = Clean? but no jerk) keeping your back straight.Walk toward the vehicle lining the guide wheel on the ELRR rail with the triangular ridge on the top of the bar mount assembly.Video on request. The longer unit has an additional sword pin so you can load one boat, stow it, insert the pin then redeploy the rack with the top boat being held in place as a counterweight. At this amount of shuffling I'll just hook up the trailer for a 20 boat capacity. Dorothy can load her 16' freestyle tandem canoe this way but remember her height and the rack height. She prefers to load it on her Mini. Makes a great canopy over the car in case of rain. Time to run the Demo Day before the weather arrives. See you on the water, (or the Blackburn) Marshall The River Connection, Inc. Hyde Park, NY www.the-river-connection.com hudsonriverpaddler.org

Perhaps now. http://wp.me/pFgdM-I0

Here's a way to do 4 kayaks (3 on a loading system) on 58" Thule Bars http://wp.me/pFgdM-I0 See you on the water, (or at the Blackburn) Marshall The RIver Connection, Inc. Hyde Park, NY www.the-river-connection.com hudsonriverpaddler.org

Nate's advice is good but saving some $ would give you the Werner Shuna equivalent in nylon blades, the Werner Tybee ($180). Same 2pc ferrule system as on the Premium or Carbon Foam Core Line and all round nice feeling paddle but can certainly be used to pet rocks with and not worry. See you on the water, Marshall The River Connection, Inc. Hyde Park, NY www.the-river-connection.com hudsonriverpaddler.org

For a Werner Cyprus alternative look into the Lendal Storm. Did a 37 mile paddle around Kent Island, MD a couple of weeks ago and was thoroughly impressed with it's performance. See you on the water, Marshall The River Connection, Inc. Hyde Park, NY www.the-river-connection.com hudsonriverpaddler.org

Doug, The Perfect Curve Glacier Glove is on the Cycling tab of the Glacier Glove website. That's the 2mm version. I've found they're one of the few truly waterproof neo gloves that gives fine tactile contact without the bulk. Your hands will become moistened by perspiration but that's warmer than the ice water. The raw rubber exterior makes them windproof which is far better than the usual tricot exterior neoprene gloves I've used in the past. No evaporative chill. They're not all that hard to find. I even know of a place in Hyde Park, NY that has 'em. See you on the water, Marshall The River Connection, Inc. Hyde Park, NY www.the-river-connection.com hudsonriverpaddler.org

Liz, Universal minicell foam blocks fit fine. For the more better-er carrier then the Marco Kayak Saddles for Aerobars are the way to go at $135/pr. Oh, the later not being available at REI or Rack Attack. See you on the water, Marshall

Thule 450 Crossroad Foot Pack in either the standard square bar or the new Aeroblade configuration. Thule Hull-a-Port Pro - J Cradle system folds flat when not in use. Get some 75mm M6 stainless Carriage Bolts if using the Aeroblades, you'll be happier. For hull down application - Marco Kayak Saddles allow the slide-em-up approach from the back but are broader and more supportive than most anything else without going to extended V carriers. Only adds 3" off the top of the bar so still a low profile. $125-$135/pair. Hope that helps. See you on the water, Marshall

Astral Designs (until recently Astral Buoyancy) Brewers. Looks terrestrially stylish enough to use as a casual sneaker, dries extremely fast (in the summer I can feel them dry on my feet while paddling), 5-10 sole makes for fantastic traction and doesn't hold a stink. Sizing runs a touch snug, I'd recommend upsizing by a full size especially if planning on using with bootied drysuits/drypants. See you on the water, Marshall The River Connection, Inc. Hyde Park, NY www.the-river-connection.com