jdkilroy

" ... Nigel is now busy building all the TIDERACE boats in his factory." that brings things full circle doesn't it

Something spicy perhaps...?

Looking forward to seeing you all there tomorrow. Bring the navigation stuff you normally use with you as well as the chart if you have it and your questions. Best, Jon Kilroy

This is great and I will plan to attend but I would recommend one change... Goat Isl is a very small launch site and there is a dingy racing club that meets there on weekends to race in the harbour. They alone pretty much fill any and all available parking. One or two additional cars (as is the usual case) is not a problem, but several will be, and there is no additional/adjacent site parking. I would consider the public launch that is quite close by. There is no charge at that time of year and lots of parking/organization/instruction room. not to mention a portable toilet.

cool... ! How does the stand-up fellow stop ?

I sensed the camera man and associates were getting concerned that cave paddler might not reemerge... a valid concern.

I would reconsider your plan Suz, People traditionally attend yard sales in the morning; by afternoon on summer weekends they are more inclined to be burning meat on the grill or something else summery. just a thought... Jon

Not to perseverate but I would add one additional thought: This was drummed into our head by Gordon Brown during a leadership training: "... If one person in your group becomes hypothermic you need to treat the whole group." (spoken with a Scottish brogue) Assuming there wasn't a specific event that caused only one of your group to become cold, there are likely to be others headed for a similar state. Jon

A job well done, and I think I speak for all in thanking those who put the time and effort into putting this series together. You are a committed bunch that add great value to being a member of NSPN. Don't forget, there will be one more in this series; another day on the water that follows in a couple weeks. An opportunity to practice and expand on the material already presented. Jon

Just traveled to Europe using soft golf bag. ("Club Glove") Packed all paddling gear inside along with two sets of paddles. Weighed less than 50 lbs and no excess baggage charges. It is over sized but that just meant taking it to the over sized baggage drop at departure and picking up from similar area on arrival. No problems, no damage and very handy way to travel. Would recommend this particular brand of case as it is really well built; previous cheap model came apart during travel. Having a wheeled bag is the only way to go. I placed a single piece of 1" minicell foam in the bottom of it for the ends of the shafts to rest on and placed my helmet over the 4 blade ends. The top of the bag is already well padded to protect those precious club heads so all was safe and sound. No damage at all. The bag also stands up on end by its self. Although over size by measurements, I don't believe that most airlines charge extra to take golf clubs. Nobody ever asked me what was inside. Hope that's helpful, Jon

A place like Portsmouth will never fall into one of the neat categories that allows easy description or prediction. There are simply too many variables. Great bay does act as a large reservoir to create a hydraulic dimension but this is not a simple reservoir; Great Bay is constantly being filled by several streams/rivers. The constant flow from the Piscatiqua River and Great Bay which empties into it, act to oppose/enhance any tidal movement. These effects can vary significantly depending upon recent weather phenomenon (think, a few days of heavy rains) or more long term phenomenon such as a very dry summer. Add to that the unpredictable variables of tidal movement .... All this creates a place where the tide/current prediction tables can only hope to provide a guide to expected behaviour. I don't think I've ever seen the tables and reality coincide there. Its a great back yard though... Jon

I assume you folks headed south rather than north from Rye Harbour. I paddled out of Portsmouth to meet up but never ran in to you as far south as Foss Beach but no other kayakers to be seen. Fun ride back to Portsmouth with a fair wind and tide. Hope you had a nice paddle. Jon

Hi Liz, Thule has a pretty generous lifetime warranty to original owners and I think that if you take the foot/feet to a local dealer you will end up with a replacement without charge. It would help if you had the original receipt but I don't think it would be a deal-breaker if you didn't. You'll probably want to go to a place like EMS or like size as they go through so much of this gear that it won't be a big deal. God luck, Jon

Welcome to NSPN Joe, As you can see, you have a lot of company regarding motion sickness issues. There are a series of vestibular exercises (vestibular rehabilitation exercises) that can be performed to help train your inner ear resulting in less severe symptoms if not the elimination of them. A search on the web will provide a lot of info. Working on your balance can also help as the balance centers in the brain play a role and the same inner ear components are involved. There are also folks who don't seem to have any motion sickness problems but then develop balance difficulties after getting cold water in their ears after immersion (rolling) so, as a potential source of balance issues, keep that in mind with these currently very cold water temps. Jon

The change was calculated to be aprox 4 inches. That change in the distance of the axis of rotation from a presumed center of the earth as measured through the poles,(~7901 mi), results in a difficult-to-measure change in the angle of the axis of rotation. I'm sure the change will have a theoretical effect on tides for a while but I don't think that it will be to a degree that mariners (or kayakers) would be concerned by it. I would not be looking for any corrections to tide/current tables. Jon

To be honest, I don't know that there is any easy way. A small scale chart illustrating the various tide reference and sub-stations would be great but I've always needed to plot them out if I was not familiar with the local name for the given location. I think Google earth might be handy here. You could cut and paste the lat and long (might need to adjust the format) into the search box on Google and it will provide you with the location. I usually use the appropriate chart and then plot the position of the tide stations permanently on it labeling them with the same name used in the tide tables. This is good winter work. Have fun, Jon

Hi Duke Any play at all in the ferrule is unacceptable in a brand-new paddle; especially a Werner. I paddle almost exclusively with Werners and I would not accept that. Take it back and get a new one; it will only get worse. Jon

A couple more: The first from the northwest, a solo paddler gets into trouble: Media report Paddler's own words This odd tale serves to remind us of what are (and more importantly, are not) appropriate watercraft. A new look at the notion of a PFD Jon

Welcome to NSPN Bob, You're about to have loads of fun and adventures. Since others are already weighing in on gear and such, I will just add that while you are waiting for the weather conditions to change you should spend time getting your body ready for kayaking. Posture, flexibility, a bit of cardiovascular conditioning with a dash of muscle mass will all serve you well when it comes time to get in the boat. Work on your balance and core by doing simple things like always putting your socks and shoes on while standing. You get the idea. See you on the water, Jon

Hey all: Since the weather seems intent on making rather uncomfortable to be on the water, I thought I would look around for some articles on lessons learned while paddling. Here's one from Sean Morely My link Another paddler in that group wrote this of the incident: My link There is a video at either site that goes along with the story Anyone else know of some stories to mull over? Add the link to this thread. Happy shoveling... Jon

When you ask that question about weather cocking Leslie, are you actually meaning: weathercock excessively? I think many designs of kayaks whatever their construction are designed to wearthercock inherently as a means to control the craft in winds. This trait is usually tempered by changing the distribution of load, edging or using a skeg. I'm not sure why a SOF constructed boat should behave significantly different from a glass boat of the same design. That said, I have never paddled a SOF so I cannot speak from experience; only from a theoretical reference. Ed, what is it that you like about your SOF that is different from a glss boat (aside from weight)? Jon

If they want to charge to paddle on the lakes, fine but I don't think that kayaks and canoes are (a significant) part of the invasive species problem. This has always sounded more like motor boaters that want others to share their pain. My feeling is they should feel real (financial) pain for all the noise and pollution they create. Myself, I don't care much for lakes and I am comfortable in the knowledge that should I ever need the Coast Guard to come to my assistance, I have played an active part in supporting their salaries for many years now. I'll stick to the oceans. Jon

So, in real life conditions... had to do this off the west coast of Nootka island after getting stripped from my boat. If you are in conditions that result in your getting dumped in the first place; the likelihood is, you are going to do what gets you in the boat and back upright ASAP. Bravo for those that can manage the spray skirt placement after emptying their boats before rolling up. I am of the school that once I roll up, I fill the cockpit with water to minimize free surface effect and sort it out from there. In that situation, it meant paddling to shore with a completely full cockpit which resulted in a reasonably stable boat. I elected to exit the boat before landing (in surf) so as to minimise the potential damage to the boat but the paddle to shore(from more than a mile off) with a flooded cockpit was uneventful. (This was a fully loaded boat) Developing these skills in a pool is encouraged but don't hesitate to try them out in the conditions that they are likely to be needed to see if they are relevant in "real life." Personally; never used a tether... just never let go of that paddle. Understand that the free surface effect only comes into play when the cockpit is partially flooded. (Anything in between completely empty or completely flooded.) Best, Jon

When I read it, I was suprised that I hadn't run into him as I was paddling the same coast at the same time. I didn't do any fishing from the kayak... One, I was wondering what would happen if something a lot bigger decided it wanted the fish on my line and two, as a solo camper, I wanted my campsites to have as little attraction as possible to local foragers. Bears and wolves at most every campsite and frequently, there were cougar prints on the beach. I really like his boat. It is a credit to the strength of the construction style. My fiberglass Nordkapp took a fair beating over the course of the trip and the roughest section by far was the segment described in this story. Jon

We've been getting it since the pilot issue. Great stuff, well done. For a while there it seemed that everything was coming from a very few authors but Mr Parkin has been really working on bringing new authors and topics to print. Worth getting and supporting. Jon