tyson

I'm slow!

Where does this information come from? Is there any chance that they would publish a later skipper's meeting? I ask these questions because I have to hit the road by about 4:30AM for the current schedule. It sure would be super sweet if I didn't have to get up quite so early. ...esp compared to getting up that early to sit around and wait. Thanks! Ty

I have a different strategy. We're going to run that leg a couple of hours after you do. We won't have as much ebbing current to paddle against and so may ultimately be able to over take you. Cheers! Ty

Those two were not on a flat lake. These two were. ...I guess I should have been more specific.

I suppose there is a difference between experience and skill. These two didn't have even the skill to hold on to their boats while in the water?!

I'd also recommend Sea Kayaking: Safety & Rescue by John Lull. If you've not been on the Ocean, be sure that your not getting in over your head. I'd suggest staying in contact with this group as the dates get closer and seeing if you can join up with someone from the area for a trip or two. Though we live a good distance from the Cape, Emilie and I always enjoy a good excuse to go paddling there. Cheers! Ty

There is the bit about a 6 hr limit and 20 miles, much of it unprotected waters. Cheers! Ty

Do you use the track mode, and if so, how reliably does it report? It should report once every 10 minutes. I find that sometimes it does. ...but often it goes 30-40 minutes between reports. ...sometimes and hour. I have it mounted to my shoulder and my head may be blocking the signal. I tried putting it on my deck on the 'Shoals trip but then forgot to start the track mode. The big objective differences are season (water and air temperature) and solo vs 2 boats and 3 people. I've not heard of this one. Might you have a link? Why would you prefer your tandem? Is it something inherent to being a tandem or is it just more stable? In my case my solo boat is much more stable than our tandem. ...something I need to rectify. Thanks! Ty

As a related tangent to "communications" with the Coast Guard, I feel a bit under-educated on the use of flares. Specifically, how water proof are they? How dry do I need to keep them so that I can expect them to work? If I'm in the water and attempting to launch one, is it OK if it gets submerged in the process? I've not seen information about this on the flares or packaging. I've also read something recently about older flares not being acceptable or reliable? I bought a couple of flare packages 2 years ago for a 5 day trip Island hopping up in Maine. Are they still good? I'm likely to go try a few just for the experience. If I'm 50 miles inland and take care about fire hazards, would I be breaking any rules about false alarms? Thanks! Ty

I generally don't trust little handheld VHF radios 14 inches above the water. ...but I suppose that if/when it worked it would allow the CG to know what I'm up to and know that I'm still OK. My concern would be that a radio that fails to get through once they are expecting a call would upset them even more. Ty

That is how its done with flying, though it is voluntary on the pilots part for VFR flights. I do feel that it is a better solution. I've since heard that if you launch from Kittery, the harbor master will take a float plan and should be able to help the folks out on the water know who is up to what. I'm likely to try that next time. Would it have been to much to turn to the tailing CG boat, wave, and then roll our tandem in such conditions? Cheers! Ty

Yeah, I'm familiar with that incident. The difference is that he was paddling alone. If you end up out of your boat, having a second boat around can make a very big difference. Additionally, I wasn't suggesting that my float plan just say that I'm experienced. It would include what my skills are. There may be quite a number of people who have done a lot of paddling and are very experienced at staying upright. That is not the same as being experienced at dealing with being upside down or out of your boat. My ex-wife saw a picture of that guys boat in the news paper after they found it. She said it was setup for a paddle float rescue with one end of the paddle tucked under the deck lines and a paddle float on the other end. The article said that "they" didn't know what happened. She said that the picture (combined with the weather) pretty much told the story. Does anyone know if he had a good roll? How much recent experience with deep water self rescues did he have? Also, my question was, "How can I help them". I wasn't complaining that they were doing their job. I just wanted to know how to make it easier for both them and me. Cheers! Ty

Well, not quite, but here is an excerpt from Emilie's blog post about today's trip: Emilie and I met up with Jonathan Rose at Odiorne to do some open water paddling in preparation for the Blackburn. Since it seemed like a nice day, we decided to head for the Isles of Shoals. Emilie and I in our WSB K2 Bullitt and Jon in his custom Bjorn Thomasson Njord. We departed the boat ramp at about 10:00. It started out with what seemed like a 5-10kt wind and 1-2 foot seas. We left Portsmouth Harbor with a bit of current behind us in spite of it being past low tide. As we progressed the winds picked up to 15kts; seas to 2-3 feet. About 3/4 of the way out we noticed a Coast Guard boat trailing right behind us and slowly closing. They pulled up, mentioned that someone had called them about us, asked if we were OK, asked if we had emergency gear, asked where we were going, asked when we would be back, asked for my phone number and asked that we call when we get back. OK. They're doing their job and where polite about it. The winds had steadily increased to the point that the Isles of Shoals was reporting 23kt winds at 12:00. We arrived around 12:15. We spend about an hour on the lawn of Star Island resting, eating and enjoying the weather. ...and noting the white caps out between us and Portsmouth. We headed back with a 26kt quartering tailwind and seas of 2-4ft. As we progressed towards land they seemed to increase to 3-5ft and remained there for the rest of the trip. The wind reported by the Isles of Shoals was 26-27kts during the time of our trip back. During the trip back, one sail boat made a close pass and asked if we where OK and then headed off. About 1/3rd of the way back we were again intercepted by the Coast Guard. Different boat, different crew. They seemed to have my name and said that they were looking for me. They asked all the questions again, asked for my phone number again, asked for a description of my car. They tried to get us to accept a tow. They said that they would watch us for a bit. ...they again asked if we would accept a tow. Eventually, they left. ...again, just doing their job, but... Overall the ride back was more surfing and boat control than paddling. It was quite a rough but fun ride. I'm definitely getting comfortable with the stability of our little K2. Pictures are posted here: http://picasaweb.google.com/tyson.sawyer/2...feat=directlink Now, my question is: I realize that they CG was doing their job. I know that if I ever need them, I'll be really glad that they are out there. However, it sure would be helpful if there were someway for me to "help them" by letting them know what my abilities are and what I'm up to. We were just out there having fun. It was certainly challenging conditions, but within our abilities and FUN! The reason that I so enjoy kayaks is that they are so incredibly sea worthy and I can really be one with the water. So, how do I let them know that I'm not Joe Recreational kayaker who would have really needed help? I asked this while on the phone with them after returning to the boat ramp. They said that there wasn't really a problem. They were not upset. They said that really the only thing for me to do is file a float plan with a friend or family member so that someone would know when to look for us and where. I did this and it did not help the CG with doing their job. If I had been able to file a float plan with the CG that included what our skills and gear was it seems this might have helped. Since the SPOT reports are a bit "spotty", I'm not sure how helpful it would be for them to have a link to the web page with our tacks on it, but if they where finding tracks that were recent, sensible and matched the float plan, I'd think that they wouldn't have to worry. ...I'm not sure if there is a good solution. Oh well! It was still a GREAT day! Cheers! Ty

I'm hearing a lot of disparaging comments about the point-n-shoot water proofs. Below is a picture taken recently with an Optio W60. IMHO, the quality of the picture is quite good; despite needing to be rotated because the camera wasn't level and cropped because of water on the lens shield and the subject (Hi Deb!) being only a small portion of the picture. Only a small point-n-shoot water proof would have ever gotten that picture because a larger camera would not have been tethered to my chest while playing in the Ipswich Bay surf. This is not the best picture that this camera can get. This is what is left after rotating and cropping a picture taken in difficult conditions. I have a camera to record my fun while kayaking. I don't kayak to take pictures. Cropped and rotated: Original before cropping and rotating:

Looks like we've got a contractor coming to visit to chat about building a house on Sunday so I'm can't make it either day this weekend. Have fun! Ty

Dang Blackburn! I'm already booked for some Blackburn training on Sat. but there is a small chance that I would join if you happen to delay until Sunday. Don't change on my account because I'm not sure I could make it anyway, but if you do I might. Cheers! Ty

I'm not trying to debate your other points. However, for those that would like to use a bow line and can't figure out how to attach one, look around the edges inside your engine bay just under the hood. Find a spot to tie a loop of cord/rope that can come up between the hood and fender. When not in use, open the hood and drop the loops inside. When you want them, they are quick to access and make very secure attach points for bow lines. We now use a Subaru for carrying our boats around, but prior to that we used our Honda Fit. It really didn't have anything external to tie to. We had more than one boat to carry and so the single point "tow eye" wasn't really an option. http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/m1ncV...feat=directlink http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/0gnaN...feat=directlink Cheers! Ty

I still need to get a seat in our tandem that I'm really comfortable in. I have considered molding a glass one from the foam once I get a shape that I like.

Though I very much want to go paddle some of that area, the 18th is the Blackburn Challenge which Emilie and I will attempt to complete in our tandem ; which is somewhat longer than my 14ft solo (AKA "The barge" AKA "The tugboat" AKA "The Barcalounger"). I'll be out from knee surgery the following weekend and back on the water after that. At that point kayaking the coast of Maine will be pretty much irresistible. Cheers! Ty

I bought one at my local hardware store. ...though that particular store is about 2 1/2 hrs from Portland.

cockpit outfitting http://community.webshots.com/user/brian_nystrom cockpit comport customizing your cockpit

Now I _really_ feel "inadequate" with my 14ft boat. Cheers! Ty

Is there a pocket camera that you do like? ....or do you require a large format camera to consider it other than crap? I own a W60 (and W20 before that) and am amazed at the pictures I get from it. Ty

We do! ...and in surf were watching the bow paddler isn't really an option. We have a system that seems to allow Emilie to follow my lead and an agreement on which side we will roll. ...yes, we can roll on both sides. If/when we can find time between preparing for an attempt that the Blackburn and Emilie becoming an AMC leader for climbing trips, I'm sure I could do a demo sometime. If anyone on this board feels that they have a solid combat roll in a tandem, I'd love to hear what methods are used. What we've come up with seems to be working pretty well, but we've only needed to roll in anger once so far. Cheers! Ty

A great reason to learn a reliable roll is surfing. Surfing is a great way to practice your roll. My experience learning to manage a fast tandem in rough water has lead me to suspect that my roll is better than my balance. Cheers! Ty