tyson

The guy in that photo works at the same place Emilie and I do. We printed that one and posted it on his cube. :-) Your concerns about the rudder aren't the same as mine. Mine are more along the lines of a crash landing in surf (the point being landing, not surging) and having a broken rudder while 20 miles from home. I would have preferred one that folded flat on the top of the stern as most rudders do. But since we bought a high performance boat, we're stuck with a "high performance rudder". ...and it seems that we in fact can be stopped. Yesterday we put in at Odiorne/Seavey Creak and paddled 10 miles north on the outer coast and then 10 miles back. The seas where 3 to 6 feet with moderate chop and confusion. Our pace was discouraging with a moving average of just 4.0 mph. Add to that 2 stops that combined to 35 minutes and it took us 5:25 to do 20 miles. The purpose of all of this is to try completing the Blackburn. Note that I did not use the word "compete" ;-) That event requires that you be done in under 6 hrs. Anything over 5hrs looks like an embarrassment, esp. in a Doug Bushnell built tandem. We're not racers. Compared with present company, we really have not done all that much kayaking and don't get out all that often. We've put a lot more effort into learning rolling, surfing and deep water rescue ("safety skills") than putting in a lot of fast miles. We are able to sustain 5mph on flat water. We are able to surf, brace and roll in the boat also. Where we seem to be failing is that our forward stroke goes out the window in rough conditions with this boat. It is a bit of a nervous boat with limited stability and I end up trying to keep steady and balanced with my lower body and paddling with just my arms and shoulders. ...and not even doing that very effectively. I think I need to get better at bracing and balancing with the paddle while doing a proper forward stroke (with full body) so that I can be less tense and twitchy in rough water. If we can't do better than yesterday when the Blackburn comes around, Doug might demand that we return his boat and stop embarrassing him. :-) Cheers! Ty

Yup! Thanks!

Are "Show and Goes" posted on the message board considered to be NSPN sponsored trips? What is the line between someone posting that they are going on a trip and inviting others to join and an NSPN sponsored trip? ...if its posted here, does that mean it's sponsored? What are the implications of "sponsored"? Ty

ROTFLMAO! :-) ...but here is my question: Am I allowed to go on any future trips with you guys? Is Gene willing to paddle in a group with me again? Cheers! Ty

...but I enjoy kayaking in the rain! http://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/MS8Pq...feat=directlink :-)

You quoted my post and I thought that I had answered your questions. What did I miss? Cheers! Ty

I just found the context of that reply: :-) Love it! ...and it happens that I was just thinking about the things I'd like to chat about that would go so much better if we where sitting face to face over a good beer. It seems that its easier to offend where it wasn't intended or to offend where you would have kept things objective and constructive in a face to face context. Since VHF seems to be a popular topic, I'll add two more cents. When I do carry my VHF, it is turned off except to check weather each morning or from time to time. I have no use for a VHF with dead batteries on a 5 day island hopping trip. ...yes I bring spares, but not 5 days worth! I also fly. I learned to fly in an aircraft with no radio or even any electrical system beyond the magneto ignition and the thermocouple to drive the oil temperature guage. We would fly in small groups, often in formation. We'd plan before take off. We would pull up close enough to each other to talk. Yes! While flying! I've found that the folks who are accustomed to flying without radios are very good at keeping their eye open and aware of their surroundings. With that skill they are able to see and avoid the people who are talking on their radios all the time and forgot to pay attention to what they are actually doing. Those that forgot to pay attention didn't realize that the position report they just gave was wrong. Cheers! Ty

I had no radio. I didn't have flares either. I carry those when I leave shore for significant open water crossings and we had no plans to do so. I regard those tools as only a backup to deep water skills and risk mitigation. My version of what happened is a head count was done by someone who had not heard Gene headed to a beach. Someone else reported that they had been in contact with him and that he was headed to a beach. Since I knew no one and everyone else knew everyone except me and everyone seemed to think that Gene was fine, I didn't worry. When we returned to Pavilion I caught on to the fact that Gene had earlier reported (somehow) that he was returning to Pavilion but his car was still there. We scanned the water. We (not me) drove south and and checked the river, we (not me) drove north and checked the sound, we asked everyone going in an out of the beach if they had seen anyone fitting Gene's description. There where boaters of all types all over the place. If Gene had been in the water, either he had already been found or he was somewhere that we never would have found him. We contacted authorities and found that they where somehow assisting a paddler fitting Gene's description. On a day with flat water where we didn't go anywhere (launch point in sight), the clearing up to the "big house" on the hill clearly visible (an unambiguous land mark), what more where we supposed to do when an experienced paddler who is reported to know the area well heads off to a nearby beach in flat conditions without clearly communicating a complete plan first? This was my first NSPN trip. Do they all result in this much conversation after? :-)

That is roughly the point I was going to bring up. I've probably been in the bay only about 5 times prior. ...but the day in question, except for the sand bar, was the most benign conditions I've ever seen there. An other point: How far is the definition of separated? Some of us were in the meat of the waves. Some played in the edges. Some entertained themselves just outside the waves. ...at what distance is a person separated from the group? Out of site would be a useful discriminator. But if Gene had not gone around the back side, he would have been in sight and reasonably near by. So, how flat and how close for an experienced paddler to not need an escort? Under what conditions is a paddler no longer part of the group and so doesn't need an escort? ...or are we really supposed to end the group's trip to chase around a person who doesn't really want to be part of the group any more? There has a been a lot of language termed in absolutes. Life is not that way. Cheers! Ty

Emilie and I went to the Seabrook Harbor surf session to see what would happen if we brought our K2: http://www.westsideboatshop.com/html/Kayak...ing/Bullitt.htm The waves were considerably better than 2 weeks ago. The end result was we hunted down the biggest badest waves we could catch, got trashed only once and pulled the offside combat roll. :-) Pictures are here: http://picasaweb.google.com/tyson.sawyer/2...feat=directlink

I carry my kayaks in and older version of these: http://www.thuleracks.com/product.asp?dept...&sku=835XTR I sometimes strap a 2nd kayak to the back side of each pair. I strap canoes (if I have to use one of the awful things, that is why God gave us kayaks!) upside down to a set of Thule bars with set set of pads on the bars. Obviously, the two above suggestions work in combination. Here are a couple of posts I made to a related group on techniques for loading heavy boats on to tall vehicles: http://www.meetup.com/NESeacoastPaddlers/m...001627#28126378 Look for three posts on a row from me. Cheers! Ty

...and an excellent critique and suggestion it is! :-) Planning and communication failed. Radios did what radios do. I think that the conflict about head count comments is that head count actually succeeded in this case. We did figure out that someone had left the group. Unfortunately, they left without communicating and reviewing a plan and poor radio communications were accepted instead. Cheers! Ty

Lets see if I can quote and reference from the Trip Reports board: You use strong language here and I feel it is appropriate that you explain it. You've put some effort into the radios, but I've not seen any explanation for your comments about head count. I hope that as newbie to the group, I'm not overstepping my bounds here, but I believe that this hits the core of the problem. Gear fails. Even when it doesn't fail, it often doesn't perform. I have done crossings that would have been very risky if my GPS failed due to visibility, winds and currents. However, the plan was a fail-safe exit that I can perform with a map and compass if the GPS did fail. Here, "gear" was used after the fact to communicate that a member of the group was separating. Because the gear performed poorly, that communication was poor. Had there been a one-on-one discussion that verified what intentions where, including pointing fingers at destinations, it is likely that the navigation error would have been caught before it was started. Additionally, the communication should have gone much further than "I'm going over there to get a bite to eat". It needs to be a full "float plan" that ends in search and rescue of the person separating doesn't return when expected. ...which requires knowing when to expect them. Since aviation was mentioned, the best analogy from aviation is flight on instruments and interaction with air traffic control (ATC). In this case, ATC is responsible for keeping an eye on the flight and either knowing that it ended safely or calling out the troops when that point the plan is reached. All Instrument Flight Plans (and ATC clearances) are complete to a terminating condition. If communications are lost, it is demanded that the pilot stick to the plan filed with ATC and notify of his safe arrival. The only exception is an emergency. This is not possible if a terminating condition for the plan is not defined. If weather/visibility/rules permit, a pilot is permitted to end his "contract" with ATC. This is a clear communication and confirmation then results in ATC no longer being responsible for looking out for your safety. You are on your own and if you don't show up, it is assumed that you just changed plans. I would like to kindly suggest that the group was far to enamored with their radios. It seemed that radios were used for constant updates instead of having a plan. This problem is compounded by the poor communications over the radios, so any plans that are discussed are not well communicated or reviewed. Had the trip to shore been well communicated and reviewed, we would have known when to look and where to look. Additionally, this mis-orienteering would have been caught. I hope my comments are useful. Constructive review enhances safety and I do look forward to future trips with this group. Cheers! Ty

I think that the part of flying that applies here isn't about how to talk on the radio. I'll post a reply later on the GMB thread and try to elaborate then. Ty

Deb, I rather liked the picture of you climbing a wave. I rotated it to make it level and recropped it a couple of times. I like the new crops better. Take a look. :-) http://picasaweb.google.com/tyson.sawyer/2...feat=directlink

It is an Pentax Optio W60. I love it! Obviously I didn't post them at full resolution. I'd be happy to send full resolution copies to anyone who wants them. Cheers! Ty P.S. Annoying message board wouldn't let me reply to two posts without a 1 minute break between them. I understand the purpose, but the implementation seems a bit draconian.

There were waves coming in from at least two directions. Some where large, some small. The largest where from the two sets getting in phase and making a peak that wasn't very long. These tended to rear up tall and scary and then disappear.

Great day on the bay! I'm still a bit sore. Thanks for allowing the new guy with a barge for a boat to join you. My pictures from the trip can be found here: http://picasaweb.google.com/tyson.sawyer/2...feat=directlink Cheers! Ty

Suz, Due to the thunderstorms that are still in the forecast this morning, Emilie and I won't be coming today. Hopefully we'll see you on an other trip soon. Thanks! Ty

Should you cancel due to weather, please call: 603-321-6736. Its nearly a 2 hr drive for us to get there, so we will be leaving somewhat early.

Emilie and I won't be early, but I believe we will be on time. Cheers! Ty

Its 14' and a bit fat, but I'll be fine. I've done plenty of miles in it and I know it fits me. Someday I'll upgrade to solo that is a bit closer to my WSB K2 Bullitt. Thanks! Gotta hit the road! Ty

Yup, I'm good for wet exit, T rescue, roll, re-entry and roll, towing... and I might be able to perform a bow roll if someone needed it. I've paddled that water a number of times, once from Pavilion Beach. See you at 11:00! ...just don't laugh at my boat. ;-) Thanks! Ty

Would you guys object to having someone new to the group join you? I promise that I know how to float. :-) ...seriously, I'm quite comfortable in wind, seas, surf, currents and upside down. If you don't mind, is this where you would meet for Conomo Point? http://tinyurl.com/lodzhl