jtmllr

Haha, if I were the paranoid type my ears would be ringing... I can paddle forever through most anything but my pace is slower than many people with longer boats, so my personal aversion to this trip (if I could have gone) would be holding people up over that many miles. My boat itself will naturally take about anything without much effort from me to keep it upright, but but it is only 16ft and I know from Saturday that I can fall to the end of the pack and that's not where I like to be. They didn't seem to mind, but it wasn't a trip based on hard goals. We were just out to have fun and scoot around. To present my perspective, I'd confidently take this trip on my own but would worry about slowing a group down. Taking a few group trips at a level 2 would allow you to figure out where you stand amongst the others, and with which people your abilities currently match up. There are a lot of people to paddle with and endless places to go to stretch your skills and build confidence. The harbors are great for giving you a taste of all kinds of conditions without being too far away - you can call it quits whenever you are ready and don't have to suffer bad conditions for too long. If you are feeling it, you can poke out of the harbor into the open and duck back in when you think you should. Maybe you can see if a Group B can be put together with people otherwise reluctant to go, but would really like to? Group B can do something less ambitious then enjoy the brew pub with the entire group at the end of the day. Everyone has a good time, which is the point! Throw it out there and see who bites.

Thanks for letting me tag along, I had a good time and chasing your longer boats all day gave me a good workout. I'm not sore but have that good tight feeling you get from more exercise than usual. Broadside winds all day and a major squall will do that. A bit of a rash from the neo but nice not to need a dry suit for once. The rain did a great job of washing the salt out of me, although I swear for the first few minutes the rain was actually salty too. That's a storm! Hard to tell which way is up when all directions are just as wet, salty, and murky, and paddle resistance is the same in the air as under water. It probably would have been easier paddling upside-down for that 10 minutes. Accidental swim onto Wallis but that's what beaches are for. Everything got to dry out today for the first time in I don't know how long.

The Great Lost Bear in Portland (not downtown but not far from 295) is the best beer pub I've been to, although I admit I still have many more to get to. http://www.greatlostbear.com/ 60+ taps of mostly regional craft brews and you can experience the rotating selection with samplers so you get to try many, which is the entire point. Great food too. Has a patio... This is the kind of place you can easily spend several hours in, but if Portland is too far from home for a trip itself, you may want to swing by to scout it and have a taste. You may end up planning kayak trips near Portland just so you have a reason to go to the GLB. Menu and fairly complete/updated tap list on their site. I won't be able to attend as I'll be coming back from Maine that Friday but wanted to pass along the apres paddle spot in case anyone really loves great beer and hadn't heard of the Bear. Relatively small lot but there is street parking. Not on the waterfront so I don't know if people would feel comfortable with boats on their cars on the street (Lasso lock cable makes it all possible.) Being a Saturday after we get back from a week camping on Warren I wouldn't be surprised if my friends and I end up at the Bear that night. Recivilize the right way! Enjoy.

I'd probably get a Romany next but an purposefully not looking at boats so I won't buy one. Gas money is better spent on gear, not looking for it. I doubt I'll bother taking the trip just to see if there's anything I need. I like to check the Internet before going some place, but to each their own. He should reconsider. Thanks for the tip.

Pack 'em and bring them with you. The humidity will plump them back out nicely. Tabasco will make anything edible. The sun came out for a few minutes but the clouds noticed and are back on the job. Sun just causes thunderstorms and the mosquitoes to come out anyway. Summer is a romantic myth.

Are they still in business? No direct hit in Google for their site and all sites' links to www.SuncookRiver.com, including WRSI's, are broken. They are the only NH dealer listed on the WRSI site. One in Charlemont, MA, but unless I go to Mt. Greylock that's not on the way to anywhere. I don't even use the Pike much since moving to NH. There was a direct link to a helmet on REI's site but it said it was no longer carried and a search on REI for "WRSI" turns up nothing. Not as sexy a brand as the skater types I guess. They are listed on many sites but nobody local I can find. If the organization gets back to me with the right answer I'd try ordering online without much worry. Thanks

WRSI looks promising. I sent an email to find out about it. WRSI also ships one size and gives you fit kits which is great, especially when trying to guess the size online. I could measure my head but still noggin shapes differ. If the fitting is easily changed then that makes it good to switch between bare head and wearing over a neo in cold weather. I came across a few others but they are handcrafted, marketed for whitewater, and I don't need a carbon/kevlar for what I plan to do. I wear lights and a battery on my bike helmet and a basic plastic kayaking helmet shouldn't weigh much more than that. Still more research to do. Thanks for the loaner. I look forward to not being glad I had it!

I do my best not to buy Chinese made products. Usually very difficult to get around and sometimes necessary to buy Chinese. Lots of times I end up deciding I don't need whatever it is badly enough. Any suggestions? They obviously don't put that spec out on web sites, but they should be required to. Even a multi-sport helmet with water features would suffice.

I'm still game. I just wanted to pass along the Odiorne info since the bridge replacement took so long and for some reason they had to block the pay lot too. People probably gave up on ever using those launches again. On the bright side, the asphalt cornice that used to be at the free lot has been smoothed over so those of us with cars can pull out without stressing the ball joints taking it at an angle so as not to get bottomed out. High tide varies there so you never know. I was able to park there at high tide not too long ago without getting water under the car. At least it is a shallow grade so even if the water fills the lot it shouldn't get in the car if you are up to the tree row. But a salty undercarriage can't be good. Maybe that's what the new hydrant is for, to hose off your car It's been getting a daily natural hosing anyway. People can do whatever they feel like doing, but I'm still searching for a helmet not made in China so I'll gauge conditions and tool around while others play if necessary. I can be camera boy. I think I'll post in another forum about finding a non-Chinese helmet.

I'm interested. Why Pierce Island? Do you intend to go down the river? Rye Harbor and Odiorne are much closer to the open ocean if that's where you want to paddle. Note last year the pay lot at Odiorne (across the bridge from the small free lot) they waived the fee. I think it is only 4 bucks for car top boats anyway, and is closer to the open ocean than Pierce's. Pierce's fee may be waived too. Any interest in using a closer spot? Closer may be better if any of the suspected thunderstorms develop, and if necessary there are a lot of landing spots around Odiorne for emergency landings due to weather. Worst case scenario is a carry to some place we can move the cars to. With Pierce you need to get back to that and that's your only option other than trying to hitch hike 1B with boats! I love the currents under the 1B/Wentworth bridge though, but no reason I can't side trip just for that. Short drive from Rye to Odiorne if we can't park at Rye. I only use Pierce if there is too much ice at the free Odiorne lot or when they take six months to redo a dinky wooden bridge. I don't care where we launch but these are suggestions based on my heavy usage of the area - I would go to Little Harbor from work all the time. Note: The free lot near Odiorne no longer allows roadside parking. There's a fire hydrant there now too, so little chance of getting away with it. With all the rain there is only enough room for 3-4 cars at high tide. Always fishermen or walkers hogging spots. It should be a launch-only parking area. People can carry a fishing pole easier than I can carry a boat, and walkers are there to walk anyway. Personal peeve.

Anyone know of a book store that carries this? No web ordering from the site and I don't really want to deal with phones and answering machines, shipping, etc. if I can just pick it up some place.

Removing my Kokatat Rep post information since I'm informed she and Suz are one and the same. She's already on the case! Thanks for the suit and the hat too. Feel free to include any of my urination tips to the Fall 2009 brochure, royalty-free.

This is probably an old discussion but I have a lot of time on my hands and it is raining out. I'm putting off a trip to the DMV too (still one week day left.) I research gear excessively and recently was on the prowl for a dry suit. I narrowed it down to Palm and Kokatat. Palm dealers are too sparse and I'm not buying a suit without trying it on. The body dimensions seemed odd, too. For the stumpy fat demographic? Maybe for hardcore paddlers with chicken bodies due to over developed torso and atrophied legs? I wasn't sure about the back zipper. Front and back seem to have their virtues so I dismissed that factor. I had settled on wanting a GMER. Stockable item so will go on sale and clearance, but the best deal other than for a small was only a hundred bucks off. I hit the KTP show at UNH in April and talked to the reps at the Kokatat booth and tried on things. Firstly, for the extra 80 bucks (sale difference on GMER excluded) there's no reason not to get the Expedition. Reasons listed above in another post (hood, pockets, etc.) I was able to get 10% off and no shipping or tax, because at the KTP show everything is at least 10% off. The rep said she knew of no place in New England stocking the Expedition therefore there would be no closeouts. My fruitless Internet searches could not dispel the marketing pitch. This year's model addressed shortcomings learned from the previous, so getting a used suit wouldn't be as good. Hood and chest drains being the main improvement I can remember. $980 bucks but next April is far away. I got a free hat too! Things that upsold me to the GMER/Expedition: Dry socks! Who wants wet feet when it is cold enough to warrant a dry suit? Plus no ankle gaskets to fight with. I also want the skirt tunnel since it helps keep water out of the cockpit if you roll or surf, or rain. Not essential but why not have that? Ankle cuffs to keep sand out of the booties, which protects the Gore-Tex socks. Flap over the entry zipper to keep sand out and the gnarly teeth from rubbing on the suit. Gore-Tex models have lifetime warranty vs the 3 year Tropos. Plus more breathable supposedly. "Tropos" sounds really hot and sticky and makes me think of malaria. Still the disclaimer about gaskets and certain repair warranty limits with the Gore-Tex, but whatever. I had to order it and it took a month, but I love the suit. Note I got talked into a size larger than I would have picked on my own. A little too much leg length but the room in the arms for rolls and braces is important, and torso room for under layering. I don't plan on doing a lot of walking in it so long legs don't matter. The suits can be tailored by Kokatat cheaply, but never having a suit I didn't want to customize the size before experiencing it so I took the stock Large. Same charge to adjust it later if I need to but I think it is OK. Definitely glad I didn't get the size smaller. I'm sure to get my moneys' worth this year and will probably need it to get to the grocery store if the weather doesn't break. Be assured I'm trying to be discrete but am not good at it - if I were a woman I'd probably get the Little John (hwhat?!) with the Lady J adapter so I could relieve without getting out of the boat. In that case, perhaps the front/male zipper might work better for access. It seems that trying to work a drop seat when floating in a kayak would be tricky, and the access angle would be less than opportune. I have not worked out the trigonometry though so please do your own math. Not many places to get out of your boat because of rocky shores (lined with houses and therefore spectators), and dinosaur-swallowing mud lining the rivers and estuaries. Be assured that when you need privacy there won't be any. So, my uneducated assessment is to look into the configuration above and see if it holds water. Double pun, double points!

If you are a Medium, I've got a dry top you can borrow to paddle and several waterproof hats. My formula produces kayaking as the activity of the day if it is hot or rainy. Rain subdues the heat and bugs too, so not all bad. If the ducks don't care, I'm not going to either. Monkeys are over fowl in the evolution hierarchy, and I'm a monkey with a dry suit. Ducks can fly away when the lightning comes though. I have to do my best imitation with my Werner wings.

Thank you very much for the information. We initially wanted to leave the cars on Islesboro, but the information I could find didn't support the intention. If it is possible then that's great and simplifies logistics substantially. I figured the worst case scenario is having to drop more $$ on the ferry to get back to the mainland if the conditions weren't favorable on the last day. I suppose they can't tow my car very far, and there must be a restriction against dumping it into the sea. We thought of the technicality that if we left the beer in the water then it wouldn't actually be on the island. I'm not sure if our site is close enough to the water so that we could raft up and still see the fire. I'll bring my anchor just in case! I don't need alcohol to have a good time but one or two by the fire is part of the experience. Otherwise I might as well go backpacking. Must be all the barking dogs and screaming kids at other campgrounds are drunk out of their skulls. I'll do my best not to over do it and climb the lighthouse with underwear on my head and ruin it for the rest of you. After a full day of paddling I doubt we'll be all that rowdy. The info about trips of interest is helpful too. I've been looking forward to this for awhile.

I've been wanting to paddle in that area. I'm open all day. Accuweather's sensational habit of warning for thunderstorms every day throughout summer is no different for Thursday, but unless I have good reason to believe them I would be up for it. I'm coming from Portsmouth so I'll put myself as tentative and decide that morning. What time were you planning to go, and from where? I've mountain biked Cape Ann but never paddled there. Do you use the Greasy Pole launch?

Thanks, I'll look for the book for my own library. I'm sure I can find it at a local store.

That's convenient! I purposely avoid holiday weekends like the plague, especially July 4th and Labor Day. If they can enjoy themselves on the worst people-infested weekend of the year I should be golden.

I've got a Warren Island kayak camping trip coming up in a few weeks. I've been trying to find information about what is on Islesboro re: supplies and the such. E.g. getting to a grocery via kayak. Seems that kind of thing is up by the airport area. Any information anyone has about the area for interests, day trip suggestions, caveats, FYIs, etc. would be appreciated. I know they don't allow alcohol on Warren (what's wrong with MA and ME? ACLU take note! Nothing wrong with an IPA or two after a day of paddling or hiking.) I'm hoping to be able to leave two cars in Lincolnville, probably the ferry lot. It would be nice if one could be ferried to Islesboro and left there but apparently that is discouraged. Has anyone ferried a yak without a car? I figure the worst case scenario is if the weather is really bad we cop out and ferry the boats to Islesboro and then paddle the short distance to Warren. I checked out the Lincolnville area on my way back from MDI but haven't gotten out to the islands. I might do a scouting trip this week or next if we have any decent days. Overnight at Camden Hills possible. If anyone is interested in that, let me know too.

The weekly skills sessions are a major plus and I intend to make most of those. The other trips in the calendar are good too, however I'm going to be deciding to paddle the same day. For instance, today is to be calm albeit rainy, so I've decided over my morning coffee that I'm going to Odiorne to launch and maybe putt around the harbor and cross to the Maine side and see what's up. If other people have free time during the day and would like to paddle vs. wait for people to get out of work or a future date on the calendar, I'm presenting myself as someone to do that with. As I said, I'm going anyway and can meet up almost as easily as going solo. Probably 1/10th of 1 percent of people have the flexibility that I do but I'm putting it out there nonetheless. There could be teachers, laid off people, etc. that don't care what day or time it is either (except to check tide tables.)