NateHanson

He's fine. It was just a missed check-in. http://www.uscgnews.com/go/doc/4007/1941034/

Winds were gusting over 20 kts yesterday, and steady in the high teens. Blowing off-shore. 3-5' and very short (4-5 seconds). Not a great day to be out in any boat rounding Isle au Haut.

The USCG are apparentely conducting an air and water search for a missing kayaker from your neck of the woods (-ish). http://www.wmtw.com/news/maine/coast-guard-searching-for-overdue-kayaker-off-isle-au-haut/-/8792012/22631214/-/fsehsp/-/index.html?absolute=true Hopefully just a missed cell phone contact. He wasn't due in until Friday, so I'm guessing his contact reported him missing after not hearing from him Thursday night.

Try telling the swimmer, to straighten their leg and hug their boat. This avoids the high leverage, poor technique version that is evident in any of the YouTube videos I've seen. Just like the scoop and hand of god, the key for the rescuer is not strength, but rather getting the swimmer's torso close to the deck, to minimize effort.

I like my Delphin. It's a 3-layer 155. I'm not sure it's any faster than an avocet, though it is decent enough at getting around. On a day that I'm not surfing or rock gardening, it's a bit if a drag. But on the WAY to rock gardening or surfing, the speed feels just fine. It's a full boat around the cockpit, so it's a touch more work to roll than a normally proportioned sea boat. If you plan to do rough stuff like pour overs, and seal launches, etc., I would recommend getting the single layer "surf spec" version. It is possible to crack the inner layer of the 3-layer plastic if it is flexed sharply.

I've used these for flares and for a GPS, and they do a good job. If they're used heavily, they do eventually accumulate punctures or wear where they are creased or span a hard corner. But for something like flares that need to stay dry but don't see any use, I think they're perfect. Having lost one Iphone to salt-water intrusion while it was in a "waterprooof" clamshell case, I am now willing to pay quite a bit more for a waterproof case than I was before. I had 3 different $30 waterproof cases (one of which killed my phone), and for the past year I've used an $80 Lifeproof case. Love it.

Slack before Flood is at 12:19p on Thursday, and the maximum current that day is only 1.5 knots (at 10:59a) ebbing. If your weather forecast holds, there will be wind against current in the morning, so they may want to be aware of that condition, and what it can do to the waves.

Wag bag. Easy, hygenic, no clean-up at home. Worth the couple dollars spent.

I have this problem with a Cyprus. Has anyone drilled and epoxied successfully? It's the male half.

I got 4mm "bluewater niteline" reflective yellow line from a vendor on amazon called MadAthlete. I also found yellow bungie form another seller, so that I could be a real fashionista, matching all my lines to the sheer stripe on my boat. Maybe I'm not looking on the right page, but I don't see appropriate polyester line on that "quality nylon rope" site. You don't want all nylon line, because it's too stretchy, and polypro tends to suffer from UV damage after a few years, and starts to get rough and brittle. You'll find the right stuff (polyester, or "dacron" doublebraid) at a marine store, such as West Marine, but they don't have a lot of color options in those small sizes, in my experience.

I'll add to the above, that the ability to go slow, or stop in rough conditions is also good. I've run into a couple paddlers who can only feel comfortable in rough water by keeping moving forward. This has sometimes resulted in that paddler sprinting ahead without regard for group cohesion, because that paddler doesn't have the comfort in rough water to just sit still, or manuever around a bit while others catch up or deal with a problem. So, I'll agree - the ability to speed up is good. And so is the ability to slow down, even when the conditions are bad. Practice sitting still in a tide race or similar rough conditions, without doing a lot of paddling or bracing. See if you can get comfortable just hanging out, looking around, checking on others, etc.

1) I'll bet it ebbs south, and current is very minor. Most flow will be heading out of that bay to the north into the thorofare, because there's a much less restricted outlet there. 2) Probably ebbs east, because there are better outlets to the west and south to relieve the tidal pressure in all those bays, and gurnet straight is pretty removed, bathymetrically, from those other bays. Again, I'm guessing it's pretty minor current. There just doesn't appear to be much area for tidal pressure to build up. 3) There's only one outlet, as far as I can tell, so there's no option here. It must ebb south. There can't be much current here, because the Tidal datum in Carvers pond is only 2 minutes different from the tidal datum at Rockland harbor. When you have major constrictions, that create a strong tidal gradient, the tidal timing is affected in a big way. Sullivan falls, for instance, experiences high tide on the north side of the falls a full 2 hours after high water on the south side of the falls.

I disambiguate the two types of lines by calling one a "Rockette's kickline" and the other "Ducks in a row." As a Downeaster, I would encourage folks to cross channels at right angles, and in a compact group, even when there's no traffic in sight. We country folk like to think we have plenty of traffic (even though I'm sure it doesn't compare to Darien CT), and more importantly nothing distresses a lobsterman more than steaming around a corner to find a horizon full of kayaks strung out between two islands, apparently enjoying the sparse boat traffic in these idylic Downeast waters. It's important for us to maintain relations with other working folks on the water, and so it would be great if people practice good group-management when crossing a channel . . . even in the remotest parts of the region. It displays courteous, and responsible piloting to others. Nate

Cruising guides (and sometimes coast pilots) are great for this sort of information. I am often surprised by the direction that a body of water ebbs, when it can reach the ocean in both directions. Sometimes all you can do is make an educated guess, and then see when you get there. If I want to know with more certainty, in advance of paddling or sailing in the area, I'll drive past and make observations at various times in the tide-cycle.

I use an iPhone-sized battery pack with integrated solar charger (labeled "XTG"). By keeping the phone off except when checking weather a couple times each day, and an occasional phone call, I get 3 days out of the phone. Then I can charge the phone fully from the battery, and recharge the battery pack in my chart case over a sunny day of paddling. My VHF lasts weeks without losing charge (icom M72). I haven't been fortunate enough to take a trip that's longer than a week, so more elaborate charging hasn't been necessary for me.

This comprehensive course for improving paddlers has been a great success each of the past two years, and I'm happy to be offering it again this August. There are still a couple spaces available, so please contact me or call Old Quarry Ocean Adventures at 207-367-8977 with questions, or to sign yourself up. Cost of class includes use of any equipment you need, including Werner paddles and boats from P&H. Thanks, Nate Paddler Development Week A 5 day course for beginner to intermediates to hone skills for becoming a complete intermediate sea kayaker. Come spend a week with Nate Hanson (ACA Coastal Kayaking Instructor, BCU 4-star sea leader), and hone all the skills which contribute to becoming a complete intermediate sea kayaker. In this unique 5-day format, students will have time to explore and improve everything from boat handling to weather planning. We'll spend part of each day refining strokes, learning new rescues, or expanding our knowledge of navigation and tidal planning. But we'll also leave time to relax and enjoy those skills as we tour around the scores of scenic islands that surround the Stonington area. Class size will be small, and instruction will cater to each student's particular needs and goals. This class is appropriate for beginner or intermediate paddlers. Cost is $585 per person for the full 5-day class (or $140 per day if you are unable to attend the full week). 2013 Course Dates: August 26 - 30

Hi Ed. I see how what I wrote was misleading. I was referring to the home screen on my phone. On there I made a folder called WX, and I place icons there which link to each of the NWS marine and terrestrial weather zones that I use. Also NWS radar. That way I can get to each page with one click - saving battery on longer trips.

AyeTides, for tide and current prediction. Navionics is a really nice charting app, but I mostly use it to check out an area when I'm goofing around, dreaming of a trip, but I don't use it for navigation much at all. Paper charts are easier and more practical. Links on my homepage to all the marine forecasts, and to doppler radar are the thing I use most.

I like down. It packs so much smaller, and in my experience the loft lasts longer. I just stuff it directly in a small drysack, and haven't had any troubles keeping it dry. Having a thick insulated air pad keeps the bag well away from moisture on the floor of the tent, so that helps too. I use a 40 degree marmot down bag for almost all my kayak camping. When it's in the low 40s I use a bag liner, and sleep in more layers, hat, etc. Summer nighttime temps in the low 50s are quite common on the Maine islands, so a bag liner or a fleece bag is not sufficient in my mind. I'd like to get a 20 degree down bag for early spring/late fall, because I don't like how large my 20 degree synthetic bags are.

MITA is a good place to start, but there are many other resources that will increase your options. Not all are easy to find, and some are intentionally hard to find, I think. Maine Coast Heritage Trust is a good resource, as is Island Heritage Trust. There are also properties and islands in my area owned by the Nature Conservancy and the Frenchman Bay Conservancy. Then on top of that there are state owned islands which are not really advertised anywhere, but which are accessible to the public. Towns own some local islands, and allow day use and sometimes camping. There's no single source of all this info. The bottom line is that it takes a lot of sleuthing. Guide books, word of mouth, local knowledge, internet research, etc. And I'd agree with the person who said "it's easier to mark the islands you CAN land on". Generally, assume you don't have access rights to any island, until you learn otherwise.

The mariner who responded was in fact Bill Baker of Old Quarry, though the group had no connection to Old Quarry. (It's remarkable how often he ends up providing assistance when folks are in trouble around there.) Perhaps this group will plan for cold water next time, and be equiped to deal with hypothermia and equipment problems on their own. Glad all ended well.

That is indeed an interesting area for tidal planning, isn't it? It's unique both in the complexity of the currents/tides, but also in the relative abundance of tidal current prediction stations. What other prime kayaking ground on the maine coast has 3 current stations within about 5 miles of eachother? That said, my observation is that the East Moosabec Reach current tables are good primarily for that one spot (and presumably also for the west side of Roque Is.). They do not tell you much about the current in Eastern Bay. In Eastern Bay, the current floods nearly until High Tide at Steele Harbor, while the East Reach current station would have you guessing that Eastern Bay starts to Ebb two hours before High Water. In Western Bay, the West Moosabec reach station is about right for Western Bay in my experience. Ed, there is unfortunately no tidal height prediction given for the current stations, and no current prediction given for the tidal stations. So direct comparisons are not possible. And you're right - the current in these specific locales are not strong in the "reversing falls and whirlpools" sense, but recognizing the eddies will often make the difference between moving at 4 knots and 3 knots. Also, you'd better time the current if you wish to pass under the bridge, because at higher tidal ranges kayaks can't attain under the bridge at max flow, so in that one spot it's particularly critical. In my experience, the current under the bridge resembles the Western Reach current station, moreso than the Eastern Reach station. Nate

It's probably built in 1990, as indicated on the builder's label. Those boats with a paddle recess in the stern deck just have static lines (non-stretchy) running down both sides of the stern, and then bungies run between the last pair or two of recessed deck fittings, to hold the blades of the spare paddle. You'll need to order Recessed Deck Fittings (RDFs) to screw into those round holes along each side of the deck. Then your static lines and bungies will go through the RDFs. Looks like the RDFs that are used in current production boats might fit those holes. You can get them online, or better yet, check with a local dealer - that way you can test one before you buy a whole mess of them.

These are different schools of thought Rick. There are plenty of good paddlers who have a lot of success with a "less-locked" stance in the boat, in confused water. The idea is the same as the "loose hips" principle. Let the boat do what it wants, and it will ride along upright. Lock into the thigh braces, and you're basically forced to actively balance the boat. Different philosophies work for different folks.

In my experience, NOTHING sticks to cold wet surfaces very well. But give the hull a quick swipe with a paper towel, and whatever you have will work much better. Heat sealed baggies with a patch of window flashing and a paper towel are the best I've tried.