NateHanson

Hi Ed, It's a bigger PIA than I expected it would be. The plumb bow on the boats we use are the biggest problem. It means you need to get the bow up a bit before you can slide it across your lap. As Bob said above, having a swimmer sink the stern a bit really helps with this. After that it's a bit clumsy flipping a 30" wide boat over and back on your lap, but it's not hard, really. Fortunately it's almost never an issue in real life. Last year I only rescued tandems that were capsized intentionally. I'm not aware of any of the guides where I work having an accidental capsize last season. I'd like to say that's mostly because we're good guides, but to be fair, those boats are very stable. Nate

What ever boat you're using, it's definitely worth giving it a practice run if you need to know if you can do it. The big plastic tandems (Necky Amaruk) that we use for tours are a little tricky to rescue. They have fairly plumb bows, few deck lines, and weigh a ton when wet. That said, I doubt your boat would be a problem. I'd recommend having the swimmers flip the boat right side up before you drag it up on deck, so you're not trying to lift so much weight off-center like that. I think particularly with the tandems there is a real potential for back injury.

You can get a Standard Horizon Submersible VHF for $90-$100. Basic Icom's seem to be a few more, but less than $150. Check out Hamilton Marine www.hamiltonmarine.com They often have a model on sale for $80 or $90, and they're local. The only "Bell/Whistle" feature I'd consider if buying a radio, would be an integrated GPS/DSC radio. These can send an electronic distress signal, complete with your position, which gets displayed on other radios within "earshot" of your transmission. For our waters (where VHF coverage is very good) it's almost like having a PLB/GPS integrated with your radio. You'll pay about $350 for these new radios (if I recall correctly), but this is a significant safety feature, in my opinion. Nate

Boils are tough. They'll trip you just like an eddy line, but unlike an eddy line they don't stand still. That means you can't easily lean one way or the other to prepare for them, as you can with a sharp eddy line. The best defense, in my experience is to keep paddling through that area, and get across quickly. Don't dally where boils lurk, unless you're there for the challenge. In the latter case, keep ready with loose hips and a quick low brace. When they get big and grabby, they'll take you down on one side, and then just as you do a deep brace, it'll put you on your ear the other way! Good place to practice rolling too, if you're looking for a challenge. You'll find boils at the downstream end of a strong eddy line, where it's becoming less distinct and wider. Good reason to cross eddy lines at their upstream end, and do it quickly.

I also got a spam inquiry on my Pintail ad here last week, from the same "Mitch Gregston" fellow. His email asked for pics and a price (both of which were provided already in my thread). His wording also made it clear that he had no idea what a "Pintail" was. I was tempted to quiz him about what sort of object he was trying to buy, but thought better of it. Nate

Just to add my experience, for those curious. I spent 1/2 a day surfing the Delphin at Popham beach this weekend. (John Carmody's demo boat). Breakers were about 2 feet. Occassionally a little bigger. I was totally sold on it. The boat surfs amazingly, and is really easy to take off with, especially with steeper waves. Positioning is everything with surfing this boat. Line up where the waves just start to stand up, and then you almost don't have to paddle to catch the wave. Just one or two strokes from a standstill. That keeps the stern right up out of the wave, and the big, flat, rockered bow just flies along sticking out of the front of the wave. None of that purling that happens with typical long, skinny bows of sea kayaks. Very easy to maneuver by edging while on the wave. Feels like a great fit for me at 180 pounds, 6' (This was the Delphin 155). I'd like to try it on a bigger day, paddling a few miles out to rocks, or bigger tidal overfalls - both to see how it feels in bigger more technical conditions, but also to see whether I can put up with covering some distance in this specialized play boat. It's certainly not a boat to replace your touring boat, but I think it may soon be a companion to my touring boat.

Thanks for sharing your thorough report. I enjoyed reading it. I can't claim to be the "more expert" paddler you're soliciting advice from, particularly with this type of long solo open water crossing. I'm not sure I'm cut out for that sort of a risk-profile. I'm in no place to tell you how to conduct such a crossing. There is one sentence that I feel compelled to ask about though. This really jumped out at me, as I can't imagine paddling 10-12 miles from shore in April, when local waters appear to be in the low 40s, wearing no immersion gear. Can you share your thoughts behind what you decided to wear? Have you practiced self-rescue in that outfit, in those water temps? Once back in your boat far from shore, are you able to avoid hypothermia? Paddling to Nantucket in November should have a different set of dangers. Water temp is quite a bit warmer, but the air temp could be near freezing, and weather is quite a bit less stable in that area in late fall, in my experience. It does sound like a good adventure though. Good luck, and paddle safe! Nate

That assumes I know what the heck a kg is! And is it -3 degrees C yet? (Thanks Michael. That's a good tip. I'll have my investment manager keep an eye on the currency markets, and duck down futures. 7.9 L packing size sounds excellent.)

My biggest space savings this year was replacing a thermarest with an insulated air matress (Pacific Outdoors). It's about 1/4 of the size and twice as comfortable. Next on my list is a summer-weight down bag. (That's a little more dear though.)