billvoss
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Everything posted by billvoss
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I will need to know the expected start and end times before I can confirm my attendance.
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Perhaps.
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I've owned a total of six Kokatat Gore-Tex suits. Three of which were delamination warranty replacements. All of them have had relief zippers and Gore-Tex socks. (Consider socks mandatory.) Three of them were Front Entry. If price is important that is the model I would recommend. One was a Meridian which basically adds an overskirt and neoprene "punch through" collars and cuffs. I did not find the other added features very useful. Now I own two Icon Dry Suits which move the zipper to the shoulder, which also makes the overskirt even drier than the Meridian's overskirt. Because I wear my Dry Suit year round on the ocean, the additional Cordura fabric is a mixed blessing. It should breath even better and be more resistant to damage than the lighter shell fabric. However, on very hot days it seems a bit hotter than the lighter Gore-Tex shell fabric. Other than that hot weather nit, I really like my Icon suits. Of course my paddling always includes rolling, and often includes surf or other rough water. Your needs might be different. Add-ons: I had a pocket added to the sleeve of a front-entry and liked that. I never used the chest-pocket on the Meridian because it was under my PFD and not a a dry pocket. I have never had a built-in hood. Their reputation is great in the rain. However, a neoprene surfer's hood has a much better reputation for rolling in cold water. Some people swear by "Coast Guard Gaskets" which are heavier and designed to be trimmed. Regular gaskets are designed to be trimmed at the neck, but stretched at the wrists. Check the Kokatat "Gizmo Custom Suit Configurator" and compare your measurements with stock suit measurements. I was close enough that I went with stock sizes. However, some people benefit greatly from custom sizing. Playing around with add-ons and custom colors can also be fun.
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I don't know from personal experience, but this account "Catching a huge fall Chinook from my F1 kayak" by the guy who designed and taught me to build my F1 skin-on-frame might give you some idea.
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Correction, the pool session fee is going to be $75 to cover all five sessions. -
I will be accepting TWO sea kayak students who really want to learn to roll. Intended for the kayaker who still wants someone standing next to them as they learn to roll. Part of each session will be spent learning to roll, the rest of the session students will work on assisted and self rescue skills with the NH AMC Sea Kayak Training and Paddling Practice general class. Rolling focused students must commit to attend all five Saturday evening 6:30pm-8:00pm practice sessions at the Boys and Girls Club of Greater Nashua in New Hampshire. Saturday, March 11 Nashua 6:30-8:00 Saturday, March 18 Nashua 6:30-8:00 Saturday, March 25 Nashua 6:30-8:00 no session April 2 Saturday April 8 Nashua 6:30-8:00 Saturday April 15 Nashua 6:30-8:00 [Easter weekend] Rolling focused students will need to bring a sea kayak, neoprene spray skirt, PFD, helmet, paddle (European or Greenland style), and a desire to repeatedly capsize. All equipment must be clean (hosed down at home) to keep the indoor pool area clean. Kayaker's nose plugs (has a cord unlike swimmer's nose plugs) and goggles or swim mask are also strongly suggested. The rolling instruction is offered on a “pay if forward” basis. However access to the pool sessions is $80 paid via the Merrimack Valley Paddlers white water group. All participants will be required to sign the AMC waiver. If you want to be a “Rolling Focused” student, go to this Meetup page, scroll down to “join the conversation” post “I want to ROLL!” then register for NH AMC Sea Kayak Training and Paddling Practice as usual. The two students who show up March 11th with the oldest “I want to ROLL!” comments and all required equipment will be my rolling focused students.
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untilGreenland rolling, euro-paddle rolling, goose-decoy rolling, norsaq rolling, hand rolling, rescue practice, standing up in a kayak and juggling, sitting in kayaks talking without ever getting wet, strokes practice, stupid kayak tricks, Walden Pond on Wednesday evenings has something for nearly every kayaker. Come join us. It is on the calendar for 2017 from May 31st through August 30th, though some people may keep going even longer. For those new to Walden, I played around with Google Maps and created this custom map showing the following places. Main Parking Entrance: We rarely park in the main parking lot unless we arrive late, or need the bathroom facilities in the main parking area. Boat Ramp Entrance: There is a gravel driveway on the other side of the road just a bit south of the main parking lot which leads to the boat ramp. We can now purchase parking passes from a machine at the Boat Ramp. Boat Ramp: Only cars with boats or handicapped tags are supposed to use the limited boat ramp parking. Be nice to the rangers, most of whom will react by being quite nice. Though a few are very "by the book" grumpy types. The rangers announce the boat ramp will be closing usually 20 to 30 minutes before it closes. The rangers close both the boat ramp parking lot and the in-gate for main parking half an hour before the main parking lot's out-gate closes. Beach Bathhouse: There are also larger bathroom/changing facilities at the main beach, a short walk from the boat ramp, though with more limited days and hours. We usually practice here: An initial pod of kayaks usually launches around 5:30pm. If you get there late, no problem, just paddle to the other end of the pond from the boat ramp where you will usually find us practicing out of sight from the boat ramp. There is no leader, but I hope to be a Walden Pond regular again this year. I also hope to see lots of new and old faces this year! -Bill Voss http://www.mass.gov/eea/agencies/dcr/massparks/region-north/walden-pond-state-reservation.html More information on parking passes and fees. You can even purchase your pass online! http://www.mass.gov/eea/agencies/dcr/massparks/passes-and-fees/ Occasionally on really hot days Walden temporarily closes because of too many people. Find that and other information at https://twitter.com/waldenpondstate
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Walden Pond Photos
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From the album: Walden Pond Photo Album
Walden Pond picture from internet. Photographer unknown. -
Dessert
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New Year's Day Paddle 2017 - Postponed to Monday!
billvoss replied to rfolster's topic in Past Trips
I could not get that combination to work either. -
Guess what I'm getting for X-mas!
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I received a Gearlab Akiak size 225, color carbon black, tip color orange, tip shape round last X-mas (no shoulders). It quickly became my favorite paddle for rolling and paddling this year. Personally I somewhat despise Greenland paddles with shoulders, and Euro paddles with bent shafts. I find both tend to "lock" my hands in one position, which unless I am paddling totally flat water with no wind is probably not the position I want. I'm definitely in the group of paddlers who constantly adjust their hand position to best suit the conditions. I rarely consciously think about it anymore. The Gearlab site is currently holding a "White Sale" from Nov 25 to Dec 4th. The AKIAK paddle is $278.40 instead of the usual $348.00 if you purchase it during the sale in "glossy white." As of 11:15pm on November 26th, 2016 the "White Sale" Akiak is available in 205, 210, 215, 225, and 230 (the 220 shows out-of-stock) Akiak in carbon black is sold out in all sizes but 205, 225, and 230. However, pick different bright colors and you will also see in-stock options for 210, 215, and 220. Wonder if I should ask for a white paddle for X-mas?
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I guess I can do BIB around 12:30 this Wednesday.
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OK, Twist my arm. I'll plan to be there Wednesday. (BIB 1pm)
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Congratulations!
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2:00pm it is. See you there Nancy. (Sorry Pru.) Should we expect anyone else?
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Sorry, I want to scratch my rolling addiction again before the hiatus between pond rolling and pool sessions.
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NOAA currently predicts "mostly sunny, with a high near 80." If someone else will also commit to be there, I plan to drag myself to Walden for some rolling despite such a dismal forecast. :-) I would suggest we either arrive around 2pm and leave around 5pm if we want steady air temperatures, or arrive around 3pm and depart around 6pm if we want less traffic on the way home. I'll let the first person who commits to join me pick between the 2pm and 3pm arrival times.
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Excellent! I will plan to arrive around 2:00pm as well.
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I'm back in town, and looking forward to Walden again this Wednesday afternoon. I plan to be there assuming someone else also posts that they are going. I can be flexible about time, getting there around 2pm, 3pm, 4pm,... Next person to post can pick. I believe the Walden boat ramp gate is now locked at 6:30pm. So plan on getting off the water by 6pm at the latest. By now drysuits are definitely recommended for comfort. Though we will probably still see a few swimmers without even a wetsuit.
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Have fun folks. I'm heading down to Lewes, Delaware to get closer to Matthew. :-)
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I still plan to go.
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I expect to enjoy Walden again this Wednesday, Sept 28th, 2016.
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In the legal sense, I'm not a lawyer so I cannot answer that question. We know that repeatedly telling someone "now capsize" carries some amount of drowning risk. Even as a layman, I would expect doing that as a formal rolling instructor must carry some liability risk. Especially when I am not "certified as a rolling instructor" by some organization like the ACA or BCU. In the financial sense, nobody can afford to insure against all possible risks. It is generally not worth insuring against small risks which do not significantly endanger your standard of living. So generally you should carry high deductibles, and should not buy extended warranties. Liability insurance covers a very unlikely but potentially huge risk. So I do like to have liability insurance when I can get it cheaply. In practice, I don't feel much need for specific liability insurance when I am helping people I know with their rolling. Even when I am helping absolute beginners who wander into a pool session not knowing how to roll my concerns are minimal with a life guard present and a bunch of witnesses. However, this summer I was posting AMC "trips" promising to teach people how to roll. I had never met half of my students before their first lesson. Though the lessons were on a public pond, there wasn't necessarily anyone else around to act as an independent witness if something went horribly wrong. So yes, having the students sign a liability waiver, and knowing I had AMC liability insurance was to me worth the AMC bureaucracy and my annual AMC membership fee.
