JulieC

Leon- I see we are in agreement 100%, especially when in a situation such as yours or Alex's. Practice is and forethought are necessary, as are these discussions. Thanks for bringing it to the table. The point I was hoping to make, was more to the newer readers of this forum - those new to paddling, who may be wondering about the safety strap you were discussing above. For me, as I stated, it became the easy way out of a wet exit and I stopped using the grab loop. I am being honest here about a bad habit, because I don't want others to get into the same bad habits as they learn... the safety strap is just what you are talking about - a safety strap in a situation if you can't get to your grab loop or there is a problem. It is not designed for regular use, it has weaker attachment points and will wear out quicker if used on a more frequent/daily basis - then what if needed in a true emergency or if someone becomes panicky as you described? All I am saying is I was mistaken as a new paddler thinking it was an alternate exit and used it in place of the grab loop ... So in the situation you describe, yes, you need to know what safety features are available on your skirt... practice both methods... be safe and be ready for all situations. Ok, I am off to go practice today :-) Julie

I have to agree with practice sessions and what Ed said about making sure that the skirt is put on correctly. I have had to adjust my skirt several times due to too the grab loop getting caught - good thing I have noticed before starting out on the water! I do want to share one thing... I just recently changed out my spray skirt from a snap dragon with a safety strap across the deck to one without. Why? I realized that I became dependent on the safety strap as my release instead of the grab loop. Not sure when that happened, but it may have happened during an early wet exit or maybe when I was a new paddler I got into my head that the safety strap was an alternate way of releasing the skirt (ATTN: new paddlers - this is NOT so, use your grab loop, the safety strap is a back up!), regardless, I don't know how bad habit started, but it has since been corrected. I do practice releasing from the side, although it will always be necessary to practice. All I am saying is that if you do have safety features, make sure that they are back up and they do not become your go to releases like what I did... And like every one is saying... practice.

I will be there...

I am still following! These are very clear! Thank you!

Very clear!!! Easy to understand!

Katherine- I could meet you for a practice session. Be happy to STAND by for your inaugural wet exit! Julie

Maybe not for a pfd, but for a waterbottle... http://www.thepillid.com/pillid/ Also how about these? http://www.containerstore.com/shop?productId=10018277&N=&Ntt=nalgene

I am willing to be a trendsetter... I have noticed the same thing and my hands are my livelyhood!

It was a lovely day. The Ipswich River Wildlife Sanctuary is alive with many beautiful creatures, it was the perfect time of year to see this wonderful gem of a place. I promised my fellow paddlers that I would post my many pictures - not all came out great, but here are some that did...

It was a lovely day on the water. Thank you Blaine for posting the trip!

Glad to ask and glad to help :-)

Hi Blaine- Just so that I can put the meeting spot in the GPS, since I am not too familiar with the area... are you talking about this church? The Congregational Church of Topsfield9 E Common StTopsfield, MA 01983 In case anyone else needs to add an address to their GPS too... See you all tomorrowJulie

You are up to 6 now :-)

This is not the way I would want to end a perfectly wonderful weekend on the water. I am so sorry that this happened to all of you. I hope this is something that never ever happens again! May I also say thank you for the weekend too... that you did go up there and not only do good work for MITA as well. With the sourness as to how the weekend ended, I don't want your good intentions for being out there overlooked. so thank you!

Congrats!

I am going to jump in here and say that I am now such a fan of Steve Fisher's films... Jason is right, the trailer does not do the film justice... I made him watch it a couple of times and download another of his kayaking movies (also white water) called The Halo Effect, which takes place in Iceland and Norway.

I too, like Suz, kept my boat on my car. After the first few months, I rented storage space at Charles River Canoe & Kayak... They rent monthly and yearly... I believe they have summer storage in the city and in newton and then in the Winter in Newton. Just another thought. Even though I rented a storage space, I have to say that I ended up just keeping the boat on my car so that it was always ready to paddle.

Pru- sounds like a nice night on the water! Too bad I work Thursday evenings... One more week of commitments then I can join you all again!

Sounds like a great night... Nice report Peter. I can't wait to join you all again in a few weeks!

Unfortunately due to work and other obligations, I won't be there for a few weeks... Looking forward to catching up with you all next month!!!!

As always, a beautiful report Pru! I look forward to reading of your many adventures to come...

Pru, I couldn't agree who you more!

I was thinking that tonight would be a washout :-( I won't be there next week, but will hopefully see you all on the 27th as long as there is no rain on THAT Wednesday evening! Stay dry tonight :-) and see you all soon.

9:00 pm for those of us who don't use the 24 hour clock - right?