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PeterB,

Could me in! I will bring a couple recipes as well.

Warren

Doug,

Count me in.

Warren

Bob,

You are wise to postpone. There will be many more opportunities this season.

Warren

Bob,

Count me in as well.

Warren

Gary,

Thank you for giving me an idea for a whole new area that I need to explore this season. I really liked the concept of the MITA island camping spot for a 2-day circumnav.

Camping plus a new area to explore!! It does not get any better!

Warren

Hi,

More Pics! (Some with captions!) Enjoy!

Warren

https://picasaweb.google.com/100727147078383276871/JewellTripMay201202?authkey=Gv1sRgCNHF49ev3YWhfw#

Pru,

I am continually amazed at how you remember all the details and weave them into a beautifully flowing story of our adventures. Great report!

Warren

Congratulations Peter, Phil and John!! Pru thank you for highlighting their achievement. I understand Lorrie was a "tea bag" as well on the trip.

Warren

Pru, as always, a great report. These reports are forming a collection to read over and over again as the years go by.

To follow NSPN paddlers. Pru, Dave and I are always on the lookout for islands off the coast of Maine which are "off the beaten path" to camp on. We would welcome your suggestions. Feel free to reference the islands by page number from the 2011 MITA Guide Book or better yet the 2012 MITA Guide Book. Yes, if you sent in your annual donation, the 2012 book should be in your hands! (Scott, did I say that right?)

Warren

Gene,

Glad to hear you have a great combination for loading and unloading the Romany. I, as well, have the Subaru Impresa and I have the Roller Loader. They work really well in combination! We should have an effortless season ahead.!!

Warren

Peter and Kate,

Both June 9 and June 16 are fine for me. Thank you for attempting a reschedule! Yes Kate, I as well would really like to see your photos and perhaps a recipe or two.

Another idea might be an "On Water Kayak Camping Workshop" where campers are taken out for a one or two night camping trip to implement all the great ideas learned during the on land workshop. Just a thought from a kayak camping addict.

Warren

Cathy,

Although in the body of the posting it does reference June. The title mentions April 12 which matches with the posting on the NSPN Calendar. I would go with April 12. Hope to see you there.

Warren

Barry, that is a great photo taken during a great trip. But my favorite photo from the trip was the picture Pru took on the island we camped on that second night. Pru, you know which one. You should enter it as well.

Warren

Hey Peter and Kate, thank you both for organizing this workshop! I will plan to be there. Perhaps I will also bring one of my favorite receipes as well.

Kate, I would also value your "lessons learned" on any special safety measures you consider when paddling solo. Especially when you paddle solo in a new area for the first time.

Warren

Cathy, thank you for a great trip report! And Jerry, thank you for the great pictures. It was an excellent way to begin the paddling season, great conditions, great leadership (Jerry and Bill) and great paddling buddies. Now if I could only find my paddlers' body from last season! Hopefully, it will reappear from it's winter hibernation before the kayak camping trip to Jewell Island.

Warren

Rick,

Since we now name hurricanes equally for men and women, you might consider a guy name for your new boat. When my Explorer arrives in the same container as yours (Quill/White/Black), it will be christened "Charlie" as in "Charlie the Tuna". The color combination seemed to influence my decision.

Warren

Rick,

Color combination may influence the choice. I feel a "Tart" should be red. Are you getting a red boat?

Warren

Al,

I believe you have hit the nail on the head with the question, "Is it the goal of NSPN to grow the membership of the club?" If so, we do need many inexperienced L2 paddlers who are working their way to become L3/L4 paddlers. To achieve that goal mentoring is critical. However, the beginners must do the heavy lifting during the knowledge transfer and understand they will need to work outside their comfort zone to grow. I believe the problem for many beginners is that they do not know what they don't know.

NSPN already has in place the on-water CAM workshops which are superb! However, the L2 paddlers may not understand the value those sessions provide. When I attended one last year, I saw more L3/L4 paddlers than L2 paddlers in attendence. If we reach out to the L2 paddlers, perhaps they will attend in greater numbers.

Warren

Doug,

Facinating topic. I suspect it will receive many comments.

As you know, last season was my first time kayaking. I participated in my first CAM trip on May 5 2011. It was a great learning experience for me. It did help me realize that I needed more paddling skills, so I began the BCU and ACA structured programs. It also taught me that the CAM model by design tends to have trip leaders and participants with varying degrees of skill and that requires each participant to have a high degree of self responsibility. That variation within the group further taught me the need for seamanship skills and solid decision making skills. I discovered the need for solo trips and trips where I would be one of the senior members in order to force the skills to be embedded in my actions. So during the June, July and August period, I needed to step back from the CAM model until I felt ready to return. By September I had the basic skill structure in place and enjoyed several CAM trips in September/October and hope to enjoy many more in 2012.

In essence, CAM can help a beginner move into the novice and intermediate levels quickly, if they do not mind the unpredictable nature of the design. However, it is clearly not for everyone!

Warren

Gene,

Three weeks ago I took delivery on a 2012 Subaru Impreza Sport Limited. The Sport version comes with factory installed side rails. I then installed Thule crossbars. I used 47" Rapid Aero Load Bars (RB47) with the Rapid Crossroads (450R) and I installed locks on each. The mesurements are 40" side-to-side on the front crossbar and 37" side-to-side on the rear crossbar. The crossbars are separated 32" front to back. I use this same arrangement on my 2010 Subaru Forrester and I plan to use the Fairing and the Set and Go kayak craddle on both.

Thank you for the heads up on the rollerloader! I like the sound of it and perhaps I will get one and try it out. I think the version with the 8" wheels should clear the rear deflector on the Impreza. If I put together the package soon would it be helpful to meet someplace convenient so you can check it out? It seems like a great way to protect the back and shoulders from excessive wear and tear.

Warren

Doug,

Wow! You are getting into kayak camping!! Excellent!

Just a few quick ideas and more to follow later. I have had success with the following; Hilleberg Staika (green) tent, Mountain Hardwear UltraLamina 32 regular and 45 regular, Exped SunMat 7 UL M.

Unfortunately, these items are not inexpensive, but they do provide a great camping experience.

Hopefully, we can camping this season on Casco, Muscongus or the Stonington islands. And let's not forget Squam Lake!

Warren

Gary,

Count me in as well. Since I have never been to Jewell Island, you can add me to the list of first timers.

Warren

Gary and Kate,

I have had success using three tools. A Garmin Oregon 450, Garmin BlueChart Canada g2 , and Garmin HomePort. The combination allows me to save waypoints and build routes on the desktop then upload them to the GPS. That way I never key in a waypoint on the GPS and run the risk of a keying error. Kate, I learned that potential point of failure from one of your trip reports. The other benefit of the BlueChart data chip is the ability to transfer it to the GPS. You always know where you are with the detailed nautical chart even if you did not set a waypoint. It is slick!

Warren

Jeff,

For a year now I have been happy with the factory rails on my Subaru and Thule crossbars in a configuration identical to Doug's description above. I did purchase locking mechanisms as well as a fairing. I was able to install them myslf, but there is a store in Framingham as Doug mentioned that can be a great help. The vehicle is a Subaru Forrester 2010. Next week I will be adding a second vehicle with an identical arrangement. The second vehicle will be a 2012 Impreza Sport Limited 5 door. Both vehicles were selected for the sole purpose of riding under my NDK kayaks.

Warren

Katherine,

Thank you for your kind words. I am planning the use the Romany often this coming year. The Romany will no doubt be my favorite since it is perfect for day trips and one or two night camping trips. I do, however, have a strong desire to complete several camping trips that are longer than 3 nights. For those trips the Romany's storage capacity would be too tight for me. With the two boats I am hoping to spend even more time on the water in 2012.

Katherine, I hope 2012 will be a great year for you and I look forward to seeing you on the water.

Warren