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Ed,

Thank you for the info regarding how you work with a laminated chart. I need to try that. Yes, Pru and I are planning to explore Muscongus Bay. It has been on my wish list.

Pru, I sent to your e-mail address the info you seek. I tend to like Landfall Navigation for obtaining NOAA charts due to their great customer service in locating some hard to find charts, such as the one for Muscongus Bay.

Warren

Ed,

Good to hear there are eagles in the Winnipesaukee islands. Heading up to Squam Lake this weekend to camp on Bowman. Spotting an eagle would be a bonus! Ed, have you seen any around Squam Lake? Also, heading up to Muscongus Bay in a couple weeks. Word has it a pair of bald eagles have been attempting to nest on the Crotch Islands. Planning a serious search of Muscongus Bay for the eagles!

Warren

Barry,

I just returned from a three day trip and really enjoyed the photos. You are an incrediblely talented photographer. I thought I was looking at photos that Kate would have taken! Nice job!!

Warren

Pru,

Wow! What an amazingly well written trip report. It is true Kate does write amazing trip reports and each one has helped shape my knowledge and approach to kayak camping. But Pru, this report is the one I will treasure for years to come. As we said to each other before heading home on Monday morning, "Boy have we come a long way with our kayaking skills and in realizing our dreams." Well done!

Warren

Kate,

My skills are growing, but there will always be a need for improvement. Thank you for the suggestion of Muscongus. I have received several great ideas from other NSPN paddlers regarding islands to camp on in Muscongus. Hearing your suggestion as well, makes it a definite for me. Muscongus will be my next kayak camping trip in Maine. Perhaps this will be my next solo trip. I remember our discussion regarding solo versus group trips and I have not yet discovered a perference. Perhaps in time.

Warren

Kate,

Thank you for sharing another solo kayak camping trip. This being my first kayaking season, I followed your suggestion to kayak camp in the islands off Stonington, ME. I just returned from a four day trip and thought of your experiences often. You are correct, it is a great place to kayak camp. If I may ask, where should I go next? I am bitten bad for kayak camping and the fall is a wonderful time to be on the water.

Warren

I am planning a solo kayak camping trip on Muscongus Bay for the Sept/Oct period. As a MITA member I will be using the 2011 Guide Book as well as "Kayaking the Maine Coast" by Dorcas Miller. (Thank you EEL for the recommendation!) I am leaning toward launching from the Broad Cove Marine and spending one night in a TBD MITA island. I hope to find a camp site which is "off the beaten trail" and will serve as a base camp for me to find eagles.

I would value any "reality check" recommendations since this is my first season kayaking and it will be my first time on Muscongus Bay. I would also value any leads on where I can find eagles. In keeping with the MITA protocols, please feel free to e-mail me, miwp at wdhospital dot com.

Warren

Doug,

Thank you for planning a great trip. Good weather, good conditions, great friends and good times. It doesn't get much better than that! Too bad I did not have my camera readily at hand when the helpful bystander came to the rescue at Folly Point. That was a missed Kodak Moment! LOL

Warren

Doug,

Count me in.

Warren

Dustin,

As Rick mentioned in his posting, you do have many options in a bay as large as Casco. My experience has been in what is referred to as the middle section of Casco Bay. I prefer that section due to less boat traffic versus the area near Portland. Your choice of a weekday versus weekend may be wise if you want to lower your boat traffic risk. Last night at Seabrook you mentioned that this is your first season kayaking, just as this is my first season. I was careful in selecting a trip plan which I believe would be great for you as well. The trip does involve camping on a private MITA island as your primary site or on a private MITA island as your secondary site. I would strongly encourage joining MITA since they provide invaluable information.

Contact me via e-mail if I can be of help.

Warren

Dustin,

I recently completed a solo kayak camping trip in Casco Bay. It was a great experience. You can see an eagle nest as well as a seal colony. Due to MITA protocols as outlined on this web site I am not free to share the particulars. If you are a MITA member, please e-mail me, miwp at wdhospital dot com, and I will share the details. I launched from the Windslow Park launch site which is very tide dependent. Luckily the tide chart for South Freeport looks reasonable for next week. If your hope is to launch from that site on Monday, I hope you are an early riser!

Warren

Thank you for all the great ideas and comments.

Rene - As August gets closer, please contact me with some dates that are good for you for a camping trip. I would like that very much!

Ed - I signed onto Amazon this morning and the book you suggested is on it's way to me. Thank you for the recommendation and have a great trip on Friday!

Peter - Thank you for the suggestions, I will study my MITA Guide Book and find the islands that I seek. On my next trip to Boothbay, I want to visit Little Ram. I also want to visit Little Birch when I am back on Casco Bay. Both islands sound secluded. Have a great trip tomorrow!

Suz - My meal prep skills are improving. Over the weekend I tried four more meals. If you end up buying the book we spoke about, I would value your experiences and comments.

Kate - I do hope you are planning another trip this year and will post the trip report. I so very much enjoy reading them! By the way, I did buy the waterproof camera you suggested and now I just need the skill to use it.

Warren

Kate,

Thank you for your posting. I very much enjoyed reading your trip reports, especially the solo trips. Lorrie, gave me the info to buy a sleeping bag mat similar to the one you borrowed from her for your Bay of Fundy trip. You are correct that it gives a great night sleep. Your meal selection as noted on that trip inspired me to learn more so I purchased a book for backpackers and have found the recipes to be nutritious, delicious and easy for kayak camping trips. This week I completed my training on how to use a GPS so I can navigate in fog more safely as you discovered in the Bay of Fundy. Although I have spent a great deal of time learning how to be a safe paddler, I may never feel the adreneline rush of surfing the big ones at Popham. I do, however, feel great joy when I arrive on a secluded island. Now I just need to find them.

Warren

I am interested in creating a dialogue with other paddlers who have an interest in kayak camping off the coast of Maine. I am new to sea kayaking and kayak camping. Since April, I have focused on developing my paddling/safety/rescue skills so I would have a level of comfort paddling to camping sites.

I have begun scouting out MITA sites and am drawn to those sites that create a feeling of solitude. Therefore, I prefer East Gosling in Casco Bay versus West Gosling. I would value any suggestions on places to consider as I continue my explorations. Although I am preparing myself to complete solo trips, I do see the value in finding another like minded paddler to provide an added level of safety for each other. Although I have focused exclusively on the MITA 2011 Guide to date, I am open to considering any other reference guides.

I can also be reached via; miwp at wdhospital dot com.

Warren

I just want to extend a thank you to all who arranged the CAM on-water workshop yesterday in Marblehead. The worshop was my first and was excellent. I know the skills I learned will help me be a safer team member on any future CAM trip. (Hey Rick, the $5.00 fee to join your group was worth every penny!)

Warren

It might be beneficial to our membership if I share how I have used the NSPN “Trip Level Ratings” Guide Sheet as well as the “What to Bring” Guide Sheet. As a fellow kayaker who is beginning his first season, I have used the documents repeatedly to guide me in how I structure my instruction program which began in April. Also, the “What to Bring” Guide helped me assemble the gear/clothing I would need.

Although I understand the differences between levels, I always understood that any L3 trip on the ocean can become an L4 before you finish so my core competencies must be geared toward a L4 skill set. Training in April with John Carmody off Southport in “textured” waters helped to prepared me for my first NSPN trip.

I did want to share a couple "lessons learned" that I did not fully understand when reading the guide sheets that I learned on the trip. We all know that paddling in cold water adds an additional level of risk. When you combine that risk with a L4 level trip, you begin to understand the value of preparing yourself for a safe emergency bail out. With that goal in mind a helmet becomes a necessity and an understanding, prior to launch, of the emergency bail out locations becomes very useful. As a result, I have set for myself a goal of always wearing or having near at hand a helmet. Also, since I want to be a potential asset to any paddling team, I will plan to carry a nautical chart and during the beach briefing understand the location of any and all emergency bail outs.

Warren

Hey Gene,

It was a great , Tuck's to White Beach, trip and L4 as well? Wow! For a beginner with only a BCU 1* - Pool award, I feel like I accomplished something. Clearly, it was not my skills but the combined skills of the group working together that made it a safe and fun trip. Boy, it is going to be a great summer!!!! Is there an L5 trip planned??

Warren

Sounds Great!

I will be there.

Warren

Gene thank you for initiating a great trip. This was my first NSPN trip and it was most definitely a 4G Network trip; great location, great weather/conditions, great paddling buddies and a great time on the water. I hope all my future trips will be as good.

The enthusiastic beginner,

Warren

P.S. Lorrie, great job organizing the post paddle de-briefing. I hope it becomes a new tradition at all NSPN trips.

Gene,

I'm in. Should be a great day!

Warren

I was really enjoying the evolving discussion on the use of a bow rudder and it's effect on speed reduction as discussed on the "Eddy Lines, Boils and Rips" thread. Phil appropriately suggested that this topic might deserve it's own thread. So here we go.

I really like the bow rudder and have concerns that it might become my "go-to" stroke that I use when ever I want to turn the kayak. I believe it is intended for turning the bow into the wind when the wind speed is moderate or higher. In lower wind speeds the sweep is the preferred stroke since you experience less loss in speed. I am interested in perfecting a crisp forward stroke transition from a bow rudder, being certain not to accidently employ a sweep. I think the combination may lessen the loss in speed. I am curious regarding the placement of the blade relative to the knees. When I was turning into the wind at speeds of approximately 15 mph or greater, I found it better not to place the blade too far forward since paddle flutter was in evidence. I do believe I suffered some effectiveness in the turn with the more "conservative" blade placement. I am curious as to the "best practice" methods used by our more experienced paddlers.

While on the topic of "best practices" how about the top hand placement relative to your sight line in the execution of the bow rudder? I have seen the top hand and fore arm both above and below the sight line. For me, it feels more comfortable to be below the sight line, but I am concerned that it may be problematic in rough water conditions. Any thoughts?

Warren

Pru,

Whatever make and model you decide to purchase, you may want to consider purchasing an AA Battery Case if one is available. Most VHF radios come with a Li-ion battery which you can charge using the battery charger included in the purchase. The battery will probably last 6 hours on one charge. That does not help you much if you are out for longer than 6 hours and need your radio. The AA battery case will give you longer radio use and if you bring spare AA batteries in a dry bag you will be good to go for a multi-day trip. I purchased an IC-M88 (~$226.00) and an AA battery case (~$34.00) the goal was to prepare for multi-day trips down the road.

Warren

Thank you for a great workshop. I am very much looking forward to the two on-water CAM workshops in May.

Warren

I will attend both.

Warren

Hey Gene,

As you know I have a Romany as well and use a Snapdragon, Ocean Tour Flirt EXP. I have been out on the water a lot this spring and really like this spray skirt. It goes on really well in cold temps and comes off very well during wet exits in cold water. I am planning to add a second one as a back up. The main point I want to stress is how the "Flirt" version has been great for me versus the standard Ocean Tour EXP. Once I discovered the value of the Kokatat MsFit Tour PFD to aid my torso rotation, I applied a similar logic to the spray skirt. The reduced height on the tube top is great for my body and helps with my torso rotation. I have not discovered any down side to this design. Just a thought to consider.

Warren