rfolster

I have started a group Private Message for this trip. If you haven't seen it yet, please let me know and we will get you onto the chat. Looks like we might have a total of ten people going and it is looking to be a good day!

Huh! I've never thought about that before. I am sure Mike or Joe might know if there is some history behind the name. Anyways, yes, it is at the end of Marblehead Harbor.

Hello L1/L2 group, Saturday is looking like a good day for a paddle! You all know where Riverhead Beach is in Marblehead, right? Parking has historically been free, but it is always good to bring money in case something has changed (Devereaux Beach parking across the street is $15 on weekends). It is supposed to be mostly sunny with highs in the mid-70's, with just a slight chance of a shower. Winds are forecast to be out of the northwest, but if the sun really does make an appearance, then the afternoon southeasterly wind will fight it. Water temperatures are creeping up to the upper 50's, which is definitely in the manageable range. If you can, it might be good to bring clothing options to decide whether to go warmer or cooler at the ramp, but always think about your comfort level should you take an unintentional (or intentional!) swim. We are a pretty small pod, although I expect a fair amount of "adjustments" at the launch as people make final decisions as to what they want to do and where they want to go. We should be ready to get on the water by 10am, at which time we will have a final discussion about the day. In the meantime, are you interested in more of a sight-seeing journey or shorter activities-based trip? The ocean is not supposed to be super active, so we can venture out a bit more to some of the islands, or stay closer to shore and do some maneuvering or even rescue practice.

Although not inexpensive, Powertraveler makes some solar-charged battery packs that have both a 5v and 12v output. I have used one to charge my cell phone and my VHF radio (using the radio's charging cradle) overnight two or three times during one trip without much solar recharging of the battery. I have experimented with putting the panels and battery in a chart case strapped to the back deck and it charged up pretty good. Only concern is that the battery and panels connection ports are not waterproof, and I really doubt they are salt-water-proof!, so a case that is guaranteed not to leak is critical. If you are base-camping, then you can just leave the panels and battery out at camp during the day and have power overnight to charge your equipment.

Contact me via Private Message (you must be logged in) or email

Please post the following if you are interested in attending this pod: - What equipment you might need or confirm what you have - If you can not arrive in time to be ready when needed - If you need to leave before the proposed return time - What you want to get out of the day

An email reminder is sent out 30 days prior to your membership expiring, so if you have not seen that, please check your spam folder and adjust your email filtering if necessary. You can also to to the STORE tab and click on MANAGE PURCHASES to find and renew your membership. However, if it has been more than a year (365 days) since your membership renewal date, the renewal itself will have expired, and only an administrator can reset it. If you need any assistance with your renewal, or have any questions about membership in general, please email membership@nspn.org.

Everyone is supposed to receive a renewal email reminder 30 days before membership expires, which includes a link to pay the "invoice" for the next year's memberships. This invoice can be paid up to 365 days after membership expiration by going into the STORE and MANAGE PURCHASES. After the 365-day grace period, the invoice expires and can not be paid, therefore it must be reset by a membership administrator. Trying to purchase another membership generates the popup notice "You are only allowed to purchase one of this product, and you have already done so.", which is what some of you are experiencing. If you are not seeing the renewal email notices, they are probably going into your spam folder, and you should adjust your filter settings to prevent that in the future. At this time, we can not send additional renewal notices other than the 30-day reminder, nor can we send an expiration notice when a membership expires. The only indicator available is membership status (Paid Member or Guest) displayed under each persons profile info at the left of each post. While attempts are being made to work with IPS (designers of the forum) to modify some of these issues, the chances of actually getting any changes made are low. In the meantime, if anyone else needs help with their membership, please feel free to email Membership@NSPN.org.

Julie, an email has been sent to you with a link to renew your membership. If you need any further assistance, please email membership@NSPN.org.

After the Solstice paddles, we will collect under the picnic pavilion at Devereaux Beach across the street, and enjoy a pot-luck style beach party for dinner! NSPN will have plates, bowls, napkins, utensils and some extra serving utensils and serving bowls on hand, so bring your favorite dish (enough to share!), your favorite beverage (no alcohol) and you best kayaking stories to be told. Non-paddling friends and family are of course also invited to meet up with us. We are also doing a gear swap again this year! Do you have paddling stuff that you just don't use, but want something else instead? Bring it along and see if you can make a deal. Trade some poggies for gloves, or a PFD for a sprayskirt. Maybe you have a boat that just isn't working for you, this would be a good opportunity to let others take it for a test spin. Let's just make sure we keep it to kayak related stuff (don't bring that treadmill that has been in your basement for years. Yeah, we know you have one - everyone does!). Bring cash if you don't have anything to swap.

Sue, you are all set. JUST processed checks for a couple of people.

Once you are into the MANAGE PURCHASES section, click on the NSPN Annual Membership and you will see Billing Agreement at the lower left. Click on that, and there are two options to the upper right: SUSPEND and CANCEL. I honestly don't know the difference between the two, but assume that the Suspend will allow you to restart the billing agreement at some point in the future, while Cancel will indeed cancel it altogether. Yes, those payments were cancelled. Under the STORE tab, next to the MANAGE PURCHASES option is the MY DETAILS drop down menu where you can view and modify your addresses, as well as another avenue to get to your billing agreement (recurring payments). It could be that, instead of renewing your old membership when you missed a year, a new profile was probably created in 2006, which in turn drives the "Member Since" date. Unfortunately, the "Member Since" dates are driven my when a profile was created and we cannot change it.

We are aware that the forum does not offer a simple membership process like other organizations like MeetUp, but we are unfortunately stuck with what IPS (the forum creators) provide. The BOD will discuss what, if any, customizations might be implemented to the IPS system, but do not expect any miracles. In the meantime, anyone experiencing membership issues , including renewals, can email membership@nspn.org for assistance. Pintail, you can actually cancel your recurring renewal in the STORE area of the forum. Just click on the MANAGE PURCHASES and find your membership in there. If you need assistance with that, please email us. Payment by check is possible, however keep in mind that check payments take time to apply since it is a manual process.

Check your email - just reset your account and you should be able to renew using the link provided.

Please post here if you wish to borrow a Wilderness System Zephyr 160 (no other equipment included). Must make arrangements for pickup near Exeter NH or I can bring it with me if I am going on the trip as well.

Please post here if you would like to borrow a Wilderness System Zephyr 155 (no other equipment included). Must make arrangements for pickup near Exeter NH or I can bring it with me if I am going on the trip as well.

I have a collection of Personal Flotation Devices in various sizes that members can borrow. Please indicate size and arrange to pickup near Exeter NH or I can bring if I am going on the same trip.

I have a collection of helmets in various sizes that members can borrow. Please indicate size and arrange to pickup near Exeter NH or I can bring if I am going on the same trip.

We have, as a club policy, restricted editing features for one reason, and your suggestion would be a good reason why NOT to allow editing. If plans changed and the original posting gets edited, how will people know when it is changed? You could read that the trip is at one location the night before, only to find out that it was changed an hour after you read it I am a bit frustrated with having a trip that I put together be picked on, because I have ALWAYS tried to embrace the old CAM concept that the trip organizer is not the "leader", and that the whole group is invested in the trip. This requires a conversation with everyone about what they want to get out of the day and how to best organize the trip for everyone. As for finding the trip info, I specifically did a post in the thread recapping what had been discussed so far, providing 90% of the information in one place. Did I include the address for West Beach in Beverly or the address for A&B Burger in Beverly? - No, sorry, I did not. Yet everyone seemed to find where they were going, and if anyone did need an address, they could just ask. Since the Board of Directors elected to get rid of CAM (a move that I did not support), It seems to me that there is more and more of a desire for the trip organizer to actually be a "Trip Leader" who formulates the plan, pays all the money up front, and runs the whole trip once everyone is on the water. That is not how the club was run in the past, but maybe that is what we want now? If so, that is fine, I can do that. But maybe the real conversation is whether or not NSPN is going to mandate how all trip postings, sign ups, and on-water operations so that every trip is done exactly the same. That is how "everyone else" is doing it, but not doing it that way is one thing that has always sets NSPN apart from others.

Thanks for taking care of that, David!

What I like to call "square waves" when height = period I am really curious to see what the sea state looks like near the beach!!! The waves won't be six feet, but what will they be. Anyone want to start taking guesses?

The long answer is "Yes!" But seriously, like Joe said, the day will be "by choice", meaning that people don't need to do what they don't want to do. The main purpose is to allow folks the opportunity to test out gear (Jane, bring layering options and decide what works best at the beach). If conditions are too gnarly for some or all to paddle to the island, that is OK. In years past, we have done longer trips when the group consisted of all experienced paddlers, while other years we barely got ten yards from the shore. I would like to officially set the itinerary for the day: I will arrive around 9:30am to assess conditions. If anyone wants to get a jump on starting to figuring out gear, I'll be there to help. If you happen to arrive near 10:00 and no one else is there, we have moved on to Masconomo Park (60 Beach St, Manchester-by-the-Sea) We will officially start the session around 10:00am with a quick discussion about goals for the day and review of cold water management. We can review various hypothermia prevention and treatment methods using both simple and specific equipment. Would be good to do a swim-test to verify suits are leak-proof and layering is adequate (time for adjustments will be allowed). Swimming, wet exits, rolls, rescues, and paddling are all up for the offering - each by choice. We can split the group into different tasks if need be Wrap up by 1:00pm to gear down, pack up, and head to A&B Burger in Beverly for a 2:00pm reservation. Please let us know ASAP if you are going to lunch so we have a head count for reservation. Thank you, David, for taking on the task of making the reservation.

I would like to do a final update tomorrow night, so if people can provide input and update interest by then, that would be helpful. My thought is a 3 hour session from 10am-1:00pm and have a late lunch around 2pm. Willing to consider alternatives.

Historically, the Easter Plunge started out as one of several cold-water workshops where paddling was not a priority (even questioned whether or not to bring boats) as much as was getting in the water to test gear and safety methods for dealing with the cold. I think that this Saturday will be a really good opportunity to do just that. Just imagine waking up on a multi-day early-season camping trip in Maine (like the Jewell Island trip) to find the wind blowing and rain pouring, and you need to get to the take-out location to go home. I actually experienced this a number of years ago during what was supposed to be a week-long journey in mid-coast Maine, but we had to paddle 18 miles to bail out mid-trip before the weather got any worse. Mariana, I completely understand if Saturday is not sounding like the "fun" we might have hoped for, but even as an L2-3 paddler, you and your husband are still more than welcome to join us to test out your gear and the general learning experience. If we get to the beach and conditions are just unbearable, we can take a really quick drive to a spot in Manchester Harbor that will provide more protection.

Saturday is looking like a good day for testing cold weather gear! Strong southerly winds, rain, and 4'-6' short period wind chop waves will make for a miserable day for attempting any sort of journey. My thoughts are that I would prefer to do any paddling against the wind to start, and end with the wind to my back, so some place like Marblehead Beach is not ideal (that slog can be interminable). I also worry that if things go bad at a place like that, the wind is carrying boats or people into more exposed waters. I am thinking about West Beach in Beverly with Misery Island just 3/4 nautical mile away as an option. The the beach is really exposed, but at least we don't have to worry about anyone or anything getting blown out to sea. Paddling out to Misery could be a challenge, but we might find shelter from the wind out there. Might be a really good day for a shorter water session and a warm PPPO somewhere local? Open to suggestions.......