Jump to content

josko

Guest
  • Posts

    547
  • Joined

  • Last visited

Posts posted by josko

  1. Yesterday (16/6) a RI policeman asked me to leave the beach parking lot on the Sakonnet because 'due to COVID, beach and boating access is for RI residents only'.  Heads-up if you're thinking of heading to a RI paddle with out of state plates.  If anybody knows when this will be lifted, I'd love to hear. 

  2. It's interesting we're seeing a consistent attack point on most kayak attacks, about 1/3 of the way from the paddler to the stern. I'd guess they see the boat as a long fish, and are trying to disable the propulsor.  Seal and swimmer bites seem to be further forward. 

  3. Boating access on upper Cape Cod is in pre-Covid mode, i.e. the usual parking sticker/beach/ramp  regulations are in place.  Parking enforcement is unusually strict. I did notice a couple folks with out-of-state plates in animated discussions with police. 

  4. FWIW, I have small groups going around Naushon Island Sat. (5/16) and a mellow trip to the Weepecket island seabird rookery on Sunday (5/17). I think we're doing well wrt social-distance paddling guidelines. Contact me if interested. 

  5. Pru, the short version is that a Taran is made for controlled moving at 7-8 knots, and  playboats are just not. Remember that a wave's speed is proportional to (the square root of) its' length. So a 16' wave(length)  moves along at ~5 knots, and a Romany can catch it just fine. However, that's a pretty short wave. When they get to , say 25', they are moving a 6-7 ish knots; it's hard to accelerate a Romany to catch it, and when you do catch one, it'll start bouncing and otherwise misbehaving on  plane.  A Taran will just 'stay calm' and do what you want until ~40-50' (wavelength) seas , when a surfski will just trounce it (because they move fine at 10 knots.)

    Second thing is the rudder. (Because of orbital wave velocity), surfing kayaks like to broach. A combination of skeg, ruddering and edging works, but a rudder is just soo much easier, allowing the paddler to focus on surfing strategy and linking rides. 

    Third, a rockered kayak is a bit like an upside-down airplane wing. It develops downwards lift and makes it harder to 'pop' a boat on plane. A straight hull section amidships avoids that. 

    C'mon down this summer and try all three!

    (This does NOT apply to beach waves, whose speed is proportional to water depth.)

  6. I have a Romany Surf and love it for rough conditions. I can't imagine a better boat for the combination of chop/current that we have in Woods Hole. I sold my Explorer last year 'cause i was spending all my rough-water time in the Surf, and have a Taran for fitness paddling.  FWIW, one of our favorite playgrounds is Middle Ground shoal near the Vineyard; I routinely take folks in Aries/Delphins there, and while they own the tiderace while there, they do struggle with the two mile transit there and back, particularly in the afternoon  when the seabreeze kicks up and we're in the trough. So, I'd say that an Aries is much more of a park 'n play boat than a Surf.

    Like Matt, I've gotten hooked on downwind surfing. If you're a bump skier, you'll love it. Surf or Aries are definitely NOT the boats for that. I use the Taran and  am trying to grow into an Epic G3V10, but still don't dare traipse around with the V10 alone regardless of conditions. 

    On flat water, with comparable effort, I can move a Surf at 3.5 kts, Explorer at 4 and Taran at 4.8-5. Interestingly, when moving along at a typical group pace of 3 kts, the Surf is MUCH easier to move along than a Taran. 

    All that said, I think the Explorer is the best all-around hull for New England conditions. 

  7. On 8/22/2017 at 1:21 PM, Pintail said:

    <... what can a motivated and passionate person actually DO to help build the sport and the community>  (You forgot the question mark)  Josko, after two pages of this, I still do not understand why you are so worried or concerned.  I kayak; you kayak; he, she or it kayaks; we kayak; you kayak; who cares whether or not <they> kayak?  This question has been asked for almost as long as I can remember (because of club membership numbers -- decline thereof -- primarily) and, apart from the general trend of things, I guess it is natural that activities such as ours rise and fall in popularity...as Paul or someone pointed out, the high-point was likely way back in the nineties and early years of the new millennium.

    I did my time on the BoD long ago and we were discussing this same (perceived) problem back then: are we any the wiser now?  I doubt it!

    I want to bring this back after a hiatus because sea kayaker numbers continue to drop. I only met one group in Woods Hole the entire last summer, (and that's in 1000+ miles on the water).  Why do I care - partly because I live in a great paddling area , and there are hardly any sea kayaks on the water.  I miss gathering up 3-4 like-minded souls and sharing a tiderace or destination; sometimes things are more fun in groups. Also, Osprey sea kayaks going up for sale is not a good sign, IMHO. 

  8. I might actually try to make this. Could someone let me know:

    Is there a decent place for breakfast/pre-paddle meetup  nearby?

    Given the type of trip you have in mind, am I better off in a Taran or Romany Surf?

×
×
  • Create New...