Inverseyourself

Beautiful report, Pru, as usual! Bummed that I had to miss the trip but very impressed by the pictures and all the new boats and gear I see on various paddlers and of course the live-in fire place of the richer-than-god people.

I use a bucket of warm water to flush the deck and hull and another one for the cockpit in the driveway when I don't have a hose.

Thanks Mike, I'll try it out.

Earth NC charts looks interesting in the App store. It gets excellent reviews by boaters. I'm ready to buy but would like to get some feedback first. Mike, have you used this in route planning or on the water? Does this work like a GPS where you can see your position projected onto the chart?

You probably know all about it already but Lendal NA has a very nice paddle leash with a quick release.

Fort Williams Park. Shorter travel to Cushing. Paddle across the shipping lane with a purpose. SE coast of Cushing exposed and no landing. Bug Light Park. Longer travel. Less exposed. Same shipping lane. Both on a non-fog day. Early in the AM ( before 8) better. Not sure if legal to park overnight but don't doubt it. Have fun.

Okay, I watched it again a few times. It's more tragic than funny. So...subtract "enjoy"!

Great job Jeff! Congratulations.

Yes. It's the one where Gordon admits that it took him 3 years to learn rolling . There's a little known fact might be comforting to lots of paddlers!

I saw Kevin B. use a cart that looked incredibly comfortable if rather big - but you wrote that that's not your concern. Kayak ended up at or higher than hip height rather than one of those low-rider jobs. You'd have to ask him about the brand.

May the currents be strong, the swell powerful and conditions gnarly for your pleasure! Wish I could come play, too!

It may be my computer but I can't open the link. Anyone else?

I agree. We don't know anything about the incident (except what the press makes us believe). We don't even know if there really was an incident. But when there's a report like the one quoted, one can at least analyze it and - yes - criticize the methods or non-methods employed in the described incident. Otherwise one cannot comment on any such article since one wasn't there and doesn't know what really happened. Do we know whether everything happened the way described in the article? No. But we also don't know if my "Float plan!" and Rob's list were not just that, a list of deficiencies (on the part of the (perhaps) involved kayakers as described in a newspaper article) posted on a forum that analyzes such incidents with gusto, do we? NSPN is an official forum accessible to the general public but, let's be honest, we usually post to initiate discussion among ourselves, not to address the public in general. NSPNers are an educated lot when it comes to on water safety. There's no need to be smug and I doubt either Rob's or my posts where intended as such.

Float plan!

Truly beautiful pictures, Pru! I am also impressed with your tarp-rigging skills! Looks like you're soooo ready for Alaska!

Thanks Rob and Ed for the top tips! So I was indeed not only feeling like a fool when I rolled my sleeping bag...again and again. BTW, I was making the same OCD-mistake with my tent, folding it like it came out of the box when I first bought it (even brushing dirt, leaves and pine-tree needles off...just kidding...not) Watch me be BIB first in the future !

Brilliant! Put the paddling gear on right out of the tent. That is great advice. One of my great time-consumers is rolling the sleeping bag so it fits into its dry bag(s). Latter are quite marginal in terms of space and I often have to unroll and re-roll my sleeping bag tighter than before....feeling like a complete fool in my (still standing) tent while I already hear boats bumping against each other on the water. I also like the hot-water-thermos-in-the-evening idea but will have to use the stove in the morning anyway since I always like a hot drink in my kayak. Tent break-down is another of my weaknesses, I really (!) suspect due to lack of practice (did it twice). I wonder if the Hilleberg crowd has an advantage. I also like Suz's suggestion of actually PEEING before getting into the boat and fastening the spraydeck.

Beautiful!

Dan: Great account and pics! Sorry I missed it all. Peter: Beautiful new boat, congrats! Pru: Can't wait to hear of your latest adventures. All: I continue to live vicariously through you.

Hmm, Leon and Shawna's video looks convincing. Although, I think in one break in into current he places the paddle a little more aft than 90 degrees initially. Look at half a dozen other videos from Ken Whiting, Nick Cuniff and others, you'll see the more dynamic version. It's like Ed said. Don't get caught up in one technique, use the one that works best for you in any given condition. Whether you want to turn the boat more or less aggressively plays a big role. If you want to point downriver quickly after breaking in across the eddyline because you need to catch/avoid a downriver feature you're probably going to use the more aggressive variant. .???

Support is undoubtedly maximal at 90 degrees. But you're trying to turn, so while the support-aspect is important, the turn-aspect is equally so. I'm as confused as Leon. I thought a low brace turn starts behind the paddler and moves forward in reverse stroke fashion. While the paddle blade arcs toward the 90 degree position from aft, lean increases and maximal lean occurs when support is maximal, at 90 degrees. As the paddle then moves forward towards the bow beyond 90 degrees to finish the turn, lean decreases again. This sequence is true for flat and dynamic water. I have seen great paddlers do it that way and it has worked for me in dynamic water (I am not saying that means anything here). I think that the high brace turn is a little less dynamic and stays more around 90 degrees throughout the turn. Not sure what the ACA folks meant but I will of course defer to them and relearn (good thing I have a roll....)

Way to go Cathy! Congratulations!

Hmm, you're of course right Ed. I was just so used to seeing her using Explorer and Romany that I assumed, instead of looking closely.

Try asking Justine Curgenven. She used a 3 piece Explorer during her Aleutian expedition. You'll find her contact info on cackletv.com. Good luck! We all expect to hear your "trip"-report from wherever you're going. Where are you going?