Dan Foster

Cancelled due to stay-at-home directives in New England.

Gary, if you run Google Earth on a computer (not phone) and check Tools, Historical Imagery, you can then use the time slider to look back at imagery from earlier dates. Here's the seagull's eye view of Eagle Island on May 18, 2012: (view full-size)

I recognize that beach, and recall reading "the story" on the site long ago, probably before I even became a member. 

Well done, Nancy, with a correct solution to the compass rose teaser above. My apologies for using the land-lubber's magnetic declination when you all expected variation. In my defense, I was on land when I wrote it.

Mini-game within this thread: fix the land-lubber's phrases below with the more correct nautical terminology:

1. High-speed ferry approaching from the left!

2. The white thing is flapping again, tighten up the rope!

3. Did you really just steal toilet paper from the bathroom? Let's work this out in a civilized fashion.

My answers (having never owned a sailboat or lost my leg climbing up the top sails):

1. High-speed ferry approaching from starboard!

2. The mizzen yard's a luffin', haul on that line, matey!

3. Arrgh!, Ye be thieving clam shells from the head, ya scurvy bilge rat? Keelhaul him, boys, and lash him to the poop deck 'til we round the Isles of Costco.

Looking forward to reading your declinations, I mean, variations.

Where's this? For extra credit, what's the current magnetic declination?

Joe: One benefit of NOAA's ENC website - full text search!

A made-up story/caption:

What started out as a lighthearted exercise in gender empathy and a subtle protest against gender-normative relief zipper options took a dark turn when muscle memory kicked in during an emergency bathroom break. Kokotat's disclaimer that they can refuse to perform warranty work on soiled or dirty garments is known internally as "the NSPN clause".

My guess for the campfire discussion: "leaves of three, let it be. Better yet, bring TP!" (in white)

Please join me from the comfort of your own comfy chair or survival bunker for an hour of virtual socializing and storytelling with your fellow NSPN paddlers-in-exile.

Two options to video chat this week:

Wednesday, April 8, 8-9PM: "Tales around the virtual NSPN campfire" - pour yourself a dram of something smokey, and join us for a discussion of all things kayak camping. What's your go-to camping meal? What's the worst night you've spent under the stars? Which island has the worst mosquitoes? The worst landing? Share your favorite NSPN camping photo. (See instructions below)

Saturday, April 11, 9:00-10:30AM: "A virtual NSPN Easter Bunny Plunge": don those bunny ears, strap a marshmallow peep under your deck lines, and join us for a virtual take on our traditional Easter-weekend paddle. Sometime this week, take a photo that makes you happy, or that proves that spring truly is here, and share it with the group on Saturday. (See instructions below)

For either session:

At the anointed hour, click the following link to join: [removed after the event]

You'll need a laptop computer, phone, or tablet with a front-facing video camera and a microphone, and you'll be prompted to run some free video conferencing software from Zoom when you join the meeting. If you haven't used Zoom or other video chat/conferencing software before, you might want to click the link below a few minutes ahead of time, to give yourself time to test your video and audio settings.

Sharing photos:

Zoom has several ways to share photos. If you'd like to do a slideshow or give a presentation to the group, the easiest way to do that is to share your screen from a laptop or desktop computer. In reality, this usually ends up causing a two-minute interruption while people try to figure out why it's not working. For simple sharing of a single photo, try the following:

Option 1: Make it a virtual background: click the options arrow next to the Video icon in Zoom, and click Choose Virtual Background. Select the photo you want to share with the group, which will then appear behind your disembodied head using a "green screen" effect. You can duck your head completely out of frame if needed, or point to stuff behind you like you're a TV weather caster.

Option 2: Make it your Zoom profile photo, and it will show up when you click Stop Video. To do this, click the options arrow next to the Video icon in Zoom, click Video Settings, and then click the Profile tab. Click the picture icon above your name to change your profile picture. If you turn off your video camera during the call, we'll see your profile picture instead.

Virtual meeting etiquette for large groups:

Mute your microphone if you're doing something else in the background or need to move around. Laptop users can stay muted and then hold Spacebar to unmute whenever they want to jump in with a comment. Speaking of jumping in, it takes us a second or two to realize who has started speaking, so it can get confusing if people throw in a quick one word reply or question. Keep talking, or use hand signals (thumbs up, wave, etc) instead of "yes", "hi", "bye".

For the best video quality, try to pick a spot in your house with plenty of light and make sure the brightest light is in front of you, and not behind you! (sit facing a window or lamp, with a wall with no windows behind you). Virtual backgrounds (when not sharing a photo with the group) and snap filters (puppy dog ears, and the like) can be extremely distracting. Sit close enough to the camera that we can see your face. It's more fun when we we can see you and your facial expressions!

These are meant to be light and airy social occasions and to offer an escape from the news cycle, politics, and negativity. If you get booted or muted, that's why.  

If there's something you'd like to share with or ask of the group, feel free to mention it in a reply below so people can prepare in advance, or simply bring it up in the video chat.

Thanks, David! I had meant to post these to the Trips forum, and will post future "video trips" here going forward. Hope to see lots of you at "brunch" on Sunday!

Janice, post the model or temperature rating of your sleeping bag, as well as that of your sleeping pad. Perhaps others on those two trips can weigh in as to whether your bag and pad combination was suitable for the temperatures, or if that's what's causing you to be cold.

I typically bring a Tarptent ProTrail ultralight tent on kayak camping trips (I'd recommend a free-standing, side-entry model instead), and a 3.5" thick Big Agnes Q-Core SLX air mattress for insulation from the cold ground. For shoulder-season trips like Jewell and Squam, I'm probably bringing my 25 degree WM TerraLite bag, and adjusting to conditions around camp and at night with some combination of long johns, balaclava, wool hat, down booties, down puffy jacket and pants, and a Sea to Summit Reactor bag liner. Polishing off the leftovers helps keep the internal furnace going, and anything you can do to help yourself fall asleep and stay asleep until dawn (melatonin, benedryl, booze, earplugs, eye mask...) will help as well.

Oh, and I'm hesitant to give away this secret since now I'll be competing for the "prime" camping spaces, but there's a reason I often pitch my tent at Jewell back in the trees and ticks rather than out on the bluff with a 270-degree view of the water, and it is "prevailing wind". (Actually, two reasons. #2 is "campfire sparks")

1 hour ago, Nancy Hill said:

No, Jim, I did not know the text shows up on the activity list. I don't think I've ever looked at that. Oh, well. For those who want to play, don't look at the activity list!

 

˙sǝssǝnƃ ɹno uᴉ ǝdʎʇ ǝʍ uǝɥʍ uʍop-ǝpᴉsdn sǝuoɥd ɹno ƃuᴉploɥ ʇsnɾ plnoɥs ǝʍ ǝqʎɐW

2. Jewell Cocktail Cove!

6. Black or Placentia, MDI?

7. Peaks, Casco Bay?

10. Gay Island, Muscongus?

12. Jewell, Gary's site 2!

14. Little Chebeague!

16. Whaleback, Casco Bay?

18. Bremen Long Island, Muscongus? (the hike with the bugs)

19. Jewell Punchbowl!

21. Jewell again?

Why do I feel like a lifetime of solving those Google capchas ("click on all images containing a stop sign") have been preparing me for this moment in life? This is one part pattern-matching, one part geography bowl, and one part trying to remember what stories each of you tell around campfires. 

Nancy's heavenly solution: "boatbow" island

OK, Mike, I really had to get back to first principles to solve this one, but here's my solution to #1: (hopefully no spoilers)

I tried three different places and didn't get a match on Mike's puzzler. Here's #2:

Do we lose a point if we give different answers for #2 and #4? (Currently the same photo )

I think I can definitively identify 2, 4, 12, 14, and 19, and have guesses for 6, 16, and 18.

I look forward to the "snippet of nautical chart" version of this game!

Hey, so you can change the text color in your responses to white, to hide answers. Drag your cursor over the whole post to see the hidden guess.

My guess below:

12. Jewell Island looking toward Cliff from "Gary's Campsite"

My guess above:

Please join me from the comfort of your own comfy chair or survival bunker for an hour of virtual socializing and storytelling with your fellow NSPN paddlers-in-exile.

Two options to video chat this week:

Tuesday, Mar 31, 5-6PM: (happy hour and socializing. for discussion: what's the best 3-mile stretch of paddling in New England?)

Sunday, Apr 5, 10-11AM: (brunch-time socializing, plus tow-belt show-and-tell! we'll do some therapeutic tow-belt braiding, and share our favorite rescue stories.)

For either session:

At the anointed hour, click the following link to join: [removed after the event]

You'll need a laptop computer, phone, or tablet with a front-facing video camera and a microphone, and you'll be prompted to run some free video conferencing software from Zoom when you join the meeting. If you haven't used Zoom or other video chat/conferencing software before, you might want to click the link below a few minutes ahead of time, to give yourself time to test your video and audio settings. For the best video quality, try to pick a spot in your house with plenty of light and make sure the brightest light is in front of you, and not behind you! (sit facing a window or lamp, with a wall with no windows behind you). For anyone using Windows 10, you can click start and type Camera to use the Camera app to preview your camera setup and appearance.

These are meant to be light and airy social occasions and to offer an escape from the news cycle, politics, and negativity. If you get booted or muted, that's why.  

If there's something you'd like to share with or ask of the group, feel free to mention it in a reply below so people can prepare in advance, or simply bring it up in the video chat.

Al is looking for people's experiences with the Cetus MV vs the Cetus.

Pablo and I are curious about what people would like to see from a ready-to-print NSPN PDF map library.

Pedal/paddle/pedal-home on the local stretch of the Assabet River.

Thanks for the offers to help! In the time between when I passed along
my friend's request for drysuit gaskets before heading off to sleep on
Friday night and the time I just work up on Saturday morning, his team
has made the decision to switch to a design that uses an off-the-shelf
full face mask for snorkeling instead of a "bucket over the head with
a neck gasket" design, thinking that the former will be cheaper and
easier to source in mass quantities than the neck gaskets.

I'll get back in touch if they decide to reconsider a design that
needs neck gaskets, but for now, we can go back to using them for
drysuit repairs. Thanks again for the offers to help!

 - Dan
 

From what I understand, he's been calling dive shops, but most are closed as "non-essential businesses" and aren't open or answering. 

An engineering friend of mine is working on designs for supplementing our nation's ventilator supply with alternative devices that can be rapidly produced. He's currently trying to make a ventilator helmet (sorta like a diving bell helmet) and is looking for one or more drysuit or SCUBA neck gaskets to validate a prototype design.

Does anyone have an unused neck gasket, or know how to get in touch with a kayak shop owner who might have them in stock?

So, a quick trip report from NSPN's first dipping of a virtual toe into the snark-infested waters of the Interwebs:

We had 14, maybe 15 attendees for our inaugural happy hour. It was great to see and hear so many of us together, and I hope we can keep this up until we can all get back out on the water together again.

A couple of you appeared for a moment and then dropped out. Post here or send me a PM if you had trouble connecting and maybe we can figure things out before the next one.

This event was using a free Zoom account, which lets anyone host meetings for up to 40 minutes. Sure enough, right at the 40 minute mark, the party shut down mid-sentence. Going forward, I'll be hosting with a Zoom Pro account, which should allow us to go longer than 40 minutes, although we'll try to stick to a schedule so we can all get back to the important business of interacting with our families, friends, and Netflix accounts. What else can we do differently next time? We had a virtual trip report from Baja, and a stew of ideas for improving campfire cornbread. Maybe you'd like to share a few photos, or pick the group's collective brain next time?

I'll announce a date and time for Round 2 in a couple days. In the meantime, whether you were able to join us or not, please chime in with your suggestions, including which time slots work best for you, for our next virtual gathering.

I've read this report several times now, and I find something new to smile about each time through. Thank you for this gift!

p.s. The long-term forecast is looking promising for a 4/1 paddle!

That is a poem to reflect on right now. Thanks for sharing it!

You can print out your own waiver here: https://www.nspn.org/waiver/ We'll spend the first 20 minutes or so going over waivers and a virtual "beach briefing", spend a minute or two on socializing, and then spend the remaining time debating how CAM principles apply to webCAM events.

I've been very thankful to have my stack of old NSPN waivers close at hand in this brave, new, post-TP world. I've been saving my drysuit for trips to the grocery store.

PPE: For this virtual event, I'd forego the drysuit in favor of anti-virus or firewall software.

[I've been asked to make it clearer that everything above is an attempt at humor, and not an actual agenda. There will be no waivers, just drinks and friendly socializing.]