Dan Foster
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Posts posted by Dan Foster
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Turning the radio off when your pod takes a break or finishes for the day doesn't help the other pod that might be trying to reach you from out on the water, though. We had pods scattered across Muscongus Bay from 8:30 to 6:15 on Sunday, so that would have been 9 hours where it would have been good to be monitoring ch 72, and this was the third day of paddling for the trip.
I'd love to hear a workable strategy for radio usage and cross-pod communication on these kinds of multi-day, multi-pod NSPN trips, especially if you assume a basecamp like Jewell without AC charging opportunities.
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Does anyone know of a VHF radio that can be recharged directly from a 5 volt DC source, preferably over USB or micro-USB? My Standard Horizon HX870 can only recharge in its non-waterproof cradle, via a household 110v AC outlet or a 12v DC input. Spare batteries are $55. I'd much rather carry a single charger or power bank that can charge my phone, radio, electric toothbrush, and ultrasonic vole repeller in one device.
Alternately, how are you powering your radio over multi-day trips, where multiple pods want to check-in with each other throughout the course of the day?
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We had a well-attended pond session at Walden yesterday, followed by a fun social gathering and celebration of Bill's return (to driving, at least) at Comella's Italian restaurant. It was decided that the group would like to take advantage of crowd-free days at Walden as much as possible during the early part of the season, so from here on out, the default plan will be to meet at Walden at 5PM on Tuesdays to paddle and practice. There are no scheduled nights on the river, or after-Walden socials currently planned. Feel free to organize one or spontaneously socialize, though!
Please RSVP on the calendar if you'll be attending, and check for a post on the Trips forum on the day of the event. If the turnout is low, the weather is lousy, or Walden is over-crowded, there may be a change of plans. But barring an announcement otherwise, you can expect that the Tuesday sessions will be ON, and will be starting at 5PM at Walden Pond from here on out.
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Dolphin Cove pod - how was your paddle to and from Jewell, in terms of waves and weather?
One thing we talked about in the trip planning workshop the week before the trip when we were looking at routes to and from Jewell was that with the prevailing wind from the SW, if there were predicted stronger winds later in the trip, you might be better off choosing a launch site to the north, gambling on a weak headwind on the way there for a stronger tailwind on the way home. I am in no way implying last weekend's weather did what was predicted - certainly not down here. Of course, every time I've launched from the north, I've had a headwind on both the outbound and return trips in addition to a longer drive, so maybe it's an unwinnable battle.
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Today's Walden Pond session is ON! Come join us at 5PM at the Walden boat launch parking area, or at 7:30 for dinner with Bill at Comella's.
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Offered by Boston AMC, and open to all area sea kayakers. I can't be there this year, but have attended in the past. It's a good refresher, similar to the CAM On-Water Training NSPN has done in the past.
For full details and to register, visit https://activities.outdoors.org/search/index.cfm?action=details&id=112557
An annual training event for sea kayak enthusiasts on Lake Cochituate, Framingham. We will work all essential skills for safe and effective paddling on the ocean. This is a good opportunity to refine and improve techniques and get ready for the upcoming season. This year we welcome new comers and beginners to sea kayaking. After some initial remarks the group will go for a paddle on the lake. This will give the instructors an opportunity to observe the participants paddling to get a sense of the different skill levels present. After a short break the instructors will set up various stations where the participants will practice skills in a high instructor-to-participant ratio. The skills practiced will be from the list below: 1.Launching and landing a kayak from a dock 2.Forward paddling and stopping 3.Reverse paddling 4.Turning strokes 5.Sideways movement - static and dynamic 6.Low brace 7.Sculling for support 8.Assisted rescues 9.Self-Rescues 10.Towing 11.Rolling 12.Reading a nautical chart 13.Emergency scenarios No guarantee we will be able to cover everything on the list. Bring the usual gear: PFD (required on the water), spray skirt, wet suit, paddling jacket, tow belt, paddle float, warm clothing to change into, snacks, lunch, water, etc. I expect the water temperature to be in the 60s as well as the air temperature. Dress for immersion and the weather conditions so that you will be comfortable for the whole day. We will eat lunch on shore and have some discussion on AMC sea kayaking issues, a discussion on marine radio protocols, and some other topics depending on time and interest.
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Join us for the season opener of NSPN's "Walden-area Tuesdays". Starting on May 21st, and continuing throughout the summer, we'll get together in the Concord, MA area to paddle, practice, and socialize. For the months of May and June, we'll be alternating each week between Walden Pond sessions and nearby river paddles. Once the water temps warm up, we'll be spending most of our summer at Walden Pond.
For the "season opener", we'll have a pond session at Walden Pond from 5PM-7:30 for anyone who can get there, and then we'll meet up with the rest of the gang at Comella's restaurant at 33 Main St in Concord center for casual Italian food and socializing, and to make plans for the rest of the season. Even if you can't get out of work in time to paddle with us at 5, please join us for dinner!
We will launch from the boat launch area at Walden Pond (approximately 915 Walden St, Concord, MA) at 5PM, and be wrapped up in time to get to Comella's ( 33 Main St, Concord, MA) by 7:30. Hope to see you all there!
You MUST RSVP on the calendar post if you are planning to join us for either the paddle or the restaurant, because these early-season events may be cancelled if turnout is low.
Here's some boilerplate that will apply to all of our Tuesday sessions:
All sessions are open to any NSPN member in any watercraft. New members are especially welcome. PFDs and signed NSPN waivers are required. If you want to get on the water before the group launch at 5PM, let us know, bring a signed waiver, and leave it on your windshield for the rest of the group to sign when arriving. For Walden, we'll meet you at our usual spot at 5. For river trips, paddle back at the launch spot so we can all launch together at 5. If you are arriving late, you can arrange to meet us on the river at a mutually-agreeable time and place. You can skip the paddle and just join us for dinner, too! May-June trips will likely be cancelled if the weather is lousy or if less than three people RSVP.
For anyone who hasn't been to Walden Pond before with the group, here's some detailed information that Bill Voss put together for last year's sessions, with addresses, parking fees, and a map of our usual practice area:
https://www.nspn.org/forum/calendar/event/1201-walden-wednesday-plan-b-white-pond/ (This is not the link to RSVP)
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Gary, thanks for converting m/sec into knots for us - much more useful that way!
This site has animated vectors that show the currents in parts of Casco Bay throughout one tide cycle. I may try to create a video clip from this at some point - the Google Earth animation brought my computer to its digital knees.
The original paper I cited has additional info on the contribution of wind-driven surface currents to the overall situation in Casco Bay. That entire website is full of PDFs of studies that may be of interest.
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Taken from Modeling Wind and Tidal Circulation in Casco Bay, Maine: a preliminary study
Western Casco Bay Currents at Flood and Ebb
Eastern Casco Bay Currents at Flood and Ebb
On the flood:
The vector field in Figures 8a,b show the vertically averaged flow three hours after the beginning of the flood tide for the western and eastern half of the Bay, respectively. The currents entering the Bay through the southwestern portion of the outer boundary are the sources for flooding Portland Harbor, Back Cove, and other coves and estuaries in the western part of the inner bay. These currents enter along the shoreline of Cape Elizabeth and through Hussey Sound, veer to the right and continue along the Falmouth/Yarmouth shoreline to the northern side of Cousins Island, where they converge with currents entering through Luckse and Broad Sounds. Consequently, the waters approaching the Royal River estuary may come from two sources. In Portland Channel, the vertically averaged currents at this stage of the flood tide are on the order of 40-50 cm/sec. The surface drogues used by Parker (1982) show surface currents in Portland Channel and Hussey Sound to be the highest that were measured in Casco Bay during that survey. During the middle two hours of flood tide, the surface drogues averaged 55-75 cm/sec through Portland Channel, and 43-58 cm/sec through Hussey Sound.
On the ebb:
The vertically averaged flow field during the third hour after ebb tide is shown in Figures 8c,d for the west and east halves of the inner bay, respectively. The water west of Cousins Island drains from the inner bay through Portland Channel and Hussey Sound with speeds in the 40-50 cm/sec range. An equally strong current of lesser volume also flows through Chandler Cove, where it meets with a southwesterly flow from Luckse Sound. After leaving the inner bay, the current from Portland Channel moves along the Cape Elizabeth shore and continues south to exit the computational domain. The flow out of Hussey Sound and Chandler Cove also move due south. On the eastern side of the Bay, the ebb flow out of the Royal River, Maquoit and Middle Bays moves into Luckse Sound and Broad Sound. The water from the Royal River outlet area flows east of Great Chebeague Island, where it continues along the island's south shore, enters Luckse Sound, and continues seaward in a southerly direction. Also, the flow out of Broad Sound continues seaward in a southerly direction.
With regard to tidal flows only, the currents of Casco Bay might be viewed as having a western and eastern circulation, with minor volume exchanges around Great Chebeague Island and Cousins Island.
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There's still plenty of room for Saturday's trip planning workshop. RSVP on the calendar if you're joining us. Read the first post or the calendar posting for what to bring.
Here's the agenda for Saturday's workshop - it's a live document and may evolve further as we get closer to Saturday, especially if you send me questions. Joe was kind enough to help me refine the structure of the workshop, and he and I will be floating between the groups during the hands-on part of the class (that's most of it!) and helping to guide the discussions. We'll be dividing up in to four groups, each with a set of paper charts to work with. If you'd like to mark up your own waterproof charts outside of class, I've put together detailed instructions at the top of the agenda, and here: how to prepare a nautical chart.
It looks like it's going to be 60+ and sunny after we're done at REI, so plan to bring some food or grab some takeout after class, and we'll head over to the park by the lake for some socializing at 6PM. I'll have some picnic blankets in case we can't grab a picnic table.
Here are some reference materials for the workshop, just so they're all in one place:
cascobaypublicaccessdraft23feb2018.pdf
MarineTraffic_Casco Bay Density Map.pdf
Portland, ME 8418150 Tidal Data Print View.pdf
Boston to Salem Ferry Schedules & Fares _ Boston Harbor Cruises.pdf
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Here's one approach to marking up your nautical chart to make it more usable for pre-trip planning and for on-the-water navigation.
Step 1: Identify the scale bar and figure out how far one nautical mile is on the chart. Find the lines of latitude (they are the horizontal lines going across the chart), and the degrees and minutes of latitude going up the left and right sides of the chart. If your chart has grid lines for every ONE minute of latitude, the vertical distance between two adjacent lines of latitude should be exactly the same distance as one nautical mile on the scale bar. Confirm this. Also confirm to yourself that the horizontal distance between the vertical lines of longitude IS NOT one nautical mile (unless you're paddling at the Equator).
If your scale bar is only a few nautical miles long, and you're planning to measure longer distances, now is a good time to extend that scale bar line out and add additional hash marks so you can measure longer distances accurately.
Step 2: Find the compass rose on the chart. The outer ring on this chart is aligned to True North. The inner ring is aligned to Magnetic North. Your kayak's deck compass (or your handheld compass) gives you bearings relative to Magnetic North, so it makes sense to always work with Magnetic bearings when sea kayaking. We will scribe Magnetic North lines across the chart so we always have a reference direction for Magnetic North handy. Begin by extending the Magnetic North line through the center of the compass rose, in both directions.
Step 3: We will draw parallel lines across the entire chart to create our north reference. To further simplify things on the water, we'll space these lines one nautical mile apart. Take a piece of paper, place it along the scale bar, and make marks every nautical mile. Below you'll see that it's exactly one nautical mile between the latitudes of 43° 37' and 43° 38', confirming that one minute of latitude is exactly one nautical mile.
Step 4: Align the edge of the paper with the magnetic north line you drew through the center of the compass rose, and make small marks to the left and right of that line, spaced every nautical mile. Slide the paper further up the line and make a second set of marks.
Step 5: Using a long straightedge or ruler, connect the marks to create parallel lines on your chart, one nautical mile apart.
Step 6: Once you've scribed Magnetic North lines across your chart, you can further enhance your chart by highlighting things like launch sites, destinations, possible bail-outs or stopping points for lunch, so that you can find them easily. You can also highlight shipping lanes, channel crossings between buoys, or other hazards that you might overlook while bouncing around on the water.
Step 7: Tidal predictions for smaller harbors and points along rivers (secondary tidal stations) are calculated based on a fixed time offset from the nearest large port (BOSTON, PORTLAND). Because these offsets are fixed, you can write them right on your chart. If you're paddling on the open ocean, you might not care too much about the slight differences in high tide times for locations on your chart. If you are in an area with complex tides and currents (like the Piscataqua River near Portsmouth, NH), having your chart marked up to show that high tide at Dover Point is always 1hr 33min later than high tide at Portsmouth Harbor makes it easy to plan a trip's timing, just by referring to the tide cycle for the day at the reference tidal station.
Use the attached PDF to determine the tidal time differences for the locations shown on your chart, and make note of the time offsets at those locations on your chart. Write the reference station (Boston, Portland, Newport RI) somewhere on the chart as well!
Going further: If there's a particular crossing you plan to use on this and future trips, draw in a straight line representing your intended crossing, and annotate it with the distance (measure against your scale bar) and the magnetic bearing and back bearing (use the compass rose, a protractor, or your hiking compass, making sure to use Magnetic North, not True North, as your reference)
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Walden is officially cancelled for May 7th. We'll skip next week (I have a conflict as well) and try again with the same schedule (Walden at 5, Comella's at 7:30) on May 21st.
We usually don't start the season until June, so any paddles we get a crowd together for in May are bonus paddles in my book. Hope to see you all on the water later this month.
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We currently have Ken, Nancy, Dan, and Kate interested in paddling tomorrow. NWS shows a possibility for showers and scattered thunderstorms tomorrow afternoon. Some forecasts are showing showers at 2-4PM, others 7PM.
If the weather still looks iffy for the afternoon at 7AM tomorrow, or if any of the four of us are leaning toward bailing, we'll cancel and try again in two weeks at Walden.
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So far there are 11 of us who have RSVPed on the calendar for this Saturday's event at REI. There's plenty of room for more, so please RSVP soon if you're planning on joining us. I'm placing the chart order tonight, based on around 15 attendees. Looking at the current RSVPs, half of the group is going to Jewell this year, and all of us will end up paddling out of Marblehead at some point, so my plan is to divide the group up into smaller pods around a single paper chart (Casco Bay or Salem Sound) on a table and have each pod work through their upcoming trip.
NSPN Chart Casco Bay and Jewell Island 24 x 36.pdf
Salem Sound ARCH D 24x36 18000.pdf
Right now the weather is looking like it will be 68 degrees and not raining (knock on wood) after the workshop, so if that forecast continues to hold, I'm proposing we head a mile south to the park on the SW end of Lake Quannapowitt for a picnic dinner after we're done. There's a sandwich shop and a BBQ place nearby to grab takeout. If the weather turns dreary, there's the Mandarin Reading Restaurant/buffet right across the street from REI.
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Looks and sounds like an idyllic trip. Hope to join you later in the season for a few of these.
Perhaps Can #3 has three tones on its gong to reinforce its "Threeness". If so, I'd hate to live next to Can #17. I know that our "right red returning" is opposite of the red/green color scheme used in much of the rest of the world. Do they swap the can/nun buoy shapes as well? If so, there's a distinct possibility that Cans numbered "2" throughout the Amazon are painted and instrumented to look and sound like toucans.
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Join us for the season opener of NSPN's "Walden-area Tuesdays". Starting on May 7th, and continuing throughout the summer, we'll get together in the Concord, MA area to paddle, practice, and socialize. For the months of May and June, we'll be alternating each week between Walden Pond sessions and nearby river paddles. Once the water temps warm up, we'll be spending most of our summer at Walden Pond.
For the "season opener", we'll have a pond session at Walden Pond from 5PM-7:30 for anyone who can get there, and then we'll meet up with the rest of the gang at Comella's restaurant at 33 Main St in Concord center for casual Italian food and socializing, and to make plans for the rest of the season. Even if you can't get out of work in time to paddle with us at 5, please join us for dinner!
We will launch from the boat launch area at Walden Pond (approximately 915 Walden St, Concord, MA) at 5PM, and be wrapped up in time to get to Comella's ( 33 Main St, Concord, MA) by 7:30. Hope to see you all there!
Here's some boilerplate that will apply to all of our Tuesday sessions:
All sessions are open to any NSPN member in any watercraft. New members are especially welcome. PFDs and signed NSPN waivers are required. If you want to get on the water before the group launch at 5PM, let us know, bring a signed waiver, and leave it on your windshield for the rest of the group to sign when arriving. For Walden, we'll meet you at our usual spot at 5. For river trips, paddle back at the launch spot so we can all launch together at 5. If you are arriving late, you can arrange to meet us on the river at a mutually-agreeable time and place. You can skip the paddle and just join us for dinner, too! May-June trips will likely be cancelled if the weather is lousy or if less than three people RSVP.
For anyone who hasn't been to Walden Pond before with the group, here's some detailed information that Bill Voss put together for last year's sessions, with addresses, parking fees, and a map of our usual practice area:
https://www.nspn.org/forum/calendar/event/1201-walden-wednesday-plan-b-white-pond/
You can RSVP on the calendar post, or RSVP in a reply here so we'll know whether to expect you at the boat launch, at the restaurant, or both.
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The Lending Library / Stuff to Borrow forum is a place where you can take advantage of the "second N" in NSPN - the Network of paddlers in your area that might have gear you'd like to test drive, tools you might need to make a repair, or skills or local knowledge you could benefit from. Unlike the Classifieds forums, this is a place borrowing, swapping, sharing, and mentoring, rather than buying or selling.
Some Guidelines on Offering Things:
You can use the headings at the bottom of this post or copy an existing Stuff to Borrow post as a framework to structure your offerings. Give people a general idea of where your stuff is located, where and how they might get access to it, and how long you're willing to loan stuff out.
You always have the right to decline someone's request. You are under no obligation to offer anything to anyone, even if you've posted it here.
Some Guidelines on Borrowing Things:
NSPN is not party to these transactions and won't get involved. This is just a networking forum to connect people who want things with people who have things. By borrowing something from an NSPN member, you are assuming responsibility to return that item in the same condition, and to replace it if you damage it.
Unless someone has posted otherwise, assume that the items offered here are for a short-term, one-time loan to you, the NSPN member. This isn't intended as a substitute for owning your own gear or as a place to borrow gear for others.
If you ask to borrow something, please don't make extra work for the other person. Contact them by Private Message (unless they've posted otherwise) and be specific about what you need, when and why you'd like to borrow it, and give some options as to when and how you can pick it up and return it.
You can use the Search feature on the website to search for specific items you'd like to borrow within this forum.
Structuring your Offerings
You can list your stuff to borrow any way you like, but here's a framework you can copy and paste into your listing to help get started.
Free / Pass it Forward:
[A great way to pass along things that you no longer need. If you've received something this way, please pass it along in the same manner when you're done.]
Stuff To Borrow (__ days):
[Things that you're willing to lend out, but you want them back. (Books, repair tools, etc) Give us an idea how long you're willing to lend them out for.]
Try My Gear: (in-person demos near ______, or on an NSPN paddle)
[Boats, paddles, PFDs that others might be interested in taking for a test paddle or trying on before they go shopping for new gear.]
Skills and Services:
[Got a special skill that you're willing to share with others? List it here.]
Local knowledge:
[Do you know a specific area like the back of your hand? Offer to help others looking for paddling information.]
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Glad you'll be joining us, Ken! Those doing rolling practice at Walden often wear drysuits well into the summer, just for comfort (and to avoid soggy car seats afterwards). If we're doing a river paddle and you're not expecting to fall out of your boat, you can dress less conservatively, and just carry a change of clothes in a drybag. Keep in mind that the temps may drop significantly when the sun dips below the trees - I wore neoprene for a recent flatwater paddle and was fine in the boat and freezing by the time I had the boat on the car, due to wind on wet fingers and clothing.
But yes, for May and probably most of June, you'll see us sea kayakers practicing at Walden in wetsuits or drysuits or Greenland-style tuliks, wearing nose plugs, goggles, and sometimes even helmets, while everyone else dabbles around in shorts or bikinis.
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Jane, these May/June sessions will be listed on the calendar in early May, and I'll enable RSVPs so people can indicate if they are going or not. In keeping with Bill's method from last year, which seemed to work well, I can start a new discussion on the trips forum for "May 28th - Assabet River paddle, 5PM" about 5 days before the event, so you'll know the upcoming weather and your plans, and we can discuss things like late arrivals or whether we have enough people going or weather concerns for that particular trip. Does that work?
Janet, there's no problem with a late arrival at any of the Walden sessions (assuming you can get in - overcrowding is one reason people go early) - just paddle to the far side of the pond and you'll see us practicing. We just need to be out of there before the gate closes (currently at 7:30PM, may be later in mid-summer). For the Concord and Sudbury proposed river paddles, we can do a quick loop in one direction and pick up any late-arrivals at the launch before heading the other way on the river. For the Assabet, it's upstream only to start, but we can come up with a plan that works for everyone in the days before the paddle. And if you've got a paddling spot that's closer to work, we can plan around that. (The Concord/Old North Bridge paddle could be a downstream run from Lowell Rd in Concord to the Bedford boat launch on Rt 225 at the Carlisle/Bedford border, and you could meet us there closer to 5:30 for the second half of the car shuttle, for example)
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Since some of you have been asking about plans for Walden Pond practice sessions in 2019, here's an update. While our Walden sessions have historically been on Wednesdays, we're moving them to Tuesdays this year so as not to overlap with all of the fun daytime paddles @Joseph Berkovitz and @rylevine have planned for their Wednesday lunch paddle series. Also, as some of you already know, both @billvoss and I are both dealing with back issues and aren't quite ready to start rolling yet. (plus, the water's still cold!). So, I've put together a tentative schedule of alternating pond and river sessions for the months of May and June, and after that, the plan is to go back to a weekly Walden schedule for the remainder of the summer.
Here's the plan that Bill and I have discussed. If you're a Walden-area paddler and think you might join us this year, please weigh in with your thoughts on start times and the like, either on the forums, by private message to @Dan Foster, or at our pre-season opener and super-casual pasta dinner at Comella's italian restaurant in Concord, MA on May 7th.
If you a newer paddler in the club or haven't been to a Walden session before - please join us. These sessions are a great way to make some connections within the club and everyone in attendance is happy to share knowledge, to help you advance your skills, or to just hang out in boats and socialize.
Proposed May-June Walden-area Tuesday paddles - these will be refined based on group feedback and posted to the NSPN calendar in early May, along with detailed parking and route descriptions for the river trips and restaurant options.
May 7 - "the pre-season opener" - Walden at 5 (people can always welcome to arrive earlier and start paddling), casual pasta dinner at Comella's in Concord at 7:30 to socialize and to discuss and refine plans for our summer of Walden-area paddles.
May 14 - Concord River paddle at Lowell Rd/Egg Rock. 5-7:30, picnic dinner at Old North Bridge, possibility for moonlight paddle if it is a clear night.
May 21 - Walden at 5. Gates close at 7:30
May 28 - Assabet River paddle from Ice House Landing in Maynard, MA, 5PM launch. Beers and BBQ at nearby Battle Road Brewing Co at 7:30
June 4 - Walden at 5. Gates close at 7:30 (Dan unlikely to be there)
June 11 - Sudbury River paddle to Fairhaven Bay. 5-7:30. Picnic dinner at Scout Island in Fairhaven Bay. Exact launch location TBD.
June 18 - Walden at 5. Gates close at 7:30 (Dan unlikely to be there)
June 25 - Walden at 5. Gates close at 7:30
July - August: Walden at 5 until closing.
When Bill returns: Walden at 5. Comella's at 7:30 for "the gang's all here" celebration.
All sessions are open to any NSPN member in any watercraft. New members are especially welcome. PFDs and signed NSPN waivers are required. If you want to get on the water before the group launch at 5PM, let us know, bring a signed waiver, and leave it on your windshield for the rest of the group to sign when arriving. For Walden, we'll meet you at our usual spot at 5. For river trips, paddle back at the launch spot so we can all launch together at 5. If you are arriving late, you can arrange to meet us on the river at a mutually-agreeable time and place. You can skip the paddle and just join us for dinner, too! May-June trips will likely be cancelled if the weather is lousy or if less than three people RSVP.
If you're planning to join us this summer, do these start times work for you? OK with a mix of river and pond stuff to start the season? Anything else you'd like to suggest?
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@Ken I've been talking with @billvoss about this year's Walden sessions. More info will be coming very soon, but here's the current plan for Tuesdays:
We will be having practice sessions at Walden Pond this summer, but
they will be on Tuesdays this year. We're tentatively aiming for an
official start at Walden in early June, although if the weather is
nice, some of us may start earlier. There's also talk of paddling some
of the rivers in the area to add some variety to our weekly
gatherings, and these might start happening on nice Tuesdays in May.While our Walden sessions in the past have focused on rolling practice
and instruction, two of us are recovering from back injuries this
year. Depending on what you'd like to accomplish, there will be people
around to assist you in achieving that.
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I apologize if I anyone felt singled out by my initial post - it was not my intention. I picked the Easter plunge simply because it was a few days ago and hopefully still fresh on a number of people's minds. The conversation that initially prompted me to write was not about the Easter plunge and involved NSPN paddlers who were not present at the plunge, myself included. It was about the differences in usability between our trip forum and other paddles they've attended which were posted on meetup.com. The specific comment made was along the lines of "meetup.com's interface makes it easier for me to keep track of the important details of a trip (time, place, etc)". (I apologize now for additional feather-ruffling by invoking the M word in polite company)
I always over-analyze things, so on the drive home I thought about what nuggets of truthiness might be contained in that statement. I think we run two types of trips:
1. trips that are defined at the outset with a set date, time, location, and purpose. Meetup and Facebook Events and ads in the classified section of the newspaper handle those well and the NSPN forums handle those well.
2. trips that evolve from the time they are proposed to the time they launch. The Plunge, the Solstice paddles, the plans we make for camping trips - these all may start with just a date, and the rest of the details get worked out over the course of days or weeks. Meetup and Facebook Events and classified ads don't handle these kinds of trips at all. NSPN allows greater flexibility, at the expense that participants may have to go digging to get all the details they need.
If I'm running to my car to get myself to an event that I only vaguely remember the details of, I know that with just a click in the meetup app I'm going to see the location, street address, and start time in the same spot for every event I ever attend. There's something valuable there, but it only exists because they use a template-based approach which requires locations, addresses, and start times.
This doesn't have to be a conversation about editing privileges for posts, and it certainly doesn't have to mention meetup again. Maybe it's about "maybe a template for trip postings would make things easier", or "what obstacles are we inadvertently creating for newcomers because we've become familiar with our club practices and paddling locations?" or "what are the best practices for posting a trip?", or "what's the best way to notify the group that the plans have changed?"
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During a recent conversation with another NSPN member, I heard a complaint that I've heard several times before: it's hard to find the important details of trips, especially trips that evolve or get changed, because they get buried in the rest of the chatter of the trip discussion.
This struck a bit of a nerve, because just this past weekend, I decided to put together a chart for the Easter plunge trip, and I spent a good deal of time paging through the forum trying to find the actual details of the event. Try for yourself: find the launch time, launch address, backup plan, and the time and address to meet for burgers:
https://www.nspn.org/forum/topic/12506-pre-easter-plunge-saturday-april-20th/
Here's my quick suggestion to make things easier: for trips where the complete plan isn't stated and fixed in the first post of the trip announcement, the trip organizer (the one who started the topic and therefore has the first post in that discussion thread) should update the first post in that thread to give the full details once the plan has solidified. You can do this by editing your post. The trip organizer should also consider adding a new reply the night before the trip, just to reiterate the full details of the plan in its final form.
Thoughts? Improvements?
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I've heard from a number of club members that they'd like to have a refresher on proper or recommended radio use in a group sea kayaking setting. That refresher could be anything from a 2-hour classroom workshop, some on-the-water practice, or a laminated cheat sheet to go on the deck.
Below is a link to a Google Doc file that anyone can edit. I added a bunch of common questions about radio usage (please add more), as well as some resources in the form of links to prior club discussion on the topic. My hope is that a few club members (that's YOU!) or a dedicated volunteer step forward and just take a few minutes to start fleshing out the document by adding a paragraph or two about a radio-related topic. You don't need to be an expert - you can find most of these answers with just a few searches on the NSPN forums or on your favorite search engine.
Ideally, we'd end up with a short (one-page?) guide to radio usage that can be widely distributed to club members, and can form the basis of on-water or classroom practice for years to come.
Here's the document, please contribute:
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1sBsjxWn-uwU8ZuatPAhcE_mwyfgDEEJP2Ph67PnhN_4/edit?usp=sharing
This is an experiment - who knows where it will go. Feel free to take the document or the process in any direction you want. If this seems like a project you'd like to take ownership of and deliver something of value back to the club, please take it and run with it!
Radio TECHNICAL Discussion
in General Message Board
Posted
I've attempted this test twice now overnight with my Standard Horizon HX870, and go from a full battery to dead and off in less than 8 hours of "standby" (monitoring ch 72, no transmitting, no weather channel). After the first test, I used the Reset function to return the radio to what it considers defaults, and then turned off GPS and put battery save mode to 90%.
I'd be grateful if other HX870 owners would perform this test and confirm or dispute an 8-hour standby runtime.