On the Big Sea in a Little Boat

2012

2012-01-14T01:14:00.001-05:00

So this is the last year of the Mayan calendar, so the world might end in December. If that is the case, which I doubt, there is a lot of living left to squeeze into the year....
For me, less is usually more so I'm not going to clutter the year up with lots of big plans and lofty must accomplish goals. Instead, I'm going to set myself a few things to guide how I live this year:
1. I'm going to value time with my family over time at work.
2. I will do my best in all things that I do.
3. I will read indiscriminately.
4. I will prefer outdoor time to screen time.
5. I will stay active.
6. I will eat healthy with the occasional chocolate and ice cream.
7. I will try to relax.
These are just guiding principles. They are not mandates. They are not goals to be reached.
Mandates, goals, resolutions are just another way to beat yourself up. They are carrots to chase and hoops to jump through on the way to the next goal. They are not a way to live a life.
If they Mayans were right, I don't want to be looking back from the end of the world wishing I had accomplished some goal. I want to be happy knowing that I had lived life.

Breakfast of Camels

2012-01-13T13:38:00.001-05:00

Location:Canyon Run Dr,Las Vegas,United States

Camel Goes to Vegas

2012-01-12T04:26:00.001-05:00

Location:Canyon Run Dr,Las Vegas,United States

Keurig Must Die!

2011-11-27T23:02:00.001-05:00

Keurig is evil. They prey upon people's laziness to foist bad, over priced coffee on us. To make it even worse, their k-cups pile up in landfills where what ever comes after humanity will find them and be amazed at how primitive and backwards we were.
It is easy to make good single cups of coffee cheaply and without so much waste. Use a French press or a single cup filter. It tastes better and is better for the planet. As an added bonus, you will be forced to sit back and relax for a few minutes while your coffee brews.

Camping with Bug: The Cape with Freinds

2011-09-18T09:27:00.000-04:00

After our successful trial camping trip, we felt confident that the family would have a great time camping with a group. For this outing PB and KP joined us, along with KP's pooch and teenage son, at Nickerson State Park in Brewster, MA.
Our biggest concern was that we would hold them back since Bug's schedule dictates our to a certain degree. Fortunately we all planned for a relaxing weekend without too much activity. We wanted to do some biking, but that was about it.
Biking did present a new challenge since we had not packed up the bikes and the camping gear at the same time. We were pretty sure everything would fit since the trailer is about the same size as the stroller and the bikes are carried on the outside of the car, but still.... As it turned out, things fit even better with the bike trailer because it folds up flatter than the stroller! Also, this time around we didn't need to pack the screen house.
Nickerson is a surprisingly plush campground. The sites were spacious and well buffered. The park was pretty full, despite it being late in the season, but we never felt packed in. The other really nice thing about Nickerson is that it is right on the Mid-Cape bike trail. To make it even better they have bile trails that link the camp sites to the access point for the Mid-Cape trail.
Our big adventurer for the trip was a cruise on the bike trail. The Mid-Cape trail is very nice. It is wide and well maintained. The views were not as pretty as we had hoped, but there were a few classic Cape vistas. The trail was busy for September weekend. There was a charity ride going on which accounted for some of the traffic. The sunny weather accounted for the rest.
We hopped off the trail at Coast Guard Beach and took the side trail down to the water. The trail through the national park was not as nice as the Mid-Cape for a guy pulling a trailer. It was narrow and windy, but fun.
Bug loved the beach. She did pretty well walking on the sand and didn't try to eat too much of the beach. Keeping her out of the waves was a bit of a chore, but her love of the water makes us happy. One funny thing she did was lay down in the sand like it was nap time. There were a few other people napping near by, so she must have decided that was what you do on the beach.
Bug was funny with the KP's little dog. She was very curious, but definitely didn't like it when the dog licked her. There was a little come here; go away dynamic between them.
It was a great weekend. We are truly blessed to have a kid who is flexible and love the outdoors!

Camping with Bug: A Dry Run

2011-08-25T20:51:00.000-04:00

H and I planned to do a camping trip with some friends on the Cape this September, so we thought it would be a good idea to do a solo dry run first. We were pretty sure Bug would love camping and that we could figure out how to take care of a baby in the woods. How hard could it be?
We talked about planning a whole lot. We picked a really nice private campground in Carver. We purchased a roof bag so we could fit all of our stuff plus all of Bug's stuff. We purchased a two burner camp stove and fuel. We thought about getting everything organized before hand.
Sunday night we finally started getting things out of storage. We pulled the tent and sleeping stuff out of the attic. We dragged the kitchen stuff out of the basement.
Monday morning, just before I started packing stuff into the car, we started packing clothes. Packing my clothes takes a minute; the hardest part is counting out enough pairs of clean boxers. Packing Bug's clothes takes forever; it amazes me how much stuff a baby needs for two days of semi-roughing it.
Surprisingly, packing the car was easy. I expected it to be a challenge since I was using the roof bag for the first time and I had to pack a bunch of extra stuff - a pack-and-play, a stroller, a car seat, a diaper bag, etc.. The fact that most of the gear is rectangular helped a lot. The miracle was that everything fit - barely.
The challenge of camping with a small child were obvious the moment we started to set up camp. Usually both H and I go about setting things up. I get the tent up while she gets the kitchen area set up. This time, one of us had to monitor Bug. H and Bug went off to explore while I set up the tent and the screen house.
The screen house was an exercise in frustration. We haven't used the thing in two years, so I forgot the exact sequence to erect it. I did remember enough to think it would be easy. The first thing I forgot was that setting it up is a two person job. Then I forgot that the top poles had to go through sleeves. Then I forgot that the top poles need to go through a set of loops. I took it apart three times before I got it up. It was worth it though, the mosquitoes were fierce.
Once we got the camp site set up, things were smooth. Bug loved being able to explore. One of us could cook, or relax, while the other one followed Bug. For a new walker, she did really well on the rough terrain. The falls were infrequent. When she did fall, she just brushed herself off and kept going.
Bedtime was not smooth. Bug has a pop-up tent that she loves to hangout in at home. We figured that it would be the perfect camping Bug bed. It fit inside our tent and would keep her contained. Bug had different ideas. When it came time to curl up in her tent, she refused to go in. It amazes me how strong a wee girl can be when she does not want to do something.
Defeated, we put the tent away and replaced it with the floor of the pack-and-play. It kept her off the floor of the tent and provide her with a little padding. It worked better. Bug settled in, after an hour of fidgeting.
The second day was pretty routine. We spent the morning hanging about the camp site. Bug wandered around playing with everything she could get her hands on. We ate lunch and napped.
The afternoon was a big adventure. We went into Plymouth to visit with one of H's friends. We met at the big water park by the sea. It is a great place. Bug loved it. She went from fountain to fountain grabbing the water streams. Then she hit the playground.
By the end of the visit, she was pooped. H and I decided Bug could nap in the stroller and we explored Plymouth. Then we had a fabulous dinner at Cabby Shack. The food was great and the atmosphere was extremely kid friendly.
Packing up on the final morning presented the same problem as unpacking. We were used to it being a two person job, but one of us had to be on full time bug watch. It wasn't too bad since most of our gear is manageable by one person. It just takes more time.
Our initial camping trip with bug was a success. We all enjoyed ourselves and we learned a few lessons. The biggest one was that camping with a wee lass requires a little more time.

Paddling with My Sweety

2011-08-09T16:50:00.000-04:00

H wanted to get at least one more couples paddle in before the season ended, so we took advantage of the nice weather and day care to make it happen. We invited along good friends. She picked an area where we could do something interesting, but not too crazy - Wickford.
We paddled from Wilson Park to Rome Point and back under clear skies. It was unremarkable - if you can call a relaxing and enjoyable day on the water unremarkable.
One crazy thing we did encounter were these crazy crab-like larval things floating in the water. They were everywhere and covered the water in a thin layer of goo. The things would get stuck on my arms and hands as a paddled. It was creepy! I still have no clue what they were, so info in the comments would be a great help.

Breaking the Week Up

2011-08-04T17:04:00.000-04:00

I feel like I haven't done much paddling this summer. H thinks that I'm wrong and that I have managed to get out close to once a week. If I counted, I'm sure she is right, but that doesn't make me wrong - it's a perception thing. I'm used to going out on regularly scheduled paddles on the weekends, with a few midweek trips tossed in as a bonus.ays
This summer, it has been close to impossible to get a weekend paddle into the schedule. So, I have been "making due" with the midweek paddles when I can. In many ways a midweek paddle is more relaxing and fun than a weekend paddle. There is less boat traffic and the group is usually pretty well tailored to my preferences.
This week's adventure was a trip out of Pier 5 with TM. Originally, I was thinking about doing the full Pier 5 to Harbor of Refuge run. However, I just wasn't feeling up to committing to it. We followed the same course, but without the pressure of getting there.
The water was clam and the winds were light. It was as near to perfect weather as I'd seen all summer. We just ambled along the coast playing in the rocks and generally enjoying the day.
This section of the coast always has some action since it is exposed to open ocean, so things were not boring. Landing was exciting. We decided to lunch just before Point Judith light on the steepish, pebbly beach. TM thought he found a spot where the waves would let us simply land without issue. Instead he spent several minutes getting bounced off the beach before he could get out. Then he had to help me land. We simplified the launch by playing seal. We pointed our kayaks off the steep end of the beach and slid down into the oncoming swell.
We ended the day with some rolling, PFD floating, and Java Madness. It was just what I needed to recharge the battery. Now if I could just get a weekend free.......

It's All About the Bike

2011-07-29T17:07:00.001-04:00

I picked up this book based on a recommendation from a friend and a review from a trusted magazine. If you are remotely interested in bicycles, it is a must read. It packs the history of cycling and a good amount of technical information into a shortish and fun to read package.
Penn uses his quest to get a custom built bicycle as the backdrop for unravelling the story of the bicycle and its special place in the world. For the history buff it is an interesting lens through which to see the changes that have taken place over the last 150 years. As Penn points out, the bicycle was a leading edge of many of the changes in the early 20th century. It made the populace more mobile, it helped liberate women, it provided a healthy past time, and was a huge employer.
For the bicycle buff the book is an even vaster treasure trove. It has some technical details. It tells the stories behind some of the biggest innovations in bicycling. It validates the special place a bicycle holds in your heart.
For the rest of the world, it is just full of great stories and good writing. Hopefully, it is also full of inspiration to hop on a bicycle!

It's Raining Men

2011-07-09T10:51:00.000-04:00

The weekend schedule looked perfect for a Saturday paddle and terrible for a Sunday paddle. Unfortunately, the club paddle was scheduled for Sunday. There is no reason the club cannot support two paddles in a weekend; plenty of people paddle both days on the weekend. So I posted a Saturday paddle.
When Friday rolled around, it became obvious that my grand plan was poorly conceived. The reason Saturday looked so good for paddling was that H was going to a party in RI for one of her friends. My plan had the party starting at like noon so that she wouldn't have to hang around too much before heading over and wouldn't mind leaving around four to fetch me. Reality had the party starting around 2pm. My plan had me not needing to attend the party. Reality had me listed as a required guest. There was also all the logistics involved with packing up bug for a full day away from home.
I considered not showing up for the paddle. H considered coming down for the day. Then we hit upon the middle path: Two cars! I would go down in the morning and paddle. H and bug would go to the party after the morning nap. When I got off the water, I would go to the party. Everybody wins!
The paddle was well attended. I expected that only TM, PB, and KP would show. However, CMO and JS also showed. At the put in everyone looked to me for a plan since I had posted the trip.... How easily everyone forgets that I am not a planner or a details person. My plan was simply to paddle for a while and be back to the put in by 2:30 or 3.
I struggled to come up with a more detailed plan and I decided on a reverse outer west passage. We would south paddle along the Narragansett coast to Whale Rock, or there about, cross over to Jamestown, and paddle north along the Jamestown coast. The conditions were forecasted to be benign: calm sea state and minimal winds. All in all, I figured it would be relaxing way to get some distance under the blades. Then I saw PB pack his helmet...
The paddle was exactly what I'd hoped for: long and relaxing. The conditions offered little in the way of challenge or chances to find trouble. We all paddled and chatted and watched as men fell from the sky and disappeared into the sea.
At regular intervals a large military plane would glide down the coast and circle just past Pier 5. Then it would drop four people into the sky. The people drifted down into the water and disappeared.
The crossing to Jamestown was interesting from a group management perspective. PB and KP, who had just returned from a cycling trip in Europe, were getting tired and decided to cross before Whale Rock. They are both smart paddlers and paddle together a lot, so I was comfortable with their decision. Besides they would remain within sight of the main group the whole time anyways.
Once the main group started crossing JS spotted a bunch of birds in the distance and wanted to check if the fishing would be good. So he also peeled off from the main body of the group. I was less comfortable with this decision since JS was heading into open water alone, but he is an experienced paddler and capable of making decisions for himself. Besides, his decision out him at risk without compromising the safety of the rest of the group. We were a strong triad seasoned salt dogs.
Part of me felt that allowing the group to split was an unwise decision. I could have been more forceful about keeping us all in a single pod. The other part of me felt that it wasn't my place to tell people on a show and go paddle what to do. Everyone on the trip was experienced and intelligent. They knew the pros and cons of their actions. If at any time, I felt that anyone's decision put the others at risk, I would have said something. Since that was not the case se la vie.
After lunch, we all paddled home along the Jamestown shore. There was some rock play and a lot of clear blue water paddling: perfect.
When we got back to the put in, I had to run to make the party. I didn't get to go to Java Madness, but I did get to go hang out with my best girls! Everyone really did win!

mark tozer's blog: Leaders...Born Of Nature or Practice?

2011-07-07T10:36:00.000-04:00

mark tozer's blog: Leaders...Born Of Nature or Practice?: "Leaders, born or made? Scholar Richard Arvey found that among twins, leadership is 30 percent genetic/born and 70 percent learned/enviro..."

Mental Health Day

2011-07-05T22:17:00.000-04:00

Being the parent of a one year old is awesome, but stressful. H and I don't get many chances to paddle and even fewer chances to paddle together. So, we decided to take advantage of the nice weather and bug's day at daycare. H organized a hooky day paddle with some of our favorite playmates!
This paddle was H's first day on the water since Bug's arrival, so we decided to take it slow. The day was calm and forecasted to stay that way, so we decided to do a mini outer west passage route. We figured it would be flat and relaxing.
The crossing from Bay Campus to Dutch Island was a nice warm up. The paddle along Jamestown past Ft. Getty was continued the relaxed conditions.
Just past Ft. Getty, the conditions got a little lively. We're talking anthills, but it was more than we expected. It was actually kind of nice to have some bumps. I find paddling on glass boring and tiring. This was perfect for paddling and chatting.
About halfway down the Jamestown coast we turned and crossed the Bay. Our lunch spot was the standard outer west passage lunch area. The highlight of the crossing was watching a helicopter land at one of the mansions south of Bonnet Shores and pick up a passenger.
Our lunch spot was occupied by one of the beach's owners. Being anarchistic socialist kayakers we landed anyways. Beaches cannot be owned (at least not below the high tide line). Always the diplomat, H did "ask" the lady if it was OK for us to use a remote corner of the space for lunch. We behaved ourselves.
After lunch, we headed home along the bluffs. A few of us decided to brave the rocky shore despite our lack of helmets. The biggest wave was barely tape height; what could possibly go wrong?
A rouge wave pushed BH into the rocks. He rode it like a champ, but in the end he wound up out of the kayak and standing knee deep in the water. RS and I decided we were not going to rush in and try to pull BH and his kayak off the rocks. We didn't have helmets, the wave patterns were unpredictable, and BH seemed to have his wits about him. We yelled for him to push his kayak out. Before he could comply TM dashed in to the rocks and did the rescue.
When we talked later, he said he thought that BH looked like he was a little shaky and he was confident that he could pull off the rescue without any risk to himself. Things worked out for the best and BH was put back into his kayak without further incident.
For the remainder of the paddle, we stayed well off shore. The rest of the trip was a relaxing finale to a relaxing paddle.
H and I had plenty of time to get cleaned up, drive home, and retrieve bug. She had a fun day with her buds and we had a good day with ours.

Wilderness First Aid

2011-06-26T08:54:00.000-04:00

Several trip leaders took the SOLO Wilderness First Aid class through Osprey Sea Kayak Adventures. We figured that if there was an emergency on a trip a few of people should have a clue.
The biggest difference between wilderness first aid and standard first aid is the distance between the victim and real medical care. the standard first aid protocols are established around the premise that an ambulance, with highly trained paramedics, tons of equipment, and a radio link to doctors, is a phone call away and can be on scene quickly. In wilderness first aid, the assumption is that an ambulance is at least an hour away and likely cannot get within a mile of the victim's location.
This difference changes the basic dynamics of how to best assist the injured party. In a standard first aid situation, you would do a just enough of an assessment to call for help and then wait for help to arrive. If the injury was bad enough, say choking, heart failure, respiratory distress, you may intervene. In wilderness first aid, you need to do a much more thorough assessment, figure out if outside help is required, and how to treat the injuries while waiting for help to arrive. You also need to determine how to get outside help if it is needed: Can you radio or phone for assistance? Who do you send out? Does the patient need to be moved to a more accessible location?
We covered a lot of ground in two days and ran many scenarios. The first day focused on the basics of patient and situational assessment and patient movement.
In wilderness situations, particularly the types encountered in kayaking, accidents do not happen in places where you can safely manage a patient. An injured person can easily drown if they get a mouthful of water. Because of this, a patient will probably need to be moved to a safe location before anything else can happen. Moving a victim goes against everything in standard first aid, but if a person is injured in the surf zone on the beach they need to be moved. It is not safe for the victim and it not safe for the rescuers. (The most important person in any emergency situation is the rescuers, not the victim.) We were shown a technique called BEAMing. Essentially it means moving the injured person while keeping them immobilized. The general rule is no less than three, no more than six. One person manages the head and spine. The person at the head runs the show. Then as a unit, the group moves the patient to a safe location.
Once the patient is in a safe location, you need to asses the patient's condition. First you need to check for critical issues: attention, breath, circulation, da spine, environment. As you go through the checklist, you annotate move to the next step only after the previous one is cleared. If the patient's airway is compromised, you need to fix that before worrying about the bleeding or if the patient is cold.
Once the critical checklist is cleared, you can move on to a more detailed patient assessment. The detailed assessment should provide enough information for you to start treating the patient and provide revue personnel the information needed to mount a proper rescue. It should include vital signs, pertinent patient history, details of how the accident happened, the condition of the group as a whole, and what you are doing to treat the patient. This should all be written down and sent out with the people getting help. You should also keep a copy with the patient. The patient copy should be updated while waiting for rescue.
We also covered how to deal with injuries and common conditions. Most of this was stuff that outdoor enthusiast already sort of know, but can always be reinforced. I don't think you can ever be reminded how to identify and treat hypothermia, dehydration, or hyperthermia enough.
It was a lot of information to absorb. It was also humbling to know how hard doing this was in a safe, controlled environment. Having taken the course, I fell better about my ability to handle myself in an emergency. However, I also know that I'll probably make a ton of mistakes. At least, I'll be able to do something which is better than doing nothing.

Evening paddle

2011-06-25T11:18:00.001-04:00

PB had a great idea for our wilderness first aid weekend: a post class paddle. The weather was going to be perfect and we'd have plenty of light.
It was perfect. I hadn't been on the water in what felt like forever, so an easy paddle was just thing for me.
We arrived at Gooseberry Point just after five. The sky was clear and starting to cool. The wind was quiet. The low sun cast gentle light over the beach and water.
JS was keen to find some surf action if he could, so we headed west to see what Horseneck beach had for surf. Once we rounded the point we found an area that looked promising for catching a few rides. PB and JS tried to catch a few rides. I gave it a few half-hearted attempts, but really just wanted to enjoy the time on the water.
All to soon, the sun started setting and we had to turn home. As we paddled back to the beach, the sun cast a gold tinged crimson glow on the bottom of the clouds. It was extraordinary.
The paddle was so relaxing, that even the mean park ranger shooing out of the lot couldn't sour my mood.

Gearing Up

2011-06-10T23:12:00.001-04:00

I love my Tricross single speed. Not worrying about shifting and the silence of the drive train are magical. The only trouble with a single speed is that you need to be in good enough shape to complete your ride in the bike's gear. It was becoming obvious to me that I was not in good enough shape to complete my commute to and from work in the bike's gear. It was also obvious that I was not going to be able to get into good enough shape if I kept trying to do it on the single speed.
I needed gears.
I have an old geared bike, but I just don't like riding it. The drive train is twitchy and the aluminum frame rattles my bones over the smallest bumps. I could have done some upgrading by putting better components into the drive train and getting a carbon fork, but that seemed like a lot of money to put into a cheap bike.
So I decided to buy a new bike. I knew what I wanted: my single speed with gears. I considered putting an internally geared hub on the single speed, but there are no shifter choices for drop bars. I wasn't really prepared to spend the money needed to switch to straight bars. Nor was I convinced that I wanted to ride on straight bars.
Then I saw that my local bike shop had a new Tricross Comp in stock. It is the same frame as my single speed, but with a Shimano 105 drive train. I figured I'd give it a test ride and see if it felt right. While I was there I also tried out a few other cross bikes, just to make sure.
Two of the other bikes that I tried had SRAM components, but I really didn't like the double tap shifting. Remembering that one tap did something and two taps did something else and a long tap did a third thing just wasn't working for me. The other bikes were also more traditional cross racing frames and felt twitchy.
The Tricross' shudders are easy to understand and smooth as butter to shift. The geometry is nice as well. It is a slightly relaxed cross racing geometry. It is a little longer and more stable which is what I was looking for in a commuting bike. The Triccross frame also is fender and rack ready. O e other nice feature of the Tricross is the triple from ring. The granny gears come in handy on the big hill between the bike path and home after a long day at work.
After two weeks and 200 miles on the bike, I am very happy with the upgrade. It really is just like riding the single speed, but with gears. I thought that I would be bothered by needing to constantly think about the gears and the clicking of the cassette. Instead I find that I appreciate the gears because I can commute to work in a reasonable amount of time without nearly killing myself.
In fact, I hardly even think about the gears. I just tap the lever when I feel like I'm struggling. The click of the cassette is a pleasant chant reminding me that all is well. Good gears are great.

Chariot Courgar

2011-06-10T22:25:00.001-04:00

H and I wanted a way to take Bug biking with us, so we needed a baby carrier for our bikes. We both liked the idea of a trailer better than a child seat. The trailer seems safer because it is lower to the ground and has a built in roll cage. Having a child carrier on the back of a bike (I cannot even imagine that the front mounted seats are safe) changes the balance of the bike and means the baby falls the same distance to the ground.
I did a bunch of research to see if my bias was wrong. The bike mounted carriers are generally cost less than the trailers. It turns out that there are a lot of conflicting opinions, but no hard facts. There is no statistical evidence that either the trailer or the bike mounted carrier is safer. Carrier people like having the child close to them so they interact with the child and feel that the risk of a trailer getting hit by a car is worth the danger of the child falling. Trailer people think the trailers are safer because they are less likely to flip and the child is better protected in any accident.
Since there was no hard evidence, we decided to go with a trailer. Then we had to find the right trailer. There are a wide range of trailers on the market and a correspondingly wide range of prices. We quickly ruled out the low end trailers. Some just looked cheap others didn't get good reviews. Bug's safety and comfort is worth going up a notch.
The two big names in trailers are Burley and Chariot. I looked at both and read a ton of reviews. The prices were comparable as were most of the features. From my reading, the Chariot trailers seemed to be a notch better. The Chariot's also had a few spiffy features the Burley did not: adjustable spring suspension, easy store trailer arm, and a ton of conversion kits.
We opted to get the mid-level Chariot, the Cougar. It was not cheap, but it seems worth it so far. It is well constructed. The cockpit is well ventilated and the integrated screen and rain cover is easy to use. The strap system is well padded and easy to use. One nice feature is that the back has a pocket so that the back of the child's helmet doesn't push against the back panel.
The trailer also has a ton of storage. There is a good sized trunk and a big mesh pocket on the back.
We've taken it out once, and it performed admirably. The hitch is a simple ball hitch that hooks up without any trouble. When in motion it rolls along smoothly. You can tell there is some weight behind you, but it is not too bad. Getting used to the wider turn radius was a little difficult.
Bug seemed to enjoy the ride. She chatted away one the way out and fell asleep on the way home.
The best part was that we had a stroller to push around in between bike riding stints. We had ridden into Lexington to do a bit of shopping, so having a stroller was key.

Baby Backpacking with Kelty

2011-05-26T20:57:00.001-04:00

H's cousin gave us a used Kelty Journey when bug entered the scene. Until recently, we'd been using either a stroller or carrying bug in a Baby Borne when we'd go on walks. Then I pulled the Kelty out of the basement because the Baby Borne was wrecking my old, chair conditioned back.
The Journey looks like a serious back pack with the storage compartment converted into a chair. We didn't have instructions, so figuring the harness system out was a challenge. Once you figure the straps out it makes perfect sense and they keep the passenger snug, but comfortable.
With the technical hurdles overcome, the real challenge was seeing how bug, and I, did on an actual walk... We started small with a walk around the neighborhood. Bug liked it a lot. She was able to see stuff and move around a little better. My back liked the Kelty much better than the Baby Borne. The weight is well distributed.
We've taken out two more times since then. We did a 5k charity walk that was most fun. Today we did a short hike that was marred by mosquitoes. On both occasions the Kelty did excellent. Bug likes hanging out in it and my back is much happier!

Narrow River

2011-05-22T20:20:00.000-04:00

I was beginning to wonder if I'd ever get on the water this year. Between weather and family, it seemed like there was never time. This weekend the stars aligned and I was able to get out for a paddle.
The Narrow River is not an exciting or challenging paddle, but it is a good way to start the season. It is long enough to get some good work on the forward stroke and a chance to practice some boat control. It is also a nice paddle for catching up with people.
It was a nice day on water and bodes well for the rest of the season.

Getting Older

2011-05-17T17:20:00.001-04:00

Last month H, K, and I visited my Mom in FL and my Mom was commenting on how she couldn't believe that her baby was turning 35 and that she was turning 65. It was a simple comment that sent my brain spinning in dark circles.
"Oh my god, when K graduates from college I'll be 65! Will I live that long? Will I be healthy enough to teach her to enjoy the outside as much as I do? I cannot believe all the stupid, unhealthy shit I did. My lord, I'm a walking poster child for unhealthy lifestyles what with all the TV I watch and my general winter sloth........ Not to mention the fact that I sit at a desk all day...."
In case you didn't know, I am a bit of a catastophist and a little anxiety riddled and a bit of a hypochondriac. The calm, Zen-like exterior is just a thin facade.
In the face of this spiraling descent in to anxiety induced paralysis, I decided (with a lot of help from the ever patient H) that the only thing to do was commit myself to staying healthy and enjoy life for what it is.
One other thing about me is that I am not really able to ease into to things. There are really only two states: on or off. So, I went all in. I created a plan to start bike commuting to work and lose weight and eat right like I was in my twenties. Sadly, my body is in its forties.
It takes more than two weeks to build up the cardio fitness to push a single speed thirteen miles over some reasonably hilly terrain. It takes more than a day to recover from pushing my body too hard. Weight does not melt off at light speed. Eating habits that have built up over a life time get pretty entrenched.
It is hard to have the fact of your mortality dragged into the daylight. I think most of us tend to keep it in a dark place where we don't have to think about much and that is a good thing. Thinking about it is terrifying.
So, I'm not a kid any more and I have a long term responsibility. I also have a lot of things I want to do on this mortal plane. I will keep working on getting and staying in shape. I will be more cognizant of what I eat. Most importantly I'm putting the fact of my mortality in a box among the other crap in my closet. Life is too precious to waste time thinking about it ending.

Busting out the Bicycle

2011-03-29T21:44:00.000-04:00

Spring is in the air, and I wanted to get outside. I put the cycle tube on the egg and brought the bike into work for a lunch time ride. So what if the temperature was only in the 40s. I brought a plenty of warm clothes into work with me. I was pretty excited.
I was also pretty terrified. Knowing that I spent the previous week in pain from a few hours in the pool, I was pretty sure that any time on the bike would result in pain. I also wasn't sure my cardio-vascular system was in any shape to get beyond the parking lot.
I layered myself in long johns and fleece and saddled up. I have a short route near work that is about three or four miles long that I planned on riding. It is long enough to feel like a bike ride, but short enough that I can walk back to work if I'm dying. On a good day I can rattle the ride off in about 20 minutes, so I was figuring it would take about 40 minutes today.
My estimate was pretty close. It took about 35 minutes. By the end I was winded and my legs knew they had been worked. The one hill on the ride, which is short and not very steep, was challenging. It didn't, however, require standing or make me consider walking.
All in all it was a good first ride. I figure after a day of rest, I'll do it again (if the weather holds). Who knows, by the time May rolls around I could be in good enough shape to ride into work or pull bug around in a bike trailer for family outings.

Forgetting Things and Keeping It Together

2011-03-27T20:58:00.001-04:00

So today was the second of my warm up pool sessions. I had high hopes for the morning. My stiffness from the previous session wore off around mid-day Thursday, so I was feeling fine. My old brain had managed to cloud over the memories of the extended hobbling around at work.
Saturday night I packed my gear in the back of the egg. I made sure to bring a long one of the mighty sticks. I secured the Q-Boat to the roof. I packed a bag with swim gear and left it by the door. Before I went to bed, I had everything ready to go in the morning.
This morning, I got up and helped H get bug going. I ate a bowl of cereal and made coffee. I was out the door with plenty of time for a leisurely drive to the pool. I arrived with plenty of time to get ready. We got the kayaks and the gear into the pool. Then I went to get my swim trunks on.
The bag of swim gear was not in my car. A quick call to H confirmed that the bag was still next to the door. It also revealed that there was a Kohls ten minutes from the pool. (H is a Kohls aficionado.)
A quick dash to Kohls secured me new swim gear (at a great savings). I was in the pool with plenty of time to practice.
The practice was great. I felt good right off the bat. It may have been the stick. I attributed it to the stick at least. It may have just been that kayaking is like bicycling. You never really forget.
Hopefully, I won't suffer quite as long this week......

Getting Back in the Saddle

2011-03-22T22:43:00.001-04:00

Sunday I did one of the RICKA pool sessions. It was the first time I'd been in a kayak for months. This winter was bad for kayaking. It seemed like every weekend was either bad weather or busy personally. Of course, I didn't get on the bike either....
The beginning of the session was humbling. I decided I start out doing a re-enter and roll. Oh, I also left the mighty stick at home so I was using my back-up Lendal. Ah, bravado. It is painful thing. It took me many tries, and lots of swallowed pool water and bruised thighs, to get in the kayak. I refused to give up and did finally do the re-enter and roll.
Once in the kayak I was nearly spent. I took plenty of time pumping the water out of the kayak and recovering. TM was there to remind me to take it slow and let my body reacclimate to the kayak.
Once I started paddling around and practicing some braces, I started feeling at home. Kayaking is like riding a bike. Slowly, but surely, my sea legs came back. My turns got sharper and my roll more confident. By the end of the two hour session, I almost felt like a kayaker again.
I expected to be tired and sore Sunday afternoon, but I felt surprisingly good. It was Monday that the soreness settled in. I woke up with a little soreness in my core, but it was pretty mild. As the day wore on, the soreness spread to my shoulders and thighs. By the end of the day I was walking like something out of a Romero film.
Today, Tuesday, was only marginally better. I'm still stiff and sore. My walk is more of a shamble than a shuffle today. That is an improvement.
The moral of the story: the skills recover fast, the body does not. At 40+, I need to stay active through out the year or resign myself to being a couch potato.

Resolutions

2011-01-14T23:52:00.001-05:00

I recently read an article by one of those magazine shrinks that said that the important part about new years resolutions isn't keeping them; it's making them that matters. The process of making resolutions forces you to imagine how you would like your life to be different and imagine actions you can take to make the dream real. The more specific the resolutions the better.
Since it is that time of year, I'm going to take the article to heart and make three specific resolutions; one for work, one for family, and one for me.
For work I resolve to work as part of a team that accepts nothing short of excellent. Far to often we settle for doing the minimum because of resource constraints or we accept crappy user interfaces because the developers know best. This year I resolve that I will strive to do what is needed to provide the maximum benefit for the end user. I will not simply accept good enough. I will not sit idly by when a developer creates a bad UI or tries to slip a buggy feature into a release because it is good enough or there isn't enough time to fix it.
At home I resolve to do more around the house. I have a bad habit of putting off washing the dinner dishes until H just does them. I also tend to let laundry sit without being folded. In the warmer months I'm not great at keeping up with the yard work. This year I will be better about getting this stuff done.
For myself I resolve to take better care of myself. This includes flossing every night, doing something active at least three times a week, and eating better. I'll think twice before stopping at the McDonalds for a super size Big Mac meal. I'll actually order non-fat lattes. I'll eat more veggies. I'll actually start using the gym at work.
I want to be around for Kenzie for as long as possible. I also want to be a good role model for her. I want her to grow up seeing her dad living a healthy lifestyle, treating his partner with love and respect, and striving to be the best the he can be.
I know I'll fall short of these resolutions, but I will try to get closer to living my life according to them.

Best Paddle of 2010

2011-01-11T11:50:00.001-05:00

It is the time of year where I reflect back on all of the kayaking from last season and randomly pick one paddle to call the best of the year.
2010 was a slow kayaking year for me because of major life events. The year started off with a bang and I got to spend three days paddling with Sea Kayaking luminaries at the Rough Water Symposium. It was a good time and I got some great exposure to rough water stick paddling.
There were also some nice relaxing summer paddles that rejuvenated the spirit.
The best "paddle" of this year for me was the birth of Kenzie. It was a grand adventure that tested our emotional metal. The following six months have been a wild ride as well. I know it will keep changing and getting better.

Everyday Paddler: Most of the time. It's not enough

2010-12-13T10:33:00.000-05:00

Everyday Paddler: Most of the time. It's not enough: "I have concluded that I am at odds with most or, at the very least, much of what is put forth as sea paddling's best practices, and I'm ok w..."

Thanks A Lot

2010-11-30T19:39:00.001-05:00

They recently did a study showing that being grateful is good for your health and mental well being. The study also showed that while some people are naturally more grateful, ungrateful bastards like me can learn to be more grateful with practice. To be really effective, one needs to be specific.
I have a generally good life and have a lot to for which to be grateful. I am generally healthy, despite my penchant for McDonalds, lattes, and chocolate. I have good friends who accept me despite my foibles. I have been fortunate to have opportunities for interesting travel, learning experiences, and enriching hobbies. I have been blessed by having a solid upbringing by a loving mother. I was doubly blessed to meet a wonderful partner who loves me even when I'm a PTA and supports me when I need it.
This year I have a lot of extra things for which I'm grateful. During what is hopefully the worst economic conditions I will ever see, I have not only managed to stay employed, but was lucky enough to find a better job. I was given the opportunity to experience some of the best kayak instruction o the planet this summer. I was also lucky enough to be able to afford some of the most innovative and game changing products that have come out in decades.
The thing I am most grateful for is K-bug. She is a treasure. She makes the frustration of several years of infertility vanish. I am grateful to all of the people who helped us in the journey. I am grateful to her birth parents for giving us this chance and loving her enough to place her in our care. We could not have asked for a better adoption experience.

The Joy of Diddling

2010-10-30T22:13:00.000-04:00

Several of us decided that a day of practice would be in order, so we met up at Tucker Pond for a few hours. Most people had specific things they wanted to work on, but I just wanted to work on relaxing.
TM gave people pointers on forward strokes, edging, and power. I just sort of hung around the edges and soaked it all in. TM is an excellent teacher. He knows his paddling, gives clear explanations, models well, and takes time with his pupils. It was nice to watch and be able to glean a few tips.
Surprisingly, I was able to offer some tips of my own. I remembered the butter knife analogy for releasing the stern. I also managed to remember a pointer about being cognizant of how your legs apply pressure to the hull.
I also took the opportunity to muck around with other people's Euro sticks. I always enjoy short flirtations with the lollipops. The immediacy of the power is striking, but the lack of grace is jarring.
The best tip of the day: sometimes being efficient is better than being powerful.

Relaxing in the Wind

2010-10-17T09:36:00.000-04:00

When I am off the water for more than a few weeks I start getting cagey, so H demanded that I go kayaking this weekend. Fortunately TM was looking for a playmate, so I had a partner. All that was left was decent weather, but the forecast was not cooperating. It looked like gales were going to be the dominant feature for the weekend.
Not ones to be easily daunted, we checked the weather on Saturday evening. The forecast called for fair seas with west winds of 10 to 15 and gusts up to 25. It wasn't great, but inside the safety margins. To spare us the brunt of the winds, we planned to paddled out of the Bay Campus and head along Bonnet Shores. In the shadow of the bluffs we'd be sheltered from the full force of any gales.
Sunday morning we were joined by BH. He always makes a paddle more interesting. Given the glassy sea, we were going to need help finding excitement. Fortunately, all three of us were perfectly happy doing a calm, relaxing paddle.
We got our relaxing paddle. The bluffs kept us safe from the worst of the wind. The seas were flat and even playing the rocks was tranquil.
After lunch we headed a little further south to see what adventures could be had. There wasn't much in the way of adventure. The wind was a little more brutal if you strayed away from the rocks. The sea was a little more bouncy. The rocks were a little bigger.
BH did manage to sacrifice gel coat to the rock gods. He managed to catch the only wave in the Bay at the perfectly wrong time. He was trying to slip through a slot that required some quick turning and the wave pushed him right into a rock.
The paddle home was a bit of a slog, but nothing to wing about. It was a nice workout to end a refreshing return to the water.

A Swell Day

2010-09-29T21:49:00.000-04:00

Last week TM e-mailed myself, PB, and JG to ask if we could help out on his BCU 4 Star Leader evaluation. Needless to say I eagerly agreed to help. TM has taught me, and many members of the club, an enormous amount about paddling and being comfortable on the ocean. TM has been working on attaining this certification for a while now and based on the leadership and skills he regularly shows on club trips, I thought he had has what it takes to pass the evaluation.
TM's plan was to lead the PB, JG, and myself from Bay Campus to Narrow River and back while John Carmody assessed. It is a good route that offers a diversity of conditions and obstacles.
As the day approached, I grew concerned about my ability to be a helpful participant. My back was a sheet of pain, my stomach was unsettled, and my energy level was in the sub-basement. Having a new baby is not good for staying in kayak shape.
When I checked the weather this morning, my concerns dissipated. I felt good and the forecast was benign: light winds and calm seas. I could tough it out in those conditions and not be a sea anchor on the group.
When I got to Bay Campus, last of course, the water was glass. Everyone was going about getting ready for an easy day on the water. When TM gathered us together for the pre-paddle briefing, I immediately realized I was missing some key information.
TM prepped us for paddling in big, powerful swells and big surf on Narragansett Beach. Everyone else knew about the condition and talked about six to eight foot swells along Bonnet Shore bluffs. I missed the part of the forecast that talked about big swells at the mouth of the bay because I'd only read the quick synopsis. I mentioned my back pains to TM and figured in for a penny in for a pound. Big swells are no big deal....
Once we got to the bluffs, the size and strength of the water was obvious. TM had me take point along the bluffs. I asked how he wanted me to run it, inside near the rocks or outside in the swells. I hoped he would say outside. The swells were breaking with hull crushing force along the rocks and I have a very limited repair budget this year. Fortunately, TM didn't see any reason to take crazy risks.
I forged a path that was close to the bluffs, but outside the breakers. TM did have to slow me down though. I was feeling pretty good and settled into a rhythm that was a little too fast for everyone.
When we got to the edge of Bonnet Cove, TM scoped out the possibility for tucking in behind the rock just off the bluffs to get some shelter. At first glance it looked possible. There was a good size window between the swells that broke along the rock. It also looked like the big refracting wave on the inside of the rock was a kayak length beyond the rock. After a observing for a few minutes, TM decided it was a no go. The inside wave was too big and closer than it initially appeared. It was possible to get between the rock and the bluff and not be crushed by the return wave, but not probable.
It was the first of many good judgement calls on TM's part. The second good call was not trying to sneak through the rocks and into the Narrow River. It was another situation where if we did everything perfectly and the ocean cooperated, we would all have landed safely on the beach with ease. It was more likely that the group would have been split up or a kayak (or two) would have needed repairs.
Instead, we paddled along the coast looking for a place where we could land without battling 6 foot dumping waves. We knew that Pier 5 was a definite safety spot if we got stuck. As we paddled we discussed options for landing in these conditions if we had no choice but land. We came up with two: 1) a very well timed surf landing where you made sure to come in on the back of a wave and quickly got out of the kayak before the next wave dumped on top of you, 2) get out of the kayak and swim it in.
As we worked our way south it became obvious that a safe landing on the beach was not in the cards. At this point John Carmody asked if we needed to land. We did not need to land. He then asked if the risk of dumping surf was worth having lunch on this beach. It was not. So, TM turned us around and we headed for our usual Outer West Passage lunch spot.
Paddling with the swell behind us was faster than paddling into the swell. However, it is just as tiring. Going into the swells you can see what they are doing. Going with the swells means they sneak up behind you. Fortunately, everyone in our group was comfortable with following seas.
PB and I were the lead kayaks between Narragansett and Bonnet. We picked a line that split the distance between the coastline and Whale Rock. The swells were breaking a good distance out from the rocks along the coast and pounding Whale Rock.
After lunch John wanted to see TM bring a group into a surf beach, so we paddled over to Bonnet Shore Beach. The surf along the beach wasn't huge, but it was enough to make landing a little tricky. TM found us a good spot along the northern end of the beach. The waves were small, predictable, and not dumpy. He then lead us all safely to shore.
John Carmody wanted to get some surfing in before heading back home, so he decided to run an impromptu surf clinic. He asked each of us what frustrated the most about surfing and gave us one thing to work on while playing. For me it was timing the wave better so that I could get up enough speed to catch the wave without getting to far in front of it. For TM it was looking at where he was on the wave once he caught the wave.
As we worked in the surf, John would give us other little pointers to polish our control. He gave us one tip that really helped: when you catch the wave make sure the stern of the kayak is sticking out the back of the wave. If the stern is buried in the wave, the wave is in control and rudder strokes become ineffective. If the stern is sticking out, the rudder strokes are more effective.
Once safely back at the beach, TM was told that he passed the assessment with flying colors. It is a well deserved achievement. TM has long been one of the best (if not the best) trip leaders and teachers in the club. We have all learned a great deal from him.

Follow the Leader

2010-09-11T16:40:00.000-04:00

Today we took a good group from Third Beach in Newport across the river to Little Compton to paddle along the rocky coast. The trip was pleasant and relaxing. It also offered a good lesson in giving directions that are too specific.
TM gave the group a compass bearing to follow when we crossed the river. He then promptly decided not to stick with the bearing. Conditions were different enough to require adjustments.
The result was that the group drifted apart. Half the group followed TM. The other half followed TM's directions.
Once I realized what was happening, I started corralling the direction followers. Each one said the same thing: "TM said to following a bearing of 340." I couldn't argue the point, he had given the directions. So, I made some joke about TM being too old to read the tiny compass numbers and got them to slide in with the rest of the group.
It is a classic question when reality and directions don't match. Do you follow the directions or the reality? When it comes to kayaking in a group, I usually default to following the leader and not the leader's directions. Plans change for reasons that are not always obvious and on the water communication is imperfect at best.
Of course, I'm not much for following directions at the best of times. (Not even the ones I write myself.)
So, when in doubt stick with the leader unless the rest of the group has also abandoned the leader. Then stick with safety in numbers.

Rough Water Rescue Practice

2010-08-25T18:12:00.000-04:00

Greg Paquin and Paula did a free rough water rescues session for RICKA today. It was a chance for club members to get some experience doing rescues in close to rocks and in moderately rough water.
We started the class by swimming our kayaks out to deep water and doing a self-rescue. Greg demonstrated how to do a float assisted re-enter and roll hoping that people would try it. Few did. Those paddlers who had an unassisted re-enter and roll, did them. Those who didn't did either a cowboy or a paddle float outrigger. It was too bad because I think the paddle float assisted re-enter and roll is one of the most reliable self rescues out there. It works in most conditions and leaves the paddler with an outrigger for stability.
As we paddled towards the Bonnet Shores bluffs, Paula tested how the group responded to an unplanned rescue. The group had spread out a little and Paula was toward the back of the group. The paddlers around her responded quickly and organized a good rescue. The rest of the group immediately swarmed the rescue. I was up front and decided to just hold my position. There were plenty of people near Paula to do the rescue and the current and wind were going to push the rescue toward my position. I figured that an additional body swarming would just make things worse. A few other paddlers hung back with me.
Too many paddlers in the vicinity of a rescue can make the situation more dangerous. It makes it harder for the rescuers to maneuver. Rescues are typically done in areas that can unsettle paddlers and result in extra swimmers. More people swarming means more people to manage for the rescuers. It is best for paddlers not directly involved in the rescue to stay a good distance away from the rescue in a safe location.
After doing some rescues along the bluffs, Greg decided to have us cross the Bay and lunch on Jamestown. He surprised me by telling me to lead the group across the channel. I quickly picked a visual target on the Jamestown shore and figured out a compass bearing. I communicated both to the group and admonished them to stay together because we were crossing a major channel. Then I set out in the point position.
It didn't take long for the group to start spreading out. The faster paddlers, me included, quickly started pulling away from the slower paddlers. The spread wasn't too bad, but there was a ship barreling up the channel. The faster paddlers old easily cross its path before it passed us. I wasn't so sure about the slower paddlers. After some internal debate, I stopped the group to let the ship pass us.
Once we started paddling again, I had BH take the point position so I could float around the group more easily. I wanted to be able to better monitor the whole group and particularly the paddlers near the back of the group. It wasn't a bad idea since Greg and Paula were hanging near the back. They decided to do some towing practice. Because I was in the middle of the group, I could see that there was an issue and that it was being handled.
Greg's critique of my performance was positive overall. He didn't agree with my decision to make BH the point paddler halfway into the crossing. He felt that it could confuse a group. His advice was to lead from the front. I agree that changing things up halfway into the crossing was confusing, but I'm not sure I agree that leading from the front is always a good idea. Sometimes a leader needs to be in a position to observe the whole group and the front is not a great place to do that.
After lunch we spent some time paddling in the rocks along the Jamestown shore. The conditions were pretty mild and there were no more rescues. It was fun if not challenging.
The day was fun and everyone learned new things. I think it also helped the group form a tighter bond.

Rainy Delight

2010-08-22T20:59:00.000-04:00

Since I haven't been getting much sleep lately, I decided to skip the annual Cuttyhunk trip on Saturday. The Cuttyhunk crossing can be a flat, snooze inducing slog or a windswept death march. Neither is much fun on less than five hours of sleep. (The amount of sleep we're getting is steadily improving, but is not back to the blissful eight hours.)
Much to my surprise, TM called me Saturday afternoon when I was sure that he would be in the middle of Buzzard Bay. (Sleep deprivation clouded my memory of him telling me that he would be getting back from vacation on Saturday.) He wanted to paddle on Sunday and was looking for company.
After checking with H to see if I could go and play, I checked the weather: 90% chance of rain with fog and likely thunder.....
TM convinced me that thunder was unlikely, and we'd take a route that would give us plenty of "options" if it did thunder. H looked skeptical, but didn't push the matter. For some odd reason she still thinks that we are sensible paddlers who wouldn't purposely endanger ourselves.
As predicted, Sunday was rainy and foggy. While we were getting ready and while we were packing up the rain kept to a pleasant drizzle. While we were paddling, the rain vacillated between drizzle and downpour.
It didn't really matter much. Paddling is a wet sport and we had plenty of wet weather gear to keep our core temp up. We both wore dry tops. In fact, the rain enhanced the outing in many ways. It meant that there was less boat traffic, we wouldn't need to rinse our gear out afterwards, and we wouldn't have to deal with a large group. The otherworldly look of the Bay on a gray day with a rainy sheen hovering over the water was an added bonus.
We didn't do anything terribly interesting before lunch. We used the time to practice paddling on a compass bearing and doing dead reckoning. We chatted about life. We worked on boat control. We spent some time working with the chart and compass trying to triangulate our location. Mostly we just ambled along the Jamestown coast and made our way northward.
After lunch, we decided to cross the Bay and head back to Bay Campus along the mainland. We took a bearing for Fox Island and headed out.
The crossing started out uneventful. The wind was picking up a little and the rain turned more constant. There was a little boat traffic running along the Jamestown side of the crossing.
A quarter of the way across we noticed the high-speed ferry heading towards open water. Initially we couldn't tell if we would make it across the ferry's path. We continued on our course, but kept a close eye on the rapidly approaching ferry. It didn't take us long to realize that we couldn't get across its path, but it looked like we might be right in its path. We took our best guess, stopped, and prayed we wouldn't need to rely on the Hogan maneuver (ducking while we paddle between the pontoons). Fortunately, it passed (closely) in front of us.
Once clear of the ferry, we changed course and headed for Rome Pt. The rain turned hard and the winds picked up more strength.
The paddle back to Bay Campus seemed long. We were paddling into a beamy headwind and against the current. I'm also out of shape. Fortunately, the water had some bounce in it which kept things interesting.
Back at Bay Campus, the puddles around our cars kept growing. By the time we returned we had no dry access to either car. It shouldn't have been a big deal since we were already wet, but there was a least one spent condom floating in the puddle (I think people who don't have the sense to throw spent condoms in the trash should be forced to spend the day standing in a mud puddle that has a few spent condoms floating in it). I found the shortest path to my driver side door, hopped in my car and moved it away from the puddle. I just couldn't stand the idea of stepping in it more than once.
Even with the rain and the condom, it was a much needed refresher. I needed the paddle time to recharge and prepare to face another week of being bored in my neon closet.

Pushing It

2010-08-01T20:05:00.000-04:00

Some paddles are made for pushing the envelope. The venue offers opportunity, the weather offers conditions, and the group offers safety. I knew that TM's Kings beach paddle usually offers opportunity, but the forecast didn't look like their would be conditions. Fortunately forecasts are frequently wrong.
From the beach, conditions looked benign. Once we paddle beyond the cove, we discovered that some good sized swells were rolling in from the Atlantic. Instead of zero foot seas we had pushy two foot seas. Perfect for playing in the rocks with a comfortable amount of risk.
The fun got started early. Ten minutes into the paddle TM was doing a rescue. One of the paddlers got surprised by a wave and took a swim. While that rescue was going down, another paddler nearly surfed into a second paddler. Fortunately, the surfer had the forethought to flip himself over before impact. The surfer recovered with an impressive combat roll.
I was feeling pretty good (it could have been a lack of sleep delusion) and wanted to play, so I donned my melon protector. With my skull covered, I got up close and personal with the rocks. It was a blast dodging rocks and trying to time the swells just right.
Before lunch, I had my first encounter with a mistimed swell. I lined up on what the paddlers before me made look easy. As I commenced my run a bigger swell wrapped around rock. It pushed me in close to rock. Before I could maneuver my bow into position and get out of the slot a second swell wrapped around and pushed me against the rock. I was trapped. The stick didn't provide enough grab to over power the swells holding me against the rocks. My only option was to use a combination of braces and reverse strokes to back my way out of the slot. I kept my cool and slipped out of the slot. Then I lined up the run again and shot through.
On the way to lunch, another paddler got tossed by a surprise set of swells. A group of us paddled through and area with barely submerged rocks and caught some nice rides on the breaking waves. As the last paddler of the group passed through the area, a big set of swells ran through the area. The paddler was surprised and got tossed. He also managed a sweet combat roll and rejoined the group.
After lunch, we returned along the same route but found more chances to get into trouble. A group of us ran a nice slot along the shore. I was the last of group to run the slot, and once again mistimed the swells. As I reached the mouth of the slot a big set of swells wrapped around the offshore rock. The first swell pushed me into the rocky shore. The second swell trapped me against the rocks. The third swell flipped me over.
I tried to set up for a roll, but there was no room. So, I bailed. Once out of the kayak, I grabbed the stern toggle, dragged the kayak off the rocks and swam into the calmer water behind the rocks.
BH was quick to respond. He assessed the situation and decided to get me into the kayak as quickly as possible. We were still fairly close to the rocks and the swells were pretty big, so he decided to forgo emptying the cockpit. He checked to make sure I could paddle a swamped kayak before executing the plan, and then had me climb into my kayak. We then parted ways before being pushed into the rocks. I paddled off shore where the swells were smaller, rafted up with CC, and pumped out my kayak.
It was a well executed rescue. The rescuer assessed the situation quickly, and decided on a course of action that got the swimmer out of the water as quickly as possible. If the swimmer couldn't manage a a loaded kayak, an anchor tow could have been used to keep the rafted kayaks off the rocks while the doing the emptying.
The paddle was one of the top paddlers of the year. It was exciting and challenging.

Chasing Two Stars

2010-07-25T15:12:00.000-04:00

This may sound hypocritical given that I've previously said that chasing BCU stars is silly for recreational sea kayakers, but I really wanted to nail my BCU 2 Star assessment.
Last summer I took a 2 Star training with H. Greg Paquin was doing a series of 2 Star trainings and a number of the RICKA sea kayakers took the training over the course of the summer. It is a good overview of basic boat control skills. H and I can always use a brush up on basic skills.
Greg, and his partner Paula, do a great job teaching people across various levels of experience and skills. Both H and I enjoyed the class and got a lot out of it.
At the end of the day, Greg offered us the chance to assess for the 2 Star award. The RICKA paddlers who taken earlier sessions had all taken the assessment and passed, so I figured I should take it as well. I also figured it shouldn't be too difficult to pass....
Well, at the time I choked and didn't pass. I spent the winter and part of the summer smarting from that. I know that I've got the same basic skill level as the paddlers who passed the assessment, but just couldn't get my act together enough to assess. Getting the 2 Star became important As a point of personal pride.
So, I practiced the basic skills whenever I had the chance. When Greg offered me a chance to assess this past weekend, I jumped at it. I was a little worried that I'd choke again, but was willing to take the chance. One thing I had going for me was that I was too tired, babies are not conducive to sleeping, to over think things.
Greg ran me through the paces and this time I passed. One of the nice parts of the assessment is that it is more than a test. Greg pointed out areas where I can improve my skills throughout the exercise. For example, he pointed out that I don't consistently face my work.
Now that I've assessed for the 2 Star, I'm actually thinking about taking the 3 Star assessment..... After taking the training again.

Friday is for Fun

2010-07-16T17:24:00.000-04:00

I missed the kayaking fun over the fourth of July weekend because H and I were off having a wholly different adventure. The following weekend was filled with family adventures and adjusting to the reality of having a small child.
So when BH sent an e-mail around asking if anyone was interested in playing in the lunar currents at Westport at the end of the week, I immediately asked for permission to paddle. H, knowing that I could easily go mad without regular ocean adventures, granted me a day pass with the condition that I didn't do anything stupid. (Imagine me doing something stupid.)
The weather was perfect for a paddle: hot and sunny. We met at 1:30 and took our time getting on the water. I, as usual, took more time that the others. I was in a bit of a sleep deprived fog which I hear wears off when the kids turn twenty five.
We paddled down to he mouth of the river and found things to be pretty calm. We puttered around for a bit while the current built up. BH and JS were itching for some big surf, but I was more than happy to putter for a bit. I just enjoyed the freedom of being on the water.
The race never built up any good standing waves, but it did offer some nice conditions for practicing skills. We played with leaning the kayak when crossing eddy lines. TM and I did some rolling in the current. I practiced some basic boat control stuff.
It was enough to ease back in after a two week hiatus. Also, my head was not fully in the game. Half of my mind was thinking about the bug. It was strange and wonderful at the same time. This will take some adjustment time.
I enjoyed my time on the water and returned home recharged. Paddling, while not as important or as enriching as family, plays a big part in maintaining my sanity. Still going home was extra nice.

The Long Two

2010-06-26T22:21:00.000-04:00

When a paddled is listed as a 2/3 you can never tell what you are going to get. When it leaves from the Bay Campus the possibilities are limitlessly good.
The possibilities were reflected in the number of paddlers who showed up. For the first time in a while a RICKA paddle have twenty plus paddlers. The group ran the gamut from old hats to new faces.
The large group size and open ended trip description was exciting. However, I was very glad that I was not on the hook for coordinating the trip. Any group of paddlers presents coordination problems (there is a reason it is called herding cats). A large, diverse group exacerbates the issues. Balancing the desires of the advanced paddlers with the needs of newer paddlers, ensuring that everyone enjoys themselves, maintaining safety, communicating plans across twenty kayaks..... Not an easy task. CC and RB managed to pull it off with aplomb by staying firm, but flexible.
We started out by crossing from the Bay Campus to Ft. Getty and then working our way south along Jamestown. The light winds and small swell meant that the newer paddlers could comfortably get some open water feel. The rocky shore line offered the more adventurous paddlers a chance to play.
I took it easy and just worked on my forward stroke and edge control. I needed some calming Zen time. Life has been stressful lately and many of the stresses are outside my sphere of control. Kayaking offers a nice balance between control and no control. It happens in real time. The ocean is beyond control, but how the kayak responds to the ocean is controlled. The awareness helps me bring the rest of life back into perspective.
We lunched on a low tide beach before reaching Beavertail.
After lunch we turned north and returned up the coast following our original path. Once we reached Ft. Getty, we continued on to circle Dutch Island. We hoped that we could catch a glimpse of the air show from the northern tip of Dutch Island.
We stopped at the northern beach on Dutch Island. Most of us got out of the kayaks and lounged on the beach and watched for planes. I decided to perform stupid kayak tricks along with a few others. I tried and, somehow, pulled off a forward finishing pry roll. I nearly did a butterfly roll. My regular roll was in fine form.
The return to Bay Campus was the only real challenge of the day. The wind had picked up and was blowing west to east-in our face. The wind was not blowing fierce, but it was blowing consistently. With a large group wind makes sticking together requires the advanced paddlers to ramp down to the pace of the slower paddlers. If the advanced paddlers take off, the slower paddlers struggle to keep up, tire out quickly, and start making mistakes. All in all we did a good job keeping it together.
Back at the beach, I tried a few more pry rolls. None of them were successful, but they were close. I need to spend some more time working on the technique. You cannot power a pry roll, it is all about getting your body to move through the right positions and using its buoyancy to roll the kayak.
To finish the day on a positive note, I did a few regular sweep rolls. They were perfect.
Not a bad way to spend a day.

Safety Practice 2010

2010-06-19T22:24:00.001-04:00

I like the annual safety practice. It is valuable to get the the group of people you paddle with together to practice rescues. It is also good to teach newer paddlers basic rescues.
One of the things I learned at the RWS is that when the poop hits the fan knowing how the people with you react is invaluable. It helps when deciding what options are open. It makes it easier to coordinate. It also helps your general confidence.
Paddlers who know how to do rescue and how to be rescued are generally calmer in emergency situations.
The one rescue I never liked was using a stirrup. I know it can help a swimmer get back in their boat, but it also leaves them encircled by a loop of rope. I'd much rather just use a scoop to stuff the swimmer in the cockpit or find some other way to get them to climb out of the water.
Speaking of the scoop... It is hard to manage with a heavier paddler. TM demoed the scoop using H as his rescue dummy and made it look easy. When I tried stuffing him back in his kayak I nearly busted a gut. It took a while to find that sweet spot on his hull where I could get the leverage I needed to right his kayak.
One nice trick TM showed us was leaving the paddler face down on the deck when doing the scoop. It makes keeping the swimmer low to their deck. It also means you don't have to risk damaging a possibly injured back as much.
You can always learn new tricks!

RWS Day Three

2010-06-13T15:25:00.000-04:00

H, who did a girl's paddle with CC and MA, snuck into the campground Saturday night to get some snuggle time. Unfortunately, what she got, was sleeping in the car. There were thunder storms in the area, and, as I discovered using a quick Google search, tents offer zero protection in thunder storms. In fact, you may be safer outside the tent than inside the tent. So, we repaired to the car to wait the storm out, and spent the night there.
Fortunately for me, I can sleep just about anywhere and managed to get enough sleep to be ready for a third day of hard paddling. The lack of sleep may have dulled the ache from my overworked muscles. I was a little more stiff and my back was beginning to hurt, but all in all I felt pretty good.
Turner and Cherri were still around, so I intended to learn as much as possible. My plan was to work on my forward finishing roll, and, possibly, sneak in some stroke work.
The venue for the day was once again the Narrow River mouth. With the new tide rip that forms at max ebb, the mouth of the Narrow River is a one stop shop for the gamut of kayaking conditions. It has currents, a tide race, surf, and rocks a plenty. Even the Brits were impressed with it.
Cherri and Turner used the morning for rolling work. They started off with Cherri demoing the basic rolls. Her rolls are things of beauty. They are effortless and graceful.
After the demonstration, the split us up into teams of two and had us start practicing. They worked through he group offering tips and pointers to everyone. It worked out well. They got a chance to see where people needed help, and we got to simply practice and integrate their comments.
The basic forward finishing roll is a pry roll that looks a lot like a low brace. The foundation skill is a chest scull where you scull face into he water. While it sounds counterintuitive, it actually provides a lot of power. The trickiest part for me is getting my shoulders square to the water without pulling the kayak on top of me. From the chest scull, you roll up by prying the blade across the front deck and driving your knee up to right the kayak. It takes a lot of stomach strength and body control.
The first lesson for me was taking the time to make sure the kayak side of the blade was deep and my shoulders were square. The blade points out of the water away from the kayak so that when you pry the blade across the deck, it provides leverage. Once you begin the pry, you need to keep your face down and sweep your nose across your knee as your knee finishes righting the kayak. It is a little like an upside down twisting crunch. I managed to do a few, but I tired out quickly. It is something I will need to practice at the pond over the summer.
After lunch we started off doing basic strokes in the river. It was a nice warm up, but not terribly rewarding. Apparently, my strokes are pretty good. I did practice my draws and other strokes in the hopes of polishing them up enough to pass the two star this summer.
Once Turner and Cherri were comfortable that everyone in the group could handle the race, we headed out the mouth of the river. The race was mayhem. There were close to twenty kayakers trying to work the race and they were not well coordinated. Turner was insistent that we follow a clear pattern of running the race and pealing off to the side to retune to the head of the race. We were not to paddle up the center of the race because we would get in the way of someone playing in the waves. I did see one accident where a kayaker surfed into a pair trying to return up the middle of the race. The surfer dumped before there was a collision, but it was close. It also meant that a rescue needed to be done in the middle of the race.
After trying to get a few runs in the race and being frustrated by not being able to find any clear paths, I moved south down the beach to join a group that was surfing in the shore break. The conditions were small, but good. The waves were predictable and breaking a nice distance off shore. I caught a few sweet rides. One in particular was near perfect. It was a long smooth ride where I was in total control of the kayak. I should have called it a day after that, but was in the grip of surf fever.
The surfing was an perfect end to a challenging and educational weekend on the water.
The coaches and organizers did a great job of putting the event together. If they do it again next year, I highly recommend it.

RWS Day Two

2010-06-12T13:27:00.000-04:00

I was pleasantly surprised about how my body felt on Saturday morning. I haven't paddled as hard as I did on Friday in a long time, so I expected to be stiff to the point that even thinking about squeezing into the Q-boat would trigger back spasms. I was a little sore and stiff, but more than ready for a second day on the water.
The big question for the day was what to do on the water. I initially planned on taking a strokes clinic with Jen Kleck and Phil Kleg, but it looked like half of the paddlers at the symposium had the same idea. The Greenland Paddling with Turner and Cherri also looked to be bulging at the seams. TM beckoned me over to the Incident Management class with Peter Jones and Ciro de la Vega. There were only four other paddlers in the group and Pete is a renowned for his incident management coaching. Since all three of the classes I was interested in were going to the Narrow River, I stayed on the fence until the very last minute.
I decided to stick with TM for incident management. We were joined by BH and RB as well.
In the morning we did a lot of towing exercises in the new Narrow River tide race. All of the tows were easiest if you could get into the eddy along the rocks. When you got sucked into the race proper things got tougher. Maneuvering a contact tow is tricky enough in clam water, in a tidal race it is a whole lot tougher. When doing long tows the danger is that the kayak in the tow is more likely to dump in rough water and towing a raft is just that much more demanding.
One thing I learned was that when using a long tow, you really (really) need to plan your route when maneuvering. I was towing RB into the race on my long tow and ran him into the rocks. My plan was to get in tight to the rocks to capitalize on the eddy and cut the turn tight. What I forgot was that the kayak on the end of my tow would end up cutting the corner even tighter and end up on the rock. What I should have done was taken the corner wider and picked a line that would bring me and the tow into the eddy straight on.
The contact tow through the race was interesting because it is a lot more stable than I thought it would be. The two kayaks together are more stable than a solo kayak.
The craziest thing we did was a five paddler tandem tow through the race. It worked surprisingly well except for the other classes trying to work the race as we came through. BH, who was behind me in the chain, got caught up with another couple who were practicing contact tows. When I felt the yank on my tow belt, I immediately pulled my quick release and dropped him from the tow. Once I cleared the race and was clipped out of the tow, I circled around to make sure BH and the coaches, who were the raft at the end of the tow, were OK (and to get my tow belt). Once I saw that they were good (and had my tow belt back) I went off the play in the race. Meanwhile, the rest of the class was hiding behind the rocks in the eddy working very hard to ignore BH as he finished towing the coaches out of the race....
After playing in the race for a bit and eating lunch we headed towards Whale Rock to do some rescue practice. We did a few rescues near rocks which was fun.
We also learned a fun new way to empty a kayak on the water. You have the victim climb behind the rescuer motorcycle style. While the victim sits on the back deck, the rescuer, empties out the swamped kayak. Then the victim climbs back into their nice dry kayak. If the rescuer has a firm grip on the swamped kayak before the victim climbs on the back deck, it is surprisingly stable. The victim is out of the water which is always good.
The afternoon dose of crazy was supplied by having the whole group land on a rock. Getting on the rock was surprisingly easy. One at a time, a kayaker would get out of their kayak, clip their tow line to their kayak, a second kayaker would clip their tow line into the swimmer's kayak, and the swimmer would swim into the rock. Once on the rock, the swimmer would haul into the rock and disconnect the second kayaker's tow line. The second tow line is used to keep the kayak from surfing into the rock and the swimmer.
The only tricky bit is getting the last kayaker on the rock since there is nobody else to keep their kayak from crashing into them. We solved this problem by having the last kayaker, who happened to be BH, surf up onto the rock where we snagged his kayak and stabilized it while he climbed out. I thought that somebody was going to die pulling it off, but it worked surprisingly well.
Getting off the rock didn't go so well. Getting off the rock involves hooking your tow belt to your kayak, tossing the kayak into the water, and jumping in after it. Once in the water, you use the tow line to reign in your kayak and renter it.
Our plan was to have BH go in the water first because his kayak was in the best spot for getting back in the water. Since he cannot re-enter and roll, the second person in the water would do an all-in rescue with him. BH got in the water without a hitch, but the second person in the water forgot to clip his kayak to the tow line and it floated away. Things were still OK because TM was queued up to quickly get in the water, capture the run away kayak, and pop BH back into his kayak. However, the second kayaker decided he would swim for his kayak which is where the whole endeavor went from not pretty to downright ugly. We now had three out of five kayakers in the water and a run away kayak. TM managed to get the run away kayak back and BH did managed to get back into his kayak. I'm not entirely sure how because I was busy getting back into my kayak.
Peter pointed out that the biggest reason things went completely pear shaped was lack of communication and planning. He stressed that planning and communication were the best tools for managing incidents. He reviewed CLAP(Communication, Line of sight, Avoidance, Position) with us as well. The best way to manage an incident is to avoid them. Before taking a group into a situation be sure they can handle it and communicate the plan to the whole group.
One other helpful hint Pete gave us was to take your time. If you blow your first roll, stop and collect your wits before rushing to try the second roll. If you end up in a situation, take the time to figure out a plan before simply acting.

RWS Day One

2010-06-11T22:09:00.000-04:00

We started off at 8am with a review of the conditions and the chance to pick our poison. I was signed up for Surf & Rescue, but there was a chance that Turner and Cherri would only be here for one day. Since getting some instruction on sticks in rough water was more important than surfing, I chose to go with Turner and Cherri.
They were using Narrow River as their venue. It gave them calm water for teaching rolling and moving water for teaching other stuff. I was looking to do the other stuff.
The conditions at the mouth of the river were fun. The tide created a nice little race near the first set of rocks and the surf was decent. We spent a good amount of the morning playing in the race. I caught a number of good runs. It was tiring at first, but as the day wore on I loosened up.
Turner found a consistent standing wave right next to the big rock and kept telling me to run it. I was pulling right all morning, so I didn't think my chances of staying to the left of the rock were good. The chances of me folding the Q-boat on the rock was pretty good though. I did not try the run.
After playing in the race we worked south down the beach looking for some surf. We found a pretty good spot with 5ft breakers. I got several ni e rides there as well.
While we were in the surf Turner asked if I had a forward finishing roll. I don't. So he showed me the building block skill for the front finishing roll: chest sculling. You scull while face down in the water. It is unerving and completely counter intuitive. It also has a lot of power when done properly. To really do it right you need to turn your shoulders flat to the water (Turner said to think of your shoulders like a paddle, if there at an angle they will dive.) I'm not the most flexble guy, so rotating that much was tricky. I also locked my off water leg on the combing, so when I really cranked my shoulders around I pulled the boat right on top of myself. It took a few tries before I got the gist of it. A couple of hours in a pond and I just might get it to work.
After lunch we paddled up the north coast a ways to get a feel for how water moves near rocks. Since I paddle that area on a regular basis there were no surprises. It was nice and bumpy though.
I cannot say I learned a lot today, but I did learn a few things. I did get to watch Turner paddle. He is amazingly fliud in the water. He has impecable control and never appears to be wasting energy. It is amazing to watch. I also got to play in some fun water. It sure beats working.

Waterproof IPad Cases?

2010-05-28T10:00:00.000-04:00

I've been wondering the same thing.... Waterproof IPad Cases?

3-Star Redux

2010-05-22T13:33:00.001-04:00

Greg Paquin, owner of Kayak Waveology, ran a BCU 3-star training this weekend in Stonington, CT. I've known Greg for a number of years and think he is a great coach, so I was thrilled to have the opportunity to take the training with him. My only concern was that I'm in piss poor physical condition.
I knew PB was taking the course, so I decided I'd be able to tough it out. I need the time on the water to get ready for the symposium in a few weeks. Getting some coaching was an added bonus.
3-star training takes the basics learned in the 2-star training and begins focusing them on sea kayaking. Paddlers learn to use strokes in typical sea conditions and moderate wind. They also begin learning navigation, how to monitor sea and weather conditions, and basic group management. There is also a focus on more advanced rescue skills like towing and rough water rescues. There is less focus on technical perfection and more focus on managing yourself on the sea.
Greg started us off with a land based review of basic trip planning and navigation. We mapped out our course for the morning, reviewed the prevailing conditions, and learned a good deal about how the currents in and around Stonington work. The navigation work was a welcome refresher. I know the basics, but since I don't use them regularly, it can take me a bit before I dig the skills out of the basement. The current information was fascinating.
Once on the water we headed from Stonington to Napatree Point. On the way we did some basic skill drills, but mostly we just paddled.
At Napatree we spent sometime doing boat control work in the pylons of an old dock. We used all of the strokes to maneuver through the maze. I managed to ram a pylon by mistiming a bow rudder.
Greg also had us try maneuvering through pylons by paddling on one side of the kayak. This is one of those areas were a stick doesn't shine. Everyone had some trouble, but found that if they paddled on the leeward side of their kayak it would work. I just couldn't get enough purchase to make anything work. It could also just be that I simply didn't get the skill.
After the pylons, we headed around the point to find a lunch spot. Greg used the conditions at the point to talk about "silent leadership". The idea is that newer, or weaker, paddlers will always follow a stronger paddler. So in a situation where the group needs to avoid a danger spot, the leader will paddle at the front of the group on a path that will keep the group out of trouble. If it is a long route, the leader would do this in hops-paddle part way and wait, then paddle to another spot on the route and wait.
Before landing for lunch we played beach tag. You catch a wave to surf into the beach, but you do not land on the beach. Instead, just before beaching, you back off of the wave and reverse paddle back to the edge of the surf zone. It is hard work for a number of reasons. Timing the wave properly is tricky and backing through a wave is physically hard. The hardest part is resisting the urge to keep the ride going.
After lunch we worked on rescues. Initially we talked about different towing situations: contact tows, anchor tows, assisted tows, etc. It was a good review of stuff TM makes us practice all the time.
While we were reviewing the towing, we spotted a kayaker out of his kayak in some nearby rocks. I raced in to do the rescue figuring it would be pretty simple. What I discovered was that Greg had arranged this to be a scenario where the swimmer had a head injury. I had RC anchoring the rescue. Once I realized the swimmer was not going to be much help getting himself back into the kayak, I decided to go for the scoop rescue. All was going well until I couldn't get his kayak righted. I was out of position and didn't have the leverage. There was a paddler off to my side and I asked him to assist by having the swimmer rest on his bow to relieve some of the weight and help me right the kayak. I didn't know that the other kayak couldn't help because he was busy pulling off my back hatch. Eventually, I dumped the swimmer back in the water and talked him through climbing over the deck of his and my kayak so I could guide him into his cockpit. With the swimmer in his kayak I got RC to switch the tow so he could get us to shore.
As RC towed us to shore, I kept talking to the swimmer to monitor his condition. Then the swimmer flopped backwards and into the water. At this point I asked Greg, who was the nearest kayaker, to assist getting the swimmer out of the water. I was stuck in a tow trying to handle my waterlogged kayak and the swimmer's kayak. We got the swimmer out of the water and draped across the stern of the three kayaks before Greg called an end to the scenario.
Once freed from the tow, I started making my way, shakily, back to shore. I needed to empty out my hatch. Greg had a different plan. He had me use the stern of his kayak as leverage to essentially flip my kayak over while he lifted the stern out of the water. Once the hatch was mostly empty, we resealed it and started back to Stonington.
Along the way we practiced self-rescues and Eskimo rescues. It was fun and my roll held up well. The only problem was that my dry suit leaks and I got cold quickly.
At the end of the day, I had Greg show me how to do a scoop rescue. It turns out that you need to put most of your weight in front of the swimmer's cockpit and keep the swimmer against their back deck. He also showed me that if you use the deck lines in front of the cockpit as handholds in a regular rescue, you get a lot more leverage.
By the time we landed, the students were exhausted. It was a great day of learning on the water.

Mondays are Made for Paddling

2010-05-17T17:02:00.001-04:00

The few glimmers of summer have got everyone antsy and looking for excuses to paddle. On Saturday, TM began lobbying for a Monday outing and before we left the Java Madness we were all on board. The plan was to paddle out the Westport River from the town boat launch and explore the coast - a favorite plan of ours.
The plan counted on the currents flowing out of the river in the morning and turning around noon to carry us back up the river. We checked the NOAA site from the deck of Java Madness using my iPhone and everything seemed to line up. BH checked the currents on Sunday evening and found them to be basically the opposite of what I found on Saturday. He thought I had just gotten them reversed (which I do regularly). It was actually much more stupid: I had read the currents for January 17th.
Fortunately, Westport offers a number of good put ins. After some discussion on Monday morning we decided to simply drive down the road to Gooseberry Neck and paddle east towards the Slocum River and a pond entrance that can offer some interesting conditions on the right tides. I didn't really care about the possible conditions; I just wanted to get some time in the kayak.
The weather cooperated with my needs. The wind was light and the seas calm. On the way to the pond we found some rocks to play in, but mostly we just paddled. It was nice to stretch out and work the forward stroke.
The pond entrance had a little current and a little surf, but nothing to get excited about. We spent ten minutes attempting to entertain ourselves before setting out in search of a lunch spot.
After lunch the weather stopped cooperating. The winds picked up and we had to paddle home in a headwind.
I've paddled into heavier winds before, but today this wind wore me down. I am in the worst condition I've been in for a very long time and my forty one year old body does not take kindly to being thrown into the fire. It is a reminder that I need to work at keeping my body fit if I want to continue participating in sports.
When we got back to the beach I did a few rolls to build my confidence. They were smooth and relatively painless. I still have the mojo, I just need to recondition my body to use it.

Time to Get a Little Crazy

2010-05-15T17:44:00.000-04:00

There are weekends where the club has a nice, but easy, paddle planned when the more adventurous (crazy) paddlers are looking for some action. This weekend happened to be one of those weekends. The club paddle was a level two paddle in the upper Bay. It is a pleasant area and it offered a chance to just zone out. That just was not what I needed in a weekend paddle.
I wanted something with a little more distance and a lot more challenge, so I contacted TM to try and organize a trip to fit my needs. He was more than accommodating. We settled on doing some rough water practice along the rocks between Narragansett and Whale Rock. It would be a good warm up for the symposium in June. We also roped in BH, PB,and RB. Five is a better number than two when planning to bounce around near rocks.
We launched under the Rt. 1a bridge and paddled out to the Bay. The put-in provides easy access to the surf off of the beach and the rocks. Since the plan was to practice in rough water, we didn't need a lot of additional distance.
The day started off inauspiciously. The air temp was in the 70s and I was encased in "breathable" nylon and a hard plastic melon case. The sweat was pouring off me before we even started moving. By the time we got to the beach my eyes were full of sweat and sunblock. I tried to just ride it out and let my eyes flush themselves. That is never a good idea. I was bobbing in surf, small surf, essentially blind. It didn't take long before I gave up the ghost and landed so I could flush my eyes with fresh water.
Once I could see again, we started doing rescue practice. TM wanted to practice doing rescues near the rocks. His scenario was one swimmer, one rescuer, and one tower. The rescuer gets the swimmer back into their kayak while the tower keeps them from washing into the rocks. It is effective when the rescuer and tower can perform their roles without endangering themselves or the swimmer.
We ran through the drill nine or ten times. We each did a rescue and a tow. I don't think we did it perfectly once. Most of the time we ran through the drill everything went smoothly, but not text book. For example, the rescuer is supposed to manage the swimmer's kayak by its bow. I managed it by the stern because maneuvering to get the bow would have wasted time. There were a few times where the tower hooked into the rescuer's bow instead of their stern. None of these things stop the rescue from working, they just make it a little less efficient. In the moment, the most efficient rescue is the one that gets the swimmer in their kayak and away from the hazard.
After the rescues, we played in the rocks. The conditions were tame. The swells were small with a long period. It was fine for me. I'm not in good enough shape to battle big swells with any fine grained control. The little swells gave me a chance to break in the old muscles.
Before heading into the river for the slog back to bridge, we played in the wee surf at the beach. While doing low braces outside the surf zone, I missed one and then missed my roll. Mortified, I decided to do some more rolls to get my mojo back. It wasn't the best idea.
I did manage one ugly roll. Then I blew another roll. I gave it the old college try and reset before bailing. The second attempt didn't go much better. TM was close by and saved me from having to wet exit. I grabbed his bow and did an Eskimo rescue.
The paddle up river was a world class slog. There was a steady head wind and the current was pouring out of the river. I'm not a fan of paddling into head winds or currents. My aching, out of shape muscles were finished after the short slog.
I was thrilled to get out on the water and do some challenging paddling. I was not thrilled at how much my conditioning slid this winter. I'm going to need to do a lot more paddling to get in shape for the symposium next month. Four weeks is a lot of paddling.

Spring Warm-up

2010-05-02T18:04:00.000-04:00

This weekend was an embarrassment of riches. The weather was lovely both days and there were two opportunities to paddle. Saturday offered a potentially challenging paddle along the Newport beaches. Sunday offered an easy paddle on the Narrow River.
I needed to finish the Spring yard work (1st Mow, fertilizing, mulching, etc.) on one of the days, so I had to choose. Since I have not been on the water much this year, I choose the calmer of the two trips.
I figured that there was no need to push things this early in the year. I'll have plenty of opportunities for that latter. I wanted something easy to loosen the joints and give me some space to practice.
The Narrow River trip is TM's spring warm up paddle (although he has broken with tradition this year and started paddling early). It is always a nice way to work back into the boat. The trip offers a little distance and, typically, a chance to fight current and wind. The river is never rough, so one can practice all sorts of crazy boat control tricks with little fear. One can also work the forward stroke.
It was a small group of five since most of the RICKA regulars paddled on Saturday. Nobody was in much of a hurry or wanted to push the limits, so it looked like it would be a leisurely trip.
The journey up river was with the current and the wind. We made good time and expended minimal energy. I took the time getting the feel of my new paddle and practicing boat control strokes. Every so often, I'd do a hanging draw or a bow rudder. I played with stern rudders and cross-deck strokes as well. I enjoyed the practice.
Just before lunch TM wanted to switch paddles. He took the mighty stick and left me with his crank shaft Lendal Kinetic Touring. I have a similar paddle as a back up and think it is the best Euro blade I've used (sadly, it is no longer in production). TM's paddle is longer than mine, but it felt good. I immediately slipped into the circle of power and dashed across the water. The mighty stick is mighty, but the Kinetic Touring is powerful. The Kinetic Touring is not as graceful though.
We lunched on a shaded beach at the end of the river. Lounging on the beach eating left over pizza started melting away the winter crust. It was relaxing enough to mask the building wind.
After a stirring defense of government's role in society, we headed back down the river. I expected the trip down river to be as relaxing as the trip up river. I forgot that we hadn't been out long enough for the current to turn and that the afternoon invariably has an onshore wind. It didn't take long to realize that we'd have to work to get home.
TM eased some of the work by using me as a towing dummy. He wanted to practice different towing scenarios. He hooked me into two different contact tow positions (me facing him and me facing forward). Then he did the long tow.
I wanted to give the contact tows a tries as well, so TM loaned me his short tow rope.
I first hooked TM up in a tow so that he was in front of me and facing me. The short tow rope kept his bow tight to my boat and he draped over my bow. This position works really well. The kayaks stay tight together and are reasonably maneuverable. The rescuer can also see and talk to the other paddler.
The second position I tried was hooking the bow of TM's boat to a a point just in front of my cockpit and TM draped over the stern of my boat. TM was facing forward, but was positioned behind me. The two kayaks were slightly easier to paddle, but I didn't like not being able to see the person I was assisting. If the person being assisted was in distress the rescuer wouldn't have an easy way to monitor their condition.
We slowly made our way back to the cars. It is easy to forget that in wind fast paddlers can quickly out pace slower paddlers. The natural inclination is paddle harder, so fast paddlers go faster while slower paddlers don't. A group spreads out fast. It takes practice and a conscious effort to slow down, but it must be done. Not only does not slowing down spread the group out, it also wears out the slower paddlers. They struggle to keep up, wear down, and the chances of trouble go up.
Our group never had to worry about the potential for trouble. It was a short, calm paddle. The group was strong, but there was speed differences. Practicing when a skill isn't needed is the best way to make sure it is there when it is needed.
Today's paddled was a nice warm-up. Now I'm ready to get into some trouble...

Recreational Adventure Liability

2010-04-18T23:51:00.001-04:00

We had the spring RICKA sea kayaking pot luck on Saturday evening. It was as usual, a good time. It is always fun to see people after a long winter break and plan summer time fun.
As is typical at this gathering, the conversation trended towards liability. The sad fact of the matter is that one of the risks a trip leader (or coordinator) faces, in addition to the plethora of seafaring risks, is the the risk of being sued if something goes wrong and a paddler is injured. None of us are payed and, as far as I know, wealthy enough to shrug off being sued.
Our groups approach to the issue has always been to dance around it. We make sure the guidelines for joining a club trip and the expectations of paddlers on a trip on the Web site. Before leaving the beach, most leaders review the float plan, the predicted weather conditions and sea state, and the expectations of the participants. We are also very clear that we are volunteers and not paid guides. I usually point out that I don't have any credentials or certifications as well.
The idea is that if we are clear that we are amateurs, people will be less likely to sue and it would be less likely that a lawsuit would stick. It leaves leaders who do have professional certifications and/or credentials in a tricky spot since they are not really amateurs even if they are volunteering to lead or just along for a recreational paddle. That, however, is not a problem the club can really solve. Paddler's with professional credentials need to be aware of the risks of joining a club paddle and decide for themselves if they are willing to risk it. I doubt the club could protect them in a lawsuit if it tried.
Interestingly, two people at the meeting had spent Friday at an all day liability seminar for outdoor recreational clubs and shared their impressions. It was informative.
Everything from here out is just my rehashing of their rehashing of information gleaned from the conference on Friday. The people who went to the conference are not lawyers. I am not a lawyer. What follows should not be taken as legal guidance.
The biggest take away, and the most obvious, is that anyone can sue anyone for just about anything. Nothing you can do can shield you from being sued. If I broke a toenail on a flatwater trip, I could sue the coordinator for not ensuring my toenails were safe. (A judge would most definitely toss such a suit, but I could still bring it.)
The good news is that, according to our reps at the conference, there is no case law about clubs, or volunteers leading club trips, being sued. That means that nobody has ever actually been sued for this kind of activity.
Of course there is always a first time.... So what can one do to protect themselves in the case of being sued? It sounds like the best thing to do is due diligence. Inform trip participants of the known risks involved in the planned activity and the expectations for participation. To really CYA, make the participants sign a statement acknowledging the inherent risk of the activity. If a participant sues, you can prove that they knew there was a risk of injury and knowing accepted that risk. This will go along way towards making you look like you should not be held responsible (as long as you were not grossly negligent.)
People asked about waivers that state the participants waive their right to sue the leader or the club. It sounded like they were less than useless. A waiver won't stop someone from suing, and judges apparently don't like it when you ask someone to sign away a right to sue. It makes you look guilty....
The acknowledgment of risk form, on the other hand, doesn't try to absolve anyone of guilt before hand. It just states that participants are aware of the inherent risks involved in an activity.
The other thing that was mentioned as a possible way to shield coordinators and the club from liability was adopting what is called the "common adventure" model. In the "common adventure" model there is no coordinator or leader. A trip participants are merely doing an activity in proximity to one another and if coordination is required, it is done as a democracy. The problem with the "common adventure" model, from a liability stand point (I have a host of problems with it from a club standpoint), is that is very easy to slip outside the bounds of the model. According to the conference attendees, any activity that is done on the auspices of a club is not a common adventure. Also, as soon as one member of the group takes what can be reasonably assumed as a leadership role, the adventure is no longer a "common adventure". Also, it does not shield you from liability. If someone wanted to sue, they still could.
The one thing the "common adventure" model does do, and what RICKA's use of coordinator and repeated statements that we are uncertified volunteers does, is, in theory, make us look like people who don't have a strong organization with lots of money behind us. It makes us less likely to be targets of a law suit because there is no big purse we can dip into. Why sue a yahoo sea kayaker whose only likely asset is 18' of fiberglass and a rusted out car to transport the fiberglass? It would cost more in lawyer fees than you'd hope to win.
Nothing was decided about how the club would proceed. We may have a sign-up sheet for trips. I do not think it is a bad idea. I prefer to have a paddle in dangerous seas. Or we may not. Some people feel like a sign-up sheet with an acknowledgment of risk statement would make us look like better targets for a lawsuit.
Either way, the risk of a lawsuit is omnipresent. If someone gets seriously hurt on a club trip, there is always the chance that they will come looking for someone to blame or simply to help defray the medical costs incurred to recover.
The best things to do are be honest and clear about what is expected, keep an eye on the group, paddle smart, and if there is an emergency handle it as best as possible. Kayaking on the ocean is a risky hobby. People and gear can be broken. People, unlike gear, can also sue.
The risk is part of the reward.

Sneaking Out

2010-04-11T16:40:00.032-04:00

Work seems to be absolutely crazy lately and less interesting than is ideal. The crazy rains and springish intervals add to the itch to paddle. Thursday night I called TM to see if I could talk him into doing a low key, spring paddle. I figured he'd suggest a pond for some practice. I didn't really care what the venue was, I just wanted to kayak.
TM thought Bay Campus to Rome Point would make a good trip. It has distance, some rocks, and plenty of space to practice boat handling skills without the potential dangers of heading out of the Bay. We also agreed that we would not post the paddle on the message board because we really wanted a calm paddle. (My feelings are that if you post the trip, you make it a group trip and have to be willing to satisfy the needs of the group. I was not willing to do so this time around. I had specific ideas and was not really looking to compromise them.)
The weather on Saturday was not as pristine as the weekday weather promised. It was cooler and windier. It was still better than freezing gales, rain, or snow. A little wind is to be expected.
We actually wound up as a threesome. TM had run into CC at yoga and invited her along. CC is a great person to paddle with. She is skilled, laid back, and rarely looking for new ways to get into to trouble. On top of that, she is just nice to talk to.
We paddled north into a reasonable headwind and against the current. It is always smart to start into the wind so that the return trip is easier....
We stuck close to the shore to get some protection from the wind and to catch the counter current. It didn't help much, but we didn't need much help. The wind was just enough to feel and kick up little bumps in the water.
We took a leisurely lunch on the south side of Rome Point. The trees sheltered us from the wind nicely and the sun kept us toasty.
The return trip was more tricky. The wind picked up and shifted while we ate. Instead of a tailwind, we had a quartering wind that occasionally gusted. I enjoyed the challenge. I re-familiarized myself with the Q-Boat's crazy weather cocking. Practiced countering it both with and without the skeg.
We also discussed the possibility of TM joining us for some ME camping this summer. We almost had him convinced it was a good idea until he learned that part of leaving no trace meant leaving no poop.... Having to bag up your poop and carry it out is a little gross at first. After the first time, it is no big deal. It's not that different from picking up doggy poop.
Back at the beach I considered a roll, but decided against it. Why risk tarnishing a good paddle with a failed roll?
At the post-paddle coffee TM got his first look at an iPad. He declared that it was the computer he had been dreaming of for years (and he calls himself a technophobe). The iPad was fun to play with, but I don't think it would do well on a kayaking trip....

Its Spring!!

2010-03-21T18:53:00.000-04:00

This is the first year in a while where I haven't been on the water before March. Somehow life has conspired to keep me from the kayak. So when PB asked if H and I wanted to do an easy paddle this weekend, I was more than ready!! The forecast was for lovely Spring weather and very little wind. H was not quite as psyched. She really doesn't like wearing all the crazy cold water garb (the water is still in the 40s). She did relent though - as a favor to PB.
We decided on the salt pond because it is flat, protected, and PB had never paddled there. We were hoping for a TM appearance with out luck. TM's kayak is the shop for a preseason tune up...
We launched with a group of five:, H, PB, CC, KP, and myself. Our plan was for a leisurely stroll towards the breechway, a long lunch, and a leisurely stroll back for coffee. I was so happy to be back on the water, however, that I sped off from the group. I found settling into the group's pace difficult. It wasn't that they were paddling slow. My body just wanted to paddle fast.
The salt pond was perfect for the day. There wasn't much wind or waves. We meandered along and chatted here and there.
We did have a long lunch. PB spotted a nice beach just west of the boat yard. As we approached we noticed a couple on the beach, so we paddled to the opposite end of the beach to give them some privacy. We didn't want to interrupt any moment they were attempting to have. Sadly, by the time we had broken out lunch, they had packed up and scadoodled. Oddly they were soon replaced by a group with several kids. A few jokes were made about "and five years later...".
While we lounged in the sun on the beach, the wind picked up. By the time we got on the water there was a good 10+ knt breeze. We crossed the pond and headed back up the eastern side to take advantage of the shelter from the islands that split the lake.
The last bit of the paddle before making the turn into the narrows and the upper pond were fun. The breeze had just enough fetch to kick up a small following sea. The Q-boat's tail wanted to wag, but I dropped the skeg quickly. I was not prepared to fight the kayak. I wasn't completely pooped, but it was early in the season and I am not in the best shape...
After the paddle we were joined by TM for coffee at Java Madness. TM discussed the benefits of Yoga with us among other ranging topics. It is always nice to relax at Java Madness after a nice day on the water. Does life get better than hanging out with friends on a deck, sipping beverages after a day of outdoor fun?

Training Toys

2010-01-31T21:53:00.001-05:00

I've been really unmotivated this winter. The idea of sitting in the basement pedaling my bike on the hamster wheel listening to sci-fi podcasts makes me snuggle under the covers. I just cannot seem to find the will power to get on the bike.
One of the issues is that the cycle computer on the bike is broken and I cannot watch my speed or cadence. I've got no way to challenge myself if I don't have any data.
So I decided to get a new computer. I wanted to get one with both cadence and heart rate. I also wanted one that would be easy to switch to my primary bike in the spring. The last feature I wanted was that it read speed from the rear wheel because the front wheel doesn't move in the trainer.
To get features I wanted, I was looking at dropping a minimum of two bills. Cat Eye makes a nice unit. Garmin also makes a new unit that does everything, but it costs about three bills. The advantage of the Garmin is that it keeps the history over time. You can watch your progress.
While I was doing research at REI one of the sales people suggested a Forerunner. They are a GPS enabled wrist computer that does heart rate, cadence, and speed from the rear wheel. They also store history. The big advantage over a bike computer is that you can use them for more than just biking. For example, I can use it when doing training walks with H.
There are a bunch of models ranging from two to four bills. I chose the cheapest model. It had all the features I needed. The biggest differences were size, auto synching with a computer, and the calorie computation algorithm. The unit is a big red brick. It must be plugged into the computer with a USB cord. The newer models use a heart rate based calorie computation algorithm.
After a week of using it, I like it. It definitely makes riding the bike more interesting. I can watch the speed and my heart rate. I can also set up different work outs.
For the most part it is accurate. The cadence meter drops out every now and then, but that isn't too big a deal. It's not like I am training for a serious event. I used it on a walk and the pace monitoring occasionally spiked.
Despite the minor glitches, the data is fun. Being able to track my progress keeps things interesting.
It is a little sad that I need a toy to keep me motivated, but such is life in the modern plugged in world. What is important is that I'm back in the saddle.

Charity Paddles

2010-01-21T21:21:00.000-05:00

H decided to do the Avon Walk this year. It got me thinking about other types of charity events I might be interested in doing. I found a bunch of cycling events, but I couldn't find any kayaking events. In 2002, I participated in a very well organized event in Hilton Head. Other than that I don't know of any other events.
I'm sure there are kayaking for charity events. Please add events in the comments. I'll post them on my club's Web site.
If there are not any kayak for charity events, there should be. I'm sure there are plenty of people interested in participating.

Leadership Styles

2009-12-20T18:57:00.001-05:00

TM passed along links to the following posts by Mark Tozer: Styles of Leadership and Tannenbaum & Schmidt’s Leadership Continuum.
The first article describes three basic leadership styles:

Autocratic
Democratic
Laissez-faire

They progress from the leader having total control of the group to the group having total control of the group.
The second article discusses the reality that leadership is practiced along a continuum of styles. Leaders exercise their authority in different ways depending on a variety of conditions. These conditions include the situation, the group, and the leader themselves. In situations where getting things done is imperative, a leader is likely to act more autocratically. In groups where the leader is confident that others will act promptly and correctly, the leader will likely be more democratic. If a leader is feeling insecure or having a bad day, they may be more autocratic. A tired leader may be laissez-fair.
I personally tend to take a more laissez-fair approach when I lead paddles and know that it is rarely the best style in a large group. It works well when I am paddling with TM, PB, and a few others because we are very familiar with how the others think, have similar risk profiles, and similar skill levels. In most club paddles that I've lead, the let the group decide approach rarely works well. Sometimes it is because the group naturally wants someone to be in charge. Sometimes it is because too many cooks ruin the stew. Other times it can lead to paralysis. In all of these cases I move more towards the middle of the continuum, but it is not my "style".
TM, on the other hand, tends to be more of the autocrat. He has the whole trip planned out ahead of time, and wants the group to follow his lead. This also rarely works out and TM typically tends to be more democratic than autocratic.
Other leaders also have default styles. The truth is that in most cases the style that works is somewhere in between dictator and buddy. People want to feel respected and part of the group, but they also want to know that a skilled and competent leader will make the hard decisions.
In a crisis, however, that the autocrat must rule. Only one person should take charge in a rescue. The leader may choose to delegate some authority to others to manage a complex situation, but they must all be on the same page. When the group must act, and act successfully, a benign dictator is the best leader. In a storm, a rescue situation, or blinding fog, there is little time for debate.

Adaptive Expertise

2009-12-20T13:39:00.000-05:00

Tm sent me a couple of links yesterday that discuss leadership styles (which I'll ponder in another post) and those links led me to the discovery of two other posts on "Adaptive Expertise" by Mark Tozer. The posts "What is Adaptive Expertise" and "Developing Adaptive Exerptise" introduce the concept and review some of the current literature about it.
They excited me because they finally gave me a name for something I've noticed in talented people for a while.
A buddy of mine in college played guitar with a guy who was technically superior, but was doomed to be a back-up player. Despite his clear technical skills, this guy couldn't work the room. He could do a great job replicating Hendrix's "All along the Watch Tower" but it was always the same. My friend on the other hand could light up a room. He changed up the pace of the songs to fit the vibe of the room. He managed to work the drunks in a bar into the show.
I work with a some talented writers who are superior when writing on their "topic" and with their tools. Assign them to something outside their zone and they fall apart. I know writers who are great at writing programmers' guide but couldn't write a getting started guide to save their lives. Their books are always organized following the same patterns regardless of the presentation medium or the audience.
TM and I have often talked about kayakers who have gone off and chased training and became super skilled, but lacked sea sense. They know all of the tricks, have flawless rolls, and beautiful forward strokes. They can surf like gods, but when things get a little funky they cannot cope as well as they should based on skill levels. They know rescue procedures and follow them slavishly. We also know paddlers who despite a lack of formal training are spot on in crisis situations and make their skills fit the situation.
Some of this can be chalked up to experience, but the idea of adaptive expertise explains why some people are better at it than others. It explains why some people are craftsmen and others are artists. Adaptive expertise allows a person to adapt their skills and knowledge to new situations. Someone who falls back on rote procedure are not using adaptive expertise, but someone who fits their skills together in a new way to solve a new problem is using adaptive expertise.
Tozer's second post talks about someways of developing adaptive expertise. He talks about four conditions. Essentially one needs to be constantly exposed to novel situations, have a community that encourages learning and dialog, and freedom from time constraints. In other words you need to be willing to accept temporary failure and surround yourself with people who are willing to learn from each other.
Adaptive expertise, while valuable in all areas in life, is key to being a good kayaker. The ocean will throw all sorts of novel situations at you. No two groups are the same. You need to be flexible and adaptable to survive and thrive.

Bobbing on the Sea

2009-12-16T23:00:00.000-05:00

It has been a long time since I've dipped a paddle in the water. The weather, social commitments, and work have been conspiring to keep me from my zen when I could really use it.
Life has tossed me through some choppy waters over the last few weeks. My project at work was getting bogged down in a tangle of rescheduling. Then just after Thanksgiving, we had a major layoff. We lost three members of my team and will likely lose a few more. (The Irish labor laws are forcing the workers in that office to labor away for 30 days knowing they may be made redundant.) While I managed to survive yet another rif, my role is in limbo. I handed off the project I was working on for two years to another writer, and have yet to be given clear marching orders for the future. All I know is that it will be something exciting.
Kayaking has taught me that sometimes all you can do is keep paddling. No matter how big the waves get, how fast the current races, how strong the winds blows you need to keep the paddles moving, the hips lose, and the mind focused on the moment. Eventually, you will find a patch of sand on which to rest.

Coordinating and Picking Paddlers

2009-11-16T21:54:00.001-05:00

A post on the RICKA message board got me thinking about if it is appropriate to tell paddlers when they cannot paddle. I personally think that it is appropriate for a person posting a show and go paddle to set expectations for the skill level that is required to participate in the paddle. If I had my drothers, it would be required. An "official" paddle does not get put on the schedule with a level rating.
The difference between a level rating and what usually gets added to a show and go posting is that a level rating describes the trip's difficulty and show and go postings usually describe the paddler's skills. Both are intended to help a paddler decide if the paddle is appropriate for them. However, making statements about the skills paddlers are expected to have smacks of elitism and judgement.
Elitism is poison to a club. It is a well established custom that RICKA paddles are open to all comers and coordinators do not turn participants away. This helps build club membership. It also helps paddlers grow. It also allows a sense of democracy to flourish in the club.
While I understand the reasoning behind it, I'm not a big fan of this custom. It puts a coordinator in the awkward position of either taking paddlers into conditions they are not prepared for or to change a trip to accomodate a weak paddler. It puts the coordinator in a compromised position before leaving the beach. Toning a paddle down for one paddler is not fair to the others on the trip who are expecting certain conditions. It is also not fair to the paddler allowed to participate. It gives them a false sense of their skills.
TM was saying that the coaches at Sea Kayak Georgia's position on this is that the trip leader has the final say on who gets to participate. The leader is the authority from the time paddlers show up on the beach to the time the kayaks are back on the cars.
While I think this draconian approach is the safest approach, it is not realistic for an American paddling club. Very few would be willing to accept the needed level of authority and the associated liability. Even if coordinators did start assuming this authority other paddlers would grow resentful.
How can coordinators find the middle ground? As I said earlier in the post I think people leading a show and go paddle should be upfront about the expected difficulty of the paddle they plan on running. They should be careful not to sound judgmental about people's skills, but they should be firm. They probably need to be prepared to accept that some paddlers on the edge of the envelope will be on the trip and plan accordingly. However, coordinators should turn away people who are clearly incapable of handling the expected conditions.

Rocks and Surf

2009-11-07T20:19:00.050-05:00

By Wednesday, it was clear that the weekend weather was going to be perfect for fall outdoor fun. JS posted a surfing paddle for Sunday, but I was hoping for a more traditional paddle. Fortunately, CR couldn't paddle on Sunday and posted a Sakonnet Point paddle for Saturday. Sakonnet Point paddles are usually a combination of rock gardening, blue water paddling, and surfing.
Saturday was the cooler of the two days. It was the first time this year my car had frost on it in the morning. The temperature was supposed to climb throughout the day and the wind was supposed to be minimal. Still, it was cold at the put in.
There was never a question that it was dry suit weather. The only question was how much to wear under the dry suit. I had brought along flannels pants and a pair of fleece pants for the bottom and a collection of long sleeve tops. I opted to go with just the flannel pants and two layers on top. I figured I'd generate plenty of body heat in the morning and as the temperature increased during the day I'd be cool enough. Just in case I packed all the other clothes in the kayak.
We paddled out of the harbor and towards the lighthouse. The seas were a little choppy and promised some nice rock gardening.
After rounding the lighthouse we headed over to the islands to find rocks to dodge. The outside of the islands did not disappoint. The waves were big enough to make things look big and had enough force to make paddling a challenge. There were a few spots that were down right crazy, but for the most part everything was well within our range.
For some reason people did not want to paddle to the mainland to have lunch on a sandy beach. Instead we found a slippery, jumble of rocks to on which to park our kayaks. There was a nice spot to eat, if you could survive the landing and the journey up the "beach." The only plus to the lunch spot was that there was shelter from the wind.
After lunch, the group split up. JS and CM needed to head back early. The rest of the group decided to retrace our steps and take another shot at the rocks along the outside of the islands. The wind and swells had picked up a little, but things were not quite as good on the return trip.
The ride back up the river to the harbor was a blast. The wind had picked up and there was a steady march of wind driven waves marching up river. We surfed the whole way back.
We had a great day on the water. I was more tired than I expected, but rock gardening and surfing are more tiring than open water paddling. This paddle ranks up there as one of the best paddles of the year.

Wind Meets Current and Surfing Ensues

2009-11-04T21:55:00.001-05:00

This weekend was one of the big current weekends, so BH was chomping at the bit to play in any tidal races that appeared. Saturday had the added bonus of high winds that would run counter to the currents at least once. Strong wind vs. strong current = standing waves!!
BH really wanted to play at the Charlestown breech way. The wind and current profiles looked perfect for some mayhem. The ocean forecast called for some good sized swells multiply the mayhem. In order to play at the mouth of the breech way safely he wanted at least four paddlers. The mouth of the breech way is narrow and flanked by shallow rocks. The current would wash a swimmer into deeper water, but the wind would push them into the rocks.
As of Friday night, nobody had committed to the breech way plan. I was waiting to see what TM would do since he is the most familiar with the area (and in many ways is may paddling safety blanket). I was also a little concerned that conditions at the breech way would be more than our group was prepared to handle. TM was not planning on paddling since he had spent the last week in Georgia at Sea Kayak Georgia and wanted to spend some quality time with his family.
Since nobody wanted to commit to the breech way, BH proposed plan B: Stone Bridge.
Stone Bridge would be running out in the morning. With the wind pushing against the current, it promised to offer a nicely formed tidal race. Since Stone Bridge offers easy access, plenty of clear water for rescues, and quick exits from the water, we could play hard.
The only downside was the timing. Things were forecast to be at their best between 9am and 11am. That meant getting to Tiverton by 8:30am. That meant leaving Waltham at 7am. That meant getting the kayak on the egg Friday night before it started to rain.
We had a small, but well formed group Saturday morning. We started off with 5 paddlers: BH, PB, JS, CR, and myself.
We took our time getting on the water. At 8:30 things looked pretty calm. By 9am the race was starting to rock and we had all the kayaks in the water.
At first people rushed for the top of the race near the buoys. It looked like a good spot, but JS and I found ourselves at the end of the race. The waves at the tail of the race were pretty good as well. In fact, I think they were more regular. I caught plenty of good rides as I moved up the race.
A piece of advice from the death paddle in Fisher Island Sound came in very handy. One of the British coaches talked about timing waves by waiting for the wave in front of your kayak to start lifting the bow. Once the bow starts lifting, you hit it and catch the wave behind you.
It works amazingly well. I was able to catch most of the waves I wanted to surf using this advice.
I also learned another valuable lesson on the death paddle: use the stick. Despite this being a surf session, I used the mighty stick. I can brace, rudder, and roll just as well with the stick as I can with a lollipop. The only advantage of the lollipop is the bit of initial oomf. The familiarity and comfort of using the stick far outweighs the oomf. I'll continue to switch off and use a lollipop every now and then because I think it helps me be a well rounded paddler, but I'm a stick monkey.
We spent a couple of hours riding the race. I caught a ton of good rides. The most fun were the rides the ones where I nearly stalled out on the back of a wave, but just as the hull started to flounder I pushed the bow over the crest. With a quick transition the bow dropped down and the hull rushed forward.
We did take a short break to help a feckless sailor get his boat out of the water. He tried to take out at the public beach flanking Stone Bridge. The wet sand and lapping waves conspired to trap his boat and his truck. We all helped heave the sailboat onto the trailer where it had a chance of draining. Then, our good deed done, we went back to playing.
Sadly, CR tweaked her back and was forced to call it a day early. Hopefully, she recovers quickly.
The conditions made the early wake up call worth it. It is a rare and wonderful thing when the weather and tides conspire to make a playground for crazy kayakers.

Am I Out of my Mind?

2009-10-17T13:41:00.009-04:00

I decided, at the urging of TM, to sign up for one day of Greg Paquin's rough water training camp. Greg brought over Phil Cleg and Harry Whelan from the UK to do some coaching out on the races in Fisher Island Sound. I was really looking forward to playing in some rougher conditions than are usually found in the Bay and getting a chance to paddle with some world class talent.
As the event got closer the weather forecast got scary. The marine forecast was calling for 20 knot winds (with gust up to 25 or 30 knots), seas of 2 to 4 feet, a sixty percent chance of rain, and a high temperature in the fifties. It was the sort of forecast that would get to me consider canceling a paddle that I was coordinating. It was the sort of forecast that would make me skip a club paddle.
This was not a normal paddle. I'd paid money for rough water training with top notch coaches. If the coaches thought the conditions were OK, then I was going.
Then TM called to tell me his back was a mess. He was not going to be able to take the class. It was a good call on his part, but that meant I was going into a melee with a bunch of paddlers I didn't know....
Friday night I packed up the car and packed plenty of extra warm clothes. I set the clock for 6 am and went to bed early. Stonington is a 2 hour drive from Waltham and the training was starting at 9 am. I knew it was going to be a hard day on the water, so I wanted to get plenty of rest.
I checked the forecast before heading out this morning and it had improved a little. The rain and wind looked like it was going to hold off until the afternoon. The morning was only forecast for 15 to 20 knot winds with only a small chance of rain.
I got the Stonington early and wandered over to the meeting place. Greg had rented out an apartment in Stonington as a base of operations. It was a sweet set up.
The early morning weather was raw and cold, but not particularly daunting. The wind seemed calm. The sky was gray, but didn't look ready to dump rain.
At the pre-paddle meeting, Greg introduced the coaches and went over the tentative plan. We would cross over to northern point of Fisher Island and use the tidal races there to practice. The current would be ebbing for most of the day and with the winds, we would have some nice surf. Greg also showed us how to figure out ferry angles that incorporated the currents.
At the launch and in the harbor things seemed pretty calm. Once we passed the breakwater and entered Fisher Island Sound things started looking like it could get out of hand. The tail wind felt like it was at least 15 knots and there was plenty of confused, wind driven swells to surf.
Initially, I enjoyed the surfing. The Q-Boat does pretty well in following seas and I caught plenty of nice rides. I had to do some corrective bracing, but nothing radical.
At some point in the crossing, however, it hit me that the wind was building, the chop was getting bigger, and it was cold. I started anticipating the return trip. I was going to be worn out; the swells were going to be bigger and more confused; the wind would be much stronger; I didn't know any of the other paddlers in the group; I might have already gone for a swim; it was going to be even colder...
I quickly got the anticipatory panic under control using several techniques. I used the Al Fraken method of positive self-talk: You are good enough, smart enough, funny enough, and gosh darn it, people like you. I backed that up with a chant of "Circle of Power." Once the initial shock wore off, I trimmed my focus to my immediate situation: the motion of the kayak, the location of other paddlers, the feel of the blades in the water....
At Fisher Island we took a quick break and split the group into two. One group was going to immediately jump into the race. The group I was part of stayed in a reasonably protected cove to go over kayak handling in wind.
We covered the basics of how wind pushes a kayak around from the rear because that is generally where the hull has the least grip on the water. We covered turning into the wind using strokes at the front of the kayak and turning down wind using strokes at the rear of the kayak. We talked about how to trim the kayak using edging, sitting upright, and rudders when paddling quarter to the wind.
One point that really hit home was how radically the Q-Boat weather cocks. The majority of people in the course paddled Sea Kayaking UK (NDK) kayaks. Like every kayak they weather cocked over time. The Q-Boat on the other hand spun like a top into the wind. A couple of strokes and the bow had twisted straight into the wind. It was pretty dramatic. Fortunately, the Q-Boat can also be corrected fairly easy with a little bit of edging.
Once we had practiced kayak handling in just the wind, we moved out to the race to combine wind and currents. The currents, particularly when surfing, just amplify the forces the wind apply to the kayak. The race had some big wind waves, but they were not setting up particularly nicely. The waves tended to be confused and crossing each other.
I found myself struggling to get the timing down to catch the good rides. A lot of my struggle was due to inexperience. I don't spend a lot of time surfing or in tidal races. I was also using my Euro paddle which threw my timing off a bit. Some of my struggles were mental as well. I really didn't want to get flipped in these conditions. I had horror visions of going over and being washed out to sea, or getting rescued but then succumbing to hypothermia. I didn't want to look stupid or incompetent. There was also the ever present knowledge that I had to keep enough in the tank to get home (without being towed).
The best, and biggest, waves were at the very front of the race. I never did manage to work my way up the very front. Paddling against the wind and current was taxing. I didn't want to expend the fuel and I was a little afraid of getting crushed.
I did manage to keep the fear at bay enough to get into the mix. Over an hour or so in the race, I caught several excellent rides. There were several waves that were 4 or five feet high. I worked on doing some turning in the slop. I really tried to get a feel for the timing needed to catch the good waves. By the end of the session, I was looking forward to spending some time after lunch in the race again.
During lunch the coaches gave us some more pointers on how to catch waves. Phil's approach was to wait until the wave in front of you has lifted the bow of your kayak to its apex and then start digging in. By the time the trailing wave catches up to you, you have the hull speed to catch the wave.
After lunch the plan was to head back out and played in the race for its last 40 minutes before heading back to Stonington. We knew the wind was going to build over the course of the day, but hoped that it was going to cut us a little slack.
Once on the water, it was immediately obvious that the wind was giving us no quarter. It was a steady 20+ knots and blowing straight from Stonington Harbor.
Greg, wisely, pulled the plug. We regrouped in the cove we used before lunch for practice. Greg and the coaches split the group into two again.
One group was going to paddle up the shore of Fishers Island to stay out of the wind as long as possible. Then they would start making the crossing and let the ebb current push them into the harbor. The plan would make the return trip longer, but minimize the effect of the wind.
The other group was going to head straight for Stonington Harbor. It meant a shorter paddle across the sound. However, it also meant paddling straight into the wind for the entire crossing.
I opted for short but hard. I was starting to feel a little bit cool in my drysuit. I also didn't want to take the risk of running out of fuel due to spending more time on the water. The short, but possibly brutal, paddle sounded like it would keep me warm and get me home sooner.
It succeeded in both regards. It also pushed me right to the limits of my endurance. About half way across the sound, I was convinced that I was just going to collapse. My lunch was sitting precariously high in my stomach. My obliques ached. Each drag of the paddle through the water felt like moving a shovel through concrete that was three quarters dry. If someone hooked a tow onto my bow, I would have welcomed it.
Of course, I was not going to ask for help until I was truly at the end of my endurance. Instead, I just kept repeating "Circle of power" and watching my hands pass in front of my face. Place paddle, rotate, let the blade slide out, lift, repeat on the other side. I was even able to have a brief conversation about ferry angles with Greg.
I was glad to be on dry land at the end of the paddle. As TM likes to say: "Sometimes it feels good to stop." I was so pooped that after carrying a few kayaks from the beach to parking lot, I couldn't get my hands to fully open.
Greg ran an excellent course for the day. He took a bunch of paddlers of varying skill levels out on an extreme day, managed to get some good coaching in, and get everyone back home without an incident. I would definitely take another rough water session with Greg at the helm.
The course humbled me, but in a good way. It reminded me of my limits and that there are paddlers from whom I can learn a lot. It got me thinking about how I can up my game to their level.

When is the Paddle is too Big for the Paddler

2009-10-14T18:38:00.003-04:00

There has been a lot of discussion in our club over the last season about how to deal with paddlers who show up for paddles that are at the very limit of their abilities and endurance. There have been a few times where the conditions have taken unpredictable turns for the worse and turned a paddle that was a stretch for one or more paddlers into paddles that were more than they could safely handle. There have also been a few paddles where paddlers that were slow showed up where the majority of the group were fast.
It is one of the perennial problems with open club paddles. Sometimes the people who show up to paddle are not the people best suited to the trip as planned. Sometimes you get people along for whom the trip is at the upper edge of their skills or endurance. It is not always fun or fair, but it is up to the trip coordinators to either tell the inappropriate people to stay on the beach, change the plan, or deal with any issues as the arise.
Personally, I think the least good solution is telling people to stay on the beach. I know of many paddles that I should have sat out in my first few seasons. If had not been allowed to participate, I would not have grown as a paddler or I would have found a club that was more friendly. There are clear trip levels posted that are designed to help paddlers make wise choices. When a paddler starts showing up for a lot of inappropriate paddles, it is appropriate for someone in a leadership position to gently help them see that they are making poor choices. That approach should be the exception and not the rule and should only be handled by club leadership.
If paddlers want to do particular paddles and be able to set the tone and level of the paddle precisely, they should coordinate paddles outside of the club framework. Then they can have control over who knows about the trip and who gets to participate. If a paddle is coordinated through the club framework, it is a club paddle and the coordinators should be prepared to deal with any and all paddlers.

It Blows Big

2009-10-11T21:07:00.009-04:00

The morning started off chilly, but calm. By the time I reached Bay Campus the temperature had warmed and the winds remained still. It was looking like a perfect fall kayaking day. After much debate, I decided to wear just a long sleeve shirt. I stowed the paddle jacket in the rear hatch. I didn't want to overheat.
We headed out of Bay Campus towards the Dutch Island Lighthouse. From there we turned towards Beavertail. We were planning on playing on the rocks along the Jamestown shore before heading over to Narrow River to play in the surf. Then we were hoping to play in the rocks along Bonnet Shores on the way home. It was an ambitious plan.
As we passed the pavilion at Ft. Getty, we started to realize our plan may not come together. The forecasted 5 knot wind felt more like 15 knots. The wind was stronger near shore, so we tended to stay a little off the rocks.
As we approached Beavertail, the wind built. The sea state got bigger as well. By the time we got to the point, the wind felt like a sustained 20-25 knots.
Fortunately it was a headwind and not a beam wind. The Q-Boat slices through headwinds without a problem. Once the wind crosses her beam, she weather cocks like a bitch in heat.
Paddling into a steady, strong head wind is draining. I was draining my tank faster than usual due to a couple of things. I haven't been paddling as much this year, so my fitness level is lower than I'd like. I also made the unfortunate choice to leave my stick at home for the day. I was plowing into a brutal wind with a fat Lendal Kinetic Touring blade. I like the Lendal, but in the wind I love my stick.
I may have felt like I was running low on gas, but one of the other paddlers had reached the bottom of his tank. He was looking pale and open mouthed. We decided the best course of action was to put him under tow and tow him directly to Narragansett Beach. He was not given a choice, one of the paddlers hooked him up and started the tow.
We used an I tow to avoid wearing out any of the other paddlers. About half way through the crossing, we swapped towers. TM and I took the second shift. The wind made the long tow a particularly rough haul.
At the beach, the wind was roaring. I was wet from spray and sweating, so I quickly put on my paddle jacket. Once I was snugly in my paddle jacket, I settled in for a nice lunch. H had made me some yummy PB&J.
The return trip started off on sour note. I couldn't get the Q-Boat off the beach. The wind and chop were perfectly aligned to trap me on the beach. Every time I got the nose of the kayak in the water, a wave would push the bow around and I'd be breached on the beach. Eventually I got pushed off the edge of the beach into Narrow River. Once in the water I had to fight the wind and the currents to get turned around so I could paddle out to the open water. I was beat before I got started.
For the first quarter of the return trip the Q-Boat was getting pushed around something fierce. I couldn't seem to keep it under control. A swell would run by, loosen up the back end, and send the kayak off on a new course.
Eventually, I settled in and got things back under control. Once I was back in the groove, the return paddle was a fun ride. The tail wind and following seas made for a quick trip. There was even some opportunities for playing in the rocks.
Once we got back to the Bay Campus everyone piled out their kayaks and started changing. The water temp and the wind made the idea of doing rescue practice unpleasant.
We then headed off to our favorite java joint for some coffee and post paddle chatter. It was great to get out on the water - even if the conditions were less than ideal.

Random Thoughts on Club Paddling

2009-10-03T10:18:00.006-04:00

Two things have been rambling around in my head about club paddling recently: trip levels and expectations. They are intertwined and distinct. Trip levels are one way of setting expectations, but often expectations are entirely dependent on people: who you are and who shows up at the launch.
A recent paddle sparked some discussion about retooling the RICKA sea kayaking trip levels. A paddler showed up for a trip that was at the outer edge of their abilities. It was not a problem because the conditions were perfectly boring. The concern, however, was that if conditions changed, this paddler would need assistance. This is not a rare occurrence. Paddlers frequently show up for trips that push their abilities (and some times clearly exceed them). So, there was a proposition to make the levels clearer, a little more stringent, and closer tied to wind/wave conditions. The hope, I think, being that people would make better self selection choices.
I had a hand in writing the current club guidelines so I'm a little biased towards them. They are definitely not perfect, but they do attempt to strike a balance between allowing people to grow and guiding them away from endangering others. The current guidelines were based on a professional guiding outfit's trip levels. This gives them a whiff of authority, but also make them a little problematic for a club. A professional outfit has a greater ability to screen out participants than a club does, so the outfitter can afford a little leeway.
The tricks to developing good trip guidelines for a club are manifold: They need to be realistic, stringent, and clear enough to guide paddlers into avoiding trips that are outside of their range. However, they need to be flexible to allow a paddler to participate in paddles that are at the outer limits of their range. A paddler may be fairly new to the water, but be strong paddler. They can probably handle some of the conditions of a level three paddle, but not the ones at the extremes. Or they may be able to handle the conditions, but be uncomfortable due to lack of exposure.
The guidelines also need to allow for a certain variability in ranges. For example, a paddler may be able to go like gang busters for long distances, but not have a solid roll. Clearly this paddler can participate in long distance paddles, but should avoid rough water paddles even if they are rated at the same level.
The guidelines should be tied to weather and sea conditions since they are factors in trip difficulty. However, they must allow for the unpredictability of the weather as well. If the guidelines said that an intro level trip required waves of a foot or less and winds of 5 knots or less, it would be impossible to schedule an intro level trip. The chances of the conditions exceeding the limits are just too great.
The guidelines also fall pray to the imperfect creatures called paddlers. In general, paddlers tend to over estimate their skills and guidelines need to account for this. Paddlers also tend to come with different shapes, sizes, baggage, and experiences. Trip coordinators always make judgement calls about what the estimated trip level should be when scheduling the trip and often base their estimate on what sort of trip they think they want to lead. Trip coordinators also make all sorts of judgement calls on the day of the paddle about letting paddlers participate or whether to change the trip to accommodate the paddlers planning on participating.
Guideline setting is a messy business and its success or failure requires a lot of vigilance. Coordinators need to pay attention to who is showing up for paddles and provide feedback to the guideline committee. Coordinators also need to make good decisions about screening out inappropriate paddlers or changing the trip to accommodate the group. Sometimes, it means accepting that any set of guidelines cannot address every situation.
Expectations are another sticky widget. I know there are many paddles that I go on and expect to be challenged, or not, and find that the paddle does not live up to my expectations. I know this is my problem, but I think others experience the same thine. Some times the change in expectations is because I just had a crazy idea of the paddle in my head. Other times the change is caused by the weather or the sea state. (You cannot have an epic paddle without wind or waves and cannot relax in six foot swells.) Often times, though it is because the group that shows up for the paddle is not in line with my expectations.
Group makeup defines what a trip will be like. Sometimes an easy level three trip will turn into a crazed, death paddle because a bunch of experienced, skilled, rock hoppers will show up and hijack the trip. Other times what should be an epic, or at least challenging, level four paddle turns into a leisurely cruise because a bunch of scenery seeing, relaxation seekers show up and hijack the trip. Neither outcome is bad for the group since it is a club paddle.
I guess what I've been realizing is that if I want to do a particular type of trip, say bounce around in the swells and rocks, I can either make it a club trip and accept that on the day of the paddle it may turn into a coastal tour, or just put together a group outside the club framework. Some, I suppose, would call this elitism or a similar thing. I, however, think it just makes sense. Club paddles are for the club and that means accepting what the group at large wants to do. Sometimes, paddlers need to have the option of doing something that requires more control over the participants of the group.

A Fall Classic

2009-09-26T20:50:00.002-04:00

One of the things I enjoy most about kayaking is that you can paddle the same route hundreds of times and it always different.
Today I paddled the Pier 5 to Harbor of Refuge route again. When H, TM, and I did this route earlier in the season it challenged us. The swells were big, pushy, and constant. There were breaking waves along most of the route and we surfed into the harbor. The winds had a chill and the skies threatened rain.
Today the ocean was calm. The wind was warm. The skies were sunny. It was perfect late summer conditions.
I could really stretch out and cruise. There was a slight cross wind pushing the Q's stern around, so I also got a chance to work on effective corrective strokes. I would slip a stern rudder onto the end of a stroke occasionally. I'd just let the blade linger at the end of the stroke. I also tried to incorporate the stern draw. The stern draw is finicky. Sometimes I would catch the wrong face of the paddle. Sometimes the stern wouldn't move. Sometimes the stern would move, but not enough to straighten the kayak. Sometimes the whole kayak would draw to the side. On very few occasions did it actually work properly. I need to keep practicing.
While playing in the rocks and rough conditions is exciting, sometime a nice open water run is perfect. It lets me blow the carbon out of the cylinders.

Letting the Wind Pass

2009-09-20T20:24:00.003-04:00

Now that the high season for power boating has passed, it is a great time to kayak in Boston Harbor. The weather and water is still warm and the number of boats clogging the channels is manageable.
I was going to lead a RICKA paddle to the outer islands yesterday. I was excited to share one of my local resources with my RI friends. Sadly, the wind forecast was extreme. 15 to 20 in the outer harbor is a little rough, but 30 knt gusts are crazy. So, I decided to cancel the paddle.
Fortunately, the winds were forecasted to die over night. 5 knt winds are perfect for a late fall paddle. So, I decided to reschedule the paddle for today.
The morning was bright, but chilly. The day was looking like a great day to paddle.
The only anxiety was about who would show up for the paddle. I knew most of the regular crew would not show up. They all had other commitments. The absolute worst that could happen was the H and I would have to enjoy the water by ourselves. You know life is good when the absolute worst outcome is spending the day paddling with your favorite person.
On the way to Hull we spotted at least two familiar kayaks. Once at the put-in we discovered six more paddlers. There were two familiar faces, two faces I hadn't seen in a long time, and four new faces. The group seemed to gel before we even got on the water.
The plan for the day was to paddle out to Little Brewster and check out the light house. Then we'd island hop over to Green Island for lunch. After lunch, we'd island hop over to Georges Island to check out Ft. Warren. Then we'd return to Hull.
This was a great plan based on us launching at mid-tide on an out going tide. Sadly, I'd gotten the tides backwards. We'd have the currents against us all day.
To make the crossing to the light house we paddled out to Allerton Point. From there we crossed the channel on a steep ferry angle. The incoming tide pushed us down the channel as we aimed our kayaks out of the harbor. We managed to pick the perfect angle and ended up along Little Brewster. We landed to take a tour of the light house, but it is being repaired. We were allowed to walk the grounds. It was a quick tour because the tide was raising fast. We didn't have much time before our kayaks were heading to Green Island without us.
We got to Green about 40 minutes before high tide. We paddled the island looking for the beach to land and have lunch. I knew it was there because I had lunched there this past winter... We must have landed there closer to low tide in Febuary because the beach was a tiny patch of rocks.
The best we could find for lunch was a disappearing pile of rocks between Green and Little Calf. We had an authentic sea kayaking lunch hunkered down watching the tide wash over our beach.
After lunch, we paddled over to Georges Island. Crossing the channel was exciting. There was a surprising amount of boat traffic.
At Georges Island, we took an extended break. Some people explored the fort, some people napped, and some just hung out on the beach.
From Georges Island, we made our way back to Hull. We had a long channel crossing and the Hull Gut to contend with before we were home. The current was against us and running at full strength.
For the crossing, the current was no big deal. However, the Gut was a challenge. The current was stacking up with a row of standing waves. These were confused by the boat traffic plying the Gut. Sticking close to shore would keep us out of the worst of the current. Sadly, none of us stayed close to shore. H nearly went over. I got spun around once. It was a lot of fun.
Despite the less than ideal planning, we had a nice time. The weather was perfect and the group was excellent. It goes to show that waiting a day for the wind to blow over is a good idea.

Sunday on the Water

2009-09-13T14:09:00.002-04:00

After some confusion about if there was going to be a paddle on the weekend, TM finally settled things by coordinating a paddle out of Wickford. His plan was a long trip that would appeal to level two paddlers.
The day started out a little chilly, but got progressively warmer. The wind was minimal. It was idyllic late summer weather.
We paddled down past the Jamestown Bridge and had lunch on Dutch Island. Then paddled back to Wickford with a quick detour into the bay behind Rome Point.
I did get a chance to play with some different paddles. I tried out RB's Werner paddle. It is very nice, but it foiled me in rolling. I managed a roll on one side, but not the other. TM seems to think that it is just that I'm not used to the blade shape....
I think TM is just trying to make me feel better.
It was a great chance to spend some time on the water with just the expectation of relaxing.

Banging Around for Labour Day

2009-08-31T14:44:00.004-04:00

H, PB, and I wanted to do a camping trip in Maine before the warm weather ended. We tried to get something together last weekend, but the weather and schedules didn't corporate. Since this weekend was a three day end of summer celebration and the forecast was reasonable, we managed to get something together.
It was a small group since a number of people had other plans. It included PB, EB, H, and myself.
Since H already had Friday off from work, she decided that the plan would be to turn our three day weekend into a Friday through Sunday affair. We would miss most of the traffic and still have a day off from work to lounge about the house and clean off our camping gear.
Friday morning didn't start off with a bang. H and I had troubles getting our acts in gear. Everything just took longer than we anticipated. We also had to make an unplanned stop at West Marine to try and order a new battery for my VHF. The connectors on the current battery corroded to the point where one of them just fell off. Even the West Marine stop took forever. It seems that West Marine does not carry spare batteries, or the AA battery pack accessory, for the VHF radios they sell. They can, however, special order them. The very nice kid at the desk took the special order, but was either new or "special" orders are so special they are rarely executed....
Once on the road we made excellent time to the put in at Dolphin Marina in Harpswell, ME. PB and EB were there well ahead of us since they had gotten on the road at the planned time. We didn't hold the show up too long though. H and I made quick work of getting the kayaks loaded.
We had discussed several possible islands for camping including Whaleboat, Bangs, and possibly Jewel. Our first choice was the camp site on the NE tip of Bangs. It has views of both sunrise and sunset, a sandy (for ME) beach for the kayaks and fires, and flat tent spots. All of the options, except for Jewell, were short paddles so we figured that we would go for the first choice and if we got skunked we could easily find another decent spot before dark.
To our delight, our first choice was available. We set up camp and immediately settled into island time. PB set out to collect fire wood. The rest of us sort of wandered about gazing at the scenery and moving towards dinner. Our eventual dinner was quite nice.
Eventually, we got our acts together enough to go on a moonlight paddle. The full moon spread silvery light over the landscape. We hardly needed extra lights. The moonlit island and water was lovely. We saw a heron that sat in place as we paddled by at a very close distance. The landscape was so transformed that we paddled right by our beach the first time.
On the way back, I decided to be cute and paddle backwards. As H chastised me, and I joked about how it doesn't matter that I was paddling backwards since I could see anyway, I backed onto a rock.... Fortunately, the keel strip took the brunt of the contact.
Once back at the campsite we got a fire going. The rest of the evening was spent basking in the glow of fire and friendly conversation.
The only tension was the slow march of water towards the fire. When the water finally snuffed the fire, we headed to our tents.
Saturday broke sunny and fresh. We again spent a good part of the morning meandering around. We eventually decided on an excursion to Admiral Peary's Eagle Island. The island is a Maine Historical Site. The original house has been turned into a museum and the grounds have been preserved for public viewing. The house is well preserved and full of interesting relics. One strange thing is that they make visitors put on plastic booties before entering the house. According to the caretakers, the booties keeps the salt on people's shoes from corroding the floor planks.
After Eagle Island we started over to Whaleboat Island to check out the campsites. The current and the wind were against us on the crossing. At first we didn't really notice how strong the current was working against us. The lobster buoys were sitting straight in the water, so there were no visual clues. Eventually, however, the current took its toll on our strength. We decided to abandon our push to Whaleboat and retreat back to the comfort of camp.
We spent our second night at camp the same way we spent our first. Sitting around a fire. Instead of doing a moonlight paddle, we watched as the tide slowly lifted a grounded sailboat out of its muddy trap. Actually, the real show was the stream of boats that motored out the sailboat, circled it, and returned home.
On our final morning, we did a quick search for the campsites on the opposite side of Bangs Island from ours. We scoured the coast from our kayaks for sign of them. We even checked the shore line by foot for signs, but found very little. There was a nice beach and a number of cairns marking the spot where the camp sites should have been. However, we couldn't find anything that looked like a tent site on the shore and there were no obvious paths into the woods.
After a quick lunch and repacking our kayaks, we decided to head home via Whaleboat island. We really wanted to find the campsites on that island for future trips. This time we were successful. The first set of sites we found are in the woods of the western shore of the island. They have a nice beach and plenty of shelter. We considered, briefly, extending our trip for a day and staying the night here. Sadly, we couldn't muster the energy to unpack the kayaks and reestablish camp.
So we headed back to Dolphin Marina. On the crossing from Whaleboat to South Harpswell, the water can play little tricks on your vision. The passage between the point of South Harpswell and the islands off of it can be hard to judge. I knew roughly where it was and headed straight for it. The rest of the group decided to trust their eyes and took a wider course. We never lost sight of each other, but it was fun watching them paddle out to sea for a while before realizing that I knew what I was doing.
It was a great weekend. As PB mentioned on the paddle home, the islands in Casco Bay are treasures that need to be preserved.

RICKA BBQ

2009-08-23T14:36:00.002-04:00

We had the RICKA BBQ today.
In the past RICKA would have a holiday party as an annual gathering. It was a good time, but there is something off about a bunch of kayakers dressed all pretty having a sit down meal in the middle of the winter.
This year it was decided that a BBQ in the summer would be a more natural fit. I think it was a smashing success. There were paddles that went out in the morning. One trip went out to the mouth of the Bay. Another trip went around Dutch Island.
After the kayaking, we had a great BBQ meal at the Fort Getty Pavilion. After food, there was a brief awards ceremony and plenty of lawn golf.
The people who coordinated the event did a great job putting it all together. I cannot wait until next year's outing.

Bill Barely

2009-08-23T13:37:00.000-04:00

I always have mixed feelings about paddling in hurricane swells. There is the natural concern for my own safety, the anticipation of pitting myself against nature, the anxiety of pushing my skills to the edge, the fear that the conditions will be too extreme to play in or, worse, disappointingly calm. Since today was also a club paddle, there was the added concern that the conditions would be present but the group would be unwilling or unable to take advantage of them.
When we got to Fort Getty to launch, it looked like the conditions were going to disappoint. The water looked as it does on any normal day. The swells just didn't impress.
Fortunately, as we worked out way down the Jamestown coast towards the mouth of the Bay conditions grew steadily more intense. The swell got bigger and the water's power made itself felt. Paddling near the shore was an adrenaline rush.
Close to Beavertail getting near to the rocks was nigh impossible. With some deft timing, a paddler could dart in and do some quick playing and slip out before a swell shattered them against the rocks.
The waves sweeping around the head stood a good eight feet tall.
The lead group of kayaks started heading out to the channel marker just past Beavertail. I'm not sure there was a clear plan as to what we were going to do out there, but the siren song was upon us. Just bobbing in the swells at the mouth would have been exciting. I'm sure there could have been some excellent open water surfing as well.
Then a whistle blew and broke the spell. People were concerned that the group was spreading out and there was no clear plan. Some members of the group were uncomfortable with the idea of heading out the marker before making the crossing to Whale Rock.
The group decided making a beeline to Whale Rock was the best plan. While not as exciting as heading out into the really big swells, the crossing was plenty exciting. The swells, while not epic, were big. They were also not particularly steep. It made for a nice elevator ride.
At Whale Rock we watched the ruins take a nice pounding. It was not the worst pounding we'd ever seen, but it was pretty big. I managed to find the perfect spot to get crushed by a wave. (It was a little deja vu from last year's hurricane paddle.) I was taking pictures and someone yelled for me to lookout. Fortunately, I managed to get out of the way before a big wave broke on my head.
We paddled up the Bay a good distance off shore. The swells were big enough to make getting in close tricky. With some keen observation, it was possible. The swells were pretty far apart and very regular. There was time to get in, play around, and get back out between sets.
BH, who got in pretty close, said that the water near the rocks was more like a river than the ocean. He wanted to get in closer, but had a newbie shadowing him. He decided discretion was best. If he goofed up his timing, we'd need to rescue two boats instead of just one...
All in all it was a nice day on the water. We had a little excitement and got to see some big swells up close. It was not, however, an epic day.

A Hot Day in Newport

2009-08-16T23:05:00.003-04:00

Halfday Tony was scheduled to lead level 4 trip out of Ft. Wetherill today. This usually means lots of rocks and some surf. His last level 4 trip out of Wetherill was the stuff of legends: high winds, rough seas, rescues, paddlers needing cab rides back to their cars. Being a sound leader Tony manages to keep the group safe and sound despite the conditions.
Regardless of Tony's prowess as a leader, H was not keen on going on the planned trip for the day. Tony had advertised the itinerary early in the week to get people prepared. He intended to paddle along the coast to Beavertail, cross the West Passage to Whale rock, and lunch at the mouth of the Narrow River. The entire route offers plenty of opportunity for rock gardening and the Narrow River usually offers some nice surf. None of these things hold any allure for H. She likes to paddle, not risk life and limb.
I suggested that instead of doing the level 4 paddle, we could offer a more low key level 3 option. We would paddle over to Newport, explore the harbor, lunch on Gould Island, and then return along the Jamestown coast. We would still be able to visit with friends before and after the paddle without any undue stress. It would also expand the opportunities for other club members to get on the water.
When we showed up at Ft. Wetherill, H and I discovered that we were on our own. The conditions along the coast were calm and everyone else wanted to do the level 4 paddle. TM tried to convince H to go along with the crowd, but she held firm in her decision to do the Newport route. I was a little surprised and a little disappointed. TM is usually very persuasive and it would have been fun to paddle with a bigger group. I was, however, 100% behind H's decision. She'd gone on a few stressful paddles, and missed a few days on the water, for my benefit. The least I could do was spend a sunny summer day on the water doing a paddle she wanted to do.
Once out of the cove at Ft. Wetherill we were graced with a pleasant breeze. It knocked some of the edge off the heat without making paddling difficult. The crossing to Newport was easy.
Sadly, once in Newport Harbor we were sheltered from the breeze. The heat settled on us. Fortunately, paddling in the harbor is not a strenuous activity.
Newport Harbor was not full of cruise ships like it was last year. There were, however, loads of megayachts. Some of these ships are big enough to be cruise liners. We saw ships that had bays for auxiliary speed boats and jet skis. We even saw one that had a helicopter sitting on deck. (I'd still prefer my kayak.)
Gould Island greeted us with a stench and a view of two unloading ore ships. We managed to find a spot where the breeze masked the heat and the stench. It was relaxing to just sit in the sun and munch on left overs knowing the return trip was going to be easy.
While the return trip didn't pose any real challenges, it was the most exciting part of the day. As we crossed Potter's Cove two ruffians on a barely controlled personal water craft nearly skidded us into Davey Jones' locker. Once we crossed under the Newport Bridge, the wind picked up and the seas got lively. We bounced our way back to Ft. Wetherill.
We weren't really ready to call it a day, so we decided to paddle along the coast towards Beavertail for a short bit. We figured the other group would be at least another hour, so we figured that we'd still beat them off the water...
Within minutes of deciding to continue on, we spotted the other group. They had paddled in largely calm water all day. The only excitement they saw was PB leading a landing party onto Whale Rock.
Since it was early, and I was still smarting from not passing the 2 star assessment, we decided to do a little skill practice in the cove. It was a perfect spot since there was some swells running into the cove, so the water was not quite quiet. I felt good running through the paces of rolls, sculling for support, sweep turns, and low brace turns.
Although the day was largely perfect, it ended on a sad note. I was practicing a sweep turn when I felt the mighty stick give way. I found myself upside down with a compromised paddle. I tried to roll, but the mighty stick finished splitting before I could even get a breath. RB rescued me promptly and I limped my way back to shore.
We will contact the manufacturer, Wolfgang Brink, since the paddle split doing a turn in deep water and it split along the repair he made to the paddle when it failed last year (also in deep water). I know paddles break, but I baby the mighty stick. I never use it as a lever to stabilize the kayak when getting into the cockpit, I never use it to push of the bottom, and I'm always careful not to put too much stress on it when it is not in the water. I have a Cricket paddle that has held firm through six years of abuse including all the things I do not do with the mighty stick. I also ran the Cricket paddle over with my car once....

2 Star Training

2009-08-08T19:15:00.002-04:00

Greg Paquin, owner and operator of Kayak Waveology, offered a couple of BCU 2 Star training for RIC/KA members. I missed the first class, but it got rave reviews.
H and I, with encouragement from TM, decided to take the class the second time it was offered. You can never get enough coaching and work on polishing up your skills. I also, despite my previous statements about how silly chasing stars is for non-professional paddlers, thought it would be neat to get a couple of stars.
Greg enlisted the help of his partner Paula for the day. We were a fairly large group with eight paddlers - four boys and four girls. Greg and Paula make a great team. One will demo the skill and the other will offer refinements. They also do a great job of circulating around the group offering pointers.
We covered all of the basics: reverse paddling, reverse sweep strokes, draws, sculling draws, moving draws, forward sweep strokes, low braces, bow rudders, low brace turns, and rescues. Part of the fun was the drills: to practice draws we lined up in a series of parallel lines and tried to catch each other using only draw strokes. Another drill involved paddling, backwards, in a line.
They showed us one new rescue called the ladder rescue. It starts off like a regular T-rescue. After emptying out the swimmer's kayak, the rescuer keeps it across his cockpit. The swimmer then climbs up the deck of their kayak, like in a cowboy rescue, and gets in the cockpit. Once everyone is sealed and has their paddle, the swimmer is launched back into the water. It sounds weird, but it is a stable rescue.
At the end of the day PB and I did the assessment. It involved several drills to show mastery of the skills: a reverse figure 8, turning the kayak 360 degrees in place using forward and reverse sweeps, recovering from a capsize using a low brace, etc..
I figured I'd skate right through the assessment. I use most of the skills on a regular basis and in ocean conditions.
When Greg had me do a hanging draw, I knew I was in trouble. The Q-boat's stern drifted out. Instead of gracefully sliding sideways, it just turned sideways without changing course. Greg gave me one more chance and it got a little better. The reverse figure 8 didn't go so well either. I tried turning on the wrong edge... I did manage to recover but what little confidence I had was gone. The draw strokes further doomed me. The sculling draw was fine, but the actual draw stroke was a joke. The Q-boat moved backwards and twisted in the (non)wind. Greg let me keep going until I got it right. After that I was tanked. My braces were half-hearted and my low brace turn was just a sweep and coast turn.
The only bright spot was my bow rudder. It is a thing of beauty.
Needless to say, I did not get the award. I was pretty upset, but not with Greg. For whatever reason, I did not demonstrate proficiency during the assessment.
It could be argued that Greg should have just given it to me because he has seen me control my kayak in rough conditions, but I would have thought less of him if he did that. It could also be argued that if I had used a Euro blade and a more Explorerish kayak, I would have sailed through with ease, but those are not the paddle nor the kayak I regularly use.
I want to pass because I earned it during the assessment and using my own gear.
Greg was very nice about failing me. He gave me pointers on what to work on and encouragement.
Now that I did not get the award, it is a mission. I will polish up the things that Greg pointed out, and I will pass the assessment using a stick and a Q-boat.

CLAP

2009-08-02T18:56:00.001-04:00

While we were off gallivanting around Canada, TM was in Booth Bay getting his BCU 3 star and taking the BCU 4 star training. Because he is an excellent all around guy, TM freely shares his knowledge with the rest of the club. On our trip to Harbor of Refuge, he shared CLAP with us:

C - Communication

L - Line of sight

A - Avoidance (or Assessment depending on who you ask)

P - Position of most usefulness

They are the four things members of a group, particularly the leader (or coordinator if you prefer), need to think about.
Always keep the lines of communication in the group open. Pay attention to paddle signals and whistles. As a leader, you need to keep the group informed of the plan and any changes to the plan. As a group member, you need to communicate any issues to the leader.
Make sure you can see the other members of the group and any potential threats. As a leader, you need to be able to see the whole group. As a group member, you should also be able to see the other members of the group. You should also always be watching the surroundings.
Asses conditions to avoid endangering the group. As a leader, you need to take the entire group's skills in conditions into consideration when making decisions. Some times, the decision is between the lesser of two dangers. But your job is to keep the group as safe as possible. As a group member, you need to asses your own ability to handle conditions and also asses if your behavior could potentially endanger the group. Sometimes this means not playing in the rocks even if your not worried about personal safety.
Always attempt to be in a position to be useful to the group. In a situation, where do your skills fit the best? Should you rush in and do a rescue if you are better suited to being a tower? Which members of the group need the support of an experienced paddler? If you have a sea sick paddler, who should be in the raft and who should tow? When playing in a tidal race, where is a capsized paddler likely to get dragged? Should someone rush into the rocks to rescue a capsized paddler?

I Don't Remember It Being THIS Rough

2009-08-02T12:40:00.001-04:00

After spending several days in a car driving through the wilds of Canada and Maine, I needed to do some paddling. TM was more than obliging to offer up a trip. He suggested paddling from Pier 5 in Narragansett to the Harbor of Refuge. It is roughly a seven mile paddle along the outer western shore of Narragansett Bay. It is exposed to open ocean swells that can get big and offers some places to play in rocks. It also offers a couple of easy outs if needed.
In my memory, the trip was a nice intermediate paddle with a taste of open ocean feel. There was not any really funky conditions or breaking water. Given my memory of the trip, I figured it would be a good chance for H to get out as well. She would be close to the edge of her comfort zone, but still inside it. She would get to see a new section of the RI coast, spend a nice day on the water, and gain some confidence. A threefur of sorts.
We met TM at Pier 5 in the morning and things looked perfect for the paddle. There was a small chance of thunder showers later in the day and it was humid, but the seas looked calm and the winds were low. The threat of showers and humidity seemed like a bonus to me because it made it less likely that there would a lot of boat traffic.
Once around the end of Pier 5 the water got lumpy and confused. This is normal for this section of the coast, but the water seemed more powerful than normal. H questioned TM about this, but seemed OK when he said it was normal. We chatted and enjoyed the challenge.
Around Scarborough Beach the water flattened out and I could see H relax. Then we spotted the white caps along Money Point....
The swells were breaking in waves off shore and then again closer to shore. I knew H could handle the conditions, but I also knew she wouldn't be happy about it. TM moved closer to shore to pick his way through the breakers. I knew H was not going in close to shore, but also didn't want to swing too far out from shore. Going far enough out to completely avoid the breaks would have made getting into the harbor that much more of an ordeal because it meant bigish following seas for a long time. So I tried to pick a course through the outer break and the inner break.
We easily slipped through the break zone. H was visibly nervous, but doing an excellent job of holding it together. At the entry to harbor TM took a line in close to the sea wall. There was a nice calm spot in close. I didn't think I was going to get H to move in close to the sea wall, so I told her to take a line to the right of the channel. It meant she would have to ride some big swells into the entrance, but would not need to worry about rocks. Her and her Capella are a great combination in following seas, so I was pretty certain she'd fly through the swells and into the harbor easily. If she did happen to go over, she'd get washed into the calm water of the harbor in deep water where TM or I could easily get her back in the kayak.
As expected, she rode the swells into the harbor like a champ. She really is pretty darn good despite her anxiety.
During lunch, H decided that she was not going to paddle back to Pier 5. She knew she could handle the conditions, but didn't want to needlessly suffer the anxiety of paddling another hour and a half in them. TM and I could paddle back, get the cars, and pick her up at the beach without any trouble. TM and I tried to talk her into to completing the trip, but did not push too hard. It was better that she was safe and happy.
Once we were out of the harbor, it was obvious that H had made a good call. Conditions were about the same as they were on the way down the coast: lumpy, strong swells.
TM and I took a much tighter path on the way back to Pier 5, so we could play a little bit more. It felt good to open up the stroke a little bit in rough conditions. The Q's tail was wandering a bit more than I'd have liked, but it was easy enough to control. For a long while I used the stern draw stroke I learned on the 3 star training to do course corrections. Then I switched to tossing in a little sweep stroke ever few strokes. Towards the end, I took the easy way out and dropped the skeg.
We made excellent time on the return trip. We covered the seven or so miles in an hour and a half. At the put in we did some rolling and bracing practice before reloading the cars. Once we were cleaned up and packed, we headed back to Pt. Judith to retrieve H.
It was an excellent day overall. H got some more exposure to big water. For the first time in a few months, I felt like my mojo was coming back.

PEI

2009-07-31T21:22:00.015-04:00

After our adventures on Cape Breton, H and I headed to PEI for a little more civilized fun. We traded our tent for a room in a B&B, the middle of nowhere for the middle of a city.
First we had to get from Cape Breton to Charlottetown, PEI. Our initial plan called for a six hour drive and an hour ferry ride. Instead of following the GPS directions, however, we decided to take the scenic route. H wanted to check out a Celtic Music Museum and eat at a place called the Red Shoe. This added about an hour to our plan. We got stuck behind two asphalt trucks in the mountains. Then we got to the ferry and had to wait for an hour before we could board. We finally arrived at the B&B around 9 pm.
The Snapdragon B&B is a great little place in Charlottetown. We stayed in the Fitzroy Room on the second floor. It was a great room. The breakfasts were also top notch. We had pancakes twice. They were light and tasty.

Our first day on PEI was overcast and misty. We decided that we would do indoors activities. On the north western tip of the island there is a large wind farm that H wanted to check out. There is also a Seaweed Pie Cafe that sounded interesting. So, we got into the car and drove the hour and a half to Tignish.
The wind farm has a nice restaurant in the visitor center. I got an excellent burger. There is also a small, but informative, museum at the visitor center. We watched some seaweed farmers collect Irish moss.

After the wind farm, we drove to the Seaweed Pie Cafe. The Cafe is also a museum about Irish moss harvesting. Irish moss is a form of sea weed that is the primary source of carrageen. Carrageen is a food additive that is used to thicken and stabilize milk products like ice cream. As part of the "tour" we enjoyed a piece of Seaweed Pie - a sponge cake with a light green whipped topping made using Irish moss.
The second day in PEI was our big adventure day. A couple we ran into several times on Cape Breton told us that the section of the Confederation Trail (The Confederation Trail is a gravel paved bike trail that runs the length of PEI. The province recycled the defunct railway routes to make the trail.) along St. Peter's Bay was the prettiest part of the trail. We also wanted to see the parabolic dunes and the PEI Vodka distillery.
So, we drove about 45 minutes to the National Park HQ in Greenwich. From there we road our bikes along the road back into St. Peter's where we could pick up the Confederation Trail. From St. Peter's the trail follows St. Peter's Bay into Morell where there is supposedly a great bakery (which is closed on Sundays when H and I want to get pastry after a bike ride). The views along the trail are pure pastoral prettiness. It is the most scenic bike trial I've ever ridden. The ride to Morell and back was about 25 miles.

After finishing the bike ride, we had a quick lunch. Then we headed out to see the parabolic dunes. The trail is well marked and goes through a combination of forest, coastal beach, and marshland. It takes about an hour an a half to complete the walk, but it is worth it.
After getting back from our walk we hopped in the car and drove to Hermanville to tour the Prince Edward Distillery. It is the only Canadian distiller of potato vodka. It is a small place and the tour ($10 a person) is short. To make the price palatable, they offer tastings of the potato vodka and the blueberry rye vodka. Both are very good. The potato vodka has a smooth, creamy taste. The blueberry vodka has a hint of blueberry flavor.

On the way back to Charlottetown, we grabbed dinner at a gas station. The Sheltered Harbour Cafe in Fortune Bridge is part of a gas station. We were a little skeptical of stopping, but the parking lot was full. Once inside, we were glad we stopped. The food was excellent and reasonably priced.
Our final day on PEI was a lounging day. We spent the morning strolling around Charlottetown. It is a small city, so there is not much to see. The waterfront is nice and the mall is oddly happening. There are a bunch of little shops.
In the afternoon we headed out to Cardigan for another bike ride and to visit a little craft center. This offshoot of the Confederation trail is also scenic as it runs along the Brudnell River, but it is not as pretty as the section along St. Peter's Bay.

Cape North

2009-07-23T22:44:00.003-04:00

I got up to use the outhouse around 5:30 and the rain was still falling. This was doubly sad: I was awake at 5:30am and rain meant that the paddle around Cape North was in jeapordy.
I woke up a few hours later and the sky was clear. The paddle was a go!
Mike, our guide from Eagle North Kayaking, wanted to get an early start, so we had to be quick about eating and gathering our gear. We were supposed to check in with him at 9am.
He drove by the camp site around 8:15 to tell us we would meet at Eagle North in a half hour. We scurried about and got down there in plenty of time.
We launched out of Bay St. Lawrence on the west side of Cape North. It is the only place after Pleasant Bay on the cape that offered reasonable kayak access. The next possible extraction point along the coast was our eventual take out 15 miles away. The coast between the two points offered a few pebbly beaches that could offer a respite in calm conditions and one haul out that was possible in rough conditions.
Fortunately, the weather looked like it would be kind to us. The ocean also looked kind.
Given the extreme exposure and possibility of nasty conditions, H decided to sit the paddle out and enjoy a placid, sunny day at camp. Mike tried to coax her into going along to offer some level of sanity to the group. I think we made him a little nervous. (As he later explained, he has seen plenty of paddlers show up with nice kayaks and big talk. Once he gets them out on the water he realizes that they can barely stay upright in ocean swells.) H was firm in her decision and decided to stay behind.
Once beyond the harbor sea wall, we were in the open ocean. The swells were not big, but they were powerful. It was perfect conditions.
The conditions also convinced me that H had made a good call. She could have handled the conditions with ease, but she would have been anxious the whole time. Based on Mike's description of the route, it would have been 15 miles of torture for her. For the rest of us (the crazy ones) it would be 15 miles of heaven.

The shoreline was tall rugged cliffs pocked with waterfalls. There were plenty of rocks to play in and plenty of swell to ride.
Over the course of the morning Mike seemed to relax and started playing more than guiding. That was perfect as far as I was concerned. We had hired him because we wanted his knowledge of the area, not because we needed to be babysat. Paddles are more fun when everyone is enjoying themselves.

We stopped for lunch just the main point on a beach that looked like it could offer some protection from a storm. It was a long hike over the mountains to get back to a road though. Mike told us that 30 odd years ago a freighter carrying dried peas floundered on this beach and as the sea water flooded the cargo hold, the peas expanded bursting the hull and turning the ocean green for many days. To lend credence to his story, the beach was littered with flotsam.

After lunch we explored a couple of large sea caves and played in the rocks some more. BH nearly died several times, but always made a beautiful escape.
I played a little bit. My mojo is still off this season though. Everything seemed to be slightly off. So I didn't push too hard.
It was an awesome trip. Mike did a fantastic job pointing out stuff to us and telling us stories about the area. I was glad he enjoyed himself. I definitely enjoyed the trip.

Rain Day

2009-07-22T22:45:00.003-04:00

Our fourth day on Cape Breton was the worst. It started raining sometime over night so by the time we were ready for breakfast the camp site was already soggy. I was all for going out to get breakfast, but the rest of the group was hardier than I. H lit the stove and made us a nice meal. The big screen tent worked surprisingly well as a rain shelter for our meal.
Once we ate and cleaned up, we decided that we would drive over to Cheticamp and check out the scene. H's Lonely Planet guide made it sound pretty interesting.
The drive from Dingwall to Cheticamp is rough. The Cabot Trail, which is the only road, goes over two steep mountains. In good weather the drive is challenging due to the crazy switchbacks and lack of shoulder. In the wind and rain it is miserable.
I cannot imagine doing the same drive on a motorcycle or a bicycle. We did, however, see multiple people on motorcycles and bicycles. The bicyclists looked the most miserable pedalling like mad to drag all your clothes and camping gear over a mountain. We didn't see any bicyclists going down hill, but I imagine they changed from miserable to terrified as they careened down the switchbacks with water slicked brakes.
Cheticamp is a big town for Cape Breton. The main drag had a number of shops and restaurants. We ate at a traditional Acadian joint that doubled as a gift shop and a rug hooking museum. The food was good but did not make up for the wait.
On they way back to camp we stopped back at Eagle North for a weather check and to see if Cape North was a possibility for the next day. The forecast predicted that the rain would end over night and the winds would die down. Mike seemed pretty upbeat about our chances of doing the trip.
For dinner we drove over to Neil's Harbor to check out the Chowder House. H got a bowl of seafood chowder that earned rave reviews. The rest of us got fish and chips that were excellent. The fish was fresh and not too oily.
The day ended with a furious thunder storm. It was the rains final fury.

Whales!

2009-07-21T22:40:00.008-04:00

On the advice of Jen at Eagle North Kayaking, we decided that our second kayaking trip in Cape Breton would be out of Pleasant Bay. This is where most of the whale boats launch because whales are most common along the eastern shore of Cape Breton. Most of the tours guarantee that passengers will see a whale.
Jen's advice to us about finding whales was to follow the whale tour boats.

The books say, and Jen concurred, that there is a launch fee to use the ramp at Pleasant Bay. However, there is no obvious place to pay the fee and nobody tries too hard to collect it. We used the ramp and the parking lot without any trouble or any fee. Since Pleasant Bay is a working harbor, we were advised to make sure our cars were parked out of the way. The lot is very large and it was not an issue to park off to the side. Besides we are used to being deferential to power boaters at the ramps back home.

Five minutes out of the harbor H spotted two pods of whales. The pods were a good distance off shore, but we didn't care about being too far off shore. We wanted to paddle with whales.
A whale tour was heading toward the whales. Whale fever was in control.

We reached the whales just after the tour boat, but in plenty of time to see the whales. I took out my camera and started just pointing and clicking without really paying much attention to what the camera picked up. I wanted to enjoy watching the whales, and figured if I took enough pictures I'd get at least one good one.
The pod breached all around us for a good five minutes. On several occasions they surfaced within feet of a kayak. The whole experience was indescribable.
Once the pod began moving out to deeper water, we decided it was time to let them be. We had our fun. We all joked that we could just paddle back to Pleasant Bay, break camp, and head home. Our vacation was complete.
We did begin paddling toward shore, but not in the direction of Pleasant Bay. Instead we continued down the coast toward Fishing Cove. The coastline was rugged cliffs that offered few places to land even in calm conditions. The few beaches we saw were steep, shallow patches of round pebbles with dumping surf. Storm swells-really any swell over two or three feet-would make landing difficult and staying dry impossible. The waves would cover the beaches and wash a camper out.
We did stop for lunch on the best beach we could find before Fishing Cove. It was deeper than the rest and sheltered slightly by some shallow rocks that broke up the surf. Still you could see that the sea frequently pounded the rocks. They were carved into round inverse wave patterns. One piece of granite had a perfect wave pattern etched into it's side where a harder white vein of rock held fast.
After lunch we headed a little further towards Fishing Cove. H was concerned that we might get back too late to discuss our Cape North trip with Mike at Eagle North if we continued, but the rest of us wanted to go around the next headland to see if we could find Fishing Cove.
Surprisingly enough, our navigation skills using a terrible map were spot on. Fishing Cove was just around the next headland. Fishing Cove is a tiny protected hamlet tucked into a notch among the mountains. You can either hike in from the Cabot Trail or kayak in from either Pleasant Bay or Cheticamp.
We didn't spend much time exploring the cove. H really wanted to get back. She did not want to get back to Eagle North, or camp, too late and it was already five in the afternoon. We had at least an hours return paddle and a thirty minute drive back to Eagle North.
We hightailed it back to Pleasant Bay. I think our average speed was close to four MPH.
Sadly, when we got to Eagle North Mike told us that the forecast for the next day called for high winds and rain. The trip around Cape North would have to wait at least one more day.

The Coastal Trail

2009-07-20T22:01:00.003-04:00

On our second day in Cape Breton the group decided to hike. After much discussion we settled on doing the Coastal Trail. It is a 7km hike along the coast near Neil's Harbor. It also offers what looked like a few interesting side trips.
Getting to the trail turned into a mini adventure. The trail head is on the Cabot Trail, so it was easy enough to find. As we were donning our boots, I noticed a big hole in H's kayak. The rear hatch cover had blown off between the campground and the trail head. After a brief, but intense, moment of panic, we retraced our route. Fortunately, the cover was sitting in the road a few km away. BH ran into the road, and retrieved it.
With H's kayak back in one piece, we hit the trail. It starts off easy and leads down to a sandy beach. After the beach, however, it becomes more challenging. There is a section through woods that is steep. This is followed by a stretch along the shore that is broken up by round stone beaches.
The views along the shore are beautiful. The beaches are great for strengthening ankles and balance. The ocean has ground the rocks until they are rounded. Crossing the beaches are like an obstacle course out of ABC's Wipeout.
After the hike we found a local swimming hole a short distance from the trail head. Across from the actual trail head a path leads into the woods along a stream. A 100 meters up the path the stream runs through a rocky area and forms several big pools. We took advantage of this to cool down before driving back to camp.

Testing the Waters

2009-07-19T21:45:00.005-04:00

Sunday morning we started scoping out paddle locations.
The campground owners told us about a put in adjacent to the campground that provided access to the Aspy River and Middle Harbor. The put in was a little rough and the road access was questionable. If we had a real 4x4 truck we could easily manage. With the Forester and the Box we'd be asking for a tow.
Our second stop was Eagle North Kayaking. Jen, the propriatress, gave us a few charts and enough information about the area to get in trouble. Eagle North also has a nice put in along South Harbor.
We decided that paddling out of Eagle North, through South Harbor, and along the coast heading north was a good first day outing. The probability of trouble was low. The entire trip is along sandy, surf-free beaches and ends at a waterfall. The only tricky part of the paddle was getting from the harbor to the ocean. The barrier beach is cut by a narrow, constantly shifting channel that is often choked with sand.
South Harbor was flat and uninteresting. We found the outlet without much trouble. There was a little surf, but nothing to worry about.
We paddled north along the beach at a slow pace and checked out the shore. There was a long beach that was split by a good sized cliff. After South Harbor was Middle Harbor, and then Dingwall Harbor.
Along the way we spotted a storm cloud of gannets flow out from the cliffs. They started circling about a half mile off shore. Suddenly a number of the birds fell out of the sky like darts. From our vantage it looked like a rain storm of gannets. The view was made even more spectacular by the a angle of the sun. It hit the diving birds such that their wings shimmered as they fell into the water.
We decided to lunch in Dingwall, so we slipped into the harbor through the stone breach way. We found a nice sandy beach and set up camp. H was starting to get a headache so she wanted to rest a bit. CC and BH hopped the causeway to look for sea glass. I started to get antsy.
Eventually, I roused H and convinced her to explore Dingwall with me. There is not much to see in Dingwall. It is a small fishing harbor lined with rundown buildings.
After out brief tour of Dingwall, we regrouped and headed home. Getting back into South Harbor was a little more tricky than getting out. The surf was still small, but it was pushy. CC found the narrow path through the surf. H got caught by a wave and was pushed into the beach. She did a great job riding the wave in and just carried over the beach.
Once back in South Harbor we were back on flat water. The paddle back to the put in was uneventful.
Back at Eagle North we talked to the Jen's husband, Mike, about doing a day tour around Cape North-the roughest portion of the coast. He was game to do it later in the week.

Late Night Dinning in Cape Breton

2009-07-18T22:24:00.002-04:00

It was 7:30 before CC and BH had there tents set up and were ready to eat dinner. We were all hungry, but unwilling to drive very far. This meant that the larger towns like Neil's Harbor and Igonish were not an option.
The first place we saw was Angie's place. It was a small hole in the wall, but the menu looked fine. I was ready to grab a seat when H told me we were leaving. BH noticed that a number of people had that desperately waiting for food look.
So we set off down the road to Dingwall. We came across the Celtic Lodge pizza place but decided against stopping. Celtic and pizza don't sound like a good combination. Dingwall also has a nice fried fish and ice cream shack that is open late. The desolate parking lot where the shack sits scared us a little bit.
Eventually we ended up back at Angie's. It is the only place open past nine in the Dingwall area. As it turned out the food was pretty good and the service was fairly prompt. It would be decent even if it wasn't the only game in town.

Driving to Cape Breton

2009-07-18T07:08:00.002-04:00

When planning our vacation to Cape Breton, we figured that could do the drive in two moderate days. H planned on leaving at 9am Friday morning. We'd arrive at our first stop, the Stuart House B&B near Amherst Nova Scotia early in the evening. Saturday we'd have a leisurly six hour drive to Hideaway Campground near Dingwall. If all went according to plan we'd be set up in time for an early dinner.
Friday morning we got on the road around 10am. We were moving slow and everything was difficult. The bike rack was uncooperative. The last minute items were well hidden and multiplied like rabbits.
We had to make a planned stop in Portsmouth, NH to return a bike bag. We figured that we'd make a "quick" stop at Kittery Trading Post because it was right up the road. The return went smoothly. The Kittery Trading Post stop was, as expected, not quick. I couldn't decide on which dry bag to buy. I was distracted by the shiny helmets. I couldn't find the Five Fingers. H looked for knives. She also started a quest for brown, dressy, casual sandles that didn't look too gramma'ish.
After escaping the Trading Post we went in search of a transmitter to make the iPod play through the car stereo (We took H's car on this trip because Egg 2.0 cannot support a trunk-mount bike rack). This search lead us to a Clarke's outlet (yes no connection but there are brown sandals!). We also made a stop a Brookstone. Neither stop produced any results. We left Kittery with two new dry bags and a stainless steel water bottle, but without an iPod adapter or sandles.
By now it was after noon and we'd traveled about an hour and a half....
H declared that there would be no more stops-not even at L. L. Bean to look for Five Fingers or a camp stove. We did pretty well until Portland. I had to make a relief stop. We found a Subway that happened to be near a Radio Shack and a hardware store. While I relieved myself H went to the Radio Shack and secured us iPod integration. Then we stopped at the hardware store to look at knives, or scissors, to replace H's kayaking knife. The hardware store was a bust.
Finally, we were on the road to stay. It was pretty smooth sailing. H only triple checked the GPS directions a few times. Traffic was light.
The ease on this leg could not make up for the lost time earlier in the day. We didn't get to the border crossing at Calias Maine until 6pm. We called the B&B to tell them we'd be later than expected but not too late. Then we waited in line to cross the border for 40 minutes. Then we hit heavy fog. H drove through pretty heavy fog until St. John's.
We stopped to grab food and regroup at a McDonalds in St. John's. Our new plan was to call the B&B and cancel our reservations if the fog held. We could find a motel along the way.
The man at the B&B was very nice. He suggested that we drive to Moncton before we made up our minds. There were plenty of places to stay in Moncton and it was about half way between St. Johns and Amherst.
Ten minutes out of St. Johns the fog cleared. We cruised to Moncton where we called the B&B. We told them that we were still coming and that we would be there in about an hour. It was 9:30, so we didn't feel too bad about keeping the inn keeper up until 10:30...
I don't know why but I asked H if we had changed time zones. She was pretty sure that we hadn't. I was pretty sure we had. So she checked the cell phone to see what time the cell network thought it was. The cell phone said it was 10:30. The time zone changes at the border. Now we felt like jack asses. Not only were keeping the inn keeper up until almost midnight, we were too stupid to know it until it was too late. There was no way we were going to call a fourth time and make matters even worse.
Fortunately the drive from Moncton was uneventful. We did get caught in a random police check point on a desolate country road, but that was it.
When we arrived at Stuart House the inn keepers were very nice. They were used to Americans. Another family from MA had arrived just a half hour before us after a day of sightseeing.
The inn was lovely. Our room was large and quaint. The bed was a little soft and the shower was a little whimpy. The breakfast, however, made up for everything. The muffins, rolls, and farmer's breakfast were divine.
Our drive from Stuart House to Cape Breton was uneventful, but longer than anticipated. We stopped at Heather Beach to get a picture of H with the sign. We also took an unexpected little ferry ride at Englishtown.
The GPS said to turn left when the only thing to the left was water. At the last minute a small road appeared. At the bottom was a small ferry that shuttled cars across a 100 yard wide channel.
We arrived at Hideaway Campground around 5:30pm. We got two nice tent sites with spectacular views of South Aspy Pond.

H and the Currents

2009-07-11T23:54:00.004-04:00

We finally got H to play in the currents. She wanted to go on one more paddle before our trip to Cape Breton and the only option was to join TM, PB, BH, and I on the Westport River. RS also joined us. It was your typical Westport paddle. Before lunch we played in the rocks just south of the river while we waited for the current to build. After lunch we played.
The race was not as active as in the past, but it was good enough for some fun rides. H slowly poked her bow into the race a few times. She caught a few rides and looked good doing it. She is more skilled than she believes.

SUP

2009-07-10T23:53:00.003-04:00

H and I, along with TM & CC, took stand up paddling lessons at Osprey Sea Kayak. It was a load of fun. The instructor, Mike Simpson, kept things fun and informative. In no time at all H and CC were walking all over the boards and doing pivot turns. I was the only person to take a swim. The first time I walked too far forward and flipped. The second time was a pivot turn gone bad.
Stand up paddling is fun and I could see it as an alternative to kayaking if you've only got an hour after work to enjoy the water. It will never replace kayaking on the ocean.

Just Crazy Enough

2009-07-02T23:21:00.000-04:00

Home life has been stressful the past few weeks, so a sunny long weekend was a gift from heaven. There was going to be kayaking. Oh there was going to be kayaking...
The only scheduled paddle was in upper Narragansett Bay which didn't really interest me, but it would have done in a pinch. Fortunately, BH was also looking for a little more action than the upper Bay would offer. His idea was to take advantage of the big tides and the constriction at the Quonny Pond breech way.
BH tried to enlist TM, PB, and myself. TM needed to get day care support. I was hoping to get H on the water and wasn't sure which day she would be up for it. PB wanted to do some cycling on the best cycle-day of the weekend. TM was able to secure a few hours of grandparent support. H planned to visit with a friend on Saturday. PB decided the day was perfect for cycling.
Saturday morning the three of us showed up to test our mettle. I was forgoing the mighty stick for my scoopy Kinetic Touring blades to battle the big water.
Things looked pretty calm in the pond, but we knew the real action was at the mouth of the breech way. The water rushing out of the breech into the incoming waves would make for action...
When we rounded the corner we met some flat water. There were a few bumps and some little swirlies. It was enough to make the hull bounce and rock. It made turning a little difficult. It was enough.
We decided to move down the shore and see what other trouble we could find. There were rocks to dodge a and small waves to ride.
Along one beach we found some very nice surf waves. The wave were just a few feet tall, had long breaks, and collapsed well before the beach. Perfect for a few early season, cold water rides.
So we could tell stories of mayhem later, I "volunteered" to be a train wreck. After surfing into the beach, I made a graceful turn into an oncoming wave. The wave was no problem, but it left me sitting parallel to the beach and the surf... The second wave hit me an as I braced, my paddle snapped. I was upside down with a paddle in each hand. Fortunately, the water was shallow and I managed to get myself upright and side surf into the beach.
I spent the rest of the day using H's Kinetic S. It is a nice paddle. It doesn't have the same power as the full size Kinetic Touring, but more than enough to handle most conditions. Compared to the mighty stick it is a club.
The rest of the day was pleasant. We bopped around the coast playing when the opportunity arose and otherwise just enjoying the feeling of being on the ocean. We quickly realized (or was it rationalized) that the mild conditions were perfect for an early season outing. There will be plenty of time later in the season for mayhem in big water.
Back at the put-in, we did (mostly) successful rolls. I blew one, but completed several others including a picture perfect off-side roll. Not bad for being out of practice and using a new paddle....

A Weird Day

2009-06-28T23:45:00.004-04:00

A long level 4 paddle is never an endeavor to be taken lightly. Doing a level 4 paddle after three days of training is a recipe for trouble.
Despite the good reasons for not doing a paddle from the Bay Campus to the Narrow River, I decided I would do it anyway. I felt pretty good despite spending the three previous days paddling. I wanted to try out my new strokes with the mighty stick. The weather was perfect.
I showed up to find a much larger group than I expected. I knew it was going to be interesting. BH, RB, and PB showed up looking to play in some rocks. TM wanted to paddle. JS wanted to fish. The other TM wanted to try out his new stick. I just wanted to spend some time on the water and not get hurt.
Things started off great. The water was lively, but not not dangerous. It was enough to play in the rocks and feel like you were living on the edge. Occasionally, there was a stray big wave that carried the potential for mayhem. Early on, PB found himself perched on a rock.
About three quarters of the way down Bonnet Bluffs, a group of us slipped out of a rock slot and got bunched up along a row of low sitting rocks that was hit with a fairly regular four foot breaking wave. I was stuck on the inside and just as the group started breaking up, the wave made an appearance. I had no forward momentum to carry me down the wave and away from the rock wall. Instead, I braced on the wave and rode it into the rocks. Along the way my bow made a loud bang as it danced over the rocks. The wave left me trapped between the incoming swell and the rocky shore. I tried to back out, but got turned breach to the swells. Once I was breach, I was stuck. I tried to get the Q-Boat turned, but it was hopeless.
I got out of the kayak and pushed it out the the waiting pack of rescue kayaks. Then I swam out to them. BH hooked my kayak to a tow to keep it from washing back into the rocks. RC tried to tow me out to my kayak, but he couldn't make any headway. So, I tried to swim to my kayak. In the mean time, BH and my kayak had been blown pretty far down wind. Once it was obvious that I could not catch up to my kayak, BH paddled back with it. Once reunited with my kayak, I was able to get back in pretty quick.
Since I had been in the water for awhile and the Q-Boat was potentially damaged, we decided to stop in Bonnet Cove before continuing on to Narrow River. I rested while CM and BH inspect the Q-Boat's bow. The keel strip was broken in several places and several large patches of gel coat was missing. CM tried to patch it up with some putty to keep it from leaking. The general consensus was that the hull was fine and it wouldn't leak. It was just gel coat.
The paddle from Bonnet Cove to Narrow river was uneventful. PB, RB, and BH played in the rocks along the shore. I stayed clear hoping to avoid any more damage to the Q-Boat. I sensed that the crash was fates way of warning me not to push my luck.
At the Narrow River entrance we rested for a bit. The weather was perfect for some beach lounging. Sadly, I felt a colonic imperative. The nearest modern facility to fulfill the imperative was a 30 minute, or better, walk down the beach and the rest of the group didn't want to wait that long. TM suggested that I sneak into the private beach club just up the beach. I tired, but could not find a proper facility and was quickly identified as an outsider. Left with the options of using the river or my cockpit, I opted for the river. Nature would flush things down river properly....
I was hoping that the paddle back would be uneventful. The mornings activities and the three days of training were catching up to me. My mojo, which was already wobbly, neared instability.
The first sign of trouble was JS blowing a whistle, loudly, for no apparent reason. The group was a little spread out: TM was pretty far in front, PB was in along the shore, BH was rock hunting. However, compared to a normal RICKA paddle we were on top of each other.
Then we made a rest stop well before Bonnet Cove. I had no idea why we stopped. I was a little tired, but just tired enough to want to get home before my tank ran dry. Nobody else in the group seemed distressed or tired. I assumed TM knew something I didn't and just went with the flow.
After the break, I moved to the front of the group and opened the throttle. My tolerance for trouble was nearing its end. I needed to take some space and burn off some of the funk settling over me.
By the time we got past Bonnet Bluffs, JS was way behind the rest of the pack. When I asked what was going on several people mentioned that he was throwing up. When I inquired if he was under tow, people responded that he was not. Two paddlers were keeping an eye on him....
This was not acceptable to me. For one thing he was slowing the group way down and people were getting tired. More importantly, a vomiting paddler is an excellent candidate for drowning in the cockpit. I don't know many people whose balance is not thrown off by nausea.
I paddle out to JS, TM, and RC to get the tow set up and get someone stabilizing JS. By the time I got out them, TM and RC had taken the initiative to hook up a tow. I asked RC to go back and raft with JS and I hooked into to TM's bow to assist in the tow. Two kayaks tow faster than one. Just for fun BH joined the tow also.
Before long, we were at the Endeavor's dock and in sight of the Bay Campus beach. Someone decided it was a good idea to disconnect the tow before we passed the dock, so JS paddled in under his own power.
While any day on the water is better than a day at the office, some days on the water are not as good as days spent sipping coffee in a comfy chair with a good book. Today was one of those days. I was glad I paddled, but just as glad to stop.

PS I turns out that the Q-Boat did suffer some structural damage. I pulled the damaged part of the keep strip up and discovered that the gel coat was cracked for a solid two feet along the bow. Carl Ladd took a look at it and showed me where the glass was cracked. He fixed it up in about a week for a decent price. She looks almost as good as new. I like having a few scars on the hull. It looks "extreme"....

BCU 3 Star Training

2009-06-27T22:59:00.011-04:00

I know I've said that chasing BCU stars is a little silly for recreational paddlers, but the BCU training framework is world class. The recent revisions to make the 3 star and 4 star training focused on journeying and leadership make it even better for the sorts of paddling I enjoy.
When I heard Osprey Sea Kayak Adventures was offering the new 3 star training with Steve Maynard, I decided to take it. TM was also taking the course. I figured it would be fun and educational.
To make things even more fun I decided to take the course without the mighty stick. I figured Steve was more familiar coaching paddlers with Euro blades and I wanted to get as much out him as possible. I can do the translation between my lollipop and the mighty stick.
The first day of the course we headed out of the Westport Town boat ramp. The current was running pretty strong up river when we launched and they would be running pretty strong down river on the return trip. We were hoping that they would offer us some fun at the mouth of the river before we paddled back.
The first thing we did was play in the eddies created by the three rocks just before the bridge. Like well trained paddlers we picked good angles to enter the eddy, leaned downstream when the boat started to turn, and pulled in behind the rock with a little correcting stroke. Once we were all safely in the eddy behind the first rock the teaching started. Steve wanted us to stop with the bracing and slowing down as we crossed the eddy line. Instead we needed to keep paddling forward and use the eddy lines to navigate the kayak. The forward stroke provides enough lift to keep a paddler upright and the eddy is going to push the kayak around regardless. Instead of trying to overcome the eddy, he wanted us to plan our routes such that the eddies would do most, if not all, of the work in turning the kayaks. He had some great saying about this, which I have completely forgotten.
When I tried doing as told, tentatively at first, I discovered that when you plan properly it is actually much easier to get from point to point. The correcting strokes and bracing take a lot of work that is not needed. Of course, when I miss read the eddy or the amount of speed needed to get the desired turning, things did not go as smoothly. I got pushed over a rock at least once because I didn't pick the right angle to cross the line.
After playing in the currents for a bit, we paddled down river towards the mouth. The paddle was a chance to get some tips on forward strokes. The two most memorable tips were "no yo-yo hands" and the "circle of power."
Yo-yo hands is when your hands move up and down during your forward stroke. They are inefficient and creates an imbalance between the front and back of the shoulder muscles. The fix for yo-yo hands is to keep the top hand in a level horizontal plane as you rotate through the stroke. When the stoke is unwound, lift the bottom hand as the top hand moves down to plant the paddle for the next stroke. Lifting the bottom hand engages the rear part of the shoulder muscles and strengthens the muscles that stabilize the shoulders.
The circle of power describes the shape your arms make as you paddle. Your arms should be slightly bent and your hands should not go above the shoulders. This position is powerful, protects your shoulders, and helps keep your core engaged.
Steve also showed us how to optimize our forward power by sliding the paddle blade out to the sides while unwinding the stroke. Moving the paddle straight back starts the water moving. If the blade keeps moving backwards along the same vertical plane, it quickly goes from moving water to chasing the already moving water. By moving slightly to the side through the stroke, the paddle keeps moving water.
After lunch, Steve showed us a few control strokes that don't kill forward speed. Two of the strokes were pretty familiar: the bow rudder and the side draw. The third stroke was combination stern rudder and hanging draw. The paddle is placed in the stern rudder position, but the stroke draws the stern toward the paddle. The trick is to keep the pressure on the power face of the paddle so the water is pushed under the hull. Using the stroke allows you to steer the kayak from one side of the kayak. The only hitch is that it doesn't offer much in the way of support.
The rest of the afternoon was spent practicing in the little surf along the beach. One of the drills we did was to "kiss the beach." The trick is to get as far up the beach without getting stranded. It helps with kayak control. It also simulates a surf landing because you want to land as far up the beach as possible to minimize the chances of getting whacked by the surf when trying to get out the cockpit.
Day two saw us paddling out of Sakonnet Point in wispy fog. The fog was fine since the day was about navigation. Navigation and rocks. As we paddled down the river towards the lighthouse, the fog thickened up. We did some more navigation exercises using hand-held compasses and a topo map. The hand-held compasses are easier to use with a map to find locations and get bearings. According to Steve that deck compasses is just a pretty hood ornament. The deck compass is good for hold courses, but doesn't sit on a map very well.
The topo map was a fine alternative to a chart. It has sufficient details of the hazards just off the coast and has excellent detail of the land.
One of the rock games we played was hold position near the rock. Then we did swoop in and hook a tow onto the paddler near the rock and drag them away. I swooped in to pull TM out, hooked the tow line onto his kayak, and edged too hard on the turn out. I was under water next to a rock hooked to a tow line. I could see the rock through the bubbles and all thoughts of rolling fled. I pulled the loop. TM's bow was right there. If I had reached up, I could have grabbed it. Anyway, it was a good chance to practice a rescue.
We spent the rest of the day doing drills near the rocks and practicing navigation. It was a good day.
The two days was a good opportunity to practice and get pointers from a world class paddler. I look forward to practicing the strokes in my regular paddling.

Taking the BCU Foundation Safety and Rescue Training

2009-06-25T22:31:00.001-04:00

I know I've said that chasing stars is a fools errand, but the BCU training framework is one of the premier kayak instruction systems in the world. So when I heard that Osprey Sea Kayak Adventures had arranged for Steve Maynard to give three days of training, I jumped at the chance.
The first day was the Foundation Safety and Rescue Training. It is a basic safety course that covers rescues and towing in sheltered water. The group I paddle with regularly practices rescues and towing, but they are skills that can never be too familiar. When a paddler really needs the skills they should be automatic. They are also skills that can benefit from constant refinement and added options.
We started the day off with a couple of interesting boat handling drills. Steve had us arrange the kayaks in a star pattern with bows centered. He then had us move the star left and right. Then we exploded the star and brought it back together. Once we did this bows centered, we redid the exercise stern centered. The drill helped with both basic boat control and group paddling awareness.
We followed the boat control drill with t-rescues. The t-rescue is pretty basic: t the kayaks off, drain the capsized kayak, hold the victim's kayak while they climb into the cockpit.
Steve had a few refinements on the basics:

He does not approach the victim's kayak until the swimmer has flipped it onto its hull. This shows that the swimmer is able to communicate and is cooperative. A cooperative swimmer is far less likely to endanger the rescuer.

He has the swimmer hold onto either the cockpit of their kayak or just behind the cockpit of his kayak. The standard wisdom of having the swimmer help in lifting the bow of their kayak is outweighed by the danger to the swimmer. The stern of a kayak is pointy, hard, and bouncy in most rescue situations. It is harder for a swimmer to hold onto and likely to bonk them in the head.

A rescue should take about 30 seconds from start to finish. A minute is the upper limit.

One point he made very clear during the day was the identity of the most important person in a rescue: you. It doesn't matter what your role in the rescue is (swimmer, rescuer, bystander, etc.), you need to keep your own safety as a top priority. Rescuers shouldn't rush into dangerous situations. Swimmers should be active participants in the process. Bystanders should stay out of more trouble.
After rescues we worked on towing. It was pretty standard stuff. One thing that was repeated was that it is best to start a tow before it becomes necessary. The person being put into the tow should not be given the right of refusal. Steve also mentioned that it is often appropriate to tow a slow paddler if their lack of speed is becoming a drag on the group. There are times where speed equals safety. The longer a group is on the water, the more chances there are for trouble. It also means that everyone is burning through their energy reserves for a longer period of time.
In addition to towing single kayaks with a towline, we also practiced contact tows and towing rafts. In both of these cases it is important to keep the leading ends of the two kayaks in the raft close together. When using a tow line, one way to accomplish this is to run the tow line through the deck lines of both kayaks. (While "perfect form" is to lock the carabiner onto the "victim's" kayak, it is more important that both kayaks are locked into the tow.) When doing a contact tow, the best solution is to get the "victim" to lay across the tower's deck. This will push the ends of the kayaks together.
Steve didn't speak highly of the use of short lines for use in contact tows. It was just one more piece of gear to fiddle with.
After lunch, we reviewed what a kayak should have for safety gear:

Something to fix people.

Something to fix gear.

Something to communicate with others.

Something to locate yourself.

The first two can be covered using duct tape in a pinch. However, it is pretty easy to carry a basic first aid kit and a basic repair kit. One neat piece of gear that Steve carries is a large float bag with a long stem. He uses it to keep fully compromised compartments afloat. For example, if a kayaker lost a hatch (or punched a hole) in the front of their kayak, the float bag would allow them to keep paddling long enough to get to shore.
We then goofed around in open canoes for a little while. It was fun. The mechanics of open canoe rescue is similar to kayak rescues. The realities of doing it are completely different.
Once we stowed the canoes, we headed back out in our kayaks to practice scoop rescues, hand of god rescues, and Eskimo rescues.
For scoop rescues, Steve had us place the victim in the kayak so that they were laying face down on their stern deck instead of sitting upright in their cockpits. This does two things:

It makes it easier to right the kayak because the weight is closer to the deck.

It limits the chances of doing further injury in the case of a back or neck injury.

For hand of god rescues, Steve showed us that by applying a little pressure on the victim's hull, we can reduce the effort needed to get them righted.
For Eskimo rescues, Steve had us stop aiming for that perfect bow to hand shot. He had us approach the upturned kayak like it was a regular rescue. We could then slide the bow of our kayak into position along the length of the swimmer's kayak. If the swimmer missed the bow, we would quickly be in position to offer them the paddle shaft. It made getting there much quicker. Instead of a 12 inch target we had an 18 foot target.
Along with all of the hands on practice, we also talked about strategies for handling emergency situations. How do you decide who rafts up with an unstable paddler? When do you put someone into a tow? How do you handle a situation where a paddler is out of their kayak in surf or rocks? What are the signs of hypothermia? These are the little things that are big deals.
For rocks and surf, the answer is that in most cases it is best to have the swimmer push their kayak out of the rocks/surf and swim out to where a safe rescue can be done. Why put two kayaks in danger? Besides the rescuing kayak is often a bigger danger to the swimmer than the rocks and surf.

Outer West Passage

2009-06-07T22:38:00.002-04:00

The outer west passage of Narragansett Bay is one of my favorite places to paddle. We have a well worn route that we paddle several times a year. It offers a multitude of environments that can be experienced by beginners and enjoyed by experienced paddlers.
Today was the "official" outer west passage paddle for RIC/KA. It is the 2nd ocean paddle in TM's paddle series. It is the first paddle in the series to offer some open water.
The weather promised an easy, almost boring paddle. It was so nice I decided to leave the paddle jacket in the car. The wind was minimal, the water was calm, and the sun was warm.
Once on the water I realized that leaving the paddle jacket behind was not such a great idea. The temperature on the water was much cooler. The water is still in the 50s. If I found myself swimming, my polypro t-shirt wasn't going to offer much warmth. It was also a little windier on the water.
The first part of the paddle is along the Jamestown shore heading out to the mouth of the Bay. TM led most of the group well off shore to take advantage of the outgoing tidal current and avoid the rocks. A few of us, however, decided it was more fun to hug the shore. The sea was too calm to make the rocks challenging and the reverse current was negligible.
As we neared Beavertail, the swells got a little bigger and a lot choppier. Some of the newer paddlers starting getting a little unsettled, so TM decided to alter the route a little. We typically paddle out past Beavertail to the channel marker before making a turn towards Whale Rock. TM decided to make the turn at Beavertail and head straight to Whale Rock.
The crossing from Beavertail to Whale Rock is always interesting. The swells come in from the open ocean and get constricted as they enter the Bay. Today the swells were being chopped up by the light wind and the outgoing current. I enjoyed the bouncy ride because it was just enough to keep me awake. Others, however, were not so happy. I remember the first time I did the crossing - I was mildly terrified.
The fun didn't stop at Whale Rock. The section of the paddle between Whale Rock and lunch was all following seas. For me following seas equals free speed. For some of the other paddlers, following seas were unnerving. Following seas require that a paddler relinquish a little part of the illusion of control. The swells sneak up and push the kayak around. The swells can also give a paddler some nice rides.
After a nice lunch we paddled back to Bay Campus along the Bonnet Shore bluffs. The rocks along this section of the paddle can offer some nice playing when the swells are right. Today, however, the action was minimal. I did manage a near death moment. I was spotting a section of rocks for the other paddlers and a stray swell washed in and pushed my bow right into the rock. Luckily, the swell was big enough to wash me over the rock without a nick.
We all arrived back at the put in safely and having enjoyed ourselves. The taste of open water paddling has awakened the slumber desire for open water paddling. I'm looking forward to the more adventurous paddles coming up in the next few weeks.

Back in the Bay

2009-05-31T11:38:00.002-04:00

The Dutch Island paddle is always an easy way to get back onto some ocean water. It is a casual paddle that rarely offers any challenging conditions. Because of this it usually attracts a large crowd.
Life has been pretty stressful for H and I lately and I was hoping it would provide a good stress outlet for both of us. Unfortunately H couldn't paddle today. I, on the other hand, could.
There were 20+ kayaks on the trip. It was a nice mix of regulars and new comers.
The weather was great: light wind, sun, cold water. It was just cool enough to need a light paddle jacket. Once we started across to Dutch Island I thought "If I got wet, I'll want my drysuit." It was too nice to be wrapped in rubber.
The pre-lunch paddling was relaxing. The conditions were very tame and I took the opportunity to unwind. I focused on my strokes and the feel of the water. It was just what the doctor ordered.
After lunch, we headed back to the put-in. Around the Dutch Island lighthouse we got into some funky, refracting waves. I enjoyed the bouncy.
As we rounded the point, we spotted the fast ferry. It was sitting just off the island. The passengers were snapping pictures and waving. Then it zipped off across the Bay.
After the we got back to Bay Campus, H joined us for the post paddle coffee. We sat around on Java Maddness' deck and enjoyed coffee in the afternoon sun.

Safety Practice in the Rain

2009-05-21T22:27:00.002-04:00

On Sunday RIC/KA had its annual safety practice. I was desperate for some kayak time, so I was willing to risk rain.
Fortunately it wasn't too rainy. It was cold though. So nobody really wanted to swim which made rescued hard.
Instead of a safety practice we did a strokes and boat control practice. It was a nice substitute.
I needed the practice. My turns were off and my hips were sore for days afterwards.

One Speed Wonder

2009-05-04T21:32:00.004-04:00

Last year I finally got tired of the pounding my body was taking from my bicycle. I was commuting to work on an old Marin road bike. The aluminum frame sent every little bump straight through me. The Shimano Tiagra gearing needed constant fiddling to keep in tune. Too often I'd be peddling up a hill and the derailure would slip into a higher gear.
I wanted to get a steel cyclocross frame with Shimano 101 gearing an a carbon fork. I also wanted to keep the price around $1000.
It quickly became obvious that my desires and reality didn't mesh... The bikes I looked at were all closer to $1500. I saw a few that were closer to the right price, but they were just newer verions of what I already had. I was looking an upgrade.
When I thought all was lost I saw an '08 Redline cross bike for under a $1000. The only catch was that it was a strange thing called a single speed. After getting a brief explanation about single speeds from the sales guy, I decided to pass.
Shortly after passing on the Redline, I was talking to a coworker and said he commutes on a single speed. He was a total convert. A few days later the VP of engineering at my company, who is an avid biker, was raving about his new Masi Special single speed.
I decided I had to get more information and go on a few test rides. The Internet and Google delivered a cornucopia of information. The best site I found was Sheldon Brown's. It listed the pros and cons of single speed cycling realistically.
Finding single speeds to try out proved to be a little challenging. Despite the buzz growing around single speeds there are not a lot of suburban bike shops that carry them. Landry's on Rt. 9 in Natick had a few. One was a very inexpensive Swobo that was all steel. It was a nice ride, but the low quality of the steel scared me.
Belmont Wheelworks had several different models. I tested out the Redline 902, the Masi, the Specialized Langster, and the Specialized Tricross. The handle bars on the Redline were terrible; the Masi wasn't a good fit; the Langster was comfortable and well mannered; the Tricross comfortable but not so well mannered.
After waffling between the Langster and the Tricross for a few days I decided that the Tricross was a better match for what I wanted. I don't go off road a lot, but I do like to be able to hit a trail every now and then. The roads between my house and my office are also pretty crappy.
A year later I love my single speed! It took a few rides to adjust to the lack of gears. Now that I'm adjusted, I don't miss the gears. Peddling is more soothing without needing to think about shifting. The chain doesn't slip; the gears never skip. I never feel the need for speed. I also feel stronger in the saddle.
I don't mind the trade offs. In fact I sort of enjoy some of them.
The single speed will never sustain 19 mph. It cannot climb long steep hills. It cannot haul heavy loads. The gearing is just not right for any of these things.
I kept the multispeed bike, but I haven't ridden it once. I did a few 30 mile rides on the single speed and enjoyed it. I cannot see going back to the multispeed bike anytime soon.

A Quick Fix

2009-05-03T20:45:00.002-04:00

On the trip almost to Graves light I put a ding in the side of the Q-Boat that caused a leak. It was just a brush that knocked out a little gelcoat, but it was on a point in the chine where there was only a single layer of glassfibre and a thin layer of gelcoat. It is a spot of shoddy construction that reminds me that quality control is not one of the British virtues.
Needless to say I was not looking forward to paying for the repair, or for having the Q-Boat out of commission for a month or more. to fix it right would require pulling out all the gelcoat where the glassfibre was thin, laying in another layer of glass, and reapplying the gelcoat. I figured it would cost between $500 and a $1000.
Fortunately JS told me to just patch it with SolarRez. It doesn't need to be mixed and sets in the sunlight. According to JS, an idiot could use it seal a leak and that it should last for the rest of the season - at least.
I've never seen an easy repair I couldn't screw up. I have a hard time getting the squeeze tube gelcoat to cover up scratches. I'm still smarting from the Marine Tec debacle. Needless to say I was skittish about doing the repair work myself, but I figured if I screwed it up Carl could just fix it....
It turns out that the repair was as easy as JS said. It took two applications to seal the hole completely, but it was a piece of cake. Each layer dried in a few hours. The whole repair took a single day.
It isn't the prettiest repair. The SolarRez dries clear so it sticks out. It works though.
Now I just need to get the Q-Boat in the water to see if it is waterproof. As it turns out I could have waited a month or so to get the repair done.....

Eastern Horizons

2009-05-02T15:19:00.001-04:00

I'm not a big fan of long form kayaking movies. I find them to be little more than a bunch of shorts that show off exciting kayaking footage. I can only recall one film that had a real narrative thread.
I, however, have seen long kayaking movies that I've enjoyed. There was one about extreme white water kayakers that followed one group around the world for a season of BIG water. The "This is the Sea" series typically delivers as well. The segments are well done with either great action or a good story.
Friday evening we saw "Eastern Horizons". It is OK. The beginning and the end are good. Unfortunately, the middle doesn't deliver either action or story.
The movie opens in Newfoundland. The narrative and commentary is lackluster, but the scenery more than makes up for the lack of narrative. They kayak with icebergs and there are really nice shots of kayaking in fog.
The movie then jumps to Tybee island and the Outer Banks. The segments don't really offer a good flavor of the locations. There are too many scenes of flat water paddling and they often repeat the same footage. The commentary is bland. The few action scenes are too short and felt disconnected.
From North Carolina the movie jumps to New York City. This segment was better than the previous two, but it is still uneven. It is to choppy and the film doesn't spend enough time at any one thing. The scenes at the boathouse sparked my interest, but was cut short to launch into a story about circumnavigating Manhattan. That also promised to be interesting, but was also truncated.
From New York the movie jumped to the Bay of Fundy. (There was a brief interlude in Maine, but I honestly cannot remember a thing about it.) Once back in the northlands, the movie heats back up. The kayaking in the crazy tidal races is awesome to watch. The segment about kayaking in the tidal bore is also fantastic. The scenes with the whales makes for a nice ending.
Overall "Eastern Horizons" is middle of the road kayak movie fare.

Not Quite Ready for the Graves

2009-03-21T17:59:00.006-04:00

Early last week JS posted his interest in paddling in Boston Harbor and looking for interested parties. My first inclination was to jump at the opportunity, but then the whisper of reason murmured: you are a fat, out of shape, and not sleeping well. Its been six weeks since I'd been in a kayak. It's been nearly as long since I've used the cycle trainer. I've been playing some Wii Sports and Wii Ski Jump, but that is of dubious fitness value.
H and I also ran into a roadblock in our efforts at building a family and that triggered some non-ideal stress responses. My diet exploded. My sleeping withered.
JS has been paddling all winter and the outer islands in March is no place to be pushing the fitness envelope. So, I decided to stay dark and see how things shaped up. I figured if the weather was perfect and the group right, I'd go. If not, I'd wait for a less strenuous outing.
On Friday morning the forecast looked perfect: 50s, sunny, minimal wind, small seas. The group, however, was still just JS. Around 10am, PB e-mailed me saying he was going and wondering if I was also going. Things looked perfect. With some reservation, I said sure. H, sharing my concerns, told me to be the voice of reason...
I slept well Friday night. In Waltham the Saturday morning weather was as advertised: sunny, clear, and starting to warm. The traffic to Hull was light. I didn't get too lost driving out to Windmill Point.
Driving into Hull along Nantasket Beach I noticed that the surf was rocking. At the point, there was some wind and not enough heat. Still, things looked pretty good for a nice leisurely paddle.
JS' plan was to paddle out the Graves. On a warm day in the summer, padding out to the Graves is an ambitious plan. it is a five or six mile paddle into deep, unprotected, open water. Still, the forecast was perfect and the group was made up of skilled paddlers. So much for being the voice of reason or an easy paddle....
We started off like gangbusters. There was only moderate swell and the headwind was just enough to cool things off a bit. I began to feel the effort just a little, but it felt good. The muscles were warming up and starting to feel energized. The roll of the kayak balanced my spirit. I started feeling confident that getting to the Graves and back would be reasonable.
We made it about half way out before things started getting unreasonable. The seas went from one foot to four feet. BH asked if the light was getting farther away.
JS checked with us to see if the plan was still OK. The alternative was to divert to Green island. Everyone agreed that we should continue to the Graves. I mentioned my concerns about paddling back from the Graves in big following seas and being pooped, but also agreed that we should continue to the Graves. I was feeling good and believed that I could make it back without issue.
After another half mile of big swells and increasing wind, the whisper of reason found its voice. I was no longer sure about the wisdom of the plan. There is no place to rest at the Graves and no safe harbor in case of emergency.
Since it was an all or nothing plan, the group turned towards Green Island for lunch. Turning in four foot swells and paddling breach to the swells was interesting.
We enjoyed a long lunch on Green Island before deciding to head over and check out Shag Rocks. Lunch was so long I forgot my gloves on the beach. BH was kind enough to toss them out to me so I didn't have to land again. While putting on my gloves the little beach swell pushed the Q-Boat up against a little boulder. It made a crunch, but I shrugged it off. It takes more than a nudge into a small rock to do any serious damage to a sea kayak. It was nothing more that a gel coat ding.
We paddled out along Middle Brewster Island. The channel between Green Island and the Brewsters had calmed down a little. The swells had diminished to reasonable levels. There were some waves to be caught, but you had to look for them.
We rounded Middle Brewster and returned to the big swells. It was big enough to keep us interested, but hardly enough to make us worry.
The action around Shag Rock looked pretty, but no one was tempted to explore too closely. The cold waves pounded the rocks. Maybe in the summer....
Once around the rocks we headed home past Little Brewster Island and Boston Harbor Light. The wind was at out backs and the current was with in our favor. We made good time, but I was feeling tired. I was looking forward to stopping and stretching my legs.
Back at the put in we carried the kayaks up the beach to the rocks and enjoyed being done. PB and BH took the opportunity to lay back for a little bit. I popped the day hatch open to get my keys and discovered the lunch bag floating in several inches of water.... I grabbed the bag holding my wallet, keys, and phone from the bottom of the hatch. I didn't notice the stream of water that leaked out as I pulled it from the water. When I opened it to get my keys, I panicked a little. Everything was wet even my keys... Fortunately the lock fob was not shorted out and the doors unlocked with a reassuring beep. Once the car was open I turned my attention to the phone. So far I'd suffered from a double failure. The phone is in its own Otterbox waterproof casing inside the dry bag, and it had held. The phone was fine.
At first I thought the day hatch leaked because I hadn't sealed it properly. Once the Q-Boat was on top of the Egg, I spotted the real leak. There was a chunk of gel coat missing along the chine. I popped the day hatch open so BH (I'm too short) could inspect the inside to see if the glass was damaged. From the inside it looked fine, so it was back to the unsealed hatch idea. When I put the hatch back, however, we could see air bubbles pushing out past the gel coat crack... The gel coat was covering a section of the hull where the fiberglass is very thin and not entirely water proof.
Despite the minor damage to the Q-Boat and the hassle of drying out my wallet, I was glad to get on the water. It was tiring and little strenuous than was prudent for a paddle, but it felt great. My sense of balance was strengthened. My spirit energized. Hopefully, the weeks to come will offer many more days on the water.

Circling Peddocks

2009-02-09T22:18:00.001-05:00

Last week H suggested that I try to muster interest in a Hingham Harbor paddle. She figured we could invite people over to our house for a post paddle gathering. It sounded like a great idea so I posted the paddle.
PB quickly expressed interest. As week wore on I hoped to see more people show some interest. Hingham isn't THAT long a drive from Providence. Maybe the windy forecast made people shy. The forecast called for 15knt to 20knt winds.
On Friday the only responses to my post was PB and a post attempting to stir up interest in an "exciting" paddle in one of the usual haunts.
Between the windy forecast and the lack of interest, I considered canceling. I checked with PB and he was still up for paddling. So the paddle was on.
Saturday morning started off rough. This was the first time I needed to put the roof rack on Egg 2.0. They came off in jiffy and I imagined they would go on just as easily. The rear rack did pop right on. I popped the covers off the mount points, popped the rack on, and fastened the bolts. The front rack was a different bag of poo. The bolts decided to be intransigent. They didn't line up with the mount points. It took much fishing around to get the bolts to catch.
After battling with the bolts, I was late getting on the road. My quick stop at McDonalds to grab coffee turned into waiting in a Russian bread line. Then my iPod started acting up...
PB called me at 9:40 and I figured he was calling to give me crap for being late. Nope. He was calling to tell me that Hingham Harbor was packed with ice. He said he would investigate alternative put in before I arrived.
When I finally got to the put in I saw for myself what PB meant by full of ice. The whole harbor was covered in a thick sheet of ice. Close to shore the ice was covered in white. A little further out it looked like there might be water. Close inspection revealed that it was just ice not covered in snow.
We decided to move the put in to Windmill Point in Hull. That beach is rarely iced in.
The wind made getting into the drysuits and ready to launch. PB said he'd be lying if didn't admit that "what are we thinking?" didn't cross his mind. I was actively banishing that very thought from my mind.
Once we actually got on the water, things turned around. The wind seemed to diminish. The activity warmed us up.
We paddled around Peddocks Island. On the first leg the island blocked much of the wind.
Things got a little interesting at the tip of the island. The wind and the shoal kicked up some waves.
Along the outside of the island the wind was at our backs. The sun also made a brief appearence.
When we rounded the top of the Peddocks the wind made itself known. It hit us in the face and made paddling tricky. We also had to contend with Hull Gut flooding out of the harbor. If we were smart paddlers we might have scouted the situation out and planned a proper ferry angle. Instead we just pointed our bows toward the put in and fought our way forward. PB made excellent head way. I, on the other hand, struggled. I couldn't quite get the skeg adjusted to counter the wind and resorted to corrective strokes. Each time I corrected the current wiped out my forward momentum. Once I got past the tip if the point I struggled to make the turn into the beach. With some agressive edging I made the turn and landed.
Getting back into street clothes was much easier. The temp had gotten into the 40s.
The struggles made this relaxing paddle even better. It turned out to be a great day.

Winter Ennui

2009-01-31T13:36:00.000-05:00

The cold coupled with the weekend storms multiplied by outside commitments is leaching strength from my core. The result is a feeling of basic blah. Finding the motivation to excercise is work. Even feeling guilty about the creeping weight gain brought about by sloth is hard.
The good thing is that this is just the common winter condition. Soon the days will get longer and warmer. The opportunities for getting the kayak on the water or getting the bike on the road will become regular.
I suppose the winter malaise could be avoided by moving to a warmer climate. Perversely I kind of like the few weeks of blah. It is a nice reminder of the joy. It makes Spring, Summer, and Fall better. Without the blah, the fun would become common.

Goals for 09

2009-01-17T16:16:00.001-05:00

Instead of making resolutions that I would already feel guilty about not keeping I resolved to make goals for the year instead. Goals give me things to work on improving but create less suffering. They are long term and don't require absolute fidelity. I strive to achieve them instead of giving up (and feeling bad about it) the first time I break the resolution.
My kayaking goals for the coming year are pretty modest. I want to develop a reliable toward finishing role, take at least one advanced training course, paddle once a week (practice for a few hours at Walden Pond counts), and do at least one really advanced (level 5+) trip. I'd also like to simply become more fluid, but that is an ongoing challenge. It is also too nebulous to be a goal.
Along with my paddling goals, I also have some other activity related goals. I want to lose 15 pounds and keep it off. I also want cycle to work three times a week during the months between May and October. To get fit enough to cycle to work I want to use my cycle trainer at least three times a week until May.
I'm not what anyone considers "career oriented", so my work goals are simple: stay employed and produce quality content.
On the relationship front I don't have any specific goals. I do want to continue growing as a good partner to H. Since it is hard to predict the path that a marriage takes I don't think I can accurately say that what "growing" means.
I would also like to stay in touch with old friends, but I know myself well enough to know I'm unlikely to succeed. I'm more of an in the moment sort of person. Life moves too fast for me to always be looking back. Hopefully, Facebook can help out with this goal. Automation is a great thing.
One more goal: get better organized with all of the things I need to do. There were too many times this past year when I had so many things to do that I couldn't even find a starting point. There were also too many things that fell through the cracks because I simply forgot about them.
That is more than enough goals. Any more and I forget them...

Best Paddle of 2008

2009-01-09T07:52:00.000-05:00

It is impossible to pick a definitive "best paddle" for a given year. Each one is a different experience and it is rare that I don't enjoy being on the water. However, there are a few that standout.
I think the effort to pick one paddle out of the mix is worthwhile. It helps me identify what I find most enjoyable when paddling. In the heat of the moment I'm likely to think that surfing or rolling or spotting wildlife is "the" thing I want most out of paddling. When blogging about a paddle a few hours, or a few days, after returning to dry land, I'm still likely to miss the forest for the trees. Some little thing like the traffic getting to and from the beach or a single highly charged incident on the water is still distorting the picture.
To pick one paddle from the bunch I review all the trips in order. Reading each blog conjures a richer experience than the words on the page. My memory fills in the gaps with images and emotions. There are times when I want to rewrite the blog entry to match my recreated experience of a paddle. Patterns begin to emerge as well. The little annoyances melt away. Threads between experiences emerge. The adrenaline rush of surfing becomes a recollection of spending a lot of time and effort for a few short rides. An interminable slog becomes the small price paid to explore an awesome coastline or play in interesting rock clumps. The short lunch on the beach becomes valuable time with friends and interesting conversations.
So what is my favorite paddle of the year? The Canadian trip was spectacular and, as a whole, was probably my favorite kayaking experience of the year. However, none of the individual paddles stood out. The Rough Water symposium was a highlight because it was a challenging learning experience. However, it was lacking a number of my paddling pals. The rock gardening with Greg Paquin was also a challenging learning experience.
The two paddles that really stuck out for me this year were the winter paddle in Boston Harbor and the mid-week paddle at the Westport River. The Boston Harbor paddle was simply a good day. The weather was nice, we didn't push too hard, and the conversations were interesting. It was a great start to the year. The Westport River paddle was a full day. There was bad traffic, a bit of slogging, a wrecked kayak, and some excellent current paddling.
Of the two the Westport paddle wins by a hair.
I like the relaxing aspects of kayaking, but I also like the challenge of paddling. Perhaps the two are different edges of the same sword. I like to say that kayaking is my Zen. One part is calm reflection and the other is learning to hold the calm center in a tumult.

Historical Sites & Retail Haven

2008-12-29T15:10:00.001-05:00

H and I are in St. Augustine to enjoy the historical sites.
We started off at the light station which has been turned into a museum. The big attraction is the 164' lighthouse. Climbing to the top is an adventure in itself for those of us who have a fear of falling. There are 219 narow metal mesh stairs that spiral to the top that are crowded with comers and goers. The view from the top is worth it. You can see for 20 miles.
After the lighthouse we went to the Castillo. It is the oldest mortar fort in the continental US. The walls are made from conquina which is a type of limestone formed from millions of tiny shells. The US park service provides a self-guided tour of the fort. We also saw them fire one of the small cannons. It only has a range of a mile and a half. The big cannons have a range of three miles.
After the fort we headed over to historic St. George street. Despite knowing better, I hoped that it would be a living museum set up showing the town as it was in the days of the Spaniards. It is a living museum, but not one that is frozen in time. The buildings have all been preserved and there are plenty of ways to get the history of the place, but there are no actors. Instead St. George street is a thriving commercial area. There are a lot of shops and eateries. Some are tourist traps, but most are nice. While the insane purist on me wants to keep the history free of shallow comercialism, the realist in me knows that sometimes the best way to preserve history is to allow it to change with the times.

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Group Dynamics

2008-12-29T15:08:00.000-05:00

On the long drive to FL I started catching up on my backlog of "This American Life" podcasts.
One episode was about people who ruin it for the rest of us. The intro was about a study that proved that there are three personality types that can poison a group. They are so infectious that they erode any group they encounter. The types are: jerks, slackers, and depressives.
The intro also talked about studies that prove that a group is only as strong as its weakest link. An amazingly strong group member can not make up for an amazingly weak one.

Two Lanes?

2008-12-27T22:15:00.001-05:00

Why is the major north/south highway on the east coast only two lanes through the Carolinas? Today seems to be the day that all the Northeasterners who are too cheap to fly to Disney (H and I included) decided to clog 95 south. We were joined by all the Floridians returning from Christmas visiting. The result was a six hour drive through SC.
SC may have some beautiful places, but the 95 corridor is not one of them. It is flat and homogenous. It is the kind of landscape you want to fly through at 80.
Today the drive was a lot like bad sex. You zoom, then slow to crawl, then zoom, then suddenly stop, then zoom... And so it goes without such as a glimmer of eventual release.
Then there was Santee, a foggy oasis of fast food and crap. The perfect way to break the fun.
Thank god for Georgia's three lane high way!

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Two Guys Grill

2008-12-27T14:22:00.000-05:00

Today's leg of the Journey started off well. The roads were clear and traffic moved swiftly. Then somewhere in NC we hit a massive traffic jam. In over an hour we moved about 3 miles.
Lunch brightened the day we stopped at Two Guys Grille in Lumberton, NC. I got the southwest chicken salad and it was sublime. The Cajun spiced chicken had just enough kick to clear the sinuses and the cheese was just enough to balance it all out. H got a salad 'freddie' style. It was topped with the innards of a hoogie. It was a little greasy, but not too cheesy.
It gives me hope that the next 400 miles will fly by.

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"Flying" to Florida

2008-12-26T23:26:00.000-05:00

H was feeling a little guilty about never visiting my Mom in FL, so we decided that Christmas would be a great time to go. It is also the most expensive time to visit. The cheapest flight and car rental combo H could find cost $1000 and had terrible flight times. Joking, I said we should drive...
So now we are in a Days Inn just outside of Petersburg, VA after a very long day of driving.
One bright spot on the trip (other than getting to spend time with H) was an Itallian resturant named Giuseppe's Pizza in Ruther Glen, VA. The food was simple, cheap, and good. The atmospher was casual. It really hit the spot after 10 hours of traffic.
One other thing that made the drive go by was a Christmas present. H's Dad gave me a Griffin AutoPilot so I can play my iPod through my stereo and keep the iPod charged. Egg 2.0 has an auxilary input, so the audio plays crytal clear. The AutoPilot pulls the audio signal from the dock connector which means there is no messing around with trying to align the volumes.
From the technology incompetence file: We tried to get the GPS to plot the route to my Mom's house while zooming down the Garden State Parkway at 70, but it would just lock up. This was very upsetting because it has been a trusty piece of gear until this point. Eventually we stopped at Dick Clark's American Bandstand for lunch. (It was as bad as the name implies.) While waiting for lunch we decide to give the GPS a chance to redeem itself. After an eternity of calculating it finally pops up with a route. H checked the route over, decided the thing is busted, and hands it to me to check out. The route takes us off of the highway and down a series of back roads.... The last time I had used the GPS was on the bicycle... The GPS was working just fine. I was impressed that it managed to figure out a bike route from NJ to FL. Once I set the GPS to route for a car it spit out excellent directions.

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