Blog Archive -- 3-22-06:
Much as I am endeared to composite sea kayaks, I
recognize that polyethylene kayaks fill a useful niche -- and a polyethylene
kayak is my boat of choice at times. I've been using a poly VCP Avocet
to run local rivers for the past 5 years. While a great sea kayak, the
Avocet -- maneuverable, rockered, durable -- adapts quite well to the
river. This year I'm paddling the Riot
Brittany which at 16.5' x 21.75 is
slightly longer and narrower than the Avocet. This combined a deeper
bow and stern (and less rocker) seems to make the Brittany significantly
faster, which is important on the flatwater sections of local rivers.
The Brittany turns readily when put on edge and appears to be able
to handle Class I and Class II whitewater just fine. (I'll get back
to you later on Class III).
Overall the Brittany is a very nice boat, fun to paddle and fast. It includes
outfitting details such as a adjustable thigh braces, rescue outrigger system,
interior gear net, paddle hook and security bar in addition to details present
on boats like the Avocet. The one thing I would change about the Brittany at
this point is the high backrest. I'll be looking into how I can modify the backrest
or replace it with a back band.
(Disclaimer: I am a new dealer of Riot Kayaks this spring.)
2-18-06:
A visitor to touringkayaks.com asked
whether the Q700 kayak would be a suitable fit for him, given the fact that
he has a bad knee. I hedged in my response, asking for more information. In
general, though, paddling can be a great activity for those whose knees may
limit their ability to participate in sports such as hiking, bicycling, running,
etc:
"Once you are seated in the boat with your knees under the deck, it is not necessary
to use your knees a great deal. But that also depends on the type of paddling
you are doing and the conditions you paddle in. Edging a kayak and rolling both
involve using the knees. Paddling in rough conditions is also likely to demand
use of the knees to help stabilize the boat. On the other hand, paddling in flatwater
places little demand on the knees.
My overall answer is that I think kayaking can be an excellent
activity for those with knee problems. I have worked with handicapped paddlers including amputees
and have seen them do very well paddling conventional kayaks without any modifications.
A recent discussion on paddling.net has more views on this subject: http://www.paddling.net/message/showThread.html?
2-15-06:
I've been reading and thinking about bears (Timothy
Treadwell, Among
Grizzlies and the film, Grizzly Man). The prospect of travelling
and camping in bear country should definitely give one pause. Many
point out that guns and bear spray often give false security. An article
at Backpackinglight mentions
that for some bears, at least, spray can be highly effective in warding
them off. The article also mentions concerns that bear problems will
only get worse: "California wilderness parks make for good case studies
of controversial bear management practices. The storage of food in
so-called bear-proof containers (while the hiker is encouraged to
sit back 50 yards or more and be patient) trains bears to be persistent
and further habituated to the odors of human food."
1-11-06:
One of my resolutions for 2006 it to post here more regularly. I thought
I'd start out by posting some links to sites with kayaking desktop
wallpaper, but was surprised when my Google search didn't turn up
much to my liking. (Please send links if you know of any. Two links
that did turn up: Kayaking desktop wallpaper at Paddling.net and
Kayaking screensavers at Outdoorplay.com
Enough to inspire me to offer a wallpaper of my own:
Click to open a
1034 x 768 copy of the image. Then you can right click on the image
and either "copy" and "paste" into your own files, or select "set
as wallpaper."
3-29-05:
The 2005 Maine canoe and kayak racing season began today with
the traditional opener, a 6-mile
race down a section of the St. George River from Searsmont.
Despite the big snow year , the river was "bony" with
river bottom rocks looking like multicolored easter eggs (lots of
Old Town red and green) by the end of the day. The lack of rain
and the relatively cool spring temps (days in the lower 40's, nights
in the 20's) have kept the river levels low. The big water may be
still to come! For the remaining race schedule, see the Mackro website.
During my own run I alternated between feeling grateful for being on the river
at all -- having broken my left wrist 8 weeks ago -- and feeling frustrated
that I wasn't stronger and faster. By the last couple miles of the
course I had a sense that my boat was pulling strongly to the left -- as if
the hull were badly warped. More likely my left arm was simply so pooched out
by that point that it took 2 strokes with the left to equal one with the right.
The bottom line: I paddled a polyethylene VCP Avocet over the 6.5 mile course
in 51:43, well off the winning time, good enough for 5th in the K-1 Long class.
3-24-05:
I've been distracted this week by a proposal in the Maine legislature
to require a $10.00 registration fee for
all non-motorized watercraft. The proposal
now seems dead in the water due to substantial uproar from
paddlers near and far.
"What is it about this proposal that has gotten under my skin?" I've been asking
myself. I stayed up late 2 nights exchanging emails with other MASKGI (Maine
Association of Sea Kayak Guides and Instructors) members and typing rather cutting
emails to local representatives and senators. Part of it, I think, is that for
me -- and for many others apparently -- kayaking represents the opposite of the
world that has anything to do with regulation, registration, government,or financial
responsiblity. Kayaking is about getting away from all that. Something in me
recoils at the thought of mixing the two: don't put any red tape betweeen me
and my kayak!
Although the $10.00 fee may seem small in the eyes of some, the registration
is a symbolic intrusion upon a very fundamental recreational activity that
has never been taxed before and still is not taxed in most other states. If
you tax environmentally and socially benign activities such as canoeing and
kayaking, it becomes a slippery slope toward taxing other activities -- camping,
hiking, swimming, cross country skiing, mountain biking, birdwatching, and
so on. I can't see the logic of taxing one of these activities unless you tax
all of them. And the idea of paying a fee in order to step into my kayak and
paddle it out into Penobscot Bay is just as repugnant to me as the idea of
paying a fee in order to pull on a pair of boots and hike off into the woods
behind my house. See the thread
I started on Paddling.net for more views.
3-17-05:
Vatican's
vaults holds surprising Canadian Artifact (see News
Stories right) Yesterday it was reported that a rare Inuit-style kayak
from the Canadian western arctic as well as other Canadian artifacts
have been "re-discovered" in a storage area several levels
beneath the Sistine Chapel. Canadian officials are hopeful that the
kayak and artifacts can be loaned out to be put on exhibit. If it
were any closer to the end of March, I'd double check to see that
it wasn't April 1st. Kind of confirms everything I feel -- that it
should be a kayak that would be kept deep at the physical core of one
of the world's powerful religions. (Upon this kayak, I build my church!)
I always felt kayaking brought me closer to the sacred. Now I know
why.
3-15-05:
Maybe it's just me but it seems like suddenly I'm aware of a number of kayak
shops and small manufacturers that are closing their doors -- or have done so
within the last few months. Country Canoeist (NH), Great River Outfitters (sold
and moved to RI), Raven Works Kayaks (PA), Norcan Kayaks (Quebec), Noyo Pacific
Outfitters (CA), Mariner Kayaks (WA), and Baidarka Boats (AK) all have owners
who are moving on -- with GRO the only one that looks to be remaining open under
new ownership.
What other shops are closing? Any new shops opening? Is there a trend? And, if
so, what might be the reasons for it?" I posted the above on Paddling.net and
received 13
responses . Big box stores, the economy, mismanagement, and the de-evolution
of the sport toward mass-produced cheap plastic "blub" boats were cited as reasons
for the slow disappearance of small independent kayak shops.
Some mentioned that in at least some cases shop owners had decided to make lifestyle
changes and move on -- something they are certainly entitled to do. But if a
business is economically viable, it gets bought by someone else who keeps the
doors open. Unfortunately, this doesn't seem to be what is happening.
3-14-05:
An
opportunity to test yourself against other paddlers without taking
home a tacky t-shirt is offered by Mountain Wayfarer's virtual
kayak race. The virtual race invites you to post your (GPS or other measured
time) over a 5 or 10 mile course online and see how it compares with others who
have done the same thing. About 40 paddlers posted times in the 2004 race. The "winning" time
from last year was posted by Mark Webber of Sag Harbor, NY who cruised a 5
mile course in 43:39 inside a wooden Struer K1.
3-13-05:
Kayak Lake Mead is another
small outfitter whose website is a bigtime resource
for paddlers, and
not just for those heading to the Lake Mead Area for paddling. Included
are articles on the forward stroke, kayaking in high winds, and a unique
take on re-entry after wet exit. Check it out!
Many of the most information-rich web sites are those of smaller outfitters.
Likely because an extensive web site is a significant financial investment
for the larger outfitters, while smaller outfitters take the do-it-yourself
approach and invest their own time rather than money.
Just for fun: Kayak
Diving. (Kids, don't try this at home.)
3-12-05:
| GoMOOS Buoy F - W. Penobscot
Bay |
 |
Last update: 03/12 8:00 PM EST
Wind: NNE at 12.8 knots
Wind gust: 15.5 knots
Wave height: 5.5 ft Period: 8.0 sec
Air temp: 31° F (-0.3° C)
Visibility: 1.6 nm (1.8 miles, 3.0 km)
Atmospheric pressure: NA |
More snow for Maine and the Northeast. Five snowdays and counting
for local schools. More than 24 inches on the ground. At least 16
inches have fallen this week alone. It's all good -- I smile to think
how the local rivers will be running in a few weeks (or months). St.
George River Race is slated
for Saturday, two weeks from today. Meanwhile out on the bay, water
temperatures are at 33
degrees, which is exactly what they were in March of last year. (Checked
the archives.)
Still another
kayaking death in the news, this one resulting from
a paddler being thrown from a tandem kayak in rough surf and sustaining
a blow to his head. Are there more kayaking deaths this year? Are
they being reported more widely? Or am I simply more aware of them?
Perhaps I'll take a closer look at the OutdoorEd.
article on risk management I
unearthed recently.
3-1-05:
A nightmare scenario unfolded
for a teacher and a group of young people who were paddling in the
Gulf of Mexico near the mouth of Suwannee River on
Saturday (see "Georgia teens" article right). As a teacher
and outdoor trip leader who regularly takes groups of young people
on trips, I found this story struck particularly close to home.
Hindsight shows the group was ill-equipped (some of them were paddling
open deck canoes rather than kayaks, no VHF radio, no wetsuits despite
58 degree water temperatures, inadequate lights for night paddling),
and ill-informed (they
ventured out into the Gulf despite the small craft advisory and
2-4 foot seas. The trip leader was apparently an experienced guide
who perhaps had gained false confidence because he had led groups
of young people on the same trip several times before.
2-24-05:
Kayaking news nationwide has included several capsize incidents and
a death in recent weeks. Which all serves to give the impression (to
the uninitiated at least) that venturing out on the water in a kayak
is an unduly risky enterprise. There is a positive purpose for such
articles -- besides selling newspapers, I suppose. That positive purpose
is to give the rest of us a bit of pause, a bit of caution. Better
than wire service reports on disasters and mishaps, however, is reading
accounts of accidents and near accidents -- and the lessons learned
from them -- such as those in the book
Sea
Kayaker's Deep Trouble: True Stories and Their Lessons from Sea Kayaker
Magazine by Matt Broze and George Gronseth.
2-21-05:
I subscribe to at least four paddling magazines -- but sometimes
wonder why, as it seems that I have less and less time to read them,and
that more and more technique, gear, and destination articles are
available online. Some of my favorite
online resources include Sea
Kayaker Magazine, Wavelength
Paddling Magazine, and Sea
Paddler Magazine, and the New
South Wales Sea Kayak Club Magazine.
2-20-05:
An interesting discussion
kayaks, colors, and visibility on Paddling.net this
week. I tend to side with the get-visibility-with-your-paddle-and-pfd
crowd. Choosing a bright colored paddle and pfd allows you to choose
a kayak color that you genuinely like rather than being stuck with
yellow or lime green. On the other hand, for those paddlers for whom
visibility is of concern, I would recommend avoiding dark blue, black,
and dark green. A kayak with a yellow hull will have good visibility
if overturned in a sea of whitecaps. However, any hull color but white
will shows scratches more readliy than a white hull will.
2-15-05:
Sustained a "nondisplaced fracture of the radius" (the forearm
bone leading to the wrist) while playing indoor soccer 2 weeks ago
-- and suddenly my spring kayaking season is in jeopardy. I look out
at the bay with increased longing -- and the experience will be all
the more sweet on that fine day when I do get back out on the water.
Hardcore paddler that I am, I've been trying to keep as fit as possible
despite having my arm in a cast (first two weeks) and now a splint.
I've continued going to the gym, working my good arm and my legs mostly.
Rowed 1500 meters on the rowing machine last night -- but am still
severely challenged by the prospect of fastening a button, opening
a bottle of juice, or zipping up a coat.
1-20-05:
A friend passed along a link to
a brief video (plays on Windows Media Player etc.) of a rather sobering kayak - whale encounter.
As he recommended, you may want to sit down first. In the video, an
orca leaps and then comes down close enough to a kayaker to capsize the
kayak and draw in down beneath the surface. A couple of seconds later,
the kayak resurfaces, hull up, and the kayaker methodically completes
an eskimo roll. Before you swear off ever again going out on the water,
however, you might check out the discussion at http://www.dslreports.com/forum/remark,12262481~mode=flat~days=10~start=20 and
at http://www.paddling.net/message/showThread.html?fid=advice&tid=276056#276164 Apparently
there is some debate over whether the video is authentic.
Still on the subject of things to be paranoid about, a New Zealand
website relates a story of a kayak fisherman who is repeatedly
attacked by a shark, even after he has cut his longline
and thrown his bait overboard.
1-16-05:
During the couple of months, before the paddling season begins in
earnest, I'll use this space, among other things, to highlight some
links to favorite sites and lesser known sites related to kayaking.
I'll start with a link to a business close to home: Straz
Kayaks of
Kittery, Maine is a small-business focused on design and fabrication
of whitewater kayaks and repair and reconditioning of composite sea
kayaks.
1-11-05:
| GoMOOS Buoy F - W. Penobscot
Bay |
|
Last update: 01/11 9:00 PM EST
Wind: NNE at 6.3 knots
Wind gust: 8.4 knots
Wave height: 0.5 ft Period: 2.1 sec
Air temp: 26° F (-3.3° C)
Visibility: 1.6 nm (1.8 miles, 3.0 km)
Atmospheric pressure: 1029.08 mb
|
A mild winter thus far in the northeast -- with temps yet to plunge
below zero for any significant length of time. Penobcot Bay water
temps. are at 38 degrees F.
1-10-05:
NC Kayaks has a new kayak, the NC
11 "Squirt" -- a notable
addition to the market because it is a kayak designed
for children (165 lbs. max load) which is unusual especially in that it has a fiberglass
layup. The LT version weighs only 21 lbs. And yes, NC seems to
get it -- smaller paddlers do better with a smaller beam. The
beam of the Squirt is just 20 inches. 8-17-04:
Photo below: surf on ledges off Flake Island, near South Addision
Maine:
Click here for more "Best of 2004" Photos from Water Walker
7-12-04
| GoMOOS Buoy F - W. Penobscot Bay |
|
Last update: 07/12 9:00 PM EDT
Wind: SSW at 7.4 knots
Wind gust: 8.3 knots
Wave height: 0.5 ft Period: 2.3 sec
Air temp: 58° F (14.7° C)
Visibility: 1.6 nm (1.8 miles, 2.9 km) |
Penobscot
Bay water temperatures are up to 59 degrees. I would be
interested to know how these temperatures compare to those at
this point last year. But no data on GoMoos to make that comparision.
Wondering, as are a lot of people, if this spell of cool rainy
weather (which looks to last at least one more week at a minimum)
will end before summer does.
6-11-04:
Considerably more paddling than Waterlines entries of late
-- good thing. Musing a bit today on my pronouncement while teaching
the forward stroke that while it is the most basic stroke it is
also the most difficult. The statement is perhaps only half true.
Almost everyone, however unschooled, can pick up a paddle and do
some manner of forward stroke. The field begins to thin a bit when
we look for those who can do a forward stroke well.
The pet peeve of many kayak instructors (myself included) is
that so many paddlers use a pinwheeling low-angle stroke that is
almost all arm and no torso. Useful articles on the forward stroke
include those by featured in a Sea
Kayaker Magazine article on the
topic.
5-26-04:
Another day of rain -- the fifth in a row, with the only recent
glimpse of sun coming late Sunday afternoon.
Built some kayak
racks for storing kayaks along a wall of our barn
recently. The racks are make of 3/4 inch plywood cut to shape with
jigsaw and screwed to the wall. Got the idea for these racks from
the Chesapeake
Light Craft website. I definitely have some finish work to do
if I want my racks to look as nice as those in the CLC photos.
5-23-04:
Apparently the sport of Extreme
Ironing (see article right) has a sea kayaking division
as can be seen in the following photo.
If anyone can explain any of this for the benefit of the rest of
us, please write.
5-15-04:
Paddled an Olympic-type K-1 kayak for the first time recently. Borrowed
an all-carbon Simon
River Sports Laser from the local SRS rep. and took it for
a spin on a windy Pitcher Pond. Having come from a sea kayaking
background this is what I noticed: (1) extremely light at 27 lbs.
Makes even a 45 pound kevlar sea kayak seem a beast by comparison.
(2) Tippy! The Laser has a max beam of 20.25 inches but a portion
of that is above waterline and aft of the cockpit (works well
as reserve stability). (3) Large and long cockpit does not provide
for thigh bracing = heightened sense of tippiness. (4) Fast!
To the extent I could forget about the above, I could notice the
efficiency of this boat at speeds of 6- 7 mph, a speed at which
most sea kayaks are draining every bit of effort from your muscles,
this boat seems to slide along smoothly.
5-13-04:
| Buoy F - W. Penobscot Bay |
|
Last update: 05/13 9:00 PM EDT
Wind: ESE at 5.3 knots
Wind gust: 6.3 knots
Wave height: 1.4 ft Period: 5.3 sec
Air temp: 44° F (6.6° C)
Visibility: 1.6 nm (1.8 miles, 3.0 km)
|
The bay has a different tonality to it now. All the
moorings have been put back out and the sunlight is more intense.
But it's more than that.
It's how the light hangs out over the water -- and colors it differently.
I felt those differences yesterday as I paddled Belfast harbor,
having eschewed my wetsuit for the first time this year. Revelled
in the sensations of salt spray and the sea air in contact with
naked skin. Winter paddling is pretty good, but -- I'm reminded
-- this is what it is to be fully alive.
Penobscot Bay water temps have made great gains in the past couple
of weeks, and soared to 49 degrees yesterday (one meter depth).
5-01-04:
Paddled through a typical Penobscot Bay chop (wind from the south at 12 - 15
knots, chop and swells to 2 feet) out of Saturday Cove to Ram, Seal, and Flat
Islands yesterday. Checked out the eagle's nest (occupied the last 2 years) on
Ram, which was empty. Sighted a group of seals lounging on the ledges north of
Ram. (They eyed me but stayed on the ledges). Then swung south past Seal Island
to Flat Island where I realized I was just 100 feet away from a
bald eagle perched on a large shoreline rock. As I drew closer,
I noticed sea gull feathers scattered around it on the rock. Still, the eagle
held its ground. I was now just 30 feet away and the eagle was not backing off.
At this point, I wondered if the the eagle was injured or sick -- and thought
I should investigate. (If it was injured, I could report it to Fish & Wildlife). I got out of my kayak and stood up. As
I took a few steps toward the eagle, paddle in hand, it gave me a last "ugly
look" and then swooped up off the gull carcass and moved on down the beach.
The adult sea gull carcass had been pretty much picked clean, but apparently
the eagle was still reluctant to surrender it.
Most studies seem
to indicate that fish make up the bulk of the bald eagle's
diet. However, one
study shows that for eagles in coastal nests, 73% of the eagles diet is made
up of gulls, ducks, crows, and other birds -- most of that predation being
on the young. Eagles also indirectly prey on coastal birds by stealing their
food.
4-25-04:
| Buoy F - W. Penobscot Bay |
|
Last update: 04/25 9:00 AM EDT
Wind: N at 16.0 knots
Wind gust: 19.2 knots
Wave height: 1.8 ft Period: 2.9 sec
Air temp: 32° F (0.0° C)
Visibility: 1.6 nm (1.8 miles, 3.0 km)
|
Western Penobscot
Bay water temps (one meter depth) climbed above
40 degrees F for the first time this year on April 20. It's a long
climb from here -- with any luck, we'll top out about 20 degrees higher
sometime in August.
545 miles down, 3655 miles to Go: Three
weeks into a 6-month 4,200
mile circumnavigation of the British Isles, Sean
Morley reports his spirits are high. He reports that the highlight
of his journey thus far was day spent circumnavigating the Isles
of Scilly. To complete the trip on time, Morley needs to average 23 miles
a day for 182 days.
For those of you who might consider making the trip north to the Kenduskeag
River Race next spring, race results are now up at http://www.onperfect.com/~loon/kscr/raceresults04.htm I
had begun scheming about getting a racing boat and competing in the K-1
Long category next year -- and now I find (in the newly released results) that
I was 19 seconds off the record for K-1 Recreational. (I guess I shouldn't
have paused to take that last drink of gatorade!)
Maybe I'll have to race
in the Rec category one more year so I can go after that record.
Waterlines Archives:
December 2003
January 1 - 15, 2004
January 16 - 31, 2004
February 1 - 15, 2004
February 17 - 29, 2004
March 2004
April 2004
Ray Wirth lives a mile from the water in Belfast,
Maine with his 2 daughters and Rugby the paddling dog. He is owner
of Water Walker Sea Kayaks and also teaches English at a local public
high school. Please write him with comments, questions, or suggestions. |
Kayaking in the News
Croatia
blocks Aussie kayak crossing
The Age, Australia - Mar 14, 2006
Shane Braddock, 34, whose mother is Croatian, planned to kayak across
300 km of the Adriatic from Split in Croatia to Pescara in Italy with fellow
adventurer ...
|
Man
plans kayak trip to save salmon
The Casper Star Tribune, WY - Mar 15, 2006
... In a Salmon to Sea Awareness trip, he'll kayak 900
miles on the Salmon, Snake and Columbia river systems in August and September,
retracing an ancient salmon ...
|
Kayak adventurer
takes on sharks
Queensland Sunday Mail, Australia - Mar 18, 2006
... getting organised," he said. The kayak is
fitted with 93 pieces of equipment including a TV, folding table and chair.
Battling seas of ... |
Paddler
found clinging to overturned kayak
Sydney Morning Herald, Australia - Feb 8, 2006
... The man was found clinging to his overturned kayak about
1km east of Lion Island in Broken Bay at 2.05pm (AEDT) by a Palm Beach
lifesaver on a jet-ski.
|
Man
dies after kayaking in high surf off
Monterey Bay
San Jose Mercury News, USA - 19 hours ago
... A 55-year-old man who was found dead floating in the
waters of Monterey Bay Monday morning most likely succumbed to nature's elements
while kayaking in high ...
Body Washes
Ashore In Pacific Grove KSBW Channel.com
Up
the creek with kayak and paddle
Cranbourne News, Australia - Jan. 11
By Sarah Schwager. Jarad Kohlar on the Murray River as he paddles ahead
to take out the Open Kayak Solo. CRANBOURNE kayak paddler ...
|
Jackson Kayak Site
Increases Tenfold
OUTDOORNEWSWIRE, WA - Jan 10, 2006
... 9th, 2006—One sure sign of success is the need to
move into a larger building, and so it was that in the first few days of
2006, Jackson Kayak moved its ...
|
Sri
Lanka By Kayak : Update
OUTDOORNEWSWIRE, WA - Jan 10, 2006
by Matt Milloy. I have been busy making new plans with Wade Campbell, the
Director of Borderlands - a Sri Lankan and Nepalese Adventure Travel Company. ...
|
New
Way to See the Galapagos: by Kayak !
About - News & Issues, NY - Jan 8, 2006
Galápagos Unbound (NY Times - registration required) features a
trip report of "a small group of guides, naturalists and reporters on a
weeklong "exploratory ... |
|
-News from Google.
|
|
