Another DVD has arrived:

Rolling With Sticks DVD and mannual have arrived, and I have had time to watch some of it. What follows are my initial impressions in no particular order:
1. It is a good quality DVD
2. It is a bit monotonous:
    over 2 dozen rolls are covered
    each is shown and voice overed with the same technique
    no one (as far as I've watched) makes eye contact with me. I gather the off camera voice belongs to the roller.
3. The underwater views are excellent. Not just under the water but way under the water looking up.
4. Most demos are in a pool which, at first, I found a little distracting but quickly ignored as I watched the roller.
5. As the DVD clearly states: This is not a means to learn your first roll. One needs to come to this presentation with a set of skill and understanding of hip snap, etc..
6. Little is addressed toward trouble shooting.
7. The student is advised to watch the tip of the paddle (stick). I am not sure this is good advise as it often leads to the shoulder on that side dipping and the paddler sinking. Looking at Father Sky might serve one better.

Over all, a worthwhile addition to the many others out there. It will be interesting to see how volume 2 evolves.

Paddle safe...
DS

We have a winner here...

This is the Roll with Cheri Pery and Turner Wilson is spot on and one of the best pieces of such work I've seen. There is the usual good photography, etc.; but there is more to this DVD that makes it such a success.
1. It basically only covers 3 rolls and does so well without trying to teach too much.
2. The authors are excellent at their craft and (I can tell you from having met them) fine folks who love to teach.
3. Nothing is assumed. Each step and its reason is explained in a most logical sequence.
4. The trouble shooting section is an instructor's dream come true, especially with the use of split screens to show the error next to the proper way.
I cannot recommend it enough. See you (and hopefully them) at QAJAQ camp)

Paddle safe...
DS

Complete...

 Just a pile of well cut boards and pieces, it is now a beautiful kayak. I worked overtime using fast hardener (okay, one neighbor did help out) and built the boat in record time. Off to paddle. pictures to follow.

Paddle safe...
DS

And now, hopefully, for some magic...

 I can sew the tiniest artery together with stitching that would make Betsy Ross proud; but give me a tool box and I might turn anything into a disaster. Fear aside, I drove up to Superior Kayaks last week to pick up one of Mark's kits (He being one of the finest crafstmen I have ever observed).

It is home and I must now build a working table and find the time to put it all together. I have done one stitch and glue (Arctic Tern) with fairly decent results. Hopefully, my fiberglassing will be better this time around.

Paddle safe...
DS

Safe at Home...

The trip has ended safely, and I have photos, laundry and photos to sort through. This one will never be in an art gallery, but it will remind me of my first launch on salt water. More to follow as I catch up.

Paddle safe...
DS

Waves 2: Us 0

It is was blowing 20-25 knots we went back to the beach area to play in the short surf. First, I took a spiller on my beam,, about shoulder high, with a low brace and boogie-boarded onto the beach. There, the kind water bashed me a few times as I straightened myself for a surf launch. I never got out of the cockpit. So far, so so. I launched and saw the very same wave coming at me, and it spilled on my fore deck. I was about to tuck to go over in shallow water when my paddle touched bottom. I cheated and pushed up. The next two sets broke in front of me, but e speared through no worse for the experience with a gritty feeling under my clothes. Then Sherri caught a wave.

She rode it and rode it and rode it and Sherri is on the beach. She was not as lucky as she landed in a spot where the waves hunt you down and try to destroy your boat. She got out to get all the sand out; and a  wave tried to break her legs with her boat. She moved down the beach a bit and relaunched.

Now I am sitting with the delicious memory of the experience as lightening strikes around my tent.

Paddle safe...
DS

The Ocean and 
My Mother's Chicken Soup....

It may not  be a big deal to some, but I and my Cetus MV experienced salt water for the first time down here in Alabama. And, as I paddled into the Gulf for the first time, I couldn't help but think of Mom's soup and how it differed from the ocean. You see, Mom's soup always needed salt.

Nevertheless, we are enjoying 80 degree days and bathtub warm water while camping near the inter coastal waterway. Not much else to say except that I am loving it. Nailed my first 3 rolls in salt water, and that can't be bad.

Paddle safe...
DS

A lot harder than med school...

Okay: med school was four long years and just the begining of an arduous task, but I was younger then and more of my brain cells were alive. Now, with old age creeping into every joint of my body and hyaline plaques forming on my brain, I am faced with the most difficult intellectual task I've known. Nothing, to me, is more challenging.

I can work out the blood gasses in cases of mixed acidosis and thread a catheter into a coronary artery with little or no effort. This is different. You see, I have never really trained for what faces me. Oh, I have done it before, but let's just say I got away with a so-so level of performance. In fact it was often the acts of others that made it all work in the end. But this is my fate, my destiny...my personal challenge; and I am readying myself to do it all on Friday.

That is the day I have to figure out what to take and how to get it into my car for a paddling trip.

Paddle safe...
DS

Alabama bound...
Any of you on the coast down there have any suggestions for launch sites, areas of interest, etc.? Coming down next week.

Paddle safe...
DS

Now we know:
According to a facebook report relayed from the police, the young man who drowned while kayaking had on a pfd but
no immersion clothing
no real history of taking lessons
no float plan

He was no expert. He was unprepared. A senseless death that will probably make impressions on the public who know little of our sport.

Paddle safe,
DS

Another Tragedy...
I have been at Canoecopia all weekend (posts to follow) and bunked with JB. We woke this morning to the news that a kayaker in his mid 20's had died on Lake Michigan just off Port Washington (15 miles north of Milwaukee). He was described as an "experienced paddler who went out 2-3 times a week". His kayak was never found. There was no information on what he was wearing. Later today, a rumor floated that he was an instructor.

As we learn more, perhaps we will come to understand how this young man lost his love doing the very thing we love so much. Perhaps he had a medical condition. Perhaps he fell in without proper clothing (lake temps are probably < 35F) and succumbed to hypothermia. We just don't know. We do know that he went out alone on a windy day with waves reportedly being up to 5 feet.

Until we get the details, let's remember the inherent danger of our sport and prepare properly. I don't want to lose anyone I know or someone I don't know to the water.

Paddle safe...
DS

It's different alone....

I'd say I do the majority of my paddling alone. It's how I get my exercise while enjoying a sport I have come to love. Whether going out for an hour or a multi-day trip, I always take the same gear (first aid, radio, etc.). I do so to develop habits so I won't forget something when it really counts. When alone, I tend to take slow, short paddles and practice strokes, braces and the like a lot. This morning Ken joined me for a 32 degree (F) paddle on Lake Michigan. The offshore wind gusted to about 15 when we crossed the bay. Ken was interested in photographing the snowy owl I had captured (see previous blogs) and wanted to paddle over to Lake Shore State Park.

(Ken caught this shot of me today)

Ken is younger and better looking and paddles at a nice clip so, what the heck, I just paddled faster than usual...for two hours. We never saw the owl, but we did see a bob cat on the rocks at the state park. Ken went right up to it before getting out his camera. In fact, he got unbelievably close when his boat thumped against the rocks and the cat decided to walk away. No picture of a bob cat. On the other hand, I did some paddling that was a bit more aggressive than I do alone. I didn't practice strokes, but I got a nice work out. It was a good day on the water.

Paddle safe...
DS

Working with newbies...

...can be interesting.

Paddle safe...
DS

Practice, practice, practice...

In the old joke, that's how the cab driver answer's the musician's question, "How do I get to Carnegie Hall?" It's pretty much the same with paddling. New comers, anxious to have the perfect forward stroke and bomb-proof roll, often ask how to achieve these worthy goals. We all know the answers.

First: BIB: Butt in the boat. You have to spend time paddling, even if in circles or out and back to the same place over and over. With repetition comes muscle memory as we travel the path from a, not knowing and not knowing we don't know to b, knowing we don't know to c, consciously capable to d, unconsciously capable at a skill. Even then, it is easy to slip back a level when there are long periods between paddles. The idea here is to be able to unconsciously and quickly execute that brace, edge or roll in conditions when it really matters.

So good paddlers (at least the ones I know) often start their time on the water just going through the strokes and basics; and they do it in conditions when ever the opportunity is there. The question now is, what can you do on a moments notice? Are you sure? Do you know what you don't know?

Paddle safe...
DS

Hands...

They are tough to keep warm. Let me say that another way. It was hard for me to find something that will keep my hands warm and allow me to use them in a meaningful way (such as putting the skirt on the rim). A while ago I posted about a poorly made (in my judgement) NRS glove. It's stitching fell apart early in its life. This is the other side of the NRS coin.

 I use their mittens for really cold weather. They are neoprene and the only thing that keeps my hands warm. Problem is, I have to remove them to get the skirt on the boat, and my hands freeze. Lately, with temps above freezing, I have worn their fingered Titanium glove with Reeds long glove coverings. I can get on the skirt with the gloves on, then add the Reeds and go paddling.

Both the fingered gloves and mittens now come with a snug cuff that really works. One, however (according to the folks at Rutabaga), has to be careful not to pull the glove off by the fingers lest one tears the cuff from the glove. I  presume and use the same precaution with the mittens. Good stuff.

Now, give NRS a hand.

Paddle safe...
DS

50+ years ago...

...that I took my first Judo lesson. It was a sport I loved and taught over the years and in many cities as I moved about. During the war I took my R&R in Japan so I could visit the Kodokan. Over a decade ago a severed nerve to my left keg took me out of the game. The upside was that it led to my discovering sea kayaking which has become a major part of my life. Anyway...

My old co instructor and I substituted tonight for the current instructor who had to be away. I could do a lot of things, and some moves were not possible. In the end, however, I was able to teach and experience the joy of seeing some of the advanced students get it and improve before my eyes. Teaching is teaching, and teaching is what I (still) do.

Paddle safe...
DS

3rd rarest photo in the world...

I have had a list of rare images I have hoped to capture and was down to the last 3 when I went out to paddle in the snow. Now, I have only 2 to go as I have a picture of Milwaukee paddler and forensic scientist Alan Friedman paddling in winter.

Now, where can I find a Yeti and Loch Ness Monster?

Paddle safe...
DS

Time travel is possible...
I know, I did it tonight.

I am usually in bed and asleep by now, but I am still processing what I have just experienced. If you are not around my age this may not make sense; you may not even know what I am referring to in this piece. First, you need to know that I went to high school in the 1950's, college and war in the 60's. It would help if you also knew that before I was anything else on this planet, I was a musician. I ate and breathed swing and other music of my time. I trtained with the first chair of the Milwaukee Symphony, had my own quartet and still have all the arrangements for my 14 piece band. I sat through the Glen Miller and Bennie Goodman movies multiple times and, at night, listen to Basie on my 76 rpm record player. In med school, during the week I was supposed to be looking for an internship, I went to New York and listen to jazz all night long for 5 days.

Tonight, for Valentine's Day, I took Lady Linda to a DooWop concert. If you do not know what the DooWop style is, I cannot explain it. If you do know, no explanation is necessary. Right there, live, on stage, came group after group of singers doing the old classics in the DooWop style. Some of these performers were older than myself, some were the original recording artists and some had written some of those song. Imagine, the guy who wrote Pennies From Heaven sang it and several of his other 1,000,000-selling hits.

I've heard that lots of things can cause recall of old memories. A smell, for instance, can remind one of a long past experience. Imagine what this music did to me.

First, as always happens with this music, my feet, hands and body began moving in rhythm and, suddenly, I was in high school...then I was in SE Asia and the war...then I watching the civil rights movement on a black and white TV...and on and on as the music of my day flooded me with memories. I traveled back in time.

I cannot say I am all that glad to be back in 2012 with all the crap and crappy music going on. I know it is another generations music, but I will bet anything that their music will survive the decades as well as ours. But, alas, there are records and the such; and I can time travel anytime I want. I also feel better for having written this little note. Now if I could just figure out how those tears got on my cheeks?

Paddle safe...
DS

Let's face it...

The best part of any paddle or trip is

coming home.

Paddle safe...
DS

You can buy it...but

Can you own it?

   There are some cultures (I believe Native Americans is/was among them) that do not believe in an individual owning land since it belongs to us all. "We are all related" is an expression that includes all living things. (It is not unusual in some cultures for one to refer to brother crow).
   Our neighbor tells us that her family used to own a large farm which was sold, divided up and is now the lots on which many of the nearby homes exist. We each "own" the land...or, do we? It pretty much rains when it rains, it doesn't ask for our permission. If left alone, the grass (lawns) grow when it rains and turn brown when it doesn't. With the next rain it starts growing again...whether or not we tend to it (true, weeds may pop up; but they, too, are on their own.

   Coyotes, fox and other animals wander through our yard at various intervals, and none have ever asked permission. Only fences cause them to change their routes. Seems they are more at one with Mother Nature than are humans. The land is indifferent to who walks, plants or sits on it.

   I suspect the water feels the same about us.

Paddle safe...

DS

Now you see it...now you don't...

Good sailors (and kayakers) always avail themselves of local knowledge, that information that is not on the charts but is known to those who frequent the area. Just asking about local hazards can prevent mishaps and make for a safer day on the water. What looks like a safe place to be can change in an instant, even in a seemingly calm sea.

Paddle safe...

 DS

Good news and not such good news...

Great evening at the pool yesterday with the Cetus MV. Rolled, re entry rolls and even cowboy stuff went very well. There is a little mystery going on.

I had had a small rim leak in the front hatch which I repaired with 5200. It still leaked, so the folks at Rutabaga helped me put on a pressure cover. We cranked in the pressure until we blew a hole in the 5200 seal. Okay, I thought, when it warms up a bit I can reseal it. Haven't done that yet, yet the hatch has been bone dry after two sessions of rolling like mad. There is now, however, water getting into the day hatch and the small 4th hatch on the deck in spite of the covers being on tight. I have poured water on the rims and cannot find the "leak".

Maybe I need a bigger boat.

Paddle safe...

DS

Ashore...

Yesterday was not a good one for me...and I really needed/wanted to  paddle. I had lost my cell phone under mysterious (to me) circumstances and needed some on water time. So I loaded the old Romany on the car and drove to the University to check the lecture podium where I last remember having the phone. No luck.

I realized that the usual launch site would be frozen over and that I had left my dry suit at home (Are you seeing a pattern here?). I went back home, put on the suit and continued north to a launch site on the river. It was frozen as were the next two places I checked. Now, I have to hold out until the next pool session.

Winter in Wisconsin.

Paddle safe...
DS

We are about to lose our house...

Oh, our name will stay on the deed. Actually, it has happened before, and we face it again and with no fear. In fact, Lady Linda and I look forward to this new challenge in our lives. Still, one feels the energy building around here as we realize today is the day that our home of many years will slip from our control. It's no surprise. The signs have been present for several days now:
1. All sorts of miniature furniture has appeared in the family room
2. A car seat has been brought up from the basement.
3. There is a booster seat on one of the chairs at the table where we regularly eat.
4. A temporary bed rail has appeared on one of the beds.


It is inevitable...and only hours away. I must go and prepare. There is much to do: Charge camera batteries, etc. But have no fear. We have done this before and evolved better, stronger and happier for the challenge and the experience. After all, we survived her mother.

Paddle safe...

DS

One of those nights...in the pool.
Took the Cetus MV to the pool and did some rolls and some sculling and some re entry and rolls. I sat on the back deck and got in and out of the cockpit to practice balance. That's the good news.

For the life of me, I couldn't get onto the deck from the water. I couldn't cowboy and couldn't even pull off a simple paddle float rescue (which I have done 1,000 times). Finally stopped and called it an evening. Makes me wonder if I have too much boat, too little upper body strength. I may just have to get by on my good looks (I know, I know).

Paddle safe...
DS

Note on Sunscreen:

It's a must to wear on all exposed areas, even in the winter. True, some of these compounds actually increase the risk of some skin cancers, but all reduce the risk of the dreaded melanoma. The question is, which sunscreen?

I only use children's sunscreen which relies on the old Zinc formulas. They work just fine. The newer ones contain chemicals that when absorbed can have some hormonal effects which are not desirable. So, cover up.

Paddle safe...
DS

What a Difference...

...a few days can make. One day I am launching from sand only to return from the cruise to launch from snow.

 One day I am with the sting rays in warm water, the next I have this snowy owl wondering what I am doing out there.

It's a good life.

Paddle safe...
DS

Home...

 Back from the cruise which was...well, okay. Nice warm weather and got into some nice warm water (beautiful, clear, warm water) to swim with the rays (Cayman Islands).

Saw old ships and new ships and

small boats and large ships.

and stuff I didn't understand...

Read a lot. got home yesterday and managed an hour in SOF at the local pool session. Now, back to dry suits and lots of layers until the warm comes back up here.

Paddle safe...
DS

Today...

 ...It was lovely paddling on Lake Michigan. The temp was 44F,

and the ice was melting of the breakwater.

Paddle safe...
DS
x

I Want To Be A Cowboy...
   As I kid, I remember going to the movies and seeing the cowboys run across a rock, leap onto the rear end of their horses and slide into the saddle. This was always done smoothly, quickly and, I suspect, by a stunt man. However that happened, it has given rise to the "cowboy re entry" technique used in kayaking.
   All one has to do is simply get onto the back deck just behind the cockpit, turn to sit up and straddle the boat before elegantly moving forward and dropping one's rump onto the cockpit seat. Legs come in last. That's how it works for many paddlers...at least in the pool.

    P&H's Cetus boats and some of Valley's new boats have a Swede form hull. That is, the widest part of the boat is just behind the cockpit. There are many advantages to this design and at least one huge downside. To wit, to straddle the boat for a cowboy re entry one needs to do a  split (so it feels to me) worthy of a ballerina. Trying to do this on my Cetus MV is just plain uncomfortable and, for rescue situations, impractical. I guess, I am no cowboy. At least not one that can do a split like a ballerina.

   For me, a re entry and roll works better although I hope to work in the pool using a technique in which I pull onto the boat across the cockpit itself. I will let you know how it goes.

Paddle safe...
DS

Here we go...again
A new year, bowl games, resolutions...blah, blah, blah. Although I have a terrific life and wonderful friends and family, I feel as if I am in a rut. I have carried 10+ extra pounds for the past year and have only slightly improved my paddling skills. I need to get it in gear and challenge myself...and grow.

I will continue lecturing pathophysiology at UWM but will be teaching only basic anatomy & physiology at WCTC. The new schedule will not require waking early in the am, although I do that anyway. I need, therefore to make better use of my time.

 Winter makes it hard for me to get the exercise I desperately need. With only one good leg, I cannot run, ski, cross country ski or even snow shoe. I have a treadmill, rowing machine and Aerodyne bike in the basement which I have done an exceptional job of ignoring. Change is over due.

So, here come the silly resolutions of Silbs (srS): 1. I will get into the exercise equipment described above and stored below (notice how nicely vague that is). 2. I will paddle Lake Michigan when ever weather and my schedule permits. 3. I will attend the pool sessions whenever my schedule permits. 4. I will challenge myself in a new way to become a better paddler. I have already placed this in motion but choose not to go into detail at this time.

Finally, I will locate the disc for PhotoShoop so I can load it onto the new computer. This will allow me to stop recycling old pics. Happy new year.

Paddle safe...

DS

End of this line...

Been without a computer for a while and not yet used to this one (hence the lack of postings). The year is rapidly running out on a warm December that allowed me to paddle 3-4 times a week (including today). Tomorrow I head for the east coast to visit my grandson and his people. Home new years day.

It's been a heavy year for me, and I cannot say why. I felt angst, seemed overwhelmed many times; yet I was doing what I've always done. Perhaps this was the year I realized college "students" see themselves as customers shopping for grades rather than consumers of knowledge. I need to address that up front when the new term begins.

I didn't lose the weight as intended, something new for me. I fear it will damage my health soon if I do not shed the pounds, at least 15.

The good things this year included my wonderful family. My daughters are great moms, and Lady Linda is more beautiful each year. I think, too, that my paddling improved, and I intend to take a step up (more on that eventually). For now, I feel blessed and am grateful for all I have...including the many years of life.

My wish for all of you is peace, happiness and a feeling of contributing to the greater good. Maybe we can still pull this planet together.

Paddle safe...
DS

Where the Heck is Yorkville?

When Geneva Kayak (in Illinois) was looking for a new location an unusual opportunity presented itself. A small town had property on the Fox River and would allow GK to build and work out of the area. The location had a good deal to recommend it, especially the fact that the river there is wide and moving well. There's more:

 There is a damn there that apparently had proven hazardous to some hapless souls. In an act of creativity, rocks were moved around and a short channel of rapids was produced. Now, there was a  place to launch, play and even change clothes.

To be sure, the location is one you unlikely to stumble upon as it is at the end of a road and bracketed by the river and a railroad yard. (I happen to be there because I rode along with JB who was taking in his Explorer for a keel strip).

While I was waiting, a chap named Ray got on the water and played along the rapids. He got caught on a rock and chose to turn over and roll up on the other side. All in all, well done. But, I digress. Yourkville is somewhere in Illinois, and there is a shop there called Geneva Kayak and a river in which to paddle. Oh yes, there is an elegant changing area for your convenience.

Paddle safe...

DS

What if...
...when you took your first lesson or began on your own...what if no one ever showed you or talked about feathering a paddle? What if you had been handed an unfeathered one ( or a Greenland stick) and just paddled with it? Would it have ever occur to you, at any time along the way, to feather the paddle?

If you can, imagine you never feathered and someone came along and showed you how to make the blades sit at different angles. Imagine they told you to do such and such with your wrists so that each blade entered the water at the correct angle. Wouldn't you have found that a bit awkward?  Would you have change?

Apparently this whole feathering thing began so that slalom racers could have a top blade that did not hit the hanging gait markers. I know folks tell us that we feather so that the top blade slices into the wind, but that only is true when we go directly into the wind. More over, the feathered blade is ripe for catching a beam wind. So why bother? Why not just do what you probably do any way and lower your angle of paddling when going into the wind?

Now honestly, is feathering what you love, have just gotten used to or a habit?

Paddle safe...
DS

Enough, o'plenty...

The other day I was grocery shopping with lady Linda when I suddenly realized what was all around me. First, food. Tons of it with a vast selection of brands and amounts of everything. There were staples and candies and fresh meats and fresh fruits and vegetables and canned goods from around the world. Several counters were covered with a selections of wines. What I couldn't see could be ordered.

And people. There were shoppers, folks keeping the shelves full, men cutting meat, some ladies slicing fruits for packaging. Behind closed doors were heaven knows how many more people working to keep the supplies coming. And, there were check out people and baggers and truck drivers unloading their goodies.

And I realized that I live in heaven, in the land of plenty...and I was humbled, and just a bit uncomfortable knowing how little some people have in this world and, even, in my own home town.

This morning's paper had a letter to the editor talking about how our NFL team (the Green Bay Packers) are selling shares of the team for $250. The shares are useless and only of "fan" value. The letter writer pointed out how nice it would be for people to donate that money to a food pantry. The paper also has an article on the agencies in my city that are working hard to find places for homeless families to stay during the cold winter.

The imagery of that picture and what I saw in the super market are now swirling around in my head. I am feeling a bit off and a whole lot grateful.

Paddle safe...
DS

Pool rules...
As my annul service to the kayaking community, I once again present the rules you need to know if you will be using an indoor pool to practice with your boat.

1. Radios: Channel 16 monitory, while still a good idea, is no longer mandatory.
2. Be sure to file a float plan before launching.
3. Clean your boat so no invasive species get hold in the pool.
4. While seal launches may be allowed, catching a beam wave and boogie-boarding ashore is not.
5. Always check a weather forecast an hour or so before launching.
6. Need I say it? Carry a spare paddle in case yours is blown away.
7. Maintain group integrity: assign, at the very least, a lead paddler and a sweep paddler.
8. Keep your flare gun on your pfd in case you get separated from your boat.
9. Daylight hours are short, have a light available to put on deck so you can be seen (remember that your strobe is for emergencies only).
10. Carry fresh water: DO NOT DRINK FROM THE POOL (especially if there are children swimming near by).

Paddle safe...
DS

Because we can...

The yachties have their expensive vessels all stored away for winter. Some have gone south, some with their boats. We kayakers, however, remain here in the northern latitudes to deal with the weather and to find a way to spend time and get exercise. So yesterday, with a 30mph NE blowing, Sherri and I went for a paddle. Why?

Because we can.

Paddle safe...
DS

Looking at 2012:

As winter chills my bones, I have to look ahead to the fun stuff coming up next year in order to keep my mojo going. So let's have a look-see:

February, 2012: Canoecopia in Madison, Wisconsin. I look forward to staffing, meeting old friends, hearing all sorts of experts from around the world and seeing all the new gizmos I cannot live without.

June: No symposium this year: The one in Washburn, Wisconsin...near the Apostle Islands...is every other year.

July: weekend after 4th of July (July 12th-15th): Door County Sea Kayak Symposium sponsored by my peeps at Rutabaga in Madison, Wisconsin. This annual event is held in Door County on the tip of the thumb of Wisconsin. Great weekend to learn, trip and perfect techniques. I look forward to staffing.

July: one weekend after DKSKS: Great Lakes Sea Kayak Symposium at Grand Marais, Michigan, Upper Peninsula:  Beautiful location with Kelly Blade's, et al, leading. I look forward to staffing again.

Between the last two, I look forward to a 3-4 day camp out on the shores of Lake Superior with my man JB. Relaxing, paddling, good food in town and JB's Irish Whiskey. Hopefully, Sherri will also make it this year.
Hey, the winter isn't looking so bad after all.

Paddle safe...
DS

Long and Short of it...

In summer it is easy to choose how to dress on the water. Same in the winter when it is bitter cold. In between is when various combinations of layers present endless possibilities for dressing. Often, it comes down to deciding between a farmer John/Jane or a shorty. In many minds (including my own until recently), the shorty was for warmer weather while the full length farmer outfit with thick neoprene was warmer. Then I read a letter to the editor which brought out some excellent points.

Yes, the farmer john covers the legs and chest with 2-4 mm neoprene; but the shortie covers the armpits and upper arms, areas where water can sap a lot of heat from the body. This being the case, why don't we have available a 3-4 mm neoprene embellished farmer John/Jane that does everything the basic farmer suits do plus cover over the armpits (axillae) and upper arm for protection? This would be warmer than the farmer outfit alone and extend the season for those not willing to buy a dry suit.

Paddle safe...
DS