Big Winds

 Big winds on the great lakes with waves out there over twenty feet. Gusts up to 60 MPH have been recorded. Near shore, the waves weren't all that bad, and I had hoped to get out to play. Unfortunately there were two exams and a lecture to write. The winds are due to die down tonight.

Lots of paddlers have hung it up for the season.

Paddle safe...
DS

Can't We All

Just Get Along?

 We gathered Sunday morning looking forward to a nice paddle with fellow sea kayakers. Then They showed up with their skinny sit on tops that could be paddled in excess of 6 knots. What the hell were they doing there when the water was getting so cold? Heck, this was sea kayak weather. To add insult to injury, these guys weren't even wearing skirts. My word!

 What had the world come to? There was a wooden boat, a bunch of composite real sea kayaks and a couple-three of those crotch rockets. Was there going to be a rumble on the water? You could cut the tension with paper scissors.

Of course we did just fine and had a grand old time exchanging greetings and stories and mentioning mutual friends. After all, we're paddlers. We have something too important to do than to get involved with differences.

Is the world listening out there?



Paddle safe...

DS

Is Yours

Stiff Enough?

I know Derrick has raised this issue before, but I am unclear as to its significance. I obviously am referring to kayaks and, more specifically, their hulls. I and others have noticed how many of the hulls on new boats flex. Simply pushing with your thumb will cause slight buckling of these somewhat lighter hulls. I suspect this has occurred as a compromise between weight and strength. The question for me is, "Is it safe?"

I have never heard of any of these hulls failing or becoming distorted after falling off a wave. Still, it can be disconcerting to have something that feels flimsy between you and the water. This, in turn, begs the question of whether or not it is wise and worthwhile to beef up the hull.

I have heard that some folks are putting narrow strips of fiberglass along the inside of the hull at a few random locations. Apparently this stops some of the flexing, in which case I have to wonder if the now stiffened hull has taken on a new characteristic that will, in some way, over stress it.

I would welcome any suggestions, ideas or references related to this situation (I cannot, at this point, call it a  problem).

Paddle safe...
DS

Doug

It's been a year, and you are missed.

The rest of you...

Paddle safe...
DS

Gizmos

I don't know if I am a Luddite or just old with more memory than knowledge, but I find all the new gizmos around me to be fascinating. I phones, GPS, satellite this and that, etc.. All marvelous. During Sunday's paddle, Brian apparently had his gizmotron on and recorded for all nautical history our route. I have seen these things posted and have always found the info boring. After all, who the hell cares where we paddled? Well, I do, because it was my paddle. Here's Brian's top secret link:

http://www.everytrail.com/view_trip.php?trip_id=855394

Paddle safe...

DS

Paddling in the City
Water Blog Day

We may be in the center of the continent, but we have big water here. Lake Michigan can be kind and it can be mean. Yesterday, it was just playful as our Sunday morning group paddled toward the north side.

As the wind came down the lake from the north, some nice swells built up where the bottom shallowed up. To get the most fun with what we had, we paddled near the breakwater where reflected waves were also present. Ken was able to get a quick video (I am in the orange Cetus).

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1kLXgBO6J-M

 We have a few nice beaches here, some of which have to close when the E. Coli count is too high. What the hell are we doing to our lakes?

 What other media can offer such simple pure pleasure?

We took time to get out at McKinley Beach where we were able to take some breaking waves on the beam. I had a few good "boogie board" rides while in a low brace.

Paddle safe...

DS...



                                    Everyone...
                                   into the pool

With winter just around the corner, pool sessions cannot be far off. I usually face this time of year with mixed feelings. I paddle on Lake Michigan year round, but I am not always thrilled with the cold and the 17 layers of fleece and dry suit. On the other hand, it is only in the pool that I really get to use my SOF.

I have never been entirely comfortable out on the lake in the SOF, especially alone. First, there is the issue of getting into a situation and not being able to wet exit. To be sure, I have a bomb proof roll with my Greenland sticks, but stuff can happen; and the tight fit and pressing masik can make getting out a chore.

Then there are the inevitable leaks. I keep the skin coated with paint and am constantly touching it up...even if I haven't been paddling. Still, water has 100 secret ways of getting into these crafts. Out on the lake, I use float bags fore and aft, but some water can still come aboard and make the boat sloppy to handle. All in all, I feel safest on lake water at QAJAQ camp where I am surrounded by others in the same boat.

So, bring on the snow and ice and freezing temps. When the going gets tough, I get going to the pool.

Paddle safe...
DS

33 for 33

unfreakin' Believable

Chile

You Rock

A nice paddle was the height of my day until a few minutes ago when I watched the last miner pulled from the ground in Chile. Paddling around anything in record time might be an accomplishment, but what these men endured and what their rescuers pulled off is a living monument to the human spirit and the will to live.

Paddle safe...
DS

Clues...

It will soon hit the fan
Which of the magician's hand should you watch?

So Mama Nature is waving her hand at us, just like a magician does to distract you from the trick he is playing on you with his other hand. She gives us this unbelievable array of brightly colored leaves and days of cool dry air to make us feel good while she revs up the storms of soon-to-come winter. But don't be fooled. Others' hands are giving away the plan.

For, when sailors do what ever it takes to scrub away that waterline mustache, you know they are getting ready to hall out; and that means winter is on the way.

Soon the fair weather paddlers will disappear along with the doesn't-own-a-dry suit group. Pool sessions will begin, It will snow, and ice will form along the shores. Water temps will drop to hypothermic-inducing levels, and the days will be terribly short. Folks with seasonal depressions will bum out, we will all gain the weight we just now managed to lose from last winter.

Our skin will get dry and cracked and dandruff will return with the snow flakes. Snow blindness, cracked finger tips and lips and frost bite with happen along with slips on the ice and ice flows that shift and block us from getting off the water. Finally, our friends will look at our war-scarred bodies and wonder, if not ask aloud, why the hell we do this in the dead of winter? How, I ask you, can we possibly describe to them how much fun it is?

Paddle safe...
DS

Just a Paddle,

but a nice paddle

It has been unusually warm this month, and yesterday the wind didn't show up for work. So the local group just took a lazy paddle to one of the navigation buoys offshore.

Our ladies of the fair weather showed up along with some of the regulars

ans some not so regulars.

Hey, what's not to like?

Paddle safe...

DS

Hey, That's Me!

Those of you who do a lot of photography, especially in your kayaks, can relate to this: There are two really hard images to capture. First is a picture that really shows how large and threatening the waves can be. I know. When we start out all waves look big; but, after being out in really biggies, the pictures I take are disappointing.

   The second thing is to have a good picture of 0ne's self. Looking at our family album, you might wonder if there is a father in the family (although that has gotten better since Lady Linda and others have obtained their own cameras). It's the same with paddling. After 1000 little clicks there are precious few pictures of me...or you. After a while I began to wonder how the hell I look out there. So, when someone does snap a shot of me AND takes the time to send it along, I am grateful. Not that I look all that gorgeous or competent. So, thanks, Leslie, for the shot on top and to JB for the one out on the water.

   Now, who is going to take your picture?

Paddle safe...

DS

                       Get Out There
                                   with someone special

We all have our comfort zone and, hopefully, a sense of when conditions exceed it. We all have heard the old, "It is better to be ashore wishing you had gone out than to be out there wishing you had not." True enough, but it all begs the question of how we get better and able to go out it harsher conditions.

The flippant answer would be a little bit at a time, and it holds a lot of truth. The fact is, if you always lift the exact same amount of weight in the gym, your muscles will not get larger. You have to challenge them with slightly heavier weights. You need to lift a weight heavy enough to stimulate hypertrophy and not so heavy that it causes damage. Same goes for paddling.

You need to go out into conditions a tad above your comfort level so that you can improve. You must also avoid going out it conditions that scare you off the water for ever. And, just as you would have a spotter stand by as you bench press that heavier weight, you need to go out there with someone who is already comfortable and capable in those more severe conditions.

The other caveat is that as you achieve a new level you must continue to go out into it (boat in the butt time). Just like the weight lifter who skips workouts and loses his gains, staying ashore too long between paddles will drain your sense of confidence in the new conditions. Practice, practice, practice. Now, get out there...with someone special.

Paddle safe...
DS

There's more than one way

to enjoy the water.

Paddle safe...
DS

A Really Good Day With The Hoofers

There is an outdoor club, The Hoofers, which is attached to the University of Wisconsin. They offer sailing, skiing, outings and all sorts of outdoor doings. We know some of the kayak folks as they also teach at Rutabaga. In any event, they (much to their credit) wanted a training to improve their skills and leadership abilities. Who to call? Well, my man, JB, of course.

JB was at his best as he filled the day with a mixture of land lectures and water exercises. Mercifully, he didn't give us his entire 12 hour lecture on navigation...but I digress. It was all the more challenging as a 25 knot wind with 30 knot gusts had been blowing for some time. Waves were breaking offshore and, when they hit the break wall, they shot up sprays of about 20 feet.

Amy (from Madison) and I assisted and did mini workshops on strokes. To do so, we had to find a little spot in the lee of a wall.

I, personally, found all these folks to be more than just fine paddlers. They were fine people, and I could see any of them leading a trip. I would, more over, feel safe paddling with any or all of them. Now, that's a great day on the water.

Paddle safe...
DS

Plain and Simple

Here is a picture of a picture I took with a 4x5 view camera, one of those biggies where you are under a cloth while focusing on the glass. I had been headed back to the car after photographing in a park when I saw the canoe at rest. The light was good, and there was no wind to disturb the reflections in the water.

I dearly miss doing fine art black and white. I dug this out of my files when Rutabaga announced a jury art show. As it turns out, school demands will likely keep me too busy to enter, but I enjoyed going through prints like this, all mounted on large museum quality boards.

Paddle safe...
DS

Kayaking 101X

How to Destroy Your Kayak

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iZ2yZ8aZaVI

If you missed the comments from the last posting, you missed this link from Gnarly. Worth a look.
Thanks, mate.

Paddle Safe...
DS

That Show Room Look

If you have ever taken  possession of a new kayak (or car) you know that show room look. The boat has a shining gel coat which is flawless. At that moment, in your heart, you promise yourself that you will wax, polish and do anything else necessary to keep her looking that way. Within a day or two, if you paddle, the scratches begin to show up.

First, they appear on the bottom of the hull from dragging the boat at launching. Soon there are scratches on the deck, especially where your spare paddle (split) has been manipulated. Other deck scratches inexplicably appear for reasons you can not understand. The bottom scratches you can tolerate. After all, only the fish will see them. The deck, on the other hand, stares at  you constantly and seems to ask, "What about your promise to take care of me?"

All of this is ten times worse if the deck and/or hull is colored, and the darker the color the more the scars show. Take heart, look in the mirror and understand that time takes its toll on everything and everybody. Besides, things could be worse. You could have a boat with a metal hull and, instead of scratches, rust. Just remember: boats, like people, do best if their bottoms are kept clean.

Paddle safe...
DS

When Very Little Time Is Available...

I go for a  paddle. especially if the water is up.
Paddle safe...
DS

Some Times Things Go Well...

...and that's enough. At least for the moment. Sometimes I take my stuff awfully seriously. My friends and Lady Linda have often told me so. I throw myself into what I am doing be that kayaking, photography or what ever. And, that's not necessarily a bad thing, until I get into something that doesn't feel right. I feel stuck, I don't sense a way to improve and I load myself up with the judgment that I should be doing better with less effort. I have just begun to emerge from such a period.

Most of it was around taking on the new teaching jobs. Two different and new schools, each with its own style and methods. What I had come to do naturally all at once required slow and deliberate preparation. I actually had to do some work. One place had rather structured demands for teaching and testing while the other was loosey-goosey and required creativity. Now, after a quarter of the term, I am in the flow.

Two days ago I gifted myself with a solo two-hour paddle on the big lake. I found 3+ confused waves on the outside and enjoyed just paddling around in it. Most boats out that day, including some sizable sailboats, chose to stay inside the harbor, so I had the lake pretty much to myself. How great it felt.

Back in my element and relaxed, I bounced, edged and sometimes just sat, all the time feeling the mighty water beneath playing with me as if I were a speck of dust. I sculled in the stuff and carved turns and, once again, felt competent. How wonderful. The next day I noticed I had a different energy and positive feeling at the schools. I remembered who I was, what I could do and realized I had fought and won bigger battles. In fact, as I walked into the College of Health Sciences at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee yesterday, it occurred to me that there should be a course entitled Kayak Therapy 107: dealing with self esteem issues.

Paddle safe...

DS

When Life Is Too

Much With You

I don't know where or when I first read that expression. It applies, as far as I know, to one who is so busy doing that they have little time for being. If I have the meaning right, it describes where I am just now.

Teaching two lectures and a lab (at two universities) on Tuesdays and Thursdays isn't all that much, but the preparation necessary (they are all first time courses for me) sucks up my time, energy and attention like a black hole. I constantly worry about being ready for the next lecture or exam. I take the work seriously, and the welfare of my students is important to me. Then there is the hand grading of 24 papers (at one university, I have a teaching assistant who administers and machine grades the 100 tests). There are, of course, the endless e mails from students and all sorts of small fires to put out. The point is, it occupies my consciousness. On top of this, I often do weekend trips to lecture on a CME course in cardiology (I was in Denver this past weekend). I am at the point that I don't even notice the boats in the garage as I set out in the morning.

It has made me stale in some ways while stimulating me in others. One thing that has suffered is this blog. With less on water time and fewer boat experiences, I have had fewer bright ideas for postings. Even my photography is hibernating. The picture of JB (above) is from 2006. Clearly, I need to get my balance (no pun intended) back.

It may be as simple as finishing the terms. Doing the courses again next year would be a lot easier as I would have the routine down, not to mention all my power point presentations. Maybe it means really retiring and risking lots of boredom. Decisions, decisions. I tell you, it feels like the world is too much with me.

Paddle safe...
DS

The Causual Paddle

No Such Thing?

In medicine, we say that the most common error is that of omission. Someone forgets to check something or to ask some vital question and, as a result, a disaster occurs. I wonder if that might not apply to kayaking. How often does a situation arise during which a piece of necessary equipment is ashore or is found not to work? In medicine, we avoid omissions by using recipes or set, repetitive ways of doing things. The same really applies to paddling, at least the way I go at it.

A lot of my paddles are solo, in not very challenging conditions and close to shore. Even so, I put the short tow line on the deck lines, my extra paddle on the foredeck the long tow set up around my waist and a first aid kit, repair kit and extra safety equipment in the day hatch. My radio is in a pfd pocket, and so on. It is almost certain that none of these would ever be needed during these casual paddles. I carry them all and every time, however, so that my ritual before going out on the water is always the same and, in being so, reduces my risk of omission.

When the times come when I, alone or with a group, will be going out in the big stuff or making a crossing, I automatically know that I have what I may need without having to go through a long check list. Now, if only I could find my car keys.

Paddle safe...
DS

Hullavator

It is made well and works as advertised...and I use it less and less. Why? To begin, it is a pain to have to put it on and take it off the rack every time I paddle. You see, there is no way I can go into the garage with the gizmo on the car. Secondly, it has to be adjusted so the boat is aligned with the direction of travel.

This requires using an Allen wrench on both parts of both arms of each cradle whenever I change boats. Furthermore, tighten them as I might, they don't seem to hold their position and have to be relocated and re tightened. By the way, you cannot get at the screws when the boat is on the cradle, so there is a bit of tinkering to do there. If you have one, I suggest marking where the arms go for each boat so you can pre adjust everything.

Although not seen in the picture, I have put my old rollers back on. Thule makes an adapter attachment, and the installation took only minutes. Now I just extend the telescoping arm on the left of the front rack. I put the bow on there and then lift the stern onto the rollers. From behind, I use the stern to lever the bow into the front cradle. It goes faster and I can get into the garage with the rollers on. 'nuff said.

Paddle safe...

DS

Gotta' Love 'em

I spent most of my adult water time in sailboats, having come to kayaking late in life. All my life my eye has been held by the curve of a boat's hull/sail, the quiet slicing as it parted the water and its ability to walk quietly with the wind. I have had the privilege of owning and skippering good sailboats up to 42 feet in length, but my heart always went out to the day sailors in which I was right down there on and with the water. So I couldn't help but snap off a few images of this home-made, gaff-rigged sailing dingy with a loose footed mainsail and side board.

Her owner and builder, a bit frustrated by the light wind, hollered back at me, "I should have brought my kayak." He also called out his e mail address which I memorized and, since, have followed up with copies of these pics. It turned out to be a dual joy. In addition to everything else, I have an invitation to sail with him.

Paddle safe...
DS

Is There a Fungus Among Us?

Perhaps you've seen this before, but I have not. This Werner paddle (a great paddle) had been stored in the cockpit of one of my boats for a few weeks. The boat was in the garage. There was no unusual weather. When I went to retrieve the paddle, this is how it looked.

I don't know what caused the white coating. It is pretty hard, and I can barely scrape it off. The paddle still works just fine and does not appear to flex or have any other abnormal characteristics. Any ideas?

Paddle safe...
DS

Getting Out

The change of seasons is bringing some crisp air and wonderful water. I was able to get out last week in some 3-4 foot swells which came from several directions. I had the lake to myself as most boats, even larger ones, poked outside and immediately turned back in behind the wall. The Cetus was happy out there and required little attention.

Yesterday, I had a meeting north of Milwaukee. I took the boat and afterwards launched north of Harrington Beach State Park. This water is shallow near shore as there is quite a shelf. It should offer some nice waves when the wind is from off the lake and not offshore as it was yesterday. I do need to check the map as I believe this launch site is a lot closer to home than I thought. Besides, I don't have to go through city traffic to get there.

Paddle safe...
DS

A Change of Scenery

Coming Soon

Face it, I'm in a rut, and it started when I took on two new teaching assignments. Since it was the first time teaching these courses, there has been lots and lots of hours spent at the computer doing prep work. I have paddled little, posted rarely and taken almost no new images. Even the ones on the page today are recycled. Now, the season is changing. I hope I can change as well.

I am in the groove. I have a feel for my new schedule. Better yet, the faculty at one of the colleges has supplied me with lots of data banks to make life easier. In addition, I have located lectures and exams done when I taught the same pathophysiology course at the second university a few years back. All at once, it appears, I will have some free time during the week just like an actually retired person.

It is cool and crisp here today, and I think just maybe I will get out on the big lake today. That would be a nice change.

Paddle safe...

DS

I just read the October issue of Sea Kayaker Magazine in which they were kind enough to publish a letter I had sent in. I was surprised to see it was the only letter to the editor published and wonder why more folks don't share their opinions.

I am in Madison again today to finish the two day sea kayak course. This will be the last official course at Rutabaga that I will teach this season. Didn't summer just begin yesterday?

Paddle safe...
DS

Can We Settle This?

I vaguely recall someone quoting some article which concluded that rescuers in the air stated that of all the deck colors the easiest to spot out there was Robin egg blue. Is this true?

Someone said something on a recent CASKA posting about which colors showed up best and came to some other conclusion. I wrote to mention this article to which I refer, and someone wrote back to say that he had been on shore watching a group of boats and that the blue decks clearly stood out.

So, is is true? Do you know where this mythical article (which I quote) appeared?

Paddle safe...
DS

                                                        Here in the Midwest

There's Still Time

We've been lucky here in the central U.S. inasmuch as it has been warm and the great lakes have been unusually warm. This has made for fine paddling and, I am sad to say, for a host of missed opportunities. There are so many of us that just don't practice our rescue techniques or work our rolls in anything other than flat conditions. The excuse around here is often that the water is too cold and I don't have a dry suit.

Well, no one needed anything but a birthday suit to get into Lakes Michigan and Superior this summer. The warm water has been an opportunity to practice rescue scenarios and to work on sculling, braces and rolls. How many, I wonder, actually used the opportunity? Well, if you live around here and you haven't, there is still time. Get out there and get in there, in a safe way.

If you are comfy in level conditions 2, get out there in conditions 3 with someone comfy in conditions 4. Get out of your boat, lead a complicated rescue scenario under the supervision of a capable paddler/instructor. Ask someone to stand in the water and help you with your roll, it is still warm enough.

All too soon the water will be cooling off and stay that way until next spring or summer. During the winter, it is unlikely that folks who won't get into the warm water will get into the cold water. At least, not on purpose. If anything, they will be in crowded swimming pools where only conditions 0-1 prevail. Getting out there and in there now just might get you the skills you are going to dearly want when you end up in the cold stuff. You don't paddle in winter? All the more reason to stock up on skills right now.

Paddle safe...
DS

Missing the SOF

(which I've not gotten out, yet, this season)

Having owned two (now one) skin on frame kayaks (one of which I built), I have developed a deep affection for these simple 7000-9000 year old designs. Built for stealth hunting of seals and the like, they are elegant, silent rolling machines and contain no metals or modern fittings. Paddling one immediately gives the paddler a connection with this sport's past and how and why it all came about.


If you like going to a Tailor and having a suit that fits you like a glove and is meant only for you , you will appreciate one of these one of a kind kayaks. The length is a multiple of your arm span. The boat is only as wide as the distance between your fists placed on each hip. the cockpit is as wide as your hands placed palm flat on your hip. They fit like a glove and can be just as hard to get into as one often has to hyper extent the knees to get under the Masik. This piece of wood which sits across the thighs is what makes the 40+ rolls possible.

I never forget that I came to these small boats after years in sailboats including this Han Christian 42-foot cutter. Like the skin on frame, it was a product of centuries of boat and sail design and, while not propelled by a human, crept as silent as a kayak as it's tall rig captured the win. Both were wonderful ways to be on the water. Both gave me a connection to the past. Both had their secrets and, if one was to return safely to shore, had to be handled properly. For those of us willing to learn and to take the time to perfect our skills, these silent vehicles of the sea have given hours of meditative pleasure.

Pasddle safe...
DS