To be fair...and clear...

My last post was meant as an inquiry and not a condemnation of NRS products. Many may have had similar experiences with others' products. I am asking if that is so. Is my experience (and that of those with whom I've spoken) the same?

Paddle safe...
DS

Just Wondering...

It came up in small talk while paddling this weekend. Seems a few of us have purchased NRS gloves in the past and experienced poor workmanship. In particular, the stitching came out in different places on nearly every pair. Have others had the same experience?

Just back from a weekend at Pottawatomie State (Wisconsin) Park with some CASKA (Chicago Area Sea Kayak Assoc.), and had a fine time with them and a few of their young children. Also got in some rolling with the Greenland stick. Pics to follow.

Paddle safe...
DS

It Is Encouraging:

I am aware of more than a few students in our area who seek out a certified instructor to take them out to work on strokes and/or rough conditions. These are folks who have good basic skills and who, in many instances, have taken formal basic sea kayak instruction. Seems they want to get better at it. I take heart from knowing that amongst the oft publicized stories of "kayakers" needing to be rescued and found to be lacking in skills and equipment that there are those who want to get it right.

In my personal experience with some of these folks (there are 3 active level 4 instructors here in our area,,,one an IT) I have found them to be serious about their sport and most open to suggestions. Not surprisingly, they pick up things quickly and want to immediately get out to try them. Instructing such folks, especially those wanting to go out  on to "big" water, raises my concern about the safety of the instructor.

Personally, I like to see their hanging draw stroke as I feel it can be a life saver when going after the bow of an over turned boat. I like to see it near shore and then in progressively rougher conditions. I watch to see if a picture-perfect hanging draw with good edging becomes a so-so dip of the paddle when waves exceed 3 feet. If it does, we have something to work on before going on the other side of the wall. And, while all this is going on, I assess how relaxed (or not) they remain and whether or not they start having a death grip on the paddle. It doesn't take too long to get a feel for how safe I am going to be out there with them.

I then introduce them to the gap where some of the bad stuff rolls into our anchorage area. I sit and watch as they cross this area parallel to the waves and then re enter it and turn 360 degrees. Doesn't sound like much on paper but, in a 25 knot wind with big stuff rolling in, this exercise can take 30 minutes or more. Depending on how it goes, we may spend the entire lesson in these conditions or, if skills warrant, we head out into it. This is where my concern over my safety comes in.

These lessons can involve an instructor ending up needing a rescue from someone unable to get to their bow in what are new and more challenging conditions. Therefor, before heading out with someone unaccustomed to the big waves, I assess their rescue skills and get a feel for how calm (or not) they are likely to behave when things get hairy out there.


The  payoff is that by time we get off the water I have the joy of seeing their improvement and knowing there is another paddler with whom I can count on out there when the going gets rough. Is this not a great sport?

Paddle safe...
DS

Sometimes We Just Paddle

for the love of it

Paddle safe...
DS

Some times Mother Nature

has other plans.

More tofollow.

Paddle safe...
DS

Geez...
I have an electric bilge  pump and carry a manual one just in case I or someone else needs it. Since my Cetus MV has a 4th hatch I cannot carry it under the deck. Since I like a clean deck, I don't want it under a bungee where it can wash away. So, I throw it on the floor of my cockpit where it waits patiently.

I was doing some rolling the other day. When I landed and tried to get out of the boat I found that the pump had cleverly wedged itself under a foot peg and over my foot. I could not get my foot free until I discovered the problem, reached into the cockpit and removed the pump with some difficulty. I know you are ahead of me and wondering what could have happened if I had had to wet exit while rolling? I wonder too and plan to find another spot for my pump.

Paddle safe...
DS

Discretion v. Valor

Call it maturity. I spent a wonderful weekend in Door County with good friends. We all did our own thing and sat together for evening meals. I had time to wander the shore and to paddle on Friday and Saturday. The Friday paddle was pretty ordinary with a cruise along the Green Bay shore. On Saturday, there was a SE wind blowing about 10, so I headed up to Cave Park on the East coast of the peninsula. Because of the angle of the land and the wind building to 15 mph, 3-4 foot rollers, some breaking, were forming off the limestone formations. The made wonderful sounds as they crashed into the walls.

I had my helmet on and my camera was inches from my left hand...and I was alone. I so badly wanted to capture some images to share here....but:  I knew if I went over without another paddler to throw me a tow rope that I would be dashed onto the wall before I could get back into my boat (assuming I hadn't rolled up). So, I recorded the images in my mind, spun around atop a few waves and enjoyed a little surf-like action going back. No images here, wonderful ones in my head.

Paddle safe...
DS

Off to visit the thumb:

If you are not from around here: Look at the back of your left hand. That's the shape of Wisconsin, and your thumb is door county. Lady Linda, a few friends and I are headed to the base of the thumb (Sturgeon Bay) for the weekend; and I am taking the Cetus MV. 

There are lots of places to launch and paddle and lots to see. The weather, which is changing, is showing day time temps in the 50's...nice and cool. It will be nice to see new sites as I usually launch up near the thumb nail. Too bad we're too early for fall colors, but I will take it as it is.

Paddle safe...
DS

My Life...

...is changing...is changed. I am all too familiar with the aging process and what it brings. I've learned this from my late parents and my patients. I always hoped against hope that the process would be kind to me...and it has been. It seems like yesterday that I was in my 50'a and running sub-3.5  hour marathons and competing in Judo at the black belt level and single-handing a 42 foot sailboat. I went for long runs most days, ate what I wanted and had a waistline <33 inches. Dude, life was good. Well, it's still good, and it is sure different.

 Many of you know that it all changed when a ruptured disc severed a nerve to one head of my quadriceps muscle and took me out of the two sports I loved so much. Running became impossible while sailing and Judo became too dangerous. In a way, I lost part of my identity. So I began searching for new venues to keep my body fit and my spirits up. Quite by accident (I know, there are no accidents) I discovered Rutabaga Paddle Shop over in Madison, a guy I call JB and the world of kayaking. Suddenly, I was alive again. I was back on the water, I was quickly learning the counter intuitive movements of kayaking (which I knew from Judo) and made what I hope will be a life long friend.

  JB

Of course, I continued with my photography, but that too changed. Trained in large format fine art black and white work, I closed my darkroom and took up water proof digital photography...and then I blogged. I wrote about whatever came to mind, read what others had to say and, over the years, made friends around the world, some of whom I've not yet met in person. Then, this past winter, I realized there was another change going on.

It was a bad winter. The ice shelves on shore kept us off the water, and I paddled less than ever before. I went to the gym, but that didn't do it all for me and, gradually, that 33" waist was looking for 34" pants. More recently, those pants have been feeling snug. I went from 162 pounds (in med school) to 168 pounds as an adult to my present (and very embarrysing) weight of 180. I realized I was writing less, paddling a lot but taking fewer pictures (and, rarely, good ones). Today, I decided that something has to change as I am feeling the side effects of my situation.

I might not be able to run, but I can walk; and, with my alpine walking sticks, I can walk fast enough to get my heart rate up. I started doing situps again and will be adjusting my diet over the next few days. Hopefully, my sleep will improve (I have a few sleep disorders) and the weight will gradually come down. Why do I write this down here? Why me, who is actually a pretty private guy.

I know if I decide to do something that I might do it. I know that if I tell a friend or two that I am more likely to do it. So, when I  publish this, I will imagine I just told the whole world and that I better do it. So, here's hoping that you will be seeing less of me; hopefully, more often.

Paddle safe...
DS

A few more from Monday

Paddle safe...
DS

Lessons of the Blind Chicken

I was once told that even a blind chicken will get a kernel if it just keeps pecking.

 I apply this to trying to capture images on the water. I am in a moving boat without a tripod using a camera with little to no telephoto ability. Everything is moving and appears small. So, I just keep clicking and sort things out later.

 On Monday the wind was gusting to 40 MPH and there were righteous waves coming through the gap. A small group of us went out there to play and I, as the blind chicken, clicked away. With some cropping and contrast adjustments, I was able to salvage a few usable images. They still don't show the dynamics of the situation, but you all know what it can be like out there.

I will try to get a few more usable ones up this week (both schools now in session).

Paddle safe...

DS

Duh! (slap forehead)

Some things are so obvious that it only takes me years to see or realize they are available. To wit: I have always had a devil of a time starting the skirt under the coamings of my boats, especially the Romany and Cetus MV. Having a right rotator cuff that aches constantly has not helped the situation. It feels as if I am trying to stuff a one inch bungie cord into a slot meant for one half its size.

The other day, I discovered that if I just held the very back of the skirt in place and pulled one edge (and then the other) forward with force that the thing would slip in nicely. It boggles my mind to think what the next six months of instant wisdom will bring.

Paddle safe...
DS

K.I.S.S.
I am from the generation that used wooden crates, boards and broken roller skates to make scooters that we pushed with one foot. Dangling a piece of bacon on a string to catch crayfish was also a biggie when I was  a kid. Thing is, it was simpler time. We didn't have a TV until I was 8 years old and computers...what the heck are computers? This is was the kind of game boy that gave us hours of fun.

When I became a bigger boy I got some big boy toys and ended up with some magnificent sailing crafts. They were complicated and costly, and I spent more time servicing and cleaning them than I did actually sailing. Well, it all comes full circle. I found a simple "toy" with essentially no moving parts; and I have to use my own muscles to make it move. It cost a bit more than my home-made scooters (although I built a few of these as well), but I spend almost all my time playing with it rather than fixing or servicing it. Life is good.

Paddle safe...
DS

Such a Simple Thing...

It was a few years ago, during an instructor training or exam, and I was leading a scenario. I was to take the group along the shore to point x, gather them up, then lead them out through the gap in the break wall and onto the open waters of Lake Michigan. When we were all gathered, I asked the group, "Which side of the opening should we go through?" A simple question.

Some said the middle and most said on the right because we are supposed to keep right. I was surprised at their responses as it was clear to me that we needed to go along the left (north) side of the opening since the northerly wind that was blowing would , at worst, blow us into the center of the gap. Their methods carried the risk of being blown onto the rocks on the south side of the gap. Why hadn't that occurred to them?

This came to mind as I read Carl White's letter to the editor in the current issue of Sea Kayaker Magazine (October, 2011). In evaluating another incident previously reported in the magazine, Carl writes: "Without immersing themselves in the essentials of seamanship, of being mariners, eager sea kayakers seeking 'adventure' on open water thus fail to match their expansive goals to their limited means."

Before ever getting into a kayak I had some 3 decades of experience in big boats, that is 40-50 foot sailboats and pilot house trawlers. It was especially in sailboats that I learned not to get my craft in a situation where I might be forced to tack into danger and to anticipate, anticipate, anticipate what the wind would do to my position a I moved forward. I took great pride in how I handled my Hans Christian 42 (often single-handed) and was always eager to learn more from other skippers. We all considered ourselves first and foremost to be mariners, individuals who understood the local waters and the way the wind made our boats behave. It translated well when I got into kayaks.

So often I see a paddler making a short crossing directly toward a point without allowing for the leeway that the cross wind is sure to cause. Without realizing it, they paddle a "great circle" route, never noticing the constant change in their compass heading (if they have a compass on deck).

I still read basic seamanship books that I've saved over the years. That, and the exercises in navigation I get from JB, serve me well on the water. Sooner or later the fog envelopes us all or the wind suddenly freshens, and that's when we each need to exhibit some seamanship. Heck, it even helps get us through a gap in the break wall.

Paddle safe...
DS

Love + recyclables = creative parenting

 Coming in from last Sunday's paddle we noticed something going on along the shore. From afar it looked like a happening involving people and a pile of empty bottles. We paddled to the event and found a bare-chested man with his kids and some neighbor kids going onto the water. The kids were having a ball.

I asked him what was up. Turns out that they had collected empty plastic bottles, put them in nets, got a board to act as a floor and made their own boats.

That's hi tech parenting. Take some junk and imagination...and just add water.

Paddle safe...
DS

If it ain't broke...
fix it until it is.

So I lost my roll for a few days. Almost ripped out my right shoulder trying to force it. finally, showed it to friends and got it videoed and showed them that. Why, they wanted to know, was I getting into that position and lifting my head and...?

It was Sherri who recognized the DVD I had been watching and was trying to copy. Her advise, "Don't do that. Do what you always do." So I went out today and did what I always used to do. First, I did a few slow, gentle, smooth sweep rolls with my Greenland stick. I had the Werner Cypress on deck ready to go and did the same, smooth, gentle thing with that Euro blade. Results: effortless roll. Just like in the old days.

Maybe I will finally get some sleep tonight.

Paddle safe...
DS

DS

Point of View...
Photography has always held endless fascination for me, especially back when I used a large format 4x5 camera with my head under the cloth. That type of photography was slow, deliberate and, at times, elegant. Magic was done in the darkroom. Now, film has given way to pixels and, instead of 1-4 second exposures, images are captured in a fraction of a second. Something is lost and something is gained. Now, I can capture an image on the water and work with it in my electronic darkroom, often with satisfying results.

 I can also capture peak action (if I am lucky) and decide whether it looks better in color...

 or black and white.

The only thing constant is change.

Paddle safe...
DS

Go Stick It...

We're lucky (so far) here in Wisconsin inasmuch as we don't have to register kayaks and/or put stickers on our bows. It is one thing to do this with a large craft, but our elegant little hulls look better unadorned.

Paddle safe...
DS

Size Definitely matters...

Once upon a time, obsessed with the idea of going faster, I purchased the mega mama Ikelos blade by Werner. It grabs like a front end loader and is hard on the shoulders. I did notice that using smallerr paddles usually resulted in going faster because I just naturally picked up the number of strokes per hour.  After much trying out all sorts of paddles I ordered and received a Cypress blade...and learned that too big isn't good.

What a sweet blade. It feels easy on the body and allows for more reps per minute. which means more speed. Now to roll with it.

Paddle safe...

DS

Once Upon a Time...

I had a roll, a pretty-much-bomb proof roll. And...I still have pretty good success teaching others to roll. But something starting to get into my head. It could be radiation or extraterrestials, but I think it is over-think. I started analyzing my roll. I was fine with a Greenland stick, but my euro paddle rolls went away. Perhaps it happened while I was asleep.

So I analyzed more and nearly tore my right rotator cuff apart. Finally, I got someone to video me and...will you look at that?...that guy is lifting his head...and dipping his shoulder...and pulling down on the paddle. It wasn't a disease, it was an epidemic. This required hospitalization.

So I am back to the GS, keeping my back on the water and looking at the sky for help as I relearn what I thought was bomb proof.

Paddlle safe...
DS

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