Re: [Paddlewise] Saturday (was faq?)

>1. Should I learn to paddle feathered or un?


Move over you un guys & gals.  I may have experienced a spiritual awakening.

As I was paddling the mile or so out to camp on the AMC's Beal Island in
Bath, ME. my control wrist started feeling kinda achey.  I paddle a
feathered Werner something that has fused shut with no hope of it ever being
a 2 piece again.  I didn't know if it was because of the early (for me)
season, (exceptionally) poor feathered technique or if I'm just getting
old(er) and creaky(er).

In any case I got an early start Saturday morning and stopped by the truck
to switch paddles.  I have a no name spare paddle, with ugly yellow blades
that must weigh a couple of pounds.  I paddled around the small cove a
little bit and other than the general heaviness of the paddle felt ok so I
headed out to and out of the Sheepscot River paddling un-feathered.  I was
out for about 10 hours and covered maybe 15-20 leisurely miles.  The wrist
felt good and I had little of the general fatigue I would associate with the
first real trip of the year.  Both of my thumb joints were kinda sore but
I'd attribute that to the heaviness of the paddle.

Now I have to go read all that feathered/un-feathered stuff you guys were
rambling on and on about recently.  Unless there's something in there that
puts me off, I'll probably join the un ranks.

Nothing much exciting happened and I didn't do anything particularily
stupid.  I did learn a new law of physiology.  There is a direct connection
between your neck and your bladder.  Yup!  The connection becomes quite
apparent as soon as the neck comes in contact with latex.  This causes an
immediate reaction in the bladder and the need to pee becomes overpowering.

Honest to gawd!  Everytime I struggled into the dry suit, as soon my head
popped up through the neck gasket, I had to pee.  And it wasn't the kind of
thing you could ignore either, at least not in a new dry suit.

I got to the long beach east or south (southeast?) of the mouth of the
Sheepscot River around 11am.  The tide was out and I thought I'd have an
early lunch before starting back.  There were only a few people on the beach
as I started looking for a likely way through the surf.  I paddled a half
mile or so and everything looked pretty much the same so I started edging my
way in.

50 feet or so from the breakers I realized I was riding on close to 4 foot
swells.  About 10 feet from the breaking waves I stopped to admire the
beautiful green as the sun seemed to shine through the top of them.  I sat
there for a minute enjoying the sights and sounds and the feeling when a
surging wave caught me from behind and started to propel me forward.  I took
a quick back stroke with my control hand but my off blade cut through the
water and I almost went over (Duh, you're not feathered, dummy).  Dunno why
I didn't.  Probably some subconscious super athletic instinct took over?

So there I am, new paddle, new paddling style, first real trip of the
season, really cold water, 3-4 foot breakers, what's the worst that can
happen?  So I turned away in search of a more likely place to have lunch.

There's a small cove inside the mouth of the Sheepscot (Sheepscot Bay).  As
I approached it I saw 2 foot breakers at the entrance but after watching
them for a minute I was able to pick my way through them (and the rocks) to
a nice sandy beach.

As I looked up from my lunch I saw a red Old Towne canoe coming in through
the same breakers.  Looked like Dad, a teenage son and daughter.  They made
it in, but got hung up on the rocks.  Son was in the bow and had leaned out
with a draw at one point.  From that, I gathered they had some ww experience
behind them and weren't totally stupid, even though they were totally wet.

I had been setting waypoints all the way down the river and was pretty
confused because my GPS tracking was always 5-20 degrees off from my  deck
compass (Aquaterra Sailor II?).  I was concerned enough to get out the beat
up old handheld compass I carry in my PFD and it matched my deck compass.
How could they both be so far off from the GPS?  But as I started on my way
back the GPS tracking and the compass matched up pretty closely.  Half way
back, with everything matching up, it finally dawned on me.  I think I
remember someone on the list saying the tracking feature is useless unless
you're moving at some minimum speed and I had just been sitting there when I
was setting the waypoints.  Works for me.

Nothing much else happened of interest.  I got nailed off the tip of an
island with a flood tide.  I was coming around the tip, concentrating on the
GPS about 20 feet from breakers crashing onto rocks shelfs when I found
myself abeam of 1-2 foot chop and surge.  That could've proved uncomfortable
but my superior skills saved the day and I didn't die.

A little later I got caught in Goose Neck Straight, a short dogleg narrows
that gives access to a couple of bays and rivers and the Sheepscot.  A lot
of water moves through there and it was about 4 hours into the flood tide.
Again I was concentrating on the GPS in trying to hit a nun I had marked
dead on and found myself in some 1 foot standing waves and then in a 4-5
knot swirling current.  With outstanding control and balance I just paddled
serenley through the malestrom.

Natural wildlife included a couple of harbor seals, a couple of ospreys,
some loons and some pretty ducks that were mostly white on the head and back
but black underneath.  My wildlife this trip = nada.

Gear comments:

I need to use the check list I made.  I forgot matches.  Fortunately I had
planned mostly cold meals and just missed out on hot cocoa.  I also realized
on the way up I hadn't loaded the ground cloth but in reality, I had
forgotten to unload it from a practice load earlier in the week.

I still think the waterbags with nylon cover, handles and spigots are great.
Hang 'em in a tree and they're just like a faucet.

I tried a zippered, cotton sleeping bag liner for the first time.  I liked
it ok and it will be even better when it's hotter.  The problem I had was a
zippered liner inside a zippered bag.  Both zippers come undone very easily
and when I woke up in the morning I was really tied up.  From twisting and
turning around during the night, the sleeping bag zipper was on my right but
the liner zipper ended up on the left.

I tried a new flashlight with an LED for reading.  I hung it at the top of
the 4 man tent and it was plenty bright enough to read by.  It only lit up a
small area so I had to sit in a fixed spot and it swayed back and forth a
lot with the breeze.

I brought my 4 man tent and my Therma-rest chair with an old sleeping pad in
it as luxury items.  Don't regret either one of them.  Had them lashed to
the stern deck.  My method was adequate for the short distance in calm
waters I had to travel.  I dunno about rougher weather or a capsize.  Anyone
have any tips for lashing bulky items to the deck?

A woman I met described her first wet exit.  As she was exiting, her
shoulder length hair somehow got caught up in some loose bungies.  I said
she must have freaked out and she said she was about to when she got herself
loose.  This was with friends, not a commercial outing.

I went to a rolling class on Sunday.  While there someone was asking about
the effect of salt water on neoprene wet suits.  Part of the instructor's
repsonse include throwing the suit in the washing machine to remove stink?
I vaugely recall some discussion on the list about this.  I don't recall
washing machines and think I remember something about a mild bleach
solution.  Would some enlighten me?  This isn't an idle question.  By the
end of the trip, my booties were stinking worse than the rest of me and I
like to keep the smell spread out equally.


Clyde Sisler
http://csisler.com

>2. Which is the best boat to buy?
>
>3. Are electric pumps worth the bother?
>
>4. How much preparation do I need for a trip in the San Juans?
>
>5. Should the U.S. Navy uses kayaks to launch a stealth invasion of
>Kosovo and if so should the troops be A.C.A certified?
>
>6. Where is the best kayaking destination in the world? I have two
>weeks and deep pockets?
>
>The list is endless...We are of one mind.
>
>Brian Windrope
>
>_____________________________________________________________
>Do You Yahoo!?
>Free instant messaging and more at http://messenger.yahoo.com
>***************************************************************************
>PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List
>Submissions:     paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net
>Subscriptions:   paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net
>Website:         http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/
>***************************************************************************



***************************************************************************
PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List
Submissions:     paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net
Subscriptions:   paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net
Website:         http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/
***************************************************************************