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From: Courtney <sudnlycord_at_excite.com>
subject: [Paddlewise] magazine recommendations
Date: Tue, 30 Nov 1999 15:39:21 PST
I want a sea kayaking magazine subscription for xmas and know nothing about
any of them. I've done a search and found Sea Kayaking, Paddler, Canoe and
Kayak, and Atlantic Coastal Kayaker. (I'm in NYC)

Any suggestions about which one I should choose if I can only choose one?
(I realize in some cases it's like comparing apples and oranges...)

Courtney




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From: Bob Myers <bob_at_intelenet.net>
subject: Re: [Paddlewise] magazine recommendations
Date: Tue, 30 Nov 1999 16:10:27 -0800
On Nov 30, 15:39, "Courtney" wrote:
} Subject: [Paddlewise] magazine recommendations
> I want a sea kayaking magazine subscription for xmas and know nothing about
> any of them. I've done a search and found Sea Kayaking, Paddler, Canoe and
> Kayak, and Atlantic Coastal Kayaker. (I'm in NYC)
> 
> Any suggestions about which one I should choose if I can only choose one?
> (I realize in some cases it's like comparing apples and oranges...)

No question about it.  Sea Kayaker.

http://www.seakayakermag.com/

I have no financial relationship with Sea Kayaker, I'm just an admirer
and a subscriber.

-- 
Bob Myers                          FirstWorld Communications, Inc.
Email: bob.myers_at_firstworld.com    18101 Von Karman Avenue, Suite 550
Phone: 949-851-8250 x227           Irvine, CA 92612
Fax:   949-851-1088                http://www.firstworld.com/
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From: Chuck Holst <CHUCK_at_multitech.com>
subject: RE: [Paddlewise] magazine recommendations
Date: Tue, 30 Nov 1999 18:24:27 -0600
>>
I want a sea kayaking magazine subscription for xmas and know nothing
about
any of them. I've done a search and found Sea Kayaking, Paddler, Canoe
and
Kayak, and Atlantic Coastal Kayaker. (I'm in NYC)

Any suggestions about which one I should choose if I can only choose
one?
(I realize in some cases it's like comparing apples and oranges...)

Courtney
>>

Sea Kayaker first, then Atlantic Coastal Kayaker or ANorAK, which cover
kayaking destinations and accidents on the East Coast that Sea Kayaker
does not. 

Chuck Holst

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From: Nick Gill <nicholas.gill_at_adfa.edu.au>
subject: Re: [Paddlewise] magazine recommendations
Date: Wed, 1 Dec 1999 12:06:38 +1100
I'm going to a be party pooper and say don't bother subscribing to any. Of course I haven't seen all those you list, but I've yet to come across a sea kayaking magazine that I get much out of. SK for example, occassionally has useful/interesting articles, but their rarity makes the magazine of too little value to hand over money for it.

I get far more useful and interesting info from other kayakers and simply my club newsletter - and increasingly the listserver and specific web sites. 

nick

 
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From: Dave Kruger <dkruger_at_pacifier.com>
subject: Re: [Paddlewise] magazine recommendations
Date: Tue, 30 Nov 1999 17:56:03 -0800
Nick Gill wrote:
> 
> I'm going to a be party pooper and say don't bother subscribing to any. Of
> course I haven't seen all those you list, but I've yet to come across a sea
> kayaking magazine that I get much out of. SK for example, occassionally has
> useful/interesting articles, but their rarity makes the magazine of too
> little value to hand over money for it.

SK-bashing could take up a lot of bandwidth if we got started on it.  I long for
the John Dowd days when it was pithy and chock full of technical info.  Gotta
admit Cunningham and crew have a lot of flashy articles, and that that's
probably a necessity.  Somebody (some advertiser) gotta pay those bills!

This list is the best resource I have for good info.  Think about the great
stuff Doug Lloyd puts up here -- sorta beta testing before publication?

There oughta be a message in that for regular 'zines.  When is Jackie going to
put up a Web 'zine and exchange feeding those Westies the dry kibbles for the
high-priced stuff?

Bet those little dogs would love to be the precious pets of a Web czarina!

-- 
Dave Kruger
Astoria, OR

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From: Wes Boyd <boydwe_at_dmci.net>
subject: Re: [Paddlewise] magazine recommendations
Date: Tue, 30 Nov 1999 20:27:15
At 12:06 PM 12/1/99 +1100, Nick Gill wrote:
>I'm going to a be party pooper and say don't bother subscribing to any. Of
course I haven't seen all those you list, but I've yet to come across a sea
kayaking magazine that I get much out of. SK for example, occassionally has
useful/interesting articles, but their rarity makes the magazine of too
little value to hand over money for it.
>
>I get far more useful and interesting info from other kayakers and simply
my club newsletter - and increasingly the listserver and specific web sites. 

You know, I hate to say it, but I've come to agree with you. If I happen to
run across a copy of SK on the newsstands, I'll probably buy it if I
haven't seen it, but only rarely does it have anything that makes me want
to put it into the "keep" stack. The messages on paddlewise are meatier,
and often more informative, and very much more real and unsanitized.

But, this is not a criticism pointed entirely at SK, or even mostly at it.
I suspect it's just me, but I rarely find a magazine these days that's
worth the money. I used to subscribe to Backpacker, for example, until I
got turned off by the fact that favorable reviews on products usually were
accompanied by big ads for same. (At least SK avoids that little game.) I
happened to pick up a copy of Backpacker while I was getting a muffler put
on my van a couple weeks ago, and found it incredibly yuppieized and inane.
At least the price was right.

I do have to admit that Backpacker served a purpose for me. The muffler
shop has a very friendly cat, that happened to knock a cup of hot coffee
over onto the magazine in my lap. It saved me a scalding.

To get back to the original question, which magazine? Frankly, I like Canoe
and Kayak a lot more than SK -- granted, it does not go into the detail
that SK does, but is much more generalized and focused on touring. But,
that's a subjective opinion, and my own, not shared by any others. Your
mileage may vary. Buy some samples at the newsstand and get your own response.

-- Wes


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From: Gabriel L Romeu <romeug_at_erols.com>
subject: Re: [Paddlewise] magazine recommendations
Date: Tue, 30 Nov 1999 23:32:02 -0500
 SK for example, occassionally has
> useful/interesting articles, but their rarity makes the magazine of too
> little value to hand over money for it.
> >
> >I get far more useful and interesting info from other kayakers and simply
> my club newsletter - and increasingly the listserver and specific web sites.
> 
> You know, I hate to say it, but I've come to agree with you. If I happen to
> run across a copy of SK on the newsstands, I'll probably buy it if I
> haven't seen it, but only rarely does it have anything that makes me want
> to put it into the "keep" stack. 

Got my first issue of Ralph's Newsletter 'Folding Kayaker' which is
nothing but information, albeit focused on the more transportable of the
species.  I would say that half of the information is for more general
application, such as a dry bag article and a lights for night paddling
article.  As he writes on the list, the articles are informative and
complete.  

Another very good publication is ANorAK newsletter, which shouldn't be
missed if only for the indepth articles on navigation that have been a
staple for the past  couple of issues.  I completed a Greenland 'stick'
based on very complete instructions in a past issue that actually works
well.

These are two keepers from an informational standpoint.

-- 
Gabriel L Romeu
http://studiofurniture.com    ------------------>   furniture
http://users.aol.com/romeugp  ------------------>   paintings, prints,
photos and stuff
http://members.xoom.com/gabrielR   ----------->   A Daily Journal of
Observations
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From: <KayakherSC_at_aol.com>
subject: Re: [Paddlewise] magazine recommendations
Date: Tue, 30 Nov 1999 21:01:34 EST
In a message dated 11/30/1999 6:44:21 PM EST, sudnlycord_at_excite.com writes:

<< Any suggestions about which one I should choose if I can only choose one? 
>>

Sea Kayaker for national/international news, and Atlantic Coastal Kayaker for 
local news.  Couldn't choose just one!  :)  Sandy  
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From: Nick Gill <nicholas.gill_at_adfa.edu.au>
subject: Re: [Paddlewise] magazine recommendations
Date: Wed, 1 Dec 1999 13:39:00 +1100
I might add one good thing about SK is book reviews - I've bought some I've become aware of through SK. These then constitute a good source of technical info.

My overwhelming experience though is that other sea kayakers are the best source of ideas. For example, and I'm sure other places are like this, the people I paddle with here are a tremendously experimental bunch who love fiddling in sheds, trying out new ideas and boat modifications, and digging up new materials, fabrics, sources of good netting, foam of various sorts etc to make what is needed etc. The somewhat hybrid (or falling between the cracks) nature of sea kayaking means a lot of adaptation and inventiveness goes on - people prowl hardware stores, yacht chandlers, electronic stores, builders suppliers, foam and rubber stores, fibreglass dealers,........ This list is a very good adjunct to this process.

Then there is endless conversations on the pros and cons of various boats, hatches, techniques, paddle design, clothing etc. Any weaknesses (in design or manufacture) in manufactured equipment are quickly ferreted out and get around. Such info does not always get into printed material I observe. SK boat tests always strike me as a little superficial (despite, or perhaps because, of their technical wizardry - my eyes glaze over), esp. in their reviewers comments which generally are less than critical and tend to cover a limited range of issues. 

I personally find a lot of this sort of thing best discussed in the flesh with the object, esp. boats, in view 


nick



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From: Jackie Fenton <jackie_at_intelenet.net>
subject: Re: [Paddlewise] magazine recommendations
Date: Tue, 30 Nov 1999 19:31:44 -0800 (PST)
From: Dave Kruger <dkruger_at_pacifier.com>
>
> This list is the best resource I have for good info.  Think about the great
> stuff Doug Lloyd puts up here -- sorta beta testing before publication?

I will second that about Doug's great stuff :-)

> There oughta be a message in that for regular 'zines.  When is Jackie going to
> put up a Web 'zine and exchange feeding those Westies the dry kibbles for the
> high-priced stuff?

*Real* delicacy to westies would be rats or possum.  Alive.  I'm not going
down that road 8-}

> Bet those little dogs would love to be the precious pets of a Web czarina!
 
Then they wouldn't get to chase balls as much.  'course, I suppose
a "web czarina" could afford a ball tosser, maybe?

Another magazine I don't think I've seen mentioned yet is WaveLength (for
a more environmental awareness approach in paddling).  Try 
http://www.wavelengthmagazine.com/  

Can't have too many paddling magazine, imo :-)  

Cheers,

Jackie

                        \             /
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                  <<..>       sSSS_v)/ \           | \ "`"
                   )<*>      sSS[(\_]___\          | /
               <(_/_o_o_     'sS[_`-+---+)         |/
           \----+-------+-------'---`-----\--------n----')
 ~~~~~~~ ~~jf ~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~ ~~~~\~ ~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~
        o                                   \
              o                             \\     o      o
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                 (\                                o
          o   >jf:-)       o
                 (/                               o


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From: Doug Lloyd <dlloyd_at_bc.sympatico.ca>
subject: Re: [Paddlewise] magazine recommendations
Date: Wed, 01 Dec 1999 01:56:20 -0800
At 05:56 PM 11/30/99 -0800, Dave wrote in response to Nick:
<snip Nick>

>SK-bashing could take up a lot of bandwidth if we got started on it.  I
long for
>the John Dowd days when it was pithy and chock full of technical info.  Gotta
>admit Cunningham and crew have a lot of flashy articles, and that that's
>probably a necessity.  Somebody (some advertiser) gotta pay those bills!

Nick, Dave, et al:
I bought SK for years in the earlier days, then gave up. Too much fluff. I
was happy with local newsletters, and made contributions often, mostly just
got out on the water in every situation imaginable, had fun, miss-spent my
youth. And yes, SK was kind of expensive too. Most of the Brit boat
paddlers here, as well as Brit boat retail shops kind of looked down on SK
- too many "f'n" lake and canal articles, as well as technical errors. I
liked and contributed to (and still do) Wavelength Magazine, donating my
cash reward to environmental causes. Eventually, SK asked me to submit
stuff. As they pay in US funds (I get $1.50 for every Canadian Dollar) I
sold my soul. I also get a *free* subscription now. What people will do to
get free magazines, eh? I sent some input to the Editor based on Matt's and
Dave Kruger's comments/concerns, and boy, did I get the cold shoulder.
However, I'm seeing changes and will be more subtle with my input, but
nevertheless committed to improvement. I do know that a lot of you have NO
IDEA what goes on behind the scenes at a publication - about the drain of
deadlines, having to please the bulk of the readership, dealing with
diametrically opposed input from readers on what they want, staying
solvent, etc. I made a commitment a few years ago to never whine and
complain about anything in life, if I'm not willing to give my own time and
energy and suffer a smack or two to see effective change. 

BTW, while I have your attention, PLEASE forgive me if some of my post are
off base or weird, or incorrect in any way. I post late at night after a
busy day AND evening, then get up and ride my bike to work at 5:30 in the
morning. Some late week nights, I really should stay away from PW. And for
all you lurkers out there, listserver can suck sometimes if it is only the
"few" who post. Speak up, PW "belongs" to you if you abide by the rules.
Enter the discussions ENTHUSIASTICALLY, give FREELY of your experience
while trying to CONFINE your discussions to the topics at hand and allowed.
Do make sure you say what you THINK, be PATIENT with others (like me), and
always APPRECIATE each other's points of view. Be GRATEFUL for PW (and
other publications, electronic or otherwise). Hey, where else could you get
such statesman-like writing as that which Richard Culpeper submits, or the
humor from John Winters - all for FREE. AND, don't go off in a huff if
someone or something offends you, that isn't mature - safe, wise paddling
is all about maturity. 

BC'in Ya
Doug Lloyd (who really isn't trying to supplant Jackie as the new listdad)

   


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From: <Sandykayak_at_aol.com>
subject: Re: [Paddlewise] magazine recommendations
Date: Wed, 1 Dec 1999 07:12:23 EST
In a message dated 11/30/1999 11:46:59 PM Eastern Standard Time, 
romeug_at_erols.com writes:

<< Got my first issue of Ralph's Newsletter 'Folding Kayaker' which is
 nothing but information, albeit focused on the more transportable of the
 species.  I would say that half of the information is for more general
 application, such as a dry bag article and a lights for night paddling
 article.  As he writes on the list, the articles are informative and
 complete.   >>

Hallelujah, someone else agrees with me!

Sandy Kramer
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From: ralph diaz <rdiaz_at_ix.netcom.com>
subject: Re: [Paddlewise] magazine recommendations
Date: Wed, 01 Dec 1999 13:31:53 -0800
Sandykayak_at_aol.com wrote:
> 
> In a message dated 11/30/1999 11:46:59 PM Eastern Standard Time,
> romeug_at_erols.com writes:
> 
> << Got my first issue of Ralph's Newsletter 'Folding Kayaker' which is
>  nothing but information, albeit focused on the more transportable of the
>  species.  I would say that half of the information is for more general
>  application, such as a dry bag article and a lights for night paddling
>  article.  As he writes on the list, the articles are informative and
>  complete.   >>
> 
> Hallelujah, someone else agrees with me!
> 
> Sandy Kramer
> 

It may be a little unfair to general interest magazines (and I include
Sea Kayaker in that) to speak of them in the same breath as for a
dedicated newsletter.  A dedicated newsletter (by that I mean one with a
narrow focus such as Folding Kayaker) is always going to do a "better"
job for a narrow audience than a general publication would.

I once had some one write me saying why should he pay $28 a year for
Folding Kayaker when he could get Sea Kayaker for (then around $15 a
year, now $20.95).  I waited a bit before responding and then gave him
the math.  Folding Kayaker gives you some 6 to 8 articles each issue
mainly on very minute stuff about folding kayaks and related subjects. 
Times 6 issues you get about 36 to 48 articles a year on that narrow
subject.  Sea Kayaker probably covers folding kayaks in some general way
about once a year.  So to get that folding kayak article in Sea Kayaker
costs you $20.95; maybe $10.48 if there are two articles in the year. 
In Folding Kayaker, in contrast, each article is costing you about 75
cents.  Clearly on cost effectiveness alone and forgetting quality, you
would be nuts to subscribe to Sea Kayaker for folding kayak specific
articles.

I had another guy who subscribed to Folding Kayaker in its first two
years and who I actually met and talked with on the phone and who I
helped on some matters.  He later dropped his subscription.  About six
months after he let it lapse, I read a letter from him in Atlantic
Coastal Kayaker asking them to do more articles on folding kayaks. 
What's that song about looking for love in all the wrong places? :-)

When I first started the newsletter, I wanted to publish one with real
practical stuff on folding kayaks.  I felt I was the only person who
could write for it the way I envisioned and stick to a narrow focus (I
had two decades of writing and directing high-price newletters field on
very specific international business topics; so I had practical
experience on sticking to a subject).   In the first year, people
submitted travelogue type articles, which I felt, and still do, are
better placed in a general publication than in Folding Kayaker.  Since
they didn't talk about the boats themselves I didn't use them and kept
just writing my own nuts and bolts articles including some of the nature
that Gabriel mentions above that are slightly more general but do have a
folding kayak slant.  Little by little, I think readers caught on and
submissions started coming in with a terrific practical slant, often
much better detailed than I could muster for such a wide range of
folding kayaks as there out there.  And those who submitted articles of
a travel nature peppered them with lots of details on how they got their
boat there, packed for camping, special add-ons they made, etc.  So I
started using reader submissions as well as my own articles and the
publication is a far sight better for it.

The amount of detail in Folding Kayaker often amazes even me.  It is
just something that Sea Kayaker can't really do or justify to its broad
range of readers.

If you need the details on a narrow focus aspect of sea kayaking, you
have to locate a good newsletter on the subject.  For example, I know
that Chris K. of Chesapeake Light Craft puts out a great newsletter on
his boats with lots of up to date info for people who have made one or
looking to make one or want to modify what they have or add a useful
accessory.

As far as I know, no one is doing a Greenland style paddling dedicated
newsletter with detailed info.  It is a field waiting for someone to do
so as it is narrow in focus, has building aspects to it, lots of nuances
of technique, narrow use gear to review or alert people to, etc.  To
some degree ANorAK is evolving in that direction with a high Greenlandic
content because its hardcore readers lean that way as does its current
editor, Ray Killen.  BTW, the next issue (December?) of Atlantic Coastal
Kayaker (out of the Boston area) is scheduled to be largely dedicated to
Greenlandic topics.  I wrote a think piece for it regarding Maligiaq's
visit to the Big Apple with that understanding.

As Doug Lloyd said, there's a lot to getting out a publication.

Apologies for going into such detail.


ralph diaz
-- 
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Ralph Diaz . . . Folding Kayaker newsletter
PO Box 0754, New York, NY 10024
Tel: 212-724-5069; E-mail: rdiaz_at_ix.netcom.com
"Where's your sea kayak?"----"It's in the bag."
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
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From: Jerry Hawkins <jhawkins_at_cisco.com>
subject: [Paddlewise] Trip Report - SF Bay
Date: Mon, 06 Dec 1999 09:51:46 -0800
We had some very fine winter weather in the San Francisco Bay area yesterday so I set out on a little solo exploration.

Despite a weather forecast for a low of 41 degrees, there was frost on my minivan as I loaded my gear up.  After a 3 week layoff from paddling (due to surgery, not the weather) I was eager to get going but had to refer to a list to make sure I packed all my safety gear.

With a good high tide at Palo Alto expected at about 10:30 I hoped to launch by 8:45 but didn't push off until 9:15.  The park rangers have, for no apparent reason, dragged a wooden barricade across the parking area about 25 yards from the end of the dock but left an alternate approach open.  Hope I don't get a ticket.  The dock is very long and one thing not on my list is my wheels, so of course that's what I forgot.  I carry a 50 pound kayak and all my gear in 3 trips.  The temperature is perhaps 55 degrees when I launch.

The water is glassy and the flood is helpful.  About 2 miles out the Bay is black with birds, thousands upon thousands of them.  When I am about a quarter mile away they begin flying off, continuing their migration southward.  I never got close enough to see what they were.  As I approach channel marker "20" I realize that I've been looking toward the wrong landmark ... I have not been in this area for a year and never in a kayak.  Trust your compass more than your eyes.  No time has been lost, I always stop here to review my course.

I see movement and make it out to be a small boat going too fast, a mile or more away.  Three other boats nearby are at anchor.  As I pass them and enter the Coyote Creek I see one more boat at anchor and I realize one of my landmarks was missing.  Some burned wooden spars are all that appear to remain from a wrecked boat which sat here for years.  It was about a 45 or 50 footer.

I continue up the Coyote River to my turnaround spot, where a low railroad bridge crosses the river.  The chart shows vertical clearance zero and that is in fact what it is.  At high tide you might float a paddle under the bridge but nothing larger.  Station Island, also called Drawbridge, is on my left.  From my low spot all I can see are five abandoned buildings.  This place is a testament to human folly.  Build a hundred years ago, it catered to sportsmen and card players.  Over time, more and more fresh water was pumped until the ground subsided and the island began to flood at high water.  Untreated sewage from San Jose increased until the place was untenable.  Most residents left in the '50s but the final one stayed until 1977.  It is now a preserve and can be visited only on a ranger-led tour.

As I eat my lunch, a lone seal come along to watch me.  It approaches to within 25 feet in small stages.  As I'm packing my things away I see the ebb has begun and I've moved back 100 yards on my way.  I was hoping to see herons and egrets but there are none today.  No pelicans, either.  Now to begin the long trip back.

The wind picks up just enough to make worry lines on the formerly glassy sea.  The waves never reach higher than 3 inches the entire trip.  The ebb tide is moving diagonally to my course, helping more than shoving me aside.  The tiny wind is almost directly opposed to the tide.  I see a smooth surface on the sea ahead and think that this will mean a counter direction tidal flow ... the wind and tide agreeing against me ... but when I get there my speed picks up to 5.2 Kt and I realize that the wind and tide are conspiring to help me for a moment at least. 

Far away there are 2 large boats near the Dumbarton Bridge, both larger than I usually see on this part of the Bay.  No danger of them coming here, especially during the ebb.  This entire area will be high and dry in 2 hours.  Visibility is declining ... I could see the mountains a little while ago and now I can't make out details on shore only 2 miles away.  The sunlight begins to take a red hue.  A large flock of birds ... flycatchers, I think ... goes by and they look kind of burnt orange in the filtered light.  I worry about the weather but not too much.  

As I pull into the dock, a man there with his elderly mother asks lots of questions about kayaking.  He has experience with inflatables and folding kayaks in his native Switzerland.  I'm tempted for a moment only to try my German on them, but I'm too tired and my German is too poor and I don't want to insult them.  Too bad, I wonder if he would have helped carry my gear if I asked him in German.  I wonder how ones asks, "Would you mind taking the stern toggle" auf Deutsch.

A pleasant but uneventful trip, 12.75 NM, 3 hours 45 minutes.

jerry.



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From: Nick Gill <nicholas.gill_at_adfa.edu.au>
subject: Re: [Paddlewise] magazine recommendations
Date: Thu, 2 Dec 1999 09:30:39 +1100
doug wrote
> nevertheless committed to improvement. I do know that a lot of you have NO
> IDEA what goes on behind the scenes at a publication - about the drain of
> deadlines, having to please the bulk of the readership, dealing with
> diametrically opposed input from readers on what they want, staying
> solvent, etc. 

I can appreciate this, running such a mag must be a balancing act. Like a lot of sea kayaking issues its probably horses for courses. I generally don't get too wound up on most stuff, certainly a lot less than some with, for example,  more interest than me in the finer points of hull design (and I even detect mellowing among some of those I know - at least in public). Sometimes I think my postings may be a bit pointed but generally I think there is no point being too dogmatic about most stuff.... but then there is that curious north american reliance on hand pumps......

nick
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From: Doug Lloyd <dlloyd_at_bc.sympatico.ca>
subject: Re: [Paddlewise] magazine recommendations
Date: Wed, 01 Dec 1999 18:08:01 -0800
At 09:30 AM 12/2/99 +1100, Nick you wrote:
<snip doug>
<snip Nick>I think there is no point being too dogmatic about most
stuff.... but then there is that curious north american reliance on hand
pumps......

Oh Nick, knock it of with that anti-american anti-hand-pump rhetoric, would
you! I love the damn things. My wife has four of them: one each in the
bathrooms, one in the kitchen and one in the laundry room. The whole family
uses them, and we haven't drowned yet. :-)

PS Check out the SK article a couple of months ago - an electric bilge pump
article, now how about that!

BC'in Ya 
Doug Lloyd 
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From: Nick Gill <nicholas.gill_at_adfa.edu.au>
subject: Re: [Paddlewise] magazine recommendations
Date: Thu, 2 Dec 1999 13:32:13 +1100
doug wrote
> PS Check out the SK article a couple of months ago - an electric bilge pump
> article, now how about that!

a good thing too!
 
so I heard. More of that sort of thing and I'll subscribe! 

Haven't visited my friend on the coast who subscribes for a while - its kind of like reading all those magazines you don't/wouldn't buy in doctor's surgeries. I'll check it out when I visit.

nick

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