>From http://www.potomacmgmt.com/html_site/clients.htm United States Coast Guard (USCG) - PMG currently has a 22 million dollar contract to provide administrative, management, and technical support services to the U.S. Coast Guard's headquarters in Washington, D.C. I think we just had our chance to see our tax dollars at work close up! Maybe I'll go into the business of selling ballast rocks to the military and kayak manufacturers. Matt Broze http://www.marinerkayaks.com *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Make sure you only sell the Coast Guard approved "California" ballast rocks. It is widely known that the variety from Washington are not as good. The ones from Washington DC are full of hot air and those from Seattle are full of hot coffee. On Friday, November 1, 2002, at 09:25 PM, Matt Broze wrote: > Maybe I'll go into the business of selling ballast rocks to the > military and > kayak manufacturers. Nick Schade Guillemot Kayaks 824 Thompson St Glastonbury, CT 06033 USA Ph/Fx: (860) 659-8847 http://www.guillemot-kayaks.com/ *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
I feel obliged to point out that using "California Ballast Rocks (TM)" was merely my best attempt to make do at the time. Everyone knows, of course, that Canadian Ballast Rocks (TM) are the best, their use having been pioneered by the paddling community's most presitigious academic member, the great historian and hydrodynamicist, Dr. Peregrine Inverbon. Nick Schade wrote: > Make sure you only sell the Coast Guard approved "California" ballast > rocks. It is widely known that the variety from Washington are not as > good. The ones from Washington DC are full of hot air and those from > Seattle are full of hot coffee. > > On Friday, November 1, 2002, at 09:25 PM, Matt Broze wrote: > >> Maybe I'll go into the business of selling ballast rocks to the >> military and >> kayak manufacturers. *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Nick Schade wrote: >and those from Seattle are full of hot coffee. G'Day, Combining two essential kayaking accessories is impressive! Could you give me the name of the Seattle dealer? Cost and delivery? Is it Starbucks? Do they do Latte? When the rocks are empty can you eat them? Do the rocks float like the NZ pumice ones - could they then serve a third purpose as Sp*n**etc? All the best, PeterO *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
The manufacturing method is of course proprietary, but I think they use recycled Microsoft Windows CDs and combine them with Starbucks coffee under great pressure using a machine developed at Boeing. They are still working out the bugs. On Monday, November 4, 2002, at 04:42 AM, PeterO wrote: > Nick Schade wrote: >> and those from Seattle are full of hot coffee. > > G'Day, > Combining two essential kayaking accessories is impressive! Could you > give > me the name of the Seattle dealer? Cost and delivery? Is it Starbucks? > Do > they do Latte? When the rocks are empty can you eat them? Do the rocks > float > like the NZ pumice ones - could they then serve a third purpose as > Sp*n**etc? > Nick Schade *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
PeterO wrote: > Nick Schade wrote: > >>and those from Seattle are full of hot coffee. > > > G'Day, > Combining two essential kayaking accessories is impressive! Could you give > me the name of the Seattle dealer? Cost and delivery? Is it Starbucks? Do > they do Latte? Don't go there. The last thing you need is lack of ballast when you've got the coffee jitters after emptying your Seattle Ballast Rocks. Trust me on this one. *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
The USCG prefers to promote products "made in the USA", so they are only certifying California Ballast Rocks for kayak safety at this time. And, despite NAFTA Canadian Ballast Rocks are subject to high tariffs, so the superior product is hard to come by in this country. I don't think I've ever seen one. On Sunday, November 3, 2002, at 12:02 PM, Bob Myers wrote: > I feel obliged to point out that using "California Ballast Rocks (TM)" > was merely my best attempt to make do at the time. Everyone knows, of > course, that Canadian Ballast Rocks (TM) are the best, their use > having been pioneered by the paddling community's most presitigious > academic member, the great historian and hydrodynamicist, Dr. > Peregrine Inverbon. > Nick Schade wrote: >> Make sure you only sell the Coast Guard approved "California" ballast >> rocks. It is widely known that the variety from Washington are not as >> good. The ones from Washington DC are full of hot air and those from >> Seattle are full of hot coffee. >> On Friday, November 1, 2002, at 09:25 PM, Matt Broze wrote: >>> Maybe I'll go into the business of selling ballast rocks to the >>> military and >>> kayak manufacturers. > Nick Schade *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Has Dr. Peregrine Inverbon had anything to say concerning sp*ns*ns, Timmy, and the USCG? Steve Holtzman *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
From: "Steve Holtzman" <sh_at_actglobal.net> > Has Dr. Peregrine Inverbon had anything to say concerning sp*ns*ns, Timmy, > and the USCG? Maybe we should send Kaitlin directly to the good doctor. Nothing like getting information directly from the expert!! Mike *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
At 06:04 PM 11/3/02 -0800, Steve Holtzman wrote: >Has Dr. Peregrine Inverbon had anything to say concerning sp*ns*ns, Timmy, >and the USCG? Indeed he did. Three of the last four articles on the PW Inverbon page http://www.paddlewise.net/topics/pwponder/thedoctor.html deal, directly or indirectly with sp...that is to say, those products and that person. No mention of the USCG, but of course the Doctor is Canadian. I'm afraid my feeble memory conflated sp*ns*ns with crotch dirigibles, but the crotch dirigible discussion seems to have had other connections. It's always a distinct pleasure to revisit the good Doctor's writings. Which reminds me, anyone heard anything from John Winters lately? Steve Cramer Athens, GA *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Steve Holtzman wrote: > Has Dr. Peregrine Inverbon had anything to say concerning sp*ns*ns, Timmy, > and the USCG? Regretfully, neither Dr. Inverbon nor John Winters has been seen around these parts for several months. I believe John's email address started failing in August for unknown reasons, so he's not on this list currently. We miss you John, especially at times like these. Is there anyone out there with a current email address for John? *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
It's a darn shame that Timmy has to muddy the waters with all the spam about sponsons, and cause the USCG to waste precious resources (if, in fact, that's the case) with such a pointless investigation. The simple fact of the matter is that in the big view, boating accidents where sponsons might or might not be useful are a pipsqueak issue in the larger frame of things. Consider the following report, taken from today's National Park Service Morning Report (and therefore in the public domain, and no copyright issues pertain): "Additional information has been received on the fatal boating accidents first reported in the October 22 Morning Report and on other incidents that occurred during the annual "party on the bay" (as it^Òs come to be known) on Columbus Day weekend. This year, there were several boat collisions and near misses as people left the area on Saturday night. One occurred when a good Samaritan stopped to help a boater who was having engine problems. As he began towing the second boat, a third boat hit it from behind. This caused the second boat to go airborne and land on the stern of the first. The boat also landed on a passenger in the rear of the boat, who died as a result of severe trauma. Three others sustained serious injuries, and several more had to be pulled from the water after their boat capsized. Later that evening, a 28-foot Donzi "go-fast" boat hit a number of other boats while crossing the bay. The Coast Guard received a call from the captain of one of them, who said that his boat had been hit by the Donzi, that he^Òd been knocked into the water, and that the Donzi had kept on going. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission received a call from a visitor reporting that the Donzi had hit their boat with a glancing blow, then kept going. On Sunday morning, the Donzi was found onshore in a dense grove of mangroves. It had created a 100-foot-long path through the shallow bay bottom, then cut a 70-foot swath through the mangroves. The body of one man was found on board, pinned under the console. Evidence indicated that he^Òd tried to push the console off him. The identifications for several other people were found on board, but only one other body was located. Another was found in the middle of the bay on Monday. It^Òs believed that the driver of the Donzi was ejected into the bay in the first collision and subsequently drowned. The boat then continued on, as the passengers on board were unable to stop it. It then hit the second boat before running full speed into the mangroves. Also occurring during the weekend were 17 arrests for boating under the influence, five stolen vessels (one of them recovered), two arrests for assault with a deadly weapon, five other incidents involving weapons, one sinking, a boat fire in which 30 people had to be rescued from the water, two assaults, 13 major vessel groundings with related damage to seagrass beds, three search and rescue operations, one incident involving lewd and lascivious behavior, three EMS incidents (including a woman who was run over by a boat and cut by its propeller), 100 boating safety violations, and one pursuit of a vessel that was smuggling 25 Cubans into the U.S. The latter required the use of pepper spray to subdue three of the people on board. The park continues to move this event toward traditional national park activities. To that end, a visitor contact barge was introduced, staffed by interpreters. It proved to be a rallying point for lost swimmers. Maintenance staff marked the Featherbeds, a shallow seagrass nursery, with 25 pencil buoys to keep visitors out of the shallow areas; they also provided on-scene marine mechanical assistance. Resource management and administrative staff guarded the Featherbeds to help prevent damage to the area. Along with this concerted effort by all park staff, Biscayne received help from rangers from Everglades, Big Cypress, Glen Canyon, Yosemite, Gulf Islands, Christiansted, Shenandoah and Assateague Island; they were also helped by Miami-Dade PD, Miami-Dade Fire Rescue, Florida Fish and Wildlife, the Coast Guard, Customs, and staff from area marinas. The event is an excellent example of a park working cooperatively and successfully with other NPS units and area partners." Note that the NPS had to bring in assistance from as far away as California to deal with this nuthouse! I hope anyone in a kayak had the good sense to stay far away. The primary reasons for boating accidents are not sponsons or the lack thereof, but alcohol, inexperience, and a combination of the two. -- Wes --------------------------------------------------------------------------- Wes Boyd's Kayak Place NEW URL! -- http://www.kayakplace.com Kayaks for Big Guys (And Gals) | Trip Reports | Places To Go | Boats & Gear --------------------------------------------------------------------------- *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
Aside from the sp*ns*n issue, the cost to the public (ie, taxpayers) of this "party weekend" must be absolutely mindboggling, particularly when you think of help being flown in from all over the country. What a waste simply for mindless "fun" in big expensive toys. Dave G. Poquoson, Va At 08:12 11/4/02, Wes Boyd wrote: >It's a darn shame that Timmy has to muddy the waters with all the spam >about sponsons, and cause the USCG to waste precious resources (if, in >fact, that's the case) with such a pointless investigation. > >The simple fact of the matter is that in the big view, boating accidents >where sponsons might or might not be useful are a pipsqueak issue in the >larger frame of things. Consider the following report, taken from today's >National Park Service Morning Report (and therefore in the public domain, >and no copyright issues pertain): <snip a whole lot> >The primary reasons for boating accidents are not sponsons or the lack >thereof, but alcohol, inexperience, and a combination of the two. > >-- Wes *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
--- Wes Boyd <boydwe_at_dmci.net> wrote: > > The primary reasons for boating accidents are not sponsons or the lack > thereof, but alcohol, inexperience, and a combination of the two. On the face of it, it seems perfectly reasonable to suggest every kayaker should carry with them a personal firearm, hopefully capable of deterring kamikaze motorized boaters. I suggest we legislate that every kayak be equipped with torpedo tubes or possibly deck-mounted rocket-propelled grenades. They'd double as signalling devices. I think that'd dove nicely with the agenda of routing out the evil-doers and making America again safe from terrorism. ===== Elias Ross / 470 2nd Ave S #313 / Kirkland WA 98033 http://www.maison-otaku.net/~genman __________________________________________________ Do you Yahoo!? HotJobs - Search new jobs daily now http://hotjobs.yahoo.com/ *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
> From: Steve Cramer <cramersec_at_charter.net> > It's always a distinct pleasure to revisit the good Doctor's writings. > Which reminds me, anyone heard anything from John Winters lately? No but if anyone has any contact information, I'd sure like to be able to get in touch with him. cheers, jackie *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
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