I once had an experience that is the mirror image of the one Matt describes. I came around the bend [why do all these stories start with that phrase?] and there was a woman standing on a small landing that is no longer used. She was wearing a long skirt and a halter top and the biggest, oddest grin I had ever seen. As I said paddled by and said "Hi", a kneeling man poked his head out from under the skirt, said "Hi" and disappeared again. Jim Tibensky *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
> After the women had passed, the others asked him why. He > replied, "Gentlemen, I am recognized by my face not my genitals!" LOL!!! That's GREAT! Rick *************************************************************************** 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 suppose another surprise was while getting slammed over by surf I was > hanging upside down waiting for it to let me go. One hand had been pulled > off the paddle but I managed to hold on with the other and it was dragging > along off to my side. In my mind I was just waiting for things to calm > down > so I could roll up. In a flash though I felt the paddle break in half - > the > break being right in my hand. There hadn't been much drag on the paddle, > at > least it didn't seem to be much. It was the first time I had experienced > such a catastrophic failure of my gear. Maybe not so shocking for most, > but > for me, at the time, it caught me totally off guard. How did you recover from that? Were you carrying a spare paddle, or was someone in your group carrying a spare? Were you even with a group? Rick *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
> How did you recover from that? Were you carrying a spare > paddle, or was > someone in your group carrying a spare? Were you even with a group? Well this story comes straight from the "Don't try this at home" department :) This happened before I retired from the Air Force. Summer of 2002. I was stationed in Northern Japan where sea kayaks were rare. There were no partners to paddle with (Towards the end of my tour a school councilor moved to the base that had a kayak, so for a short period I had a paddling partner). I should start at the beginning of the story. Below is the link to my original trip report: http://www.kayaktrips.net/archives/000136.html Woody ========================== Woody's Kayak Trip Reports http://www.kayaktrips.net/ ========================== *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
"Gentlemen, I am recognized by my face not my genitals!" Yes, but he might be recognized by the company he keeps. Where to begin, there are so many. Once while making camp in the San Juan Islands a huge bird with a hooked beak dove on me but I didn't see it until it was just a few feet away. It swooped away just above my head but had I not looked up I might never have even noticed it. It was so big and so close but there was absolutely no sound at all from it. I wondered if I had just witnessed some sort of apparition or something. I didn't yet know that owls can fly without making a sound. Listening to the sound of the fan on my computer I have to wonder why we humans cannot make nearly silent fans using the same technology. Once in Baja I foolishly decided to try to surf my fully loaded folding kayak (and 10 gallons of water) in steep white capping seas. I waited for the bow to start to drop and I pulled hard on the right side to accelerate quickly. The next following crest overtook me and met my lightweight graphite paddle's blade just as I pulled hardest. I heard a loud explosion like a firecracker going off and looked over at a puff of black dust. The water resistance (to my stroke) instantly dropped to zero on that side and I seriously over-rotated. Luckily, I didn't capsize and was able to brace with the other blade while calling to my woman friend to bring the spare. I've drifted by many naked sunbathers and otherwise busily occupied couples while paddling the rivers of Washington but I don't recall but once that our group, floating silently by, was even spotted. Those experiences did teach me to be a little more prudent so while there have been a few close calls I'm not aware of ever having the shoe on the other foot. It is usually just a matter of getting far enough from the trail or water to be off the beaten path. Robert's "I managed a 'howdy' just to acknowledge the awkwardness and continued on." and Rick's "To break the ice, I simply smiled and said "Nice double"." reminded me of the story that one fellow WW paddler told swears is absolutely true. He was floating around a point in a river and came upon a casting fly fisherman standing on a rock with an open fly and a woman on her knees in front of him. He was not far away but wanted to warn the couple that he was there so he coughed while looking off the other way. Things were quickly zipped away before he floated right in front of them, but like with those quotes above, the paddler wanted to break the nervous ice (and ignore the 8000 pound elephant in their midst) at the same time. He quickly thought to himself, I'll ask about the fishing. "Getting any good bites?" Matt Broze 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/ ***************************************************************************
G'Day, Johnno, Margot and I were paddling the Bega river on a balmy Summers day last month and amiably sharing it with a bunch of water skiers - and a blue tongued lizard! None of us had ever seen a blue tongued lizard swimming across a river before and this fine specimen was trying its damnedest to get to the other side, wriggling and slithering at about 1/10th of a knot through the water. It had to be a male responding to a mate - can't think of any other reason why a lizard would want to do such a thing. Anyway we stayed fairly close so it would be protected from water skiers and a couple of circling falcons. Came across a web site which suprised me again! Apparently Wallabies and Wobats like to surf! http://www.abc.net.au/science/news/enviro/EnviroRepublish_1030590.htm Wouldn't have believed it except on Deal Island last month our group saw a wallaby swimming through the surf with a couple of thresher sharks chasing it. 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/ ***************************************************************************
> Johnno, Margot and I were paddling the Bega river on a balmy Summers day > last month and amiably sharing it with a bunch of water skiers - and a blue > tongued lizard! None of us had ever seen a blue tongued lizard swimming > across a river before and this fine specimen was trying its damnedest to get > to the other side, wriggling and slithering at about 1/10th of a knot In New Jersey it's not unusual to see Woodchucks (Marmots) swimming in rivers. I had one last fall ferrying across a river with me -- quite nonchalantly. On another occasion on a rarely paddled stream I had two younkers see me from the shore, who then jumped in and swam out for a closer look. *************************************************************************** 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 seem like I have owned every GPS Garmin has ever made that could possibly be used for paddling, starting with the 45. I believe Garmin has finally made the perfect GPS in the 60 series. I have had mine for a few weeks and have one trip into the Everglades as well as a trip to Europe. Some of the neat features: Waterproof Color 30 Hour Battery life 53 MB of memory WAAS often accurate to ten feet Rate of accent and decent (great for keeping tabs on the pilot) USB and Serial compatible Auto Routing - Load City Select and it gives you turn by turn instructions in real time, just like the more expensive units. Cost $360-$400 The only negative is that it is not compatible with the current Metroguide and consequently will not auto route, which required purchasing City Select. It will auto route with the prior version of Metro Guide. The CS version has an altimeter/barometer and electronic compass and is due out in a few weeks. cu *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
[Moderator's Note: Content unaltered. Excessive quoting (including headers/footers/sig lines/extraneous text from previous posts, etc.) have been removed. Please edit quoted material in addition to removing header/trailers when replying to posts.] Looking at its specs on Garmin website - very impressive. Hopefully the price will go down a little bit. About 50% larger display, colour, almost doubled battery time compared to Etrex series (with the same weight). One drawback is that is significantly larger - 1.7" longer and slighty wider and thicker than Etrexes. Not sure if this includes antenna (which protrudes quite a bit too). Might not fit into some pockets. Waterproofness (Re: Garmin Map 12): battery compartment has always been the weakest spot, though in mappable Etrexes it is watreproof enough for a short dip. This will sure deteriorate after a few seasons. Alex. *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
> -----Original Message----- > From: owner-paddlewise_at_paddlewise.net > [mailto:owner-paddlewise_at_paddlewise.net] On Behalf Of Alex > Waterproofness (Re: Garmin Map 12): battery compartment has > always been the weakest spot, though in mappable Etrexes it > is watreproof enough for a short dip. This will sure > deteriorate after a few seasons. Alex. Alex, I wouldn't bet on the waterproofness of the mappable Etrex. My Etrex Legend died while still under warranty from salt water exposure and then again while just out of warranty. It is an expensive lesson to learn that a submersible GPS must be carried in a dry bag. Steve Holtzman Southern, CA *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
On Feb 8, 2004, at 8:22 AM, Steve Holtzman wrote: > > It is an expensive lesson to learn that a submersible GPS must be > carried in a dry bag. > It is even more frustrating when you find that a dry bag is not enough to keep it alive. My Etrex died even though I always used a drybag. It was one of those roll-down bags. While this kept the direct splashing away from the GPS, it still let in humidity. In the sun, this humidity was able to penetrate the GPS and kill it. it is possible that throwing a Silica-Gel pack in the bag would help. All I can say is: A dry bag is not sufficient. 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/ ***************************************************************************
Wishful thinking debunked: Same problems with the Magellan Meridian Marine--have sent two back after failing with routine kayaking (rolling, surf, rain etc.) and now keep it in a GPS flexible watertight case so far with no problems other than inconvenience. At 01:27 PM 2/9/2004 -0500, Nick Schade wrote: >On Feb 8, 2004, at 8:22 AM, Steve Holtzman wrote: >> >>It is an expensive lesson to learn that a submersible GPS must be >>carried in a dry bag. > > ********************************************************* John S. March, MD, MPH Professor and Chief, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences Duke Child and Family Study Center 718 Rutherford Street Durham, NC 27705 919/416-2404 (P); 919/416-2420 (F) Email: jsmarch_at_acpub.duke.edu Website: http://www2.mc.duke.edu/pcaad ********************************************************* As the physicist Dr. Maria Spiropulu notes (NYT 9/30/03) "Everybody is entitled to their own opinion, but they're not entitled to their own facts. The data is the data." *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
What kind of dry bags are people using for GARMIN Etrex that would still allow you to use it's features while in the bag. When I have used soft bags designed for cell phones, it is difficult to get to the GPS buttons, and if it's a hot and sunny, the bag inside heats up and I"ve had trouble with the LCD screen working. Dawn *************************************************************************** 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 is even more frustrating when you find that a dry bag is not enough > to keep it alive. My Etrex died even though I always used a drybag. It > was one of those roll-down bags. While this kept the direct splashing > away from the GPS, it still let in humidity. In the sun, this humidity > was able to penetrate the GPS and kill it. > > it is possible that throwing a Silica-Gel pack in the bag would help. > All I can say is: A dry bag is not sufficient. It could more impact of the humidity in the air already contained in the drybag and Etrex casing, condensating inside the casing due to increased temperature in the closed volume. Silica-gel should help, and smaller size of drybag should help Silica-gel to do its job. Albeit expensive, Aquapack bags look like the best solution - they are small. I've tried my current cellophone Aquapack on Etrex Legend - very inconvenient, mostly because it's too narrow and therefore tight, hard to operate side buttons and joystick. Designated Aquapack for GPS is wider, should be easier to access buttons. Also, as I have already suspected and written on another forum, clear film reduces display readability significantly. Still readable, though (black-on-gray display of Etrex is not too good even without clear film over it). Additionally, transparency of this film suffers due to inevitable abrasion of the bag after just one season of use. For using it as a storage bag only, transparency and accessibility of buttons doesn't matter. *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
> What kind of dry bags are people using for GARMIN Etrex that would still allow you to use it's features while in the bag. > When I have used soft bags designed for cell phones, it is difficult to get to the GPS buttons, and if it's a hot and sunny, the bag inside heats up and I"ve had trouble with the LCD screen working. > Dawn I usually use a small sized SEE-THRU bag, partly shrunk down for my Garmin 12, which is larger than an Etrex. No problems reading the screen or manipulating the buttons. It's the only thing in that bag. I also have a Garmin 72 and so far it's kept itself waterproof -- it's been splashed heavily but so far not dunked for an extended period.... Joe P. *************************************************************************** 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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