Paddlewisers, In the paddling tips section of my website, I added group crossing procedures at http://www.rollordrown.com/tips/cross.html These group crossing procedures are also provided below. Feedback is welcome. Duane Strosaker Southern California Group Crossing Procedures Maintaining a group effort on a crossing is difficult. Over the years I have developed these group crossing procedures in an attempt to make things easier on the trips I have organized. Taking and Following Point To maximize everyone's contribution on a crossing, each paddler takes rotating one-hour shifts to steer by compass and set the pace. This position is called point. It is important for the other paddlers who are not on point to follow in the area behind the point's stern, so the point is free to steer the course and set the pace. Setting the Pace With the point setting the pace, it is important for him or her to look back every couple of minutes to check on each paddler. Generally, if a paddler is farther back than 100 yards, the point's pace is too fast, and if all of the paddlers are right behind the point's stern, his or her pace is too slow. Concerns If anyone is concerned about the point's navigation or pace, they should inform me rather than the point, and if necessary, I will address the problem. The reason for this procedure is that having several different people correcting the point can cause him or her to become aggravated. Watching for Traffic With the point busy steering by compass and monitoring the group pace, it is the responsibility of the other paddlers in the group to watch for ship and boat traffic. Breaks At the top of each hour is a five-minute break to drink, eat and pee, and at the bottom of each hour is a one-minute break to drink. However, anyone can call for an additional break when necessary. It is important to take breaks this frequently to stay well hydrated and fueled. These breaks may seem regimented, but on a long paddle it is good for everyone to know when the next break is going to be. Coastal Paddles Similar procedures can be used for group efforts on coastal paddles. However, instead of steering by compass, the point usually follows a general path, such as hugging the coast or paddling point to point. Is the Group Worth the Effort? One of the most important things to know is whether maintaining a group is worth the effort. If conditions are remaining calm and everyone is doing well, the effort to maintain the group may only cause aggravation. In that case, everyone will be a lot happier on their own or paired up with a buddy. The effort to maintain a group is only worthwhile when everyone perceives a mutual benefit from it. *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
Duane & Paddlewisers As part of your group crossing procedure have you tried having the group paddle in a diamond formation(s) instead of single file. The diamond formation has the advantage of keeping the group together and thus more visible to traffic, providing a smaller "target", quicker provision of aid in the event of a problem, little need to check frequently for laggards, easier communication, etc. Bill ----- Original Message ----- From: "Duane Strosaker" <strosaker_at_yahoo.com> Subject: [Paddlewise] Group Crossing Procedures > Paddlewisers, > > In the paddling tips section of my website, I added group crossing procedures at http://www.rollordrown.com/tips/cross.html > > These group crossing procedures are also provided below. > > Feedback is welcome. > > Duane Strosaker > Southern California > > <SNIP> *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
Bill, Actually, I don't have the group paddling single file, just somewhere behind the point. I don't want to control people too much, resulting in more aggravation, so I don't require any type of formation. Some people like to sit back, and some to the left or right. They can even have a little space to themselves, like I like to have sometimes. Duane *************************************************************************** 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 reading some of the responses and questions to this point, it appears to me that not everybody is using the same definition of crossing. There is a crossing of a navigational shipping channel which is usually done at 90 degrees to it and everybody paddling quickly across it so as not to become a speed bump for a 20 knot container ship. Then there is the crossing that I know Duane is talking about (we paddle a lot of the same waters). The crossings Duane is referring to is the crossing from the California mainland to the different Channel Islands. The closest island is 11.5 NM from shore and the furthest is about 37 NM from the mainland. I believe that Duane has crossed from the mainland to each of these islands and has circumnavigated all as well. There is no need to stay in a formation except for when the group is crossing a shipping lane. Marking your position on a chart by ded reckoning is an impossibility. After you are about 2 miles off shore, you won't see enough detail for ranges behind you and you probably can't even see your destination. Having good compass skills and a good feel for how the wind and currents are affecting the boat are both necessary skills that Duane has developed. The rest of us mortals, usually turn a gps on and refer to it occasionally while still using the compass predominantly. Some are more electronically dependent than others. Duane's ded reckoning skills were demonstrated when he completed a 100 NM non-stop coastal paddle last year. For most of that paddle, he was able to identify land features (at least during the daylight hours of the trip). Hopefully Duane will not be upset that I did his bragging for him. He usually doesn't brag about himself - but he's one of the best paddlers I have ever met and I always learn something new from him whenever we paddle together. 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/ ***************************************************************************
On 22 Sep 2004 at 13:41, Steve Holtzman wrote: > There is no need to stay in a formation except for when the group is > crossing a shipping lane. That depends. Around here (eastern Great Lakes), the shipping lanes are used by big ships, but the rest of the water is open to anyone with appropriate draft. Hence, even when out of shipping lanes, it can be open season on kayakers by small boat owners. It should also be noted that much of the Great Lakes are deep waters and shipping lanes are few - primarily near ports. Big ships can go almost anywhere outside of these lanes. If I'm leading a groups in an area of mostly shallow water (i.e. kayak- and canoe-only waters), then I don't care where folks paddle, as long as they keep in visual contact. However, if we're in an area with boat traffic, I request that they stay together and assign both point and sweep. This to maintain a greater visual presence and smaller size seen by the boaters. So, the moral of the story is: paddle according to traffic conditions, not according to the lines on the chart. 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/ ***************************************************************************
Michael Daly said: > ......... Around here (eastern Great Lakes), the > shipping lanes are used by big ships, but the rest of the > water is open to anyone with appropriate draft. Hence, even > when out of shipping lanes, it can be open season on kayakers > by small boat owners. > > It should also be noted that much of the Great Lakes are deep > waters and shipping lanes are few - primarily near ports. > Big ships can go almost anywhere outside of these lanes. Mike, Here in Southern CA with major ports at Long Beach, Los Angeles, and Port Hueneme, all of the ships that are going to one of these, have to enter the Santa Barbara Channel which then leads into the San Pedro Channel. There are very definite navigation lanes where the commercial ships have right of way. It is a violation of "The Rules" to do anything to that interferes with any of the commercial ships in these lanes. That includes causing them to slow down. Fines can be as high as $10,000 for violating this rule although I'm not sure what the "normal" fine has been. The ships are very predictable, and as Duane Strosaker said, it is really easy to avoid becoming one of their speed bumps. It's the guy in the sailboat or powerboat who's had a few beers that scares me. Most of our water is extremely deep, so there are very few restrictions based on draft. 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/ ***************************************************************************
On 22 Sep 2004 at 17:47, Steve Holtzman wrote: > It's the guy > in the sailboat or powerboat who's had a few beers that scares me. Exactly why I think that it's a good idea to stay in a pod most of the time and not just in the channels. BTW, the nav rules are basically the same for the Great Lakes as for the ocean. A few minor differences. 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/ ***************************************************************************
[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.] "Duane's ded reckoning skills were demonstrated when he completed a 100 NM non-stop coastal paddle last year. For most of that paddle, he was able to identify land features (at least during the daylight hours of the trip)." Correct my if I am wrong, but my understand is that ded reckoning is estimating you position and progress in the absence of identifiable landmarks? When you can judge you position be visualizing landmarks (or aids to navigation) then you are, in fact, piloting and can, if you'd like, take your bearings and fix your position. Steve Bailey Michigan *************************************************************************** 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 Bailey, You are correct. Steve H. should've wrote piloting rather than dead reckoning. Actually, there wasn't much to navigating the hundred miler, just keeping the coast on one side, except over night around a large peninsula, where due to fog and darkness, my partner and I navigated by listening to the surf breaking, not letting it get too loud or quiet. Duane www.rollordrown.com --- "Steve_at_ECVH" <Steve_at_exclusivelycats.com> wrote: > "Duane's ded reckoning skills were demonstrated > when he completed a 100 NM > non-stop coastal paddle last year. For most of > that paddle, he was able to > identify land features (at least during the > daylight hours of the trip)." > > Correct my if I am wrong, but my understand is > that ded reckoning is > estimating you position and progress in the > absence of identifiable > landmarks? > > When you can judge you position be visualizing > landmarks (or aids to > navigation) then you are, in fact, piloting and > can, if you'd like, take > your bearings and fix your position. > > Steve Bailey > Michigan *************************************************************************** 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 B, You are correct. I got my terms confused. This is usually the "over the hump" day for me since I almost always paddle on Sunday's. Last week, I went out on Saturday and I've been confused ever since. ;-) 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/ ***************************************************************************
Bowditch. 1995. HO. Pub 9. "The American Practical Navigator." Definition of Dead Reckoning: Determining the position of a vessel by adding to the last fix the ship's course and speed for a given time. The position so obtained is called a Dead Reckoning Position. Comparison of the dead reckoning position with the fix for the same time indicates the sum of currents, winds, and other forces acting on the vessel during the intervening period. Robert > > Correct my if I am wrong, but my understand is that ded reckoning is > estimating you position and progress in the absence of identifiable > landmarks? > > When you can judge you position be visualizing landmarks (or aids to > navigation) then you are, in fact, piloting and can, if you'd like, take > your bearings and fix your position. > > Steve Bailey > Michigan *************************************************************************** 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: "William Wetzel" <wewjr_at_comcast.net> > Duane & Paddlewisers > As part of your group crossing procedure have you tried having the group > paddle in a diamond formation(s) instead of single file. > Bill I was taught to cross in pods with a leader in the center of each pod. This to me equates to the diamond formation but with a center "person in charge" per group. A club member likes to have us cross in line abreast like soldiers sweeping a field but it never works. Too much left and right to communicate across.We always end up in two lines and they are very ragged. Jim et al *************************************************************************** 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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