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From: skimmer <skimmer_at_enter.net>
subject: [Paddlewise] storm seas long paddles staying upright
Date: Thu, 08 Jul 2010 21:48:27 -0400
I have used long (9 ft) paddles for more than 25 years. In my opinion, the
southwest Greenland Inuit paddlers are able to use short paddles because of
their skill at rolling. Absent that skill, they would be using long paddles
(up to 10 ft) along with all of the other native paddlers of the eastern
arctic.

 

I believe this was a matter of doing what was necessary to survive in kayaks
in the Arctic environment. Long paddles provide the bracing to stay upright
even in rough water conditions and the leverage to control the boats in high
winds and rough seas.

 

Short paddles may be great for speed, but in current training little
consideration is given to survival in extreme paddling conditions.

 

I think that in several ways, the recent accident in Newfoundland is
disturbingly similar to the accident a few years ago in Biddeford, Maine
where two paddlers went out at dusk in smallcraft warning conditions, water
temp ~ 44 F, victim wearing "shorty" wetsuit, both men unable to call for
assistance. The paddler in a drysuit survived overnight on an island, the
other was swept out to sea and died.

 

Chuck Sutherland
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From: Chuck Holst <cholst_at_bitstream.net>
subject: RE: [Paddlewise] storm seas long paddles staying upright
Date: Thu, 8 Jul 2010 22:35:53 -0500
I disagree, Chuck. 

First, a standard-legth Greenland paddle is more versatile and permits a
higher cadence than a 9- to 10-foot paddle. Especially when you use it with
the sliding stroke, it is very easy to extend a standard paddle for a strong
brace, effectively turning a 7-foot paddle into a 9- or 10-foot paddle.
Compare Nanook's paddle stroke in "Nanook of the North" to that of the
paddlers in the Amassilik district of Greenland in "Palo's Wedding." Nanook
looks downright clumsy compared to the Greenlanders. And note that Amassilik
is on the east coast of Greenland, not on the southwest coast. I think that
paddles in both districts averaged about the same length.

Second, most Greenlanders were not good rollers. IIRC, only about a quarter
to a third of Greenland seal-catchers bothered to learn to roll, so rolling
ability was probably not a factor in their choice of paddle length.

Personally, I use about a 7-foot Greenland paddle for paddling and rolling.
I've never felt the need for anything longer.

"Palo's Wedding" which was filmed in 1931 by Knud Rasmussen, has many scenes
that show the sliding stroke in action, and one that shows the paddle
extended for a turn.

Chuck Holst


-----Original Message-----
From: owner-paddlewise_at_paddlewise.net
[mailto:owner-paddlewise_at_paddlewise.net] On Behalf Of skimmer
Sent: Thursday, July 08, 2010 8:48 PM
To: PaddleWise_at_paddlewise.net
Subject: [Paddlewise] storm seas long paddles staying upright

I have used long (9 ft) paddles for more than 25 years. In my opinion, the
southwest Greenland Inuit paddlers are able to use short paddles because of
their skill at rolling. Absent that skill, they would be using long paddles
(up to 10 ft) along with all of the other native paddlers of the eastern
arctic.

<snip>

 

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database 5263 (20100708) __________

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From: PeterO <rebyl_kayak_at_energysustained.com>
subject: RE: [Paddlewise] storm seas long paddles staying upright
Date: Fri, 9 Jul 2010 23:44:05 +1000
Chuck Holst wrote:
>it is very easy to extend a standard paddle for a strong
>brace, effectively turning a 7-foot paddle into a 9- or 10-foot paddle.

Chuck Sutherland wrote:
>Long paddles provide the bracing to stay upright
>even in rough water conditions and the leverage to control the boats in
high
>winds and rough seas.
>Short paddles may be great for speed, but in current training little
>consideration is given to survival in extreme paddling conditions.


G'day,

Don't want to stop a good discussion, but maybe both opinions are valid?
Anyway the following is sufficiently twisted that the debate has a fair
chance to continue.

I'd suggest that a long paddle and low angle stroke in the hands of a
solidly built person, i.e. someone with plenty of muscle, fat, cartilage and
bone, seems to be just as fast as the more classic high angle 'racing'
stroke. Its also stable in the hands of a competent paddler in choppy
conditions at sea. For some but not all people that solid build is
associated with less flexibility and reduced torso rotation but their
increased overall strength allows them to better withstand the higher levels
of mechanical stress associated with less body rotation and longer paddles.

On the other hand the high angle racing stroke with a short paddle is
favoured by instructors over here and seems to work well for people who are
less solidly built. Perhaps for some but not all this is associated with
more flexibility, but a reduced ability to accommodate the stresses and load
mismatch associated with the higher leverage that a longer paddle requires.
Seems to me that the ability to manoeuvre a short paddle relatively quickly
provides support and stability as effectively as the increased leverage
supplied by a long paddle.

Can't say I've ever noticed much difference in speed or stability on the sea
between people with long paddles and low angle strokes vs. those with
shorter paddles and high angle strokes.  Stability in particular seems to
come with confidence and skill as much as paddle length. Not familiar enough
with flat water racing to say that the same applies there. 

All the best, PeterO
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From: Craig Jungers <crjungers_at_gmail.com>
subject: Re: [Paddlewise] storm seas long paddles staying upright
Date: Fri, 9 Jul 2010 08:55:09 -0700
On Fri, Jul 9, 2010 at 6:44 AM, PeterO <rebyl_kayak_at_energysustained.com>wrote:

>
> Don't want to stop a good discussion, but maybe both opinions are valid?
> Anyway the following is sufficiently twisted that the debate has a fair
> chance to continue.
>
> LOL... well notwithstanding that last sentence, I tend to agree with
PeterO; I can see a place in kayaking for a longer GP.

Sea Kayaking has come a long way in the last decade alone. At one time GPs -
any Greenland Paddle regardless of length - was denigrated by people who
knew no better. The EP folks devised a test to prove that their paddle was
better. Simply tie two kayaks together stern-to-stern, put a paddler with a
GP into one cockpit and a paddler with an EP into the other cockpit and let
them fight it out.

The EP invariably won because this test favors that paddle. It was much
harder to test the merits of the GP because its strength was in the long
run. For a lot of paddlers (including me, I'm afraid) the EP was the only
paddle worth considering.

Until recently.

So many really good sea kayakers are now using Greenland paddles that it's
impossible now to claim that they are not as good. In fact I think that
Greenland paddling and equipment might be (along with "playboating") one of
the fastest growing aspects of the sport. It's certainly a fascinating
aspect.

I have in my possession a book published about 40 years ago that has several
photos of Greenland kayaks and Inuits paddlilng in them. One of them clearly
shows a line of kayaks tied stern-to-bow towing what appears to be a whale
carcass. They are using paddles that must be over 9 feet long. Five Inuits
towing a whale can't be all wrong!!!  :P

If it works, it works. I'm thinking that there is room for these in the
sport. Peter's ideas about who might be better suited to a long GP (LGP)
have merit, at least in my eyes.

It would be very interesting to have a couple of Paddlewisers carve a 9-foot
long GP and let us know what they think.

Viva la change!


Craig Jungers
Moses Lake, WA
www.nwkayaking.net
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From: Carey Parks <carey_at_jimparksfamily.com>
subject: Re: [Paddlewise] storm seas long paddles staying upright
Date: Fri, 9 Jul 2010 12:20:43 -0400
Horses for courses ... or ... paddles for purposes.

Designing anything is a compromise, thus different decisions yield different
results. That kayak tug-o-war might show longer GPs to be "better" than
shorter EPs. More HP put into the water more quickly. I know my GP is great
in really shallow mud flats where I can slide it way out and have a good
strong shallow stoke. Better than my EP in this case. Some work in rivers
with moving water and strainers favors my EP if only because I can grab more
water with a shallow vertical stroke. I can't take a wide shallow stroke
because there are rocks and roots in the way. When I'm in a tricky situation
like that I just pole along with my GP, being careful not to get it stuck in
the roots or rock cracks. It's easier to extract the GP from the roots if it
does go in that the EP, which can get trapped by the blade entering and
turning a little in the roots. Think mangrove roots here.

Since we are mainly paddling distances, where explosive power is rarely
needed, it makes sense that a GP would be what we lean toward (once bias is
placed aside.) Or a smaller blade EP, but the nice thing about the GP is you
can vary the amount of paddle you are using at any one time.

Carey
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From: Jeff Bingham <kayakjef_at_bellsouth.net>
subject: RE: [Paddlewise] storm seas long paddles staying upright
Date: Fri, 9 Jul 2010 13:25:27 -0400
Chuck,

Where can one find "Palo's Wedding"?

Brgds,
 
Jeff


---------------------------------------------------------------------------
"Palo's Wedding" which was filmed in 1931 by Knud Rasmussen, has many scenes
that show the sliding stroke in action, and one that shows the paddle
extended for a turn.

Chuck Holst
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From: Craig Jungers <crjungers_at_gmail.com>
subject: Re: [Paddlewise] storm seas long paddles staying upright
Date: Fri, 9 Jul 2010 18:31:47 -0700
On Fri, Jul 9, 2010 at 10:25 AM, Jeff Bingham <kayakjef_at_bellsouth.net>wrote:

>
> Where can one find "Palo's Wedding"?
>
> "The Wedding of Palo"  (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0024203/) supposedly
available from a museum somewhere for EU$30. I really didn't do much of a
search.

Craig
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From: Chuck Holst <cholst_at_bitstream.net>
subject: RE: [Paddlewise] storm seas long paddles staying upright
Date: Fri, 9 Jul 2010 22:48:30 -0500
I found my copy on the Web several years ago, so I suggest a Google search
for either "Palo's Wedding" or "The Wedding of Palo." When I got mine it was
available only on videocassette. I actually have two copies. The one I have
had longest has Danish subtitles, and is called "Palos Bruedefaerd," or
close to that -- I think some of the characters have diacritical marks, but
neither of my copies is accessible right now. I think there are one or two
scenes in the Danish version that are missing in the English version. I
would like to see a restored copy.

BTW, "Palo's Wedding" was filmed the same year the second British Arctic Air
Route Expedition was in Greenland, and one of two women in a photo in
Chapman's "Watkin's Last Expedition" was the heroine of the film.

Chuck Holst


-----Original Message-----

Chuck,

Where can one find "Palo's Wedding"?

Brgds,
 
Jeff


 

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database 5266 (20100709) __________

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From: MATT MARINER BROZE <marinerkayaks_at_msn.com>
subject: Re: [Paddlewise] storm seas long paddles staying upright
Date: Fri, 9 Jul 2010 17:48:24 -0700
Chuck Sutherland wrote:

>>>>I have used long (9 ft) paddles for more than 25 years. In my opinion,
the
southwest Greenland Inuit paddlers are able to use short paddles because of
their skill at rolling. Absent that skill, they would be using long paddles
(up to 10 ft) along with all of the other native paddlers of the eastern
arctic.

I believe this was a matter of doing what was necessary to survive in kayaks
in the Arctic environment. Long paddles provide the bracing to stay upright
even in rough water conditions and the leverage to control the boats in high
winds and rough seas.

Short paddles may be great for speed, but in current training little
consideration is given to survival in extreme paddling conditions.<<<<<<



If that is the case, then why are the Greenland "Storm" paddles so short? Do
they call them "Storm' paddles for some reason I don't understand?



I've written on this subject before so I hoped I could just go find them in my
files and save me a lot of typing and remembering. However, Bill Gates has
made that hard by making Windows Vista not be able to open older MS Word
files. This has frustrated me several times before but I've not found a fix.
The reason given in the error message is that it is not supported by my
"registry policy setting". Can anyone explain this to me and let me know if
there is a fix (and what the downside to using that fix might be)?



Here is a condensed version from the "paddles" section of our website:


"Length is the major determiner of a paddle's "gear ratio." We prefer shorter
blades so we can paddle in a lower gear (shorter paddle) and still have enough
shaft length between the blades to clear the kayak's deck and completely bury
the blade during the stroke. The longer shaft between the blades that results
from shorter blades allows more room to move our hands around to widen the
grip (this lowers your "gear" to accelerate or for stiff head winds). More
shaft also allows extending the paddle to one side for greater turning
leverage. This is especially nice in strong winds. A shorter length lowers the
swing weight and shortens the lever arm a strong wind can act upon. Having
your hand closer to the blade also gives you better control of the blade in
the water."



I found long paddles to be more awkward and more subject to the wind and water
turbulence. The long paddle stroke is either more off center (more turning
component) or too deep underwater to be quickly returned to the surface (such
as to make a quick brace). It also makes it much more difficult to paddle in
tight areas such as sea caves and rock gardens. My biggest objection to longer
paddles is that they feel to me that I'm going up a hill in high gear on a
bicycle and I end up slowing down to relieve the undue strain on my muscles.
The argument that it makes turning in high winds better doesn't stand up
because one can shift the shorter paddle to one side to get that benefit and
at the same time reduce the exposure of the upper blade to the high wind. I
have no trouble using a short wide blade at a low angle to the water in a
Greenland style stroke (even feathered). I like that low elbows at the side
body rotation stroke as an alternative to the high Euro stroke. I find it very
efficient and nearly as fast, but I don't have to give up the solid braces and
acceleration (and lower flutter rate and my hand warming drip rings) that the
Euro paddle provides to enjoy the benefits of the low stroke.



The only advantage I've seen to paddles longer than 220cm (for paddling most
single kayaks) is in large steep clapotis conditions off of sea cliffs when
the steep amplified standing waves create a much greater risk of the shorter
paddler experiencing an inadvertent "air" stroke. In that condition I have
learned to make sure my paddle blade is well buried before taking a real hard
stroke with it. And I know to paddle somewhat farther from shore where the
wave amplitude is somewhat reduced as well. Once strong wind is introduced
into this super steep random seas equation though, I'd go with the shorter
paddle (with shorter blades) any day.



Many years ago we had a custom paddle made by Lightning Paddles for Chuck that
was something like 9' long (275cm). Are you still using that short bladed Euro
style paddle Chuck? Do I recall something about the ACA getting on your case
for advocating long paddles?


------------------------------


I agree with most of what Carey Parks speculated upon and wrote except for the
following two points:

>>>>....That kayak tug-o-war might show longer GPs to be "better" than
shorter EPs. More HP put into the water more quickly.<<<<<<



I'm almost certain you will find just the opposite. Everything else being
equal the lower gear and faster stroke rate will win the tug of war every
time. This was demonstrated in the test tank at the Outdoor Retailer show in
Salt Lake City several years ago. Greg Barton was essentially "sucker punched"
by the Hobie companies pedal boat ringer into having a tug of war in the test
tank. The Hobie flipper powered craft won and (I'm sure as planned) used that
fact in their advertising. I'm sure Greg knew he could blow any flipper
powered boat away in top speed, but the catch for Greg was that those little
fast moving flippers were more efficient at a standstill than a big wing
paddle blade was and in the space between strokes Greg lost a little "ground"
each time his paddle was out of the water while the Hobie was under more
constant power and took advantage of those power gaps. A year later, and
somewhat wiser for Greg's experience, Greg's much heavier business partner,
and surf ski champion, Oscar Chalupski took up the challenge. The Hobie ringer
that year pedaled furiously and had almost dragged Oscar to defeat when he ran
out of steam and Oscar worked him back to eventually win the tug-of-war.
Having to accelerate Oscar's much greater mass between his mighty strokes
might well have been what had made the difference that time. The bottom line
is: how well a paddle works at zero speed is pretty unimportant anywhere but
at the start of a sprint race or when trying to accelerate quickly to catch a
wave so a tug of war result is pretty meaningless to most paddling.



>>>>>>Since we are mainly paddling distances, where explosive power is rarely
needed, it makes sense that a GP would be what we lean toward (once bias is
placed aside.) Or a smaller blade EP, but the nice thing about the GP is you
can vary the amount of paddle you are using at any one time.<<<<<<



Just because the Euro doesn't have a known advantage there doesn't mean it is
at any disadvantage, so this will make no "sense' to me until you tell me the
disadvantages or advantages of one over the other. I don't see the advantage
of varying the amount of the paddle blade that you use. Also, I don't see why
you couldn't do that with a partly submerged Euro as well. The disadvantage of
partially immersing either paddle is "ventilation". Air being sucked down in
front of the blade (behind the power face) from the surface reduces the grip
the paddle has on the water. The Greenland paddle suffers from this constantly
the Euro only seriously when the blade is not fully immersed. This is one of
the reasons the Greenland paddle doesn't accelerate the kayak as well as a
Euro when you power it hard. You also don't state any advantage to using only
part of your blade. If you mean it is to vary your power applied or energy
expended or to reduce stress on your muscles or joints, there are other easier
ways to do that than varying the amount of blade immersion you use. Two are:
1) don't paddle as hard and 2) shift your grip further apart on the shaft to
down shift to a lower gear.
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From: Tord <tord_at_mindless.com>
subject: Re: [Paddlewise] storm seas long paddles staying upright
Date: Sat, 10 Jul 2010 14:02:34 -0400
 Carey got it right, I think.

Racing performance, or battling with waves and head winds, result in different
paddling strategies, suiting different
types of paddles:

The EP can give maximum power during a shorter period of time, say a 1,000
meters race, while the GP
suits others, especially those who want to keep paddling for hours and hours
without injuries.

Tord



Carey wisely wrote:



Since we are mainly paddling distances, where explosive power is rarely

needed, it makes sense that a GP would be what we lean toward (once bias is

placed aside.) Or a smaller blade EP, but the nice thing about the GP is you

can vary the amount of paddle you are using at any one time.
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From: <rcgibbert_at_aol.com>
subject: Re: [Paddlewise] storm seas long paddles staying upright
Date: Mon, 12 Jul 2010 22:05:33 -0400
You like what you like. That works great for me. Even better, what you 
do in a kayak and where you go in a kayak, it works great for you. I'm 
pleased to go to interesting places in a kayak with people who've 
worked things out for themselves.That said, *reactive paddling*, 
meaning, relying on bracing and paddle length is challenged by newer 
currency in paddling styles.

Enter confessions of a middle aged kayaker who learned by the reactive 
paddling style and had to unlearn that and learn the newer dynamic 
stability style of paddling. In reality, your best brace is a forward 
stroke. I still catch myself bracing when I should be forward paddling. 
It doesn't matter if it is the river or the sea catching up to you, 
when you are having control and stability issues, the last thing you 
want this side of upside down, is to let the water catch up to you and 
control you, with all it's whirlies, boils, eddy lines-fences, clapotis 
and diagonal waves. The next to the last thing I want is a lever that 
is so long it takes forever to input on one side, withdraw and put it 
into the other..

Dynamic stability is a multi point solution that requires blade 
pressure, your lower body tension, posture and the control surfaces of 
your hull to create true stability in dynamic environments. This isn't 
just a whitewater concept, though that is where I learned it. The 
problem with the sea is that the bad sea state goes on all day. In a 
river, you can find an eddy and hopefully the bank. In either case. I 
don't want too long a lever mucking up the other aspects to my dynamic 
stability, lower body tension and using the edges of my boat properly 
in the water. It's just not all about the paddle.

Cheers,

Rob G

---
From: skimmer <skimmer_at_enter.net>
Subject: [Paddlewise] storm seas long paddles staying upright


I have used long (9 ft) paddles for more than 25 years. In my opinion, 
the southwest Greenland Inuit paddlers are able to use short paddles 
because of their skill at rolling. Absent that skill, they would be using long 
paddles (up to 10 ft) along with all of the other native paddlers of the eastern
arctic.



I believe this was a matter of doing what was necessary to survive in 
kayaks in the Arctic environment. Long paddles provide the bracing to stay 
upright even in rough water conditions and the leverage to control the boats in 
high winds and rough seas.
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From: Jim <jimtibensky_at_fastmail.fm>
subject: Re: [Paddlewise] storm seas long paddles staying upright
Date: Wed, 14 Jul 2010 08:05:00 -0500
Rob wrote:

In reality, your best brace is a forward stroke. I still catch myself
bracing when I should be forward paddling.



A good demonstration of this (which I learned years ago on Paddlewise)
is to hold your paddle so the blades are feathered from their usual
position. That is, when you take a stroke your blades will slice through
the water and not grab the water.  Now close your eyes and paddle
'normally.'  Did you tip over?


Jim Tibensky
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From: Paul Hayward <pdh_at_mmcl.co.nz>
subject: RE: [Paddlewise] storm seas long paddles staying upright
Date: Tue, 20 Jul 2010 15:21:58 -0800
Rob said:
> I'm pleased to go to interesting places ... with people who've 
> worked things out for themselves

Rob - I like what you are describing in the way of body movement and hull
positioning to counter the water's attempts to upset you. I completely agree
that these skills are key to enjoying a right-way-up experience. I do
believe they are still 'reactive' skills - just faster & perhaps with less
conscious thought, due to honing them.

I haven't had much white-water experience, but I can recommend the
alternative of learning to paddle a really skinny boat in progressively
rougher conditions. I enjoy my Mystery (Nick Schade's racing/training
design) and it has dramatically improved my balance. Now, after a few years
of 'higher education' in the Mystery, when I get into my touring kayak, I
can sit and take pictures in water that would once have had my knuckles
whitening ;-)
	
There are also days - in either boat - when no pictures get taken and both
hands need to stay on the paddle. Those are fun days too - over the edge of
my comfort zone and into the zone when the wind & water can overwhelm my
skills and force me to save my skin with a brace or two.

Best Regards	
Paul Hayward, Auckland, New Zealand
(Temporarily in Alaska)
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From: <rcgibbert_at_aol.com>
subject: Re: [Paddlewise] storm seas long paddles staying upright
Date: Tue, 20 Jul 2010 20:20:33 -0400
The Mystery looks like a beautiful boat. I will get a go fast boat one 
of these days. I appreciate the learning curve of real world balance 
skills they provide, in addition to actually going fast in a sea kayak. 
I know the wing paddles are also a part of the solution for that, but I 
have very little experience with that. By the way, the other day I 
dropped into a rapid the other day, didn't account for a funny little 
current that took me by surprise dropped me like rock, a big ol' beaver 
slap later and I was up looking for the exit signs. I said to myself, 
ya Rob, you never brace or get too reactive, proactive all the way for 
you! I thought of this discussion and had to laugh.

Cheers,

Rob G


-----Original Message-----
From: Paul Hayward <pdh_at_mmcl.co.nz>
To: rcgibbert_at_aol.com; skimmer_at_enter.net; PaddleWise_at_paddlewise.net
Sent: Tue, Jul 20, 2010 6:21 pm
Subject: RE: [Paddlewise] storm seas long paddles staying upright


Rob said:
> I'm pleased to go to interesting places ... with people who've
> worked things out for themselves

Rob - I like what you are describing in the way of body movement and 
hull
positioning to counter the water's attempts to upset you. I completely 
agree
that these skills are key to enjoying a right-way-up experience. I do
believe they are still 'reactive' skills - just faster & perhaps with 
less
conscious thought, due to honing them.

I haven't had much white-water experience, but I can recommend the
alternative of learning to paddle a really skinny boat in progressively
rougher conditions. I enjoy my Mystery (Nick Schade's racing/training
design) and it has dramatically improved my balance. Now, after a few 
years
of 'higher education' in the Mystery, when I get into my touring kayak, 
I
can sit and take pictures in water that would once have had my knuckles
whitening ;-)

There are also days - in either boat - when no pictures get taken and 
both
hands need to stay on the paddle. Those are fun days too - over the 
edge of
my comfort zone and into the zone when the wind & water can overwhelm my
skills and force me to save my skin with a brace or two.

Best Regards
Paul Hayward, Auckland, New Zealand
(Temporarily in Alaska)
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