Sometimes reading the water is simpler than others. Take this for instance. A long shallow bar stretching out into the ocean is often marked by a silty soup of green as the sand gets stirred up over the bar. I was surprised by how sharp the line would be drawn in the currents. Often a cross current caused by the outflow of a nearby river or a rip current would cause a similar effect. Usually though I found shallow water of more concern. Knowing I was over a shallow area even on a calm day had me more aware of those occasional bigger waves that would seemingly just lift out of nowhere. I’d also know to keep an eye below me around the kayak to see just how shallow the water actually was. It was usually in these areas that coral or rock would rises out of nowhere. Some obstacles would sit hidden just below the surface, while others were occasionally exposed in the trough of a wave. Corral and rocks full barnicles could do real damage to the boat. You certainly did not want to get dragged across them or dropped on them when a wave rolled past. Often when you saw the ocean turn to cream soup it was just wiser to stay out in the clear blue sea.

All those boxes are out of the corner and “just like that” my kayak has a new home.  Thing is, I was thinking of paddling today. After all it’s going to be a blazing 44F. Well, maybe.

Then this evening it’s off for our annual Christmas Lights parade in Downtown Baraboo. Each year I take photos there are used for a variety of local print stuff over the following year.  It’s a challenging job.  Imagine shooting low light subjects that are constantly on the move!

And speaking of lights on the move, tonight is the peak of the November Leonid meteor shower. The Leonid meteor shower happens every year around November 17th when Earth passes close to the orbit of comet Tempel-Tuttle.  The comet itself is a long way off, but it always leaves a nice trail of debris in it’s wake.  The down side however is that Temple-Tuttle last passed by in 1999 so there is not so much dust to light up the sky.  Astronomers predict about 10-15 meteors per hour.  Compare that to around 8 per hour that fall on any given night regardless.  The upside is that there a couple other minor showers going on as well so maybe it will pick up.

- Meteor Showers Online – Leonid Info 

Your memories / won’t slip away
And you’ll be glad / When you get older
That you were happy for today
Who cares? / Get older
- matthew sweet

Over the years you start collecting a lot of junk. Of course you can find value in all your junk. There is always a reason to “hang on” to whatever it is you are contemplating getting rid off. So there are literally millions of us filling every attic, cellar, garage and back corner with stuff we’ll never use.

On the other hand we can’t bring ourselves to get rid off it either. Here’s a case in point. My 3 giant boxes of cassette tapes. 3 giant boxes of cassette tapes that have been stacked in the corner of my office for some years now. I just put them there once and, well, left them. By now of course my music is on MP3 and stored on a nice small external hard drive. In fact, it was not until I bemoaned trashing the tapes that I was made aware of the fact that I don’t even own a tape player! But the memories!! How can you just throw out “Love and Rockets”?? Even if you have them on MP3 it’s the memories. Ah well, the digital age is all about saving space. . . Still, just throwing them away?? Maybe I could take my tapes to Goodwill. You know. . , “some day”. I’m sure there must be someone much less fortunate than I who’d love a cassette of Matthew Sweet’s “Girlfriend”. Well, ok. Maybe not. OK, but look at all the good tape CASES. I remember when I’d have practically robbed a bank for a tape case without a big crack down the center. It just does not seem right to toss out this bounty of perfectly good plastic cases! Almost criminal.

Still, if I don’t clear out that corner of my office I’ll not be able to keep my 3 piece Rockpool Alaw Bach right where I can stare at it over the cold winter months. Yeah, the tapes must go. The tapes and more. The shiny, like new, boxes of software for Windows 95. . . gone. The old video cable collection. . . bye! Random old spiral note books with phone numbers to people whos names I can’t remember. . . outta here!

Yeah, life moves on. Times change. I’m not sure why we always feel the need to hang onto the past. But I’m ready to start looking to the future. I’ll start by tossing out these tapes!!

Alright kids, I’ve been browsing my C&K buyers guide again. . .

Look at the picture at the top of the post. Would you purchase this boat for the love of your life? Would you recommend it to a student? Well the obvious issue with the LL Bean Calypso in this advert is the lack of front deck lines. Could you imagine being in the water and at the front of this boat? A little bit of waves, nothing to grab. . . . Kayaks without proper deck lines are just plain dangerous. Now the interesting thing about the Calypso is that other than print ads, I can’t find a picture of it WITHOUT some deck bungees. They are not the best, but they’re there. Maybe this green one was a prototype, but either way when I see this ad I take one look at the picture and vote it right out. I wanted to rename it “Ladykiller”. I could easily imagine a place like LL Bean missing the significants of this little detail, however the kayak is made by Perception and they should know better. No experienced paddler in the world is going to recommend a boat with no front deck lines. If you’ve added them, then update your ad.

Kayak (Merriam – Webster)

1 : an Eskimo canoe made of a frame covered with skins except for a small opening in the center and propelled by a double-bladed paddle

2 : a portable boat styled like an Eskimo kayak

The definition of a kayak above is pretty typical of what you’ll find in any dictionary. The “kayak” of course has it’s basis in those traditional skin boats. However since then what we come to accept as a kayak has grown to cover a whole range of closed top boats. The picture above is of Pete Bray‘s North Atlantic Cruiser. I was really bumming when I saw it. I felt like there needs to be a kayak museum somewhere and this boat needs to be there. I was told though that this was his “practice” or “test” boat. I don’t know if that’s true. Regardless it was sad to see it sitting there rotting away.

What has me thinking about kayaks and the definition of what a kayak is, is from a current post on PNET. Yeah, there is a reason I don’t look at the message boards there much anymore. Between the belittling of each other, other kayakers and the rest, it’s just not an enjoyable read much of the time. In typical Pnet style, a discussion about the “Crossing the Ditch” adventure going on now, quickly turned into a debate over what makes a kayak a “Kayak”. Implying of course that these larger ocean crossing vessels are not so much kayaks as they are recreational vehicles. (You can see above the inside of Pete Bray’s “RV”.)

Lot 41 – Crossing The Ditch

When Pete first considered his crossing, it was important to him to build a boat that was up to the incredible challenge. He wanted it to be able to carry 100 days worth of supplies, be self-righting, have a place to sleep, yet still look like a kayak. His kayak was big at around 27 feet long, but few could argue it looked pretty much like an over-sized sea kayak. (see a comparative photo here). In the end no one questioned that he made the crossing in a “Kayak”.

Rob Feloy, who designed Pete Bray’s boat, was also the man behind the “Lot 41″ used for “Crossing The Ditch”. Again, they wanted it to be self-righting with a sleeping area and of course room for supplies. Obviously their’s is a two man boat and it’s much bigger. Still, it’s a kayak if it’s anything.

Going back to look at other major crossings we can find more standard kayaks doing the job of course. Franz Romer (Portugal to Puerto Rico, 1928) & Hannes Lindermann (Atlantic Crossing, 1956) Both used modified Keppler folding kayaks. Ed Gillet made his 1987 crossing from California to Hawaii in a stock Tofino double. He used pontoons to keep the boat righted while he slept under a tarp. Yeah, he had a cockpit cover type thing, but was not too fond of it. Of course he said next time he did a major crossing he’d raise the deck. We are familiar too with Andrew McAuley‘s attempt with a modified Mirage. Andrew was conscious of wanting his kayak to be as close to standard as possible. Still his boat was modified as well considering the size of the task ahead, storage, sleeping arrangements, etc.

One of the guys on Pnet (obviously Miami Dolphins fan) suggested an asterisk on Crossing the Ditch boat. Of course we should note they are only 3 days out so at least he shows confidence they will make it. I can’t imagine who wants to decide what is and what is not a kayak or be responsible for the asterisk. In racing you have stock and modified classes. Something to think about i suppose. Well, something to think about when you have nothing more pressing to think about. . . like clipping your toe nails.

Spock: I love you,
however, I hate you.
Alice 210: But I am identical in every way with Alice 27!
Spock: Exactly. That is exactly why I hate you, because you are identical.
(Both the androids slump over in confusion)
Spock: Fascinating.

Well you know the holidays are not far away when the new Canoe & Kayak Buyer’s Guide shows up. Of course I’ve been around long enough these days that i’m not really in the market of a new boat. Still, it’s always fun right? What i always tend to do is flip through the pages looking at the advertisements. Ads always stand out to me. Usually my eye is caught by the headlines within the ads. Advertisers know that they only have a moment to catch your eye, and it’s fun to see what they thought would “sell” you. Well, at least get you to have a look. Kudos to KayakPro who not only caught my eye, but also made me giggle. (More on that in a moment) Anyway, after taking time to read their whole ad I had no choice but to visit their website as well. In their ad they show their orange and white racing boat called a NEMO. The Nemo is 17″.1/2 long and 21.5 inches wide. They tell us, “this performance kayak is designed to outperform all other kayaks in it’s class.” Ok, It would be. . Right? But what i enjoyed was the bit where they say of the kayak, “The speed of a performance kayak and the stability of a traditional sea kayak.*” The asterisk takes us to “Similar in stability to: Impex Currituck, and Force 4, Nigel Dennis Explorer and Romany. Traditional? Impex? NDK? And here I thought they were quoting Harvey Golden! On the other hand, I’m sure Nigel Dennis will be happy to know he’s finally been recognized for making traditional kayaks. . .  regardless of how many he sells to Greenland!

Ok, I know. Picky, picky. . . back to my buyer’s guide. .

Well, it’s been a long time coming, but they are on their way! Follow along here!