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SK Newsletter – July 1, 2008 No. 17
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Q&A
Spray Skirts – Part 1
Spray skirts have an important job to do: They have to keep the water out of the cockpit and do that without making it difficult for you to get out of the cockpit. There are a number of important choices you need to make to ensure the spray skirt you get for your kayak is appropriate for your abilities and for the conditions you'll be paddling in.
A primary safety issue related to spray skirts is the ability to release it from the coaming when a kayaker needs to bail out. How can a kayaker make sure the spray skirt is safe?
How should a kayaker decide between nylon, neoprene or hybrid?
Click here to read more.
If you would like to read the previous articles with questions to manufacturers of PFDs, kayaks, paddles and immersion wear click here.
More Info
Gear List, Float Plan and so much more!
Going paddling soon? Use this handy gear list so you don’t forget anything. It can be modified for day paddles or overnights.
Be sure to file your Float Plan with a responsible person. It’s always good to know someone will be watching for your safe return. They might even want to see the pictures of your great trip!
Both of these forms are always available at www.seakayakermag.com. Mark it as one of your favorites for future reference.
Looking for a place to paddle?! Check out the water trails and kayaking clubs at www.seakayakermag.com and look under SK Community. So many places to go and people to meet….
Tips for Better Kayaking
Lines and Knots -Trucker’s Hitch
A trucker’s hitch is used to tie down a load securely. If the first loop is tied correctly it will also undo easily and leave you a line free of knots. A trucker’s hitch is commonly used to tie a kayak to a roof rack. It can also be used in place of a rolling hitch for tent and tarp guylines.
To tie a trucker’s hitch, first form a loop with a bight of line. The loop must be formed with the running end (1). Next pass the running end around the roof rack, tree or other object, and back through and bent over the loop. When the line is pulled tight (2), dispose of the end with one or two half hitches tied close to the loop (3).
-From Sea Kayaker's Savvy Paddler by Doug Alderson, Ragged Mountain Press, 2001.
Used with permission
Kayaking History
July 4, 1958: Karol Jozef Wojtyla, the future Pope John Paul II, was on a kayak trip when summoned to Warsaw to be appointed bishop. Asked if he would accept he replied "Yes. But it doesn't mean that I can't return to my kayak trip, does it?" He was back in his kayak in a matter of hours.
July 30, 1927: Austrian Hans Edi Pawlata demonstrates Eskimo roll. Though Pawlata is acknowledged by many as the first European to roll, a photograph ca. 1889 of Norwegians Fridtjof Nansen and Oluf Christianon shows Oluf practicing rolling. He and Nansen may have succeeded.
Sea Kayaker Store and More
Camping
- Planning a camping trip with your kayak? Take a look at Camp Cooking a Black Feather Guide for tempting recipes and photos for menu ideas.
- The June 2005 issue of Sea Kayaker magazine was devoted to camping- checkout the feature, Camping in Comfort by Paul Twardock for tips on maximizing your comfort. Bill Stinson wrote about Momentous Meals, like Italian gnocchi with pesto and refreshing cabbage and carrot salad, plus tips for stocking your camp kitchen.
Summer reading-- Books
- Get “scared” around the camp fire and read Deep Trouble by Matt Broze and George Gronseth.
- Everything you need to know about kayaking, pick up a copy of The Complete Book of Sea Kayaking by Derek Hutchinson.
- Get back in your kayak groove and stretch out with a copy of Sleeping Bag Yoga by Erin Widman
- Time to go home? Refer to Simple Kayak Navigation by Ray Killen or Sea Kayak Navigation Simplified by Lee Moyer.
Click here to order any of the above items.
Looking for Paradise, The Islands of Vanuatu
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Read this and other great info in the Sea Kayaker magazine August 2008 issue:
- Kayak Reviews: Suka by Current Designs & Infiniti 175TX by Seaward Kayaks
- Rotator Cuff Injury, Prevention & Recovery by John Amtmann
- A Change of Heart - Surgery and a Tsunami Ranger by Eric Soares
- Day Tipper: Catalina Island, Southern California’s Escape by Duane Strosaker
- Neoprene Dry Suit Gaskets (an improvement over latex gaskets) by Don Goss
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From the Advertising Department
An Update on the SPOT Satellite Messenger
By Paul Riek
Advertising and Promotions Manager
I was reading the current issue of Sea Kayaker magazine (Aug. 2008), and after finishing the review of the SPOT satellite messenger I was struck with the possibilities of this new device.
If you haven’t read the article, here’s the SPOT in a nutshell:
SPOT is a handheld satellite messenger that sends the user’s GPS location and text messages up to ten recipients via e-mail addresses and cell phones.
Click here to read more.
Sea Kayaker magazine, independently owned and operated since 1984
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Copyright 2008 Sea Kayaker Magazine - All Rights Reserved
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