NACK Winter 2021 Newsletter
By · CommentsThe new year brings us a new NACK Winter Newsletter with a new editor. Hal has retired from the position of Newsletter Editor after many years of service. He did a terrific job and his newsletters were a tremendous contribution to the success NACK has enjoyed. We are all grateful for the time and effort spent on each edition. Paul C. has accepted the position of Newsletter editor and has done a great job on the Winter 2021 Edition. A complete collection of previous editions is available under the Library tab at the top of the page.
Rolling Into the New Year
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Might as well start the New Year right. A few months ago a some hearty North Atlantic Canoe & Kayak members came up with the idea of starting the New Year right. They decided to get together on New Years Eve, on the water, and roll over to end the old year and come back up in a new year. Talk about starting the year off right. Just a word of warning…don’t try this at home!
These folks have learned their skills in controlled conditions and regularly practice together. They are also dressed right for immersion in cold water, wearing dry suits, hoods, gloves and of course their PFDs (personal flotation devices, a.k.a. life jackets. Every one was screened before hand, maintained social distancing, and wore masks whenever possible.
Jim at the Dinghy Shop in Amityville was kind enough to host the event and allowed us to use their facilities. The shop is right on the water and provided support and a warm fire for after the event. In case you don’t know they also sell and rent kayaks, paddle boards and sailboats. They also have a full line of accessories and clothing like drysuits 🙂 too.
Year round paddling can be safe and enjoyable if done right.
This film is currently (and only temporarily) available for streaming on YouTube, so get to it! 🙂
Amazingly this film just gets better as it goes. Watch it on mobile, computer, or cast it to your big screen TV!
In 1938, two young newlyweds and their good friend set off from Paris on a bold adventure: to be the first to take kayaks down America’s famous whitewater river, the mighty Colorado. Setting off with film cameras, loaded with color film (before the first Hollywood color movie), they documented their journey, which took them on a cross country road trip across the US, a 1,000 miles of a first kayak decent down the Green and Colordao, and eventually back to France, at the outbreak of WWII. For more than 75 years their story had been lost–overshadowed by WWII, and forgotten–until filmmaker Ian McCluskey stumbled on an obscure roadside historic plaque. Curiosity and a call to adventure take hold, and he decides to learn how to white-water kayak to follow the path of the “voyagers without trace.” In the process, he uncovers unexpected connections to the French Resistance, the French Riviera, and the spirit of adventure accessible to all.
Bill Vonnegut offers us a crisp comparison of the difference that the same wave height (3 feet) has with two VERY different swell periods of 8 seconds and 18 seconds respectively. This is often a hard concept for paddlers to understand, and very helpful when planning open crossings and of course surf or rock gardening.
I usually describe the difference as how much water and energy the wave has (longer period having exponentially more of both), and I feel that many folks find that hard to digest. As always, the “best” height/period combination will be group and site specific, but for surfing on our Long Island play spots, we generally prefer as long a period as we can get (18 seconds is unheard of here) and smaller waves to go with it. On days with very short periods, we need somewhat taller waves to compensate, but that quickly becomes dumpy and no fun.
Remembering Bob Horchler
By · CommentsThe recent passing of North Atlantic Canoe & Kayak Vice President Robert (Bob) Horchler was met with great sadness by the membership. Bob had generously spent a great deal of time behind the scenes keeping our membership and work-credit files up to date.
He was also an enthusiastic paddler and was always there at peer practice sessions helping others to hone their skills. Bob was always willing to get wet for boat-over drills. He will long be remembered for his outgoing personality and his devotion to the North Atlantic Canoe & Kayak motto: We’re serious about fun!
Alan has put together a brief video memorializing the good times with Bob.
A day at the beach (Democrat Point)
By · CommentsNovember came in all warm and sunny, and Shannon, Alan and myself took advantage of it by off-roading it onto Democrat Point (Robert Moses) for some play in the splashy stuff.
The air was 36F when we woke up, but sunny and in the 50s when we were out and we were toasty warm and having a blast. Here are some highlights to enjoy.
North Atlantic Canoe & Kayak is on Facebook
By · CommentsCheck out North Atlantic Canoe & Kayak on Facebook
There is plenty more about North Atlantic Canoe & Kayak on Facebook. Lots of photos and information on some of our latest trips.