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Blazing PaddlesNNNNeeeewwwwssss lllleeeetttt tttteeeerrrr ooooffff LLLLoooonnnngggg IIII ssss llllaaaannnndddd PPPPaaaaddddddddlllleeeerrrrssss

Geri DeRosa at Caleb Smith South Side River Clean up. March 21, 2010Photo by Elizabeth Marcellus

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DisclaimerThe views expressed in this newsletter are strictly those of their respective authors. Informationoffered on any topic should not be assumed to be authoritative or complete. On all paddlingissues, it is important to base one’s practices on multiple sources of information.

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Message from the President:The Paddling Season Begins

By Steve Berner

It’s April and the club is already under fullspeed. We have completed our four indoorSkills’ Days at the pool at St. Joseph’s College.Organized by Bruce Mulligan, over 100 members were able to practice wet exits, re-entering the boat alone (self recovery/rescue) and with the help of another kayaker(assisted recovery/rescue). Still others wereable to learn the basics of the Eskimo roll,thanks to the help of Ed Luke. And a specialthanks to all the other helpers, our experienced paddlers, who donated manyhours of their time to help others: ThomasAuer, Howard Baierlein, Frank Chillemi, DaleClarkson, Ray Clarkson, Nick D’Nuzzio, KenDoxsey, Ken Fink, John Giuffre, Fred Hosage,Greg Leung, Liz Marcellus, Mike Matty, andChuck Pfankuchen. No Skills’ Day could happen without the dedication of thesekayakers.

Our first two club paddling trips have alsoalready taken place. Liz Marcellus led herannual clean-up of the Upper NissequogeRiver in Caleb Smith State Park on March 21.Ten members spent three hours picking upcans, bottles, paper, coffee cups, and anassortment of other trash. Unfortunately, thegroup could only paddle about two thirds ofthe river because park personnel had not finished clearing all the fallen trees from thewind storm the week before. And just lastweekend, on April 10th, Ray Clarkson led anadventurous group of fifteen club memberson a paddle around a windy LakeRonkonkoma as a warm-up for the comingseason. Before the paddle, Mike Mattyreviewed how to properly position oneself inthe boat, paddling posture, and how to correctly hold the paddle. He also brokedown the forward stroke into the three basicelements and reviewed the sweep and thereverse strokes. Later, the group also unexpectedly practiced several successfulassisted rescues.

I hope there will be at least ninety-eightmore club paddling trips this year. At thistime, there are fifty three kayak trips listedon the website. Ray Clarkson, Ken Doxsey,Barbara Fontana, Fred Hosage, Liz Marcellus,Ross Moore, Alan Mindlin, and I are leadingtrips again this year. Ed Luke and BruceMulligan are back leading trips after a beingaway for a few years. And, most exciting,Frank Chillemi, Judy Cooper, Dan DiGiovanni,Frank Durante, Barry Goldblatt, Don Goryki,Janet Hann, Helen Horton, and Mike Mattyhave volunteered to lead trips for the firsttime. And you can, too! If you have a favoriteplace you like to paddle, please consider sharing it with your fellow club members. It doesn’t have to be an epic journey; nordoes it have to be in an exotic location. Many members of our club, especially thebeginners, are just looking to get out on thewater with some fellow enthusiasts. The TripLeader Documents under the TRIPS’ tab onthe website make it easy to plan a club trip.Mike Chachkes, our Trips Coordinator, isstanding by to list your trips on the website.Please consider becoming a trip leader.

For anyone who paddles from Novemberthrough May on Long Island, last month’sprogram by Chuck Sutherland was a soberreminder of the dangers of paddling in coldwater. Cold water shock, which causes a gasping reflex, can lead to drowning in undera minute. The inability to move your armsand legs, making it impossible to swim,occurs within ten minutes. And, if you remainin the water for more than one hour,hypothermia can kill. Ray Clarkson cameacross some statistics which illustrate the dangers of cold water. In Canada in 2004,four hundred ten people drowned. Sixty percent of those drowned in water under fiftydegrees; thirty-four percent drowned inwater between fifty and sixty-eight degrees.Only twelve percent were wearing PFD’s. Two

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Kayak for a Cause X -2010!By T.J. Altieri

Kayak For A Cause X is a fundraising eventwhere over 300 kayakers paddle 14 milesacross the Long Island Sound, (Northport, NY to Norwalk, CT), to raise money forimportant local and national charities. Itencompasses months of serious physicalpreparation, safety training, and hardcorefundraising, and is capped off with an enor-mous beach party when the paddlers arrivein Connecticut. KFAC gives people the oppor-tunity to put their love of kayaking to workin a way that is beneficial for themselves,their community, and the environment.

Several club members are joining me, thisyear on the arduous journey including Peter Stoehr, Matt Sklar, Steve Chakmakian,John and Mary Heymach, and Maurice Fox.Other members from LI Paddlers have devoted themselves to volunteering and supporting our efforts such as Eric Florio,Geri Derosa, Dan DiGiovanni and FrankDurante. This year, I have formed my ownpod, Team Osprey, that consists exclusively of Long Islanders to help raise awareness for this wonderful charity event on the NewYork side.

The charities being served by KFAC 2010 areOutward Bound, Builders Beyond Borders,

Save the Sound, the Maritime Aquarium, andCanine Companions for Independence. KayakFor A Cause is now in its 10th year and it allstarted from the event founders, MilesSpencer and Scott Carlin, being bet $50 thatthey couldn't cross the LI Sound by kayak.Not only did they accomplish the feat, butthey paddled back later in the day. Theyhave yet to claim the $50, but have managedto raise over a million dollars cumulatively by turning the accomplishment into an ambitious fundraising event that takes placeannually. Even last year, in a rough economy,the total amount raised was $277,000 with242 paddlers participating.

Team Osprey is actively taking donations,and if you wish to support the pod as awhole instead of a specific paddler, you cando so at the following link:http://tinyurl.com/supportosprey. All donations are tax deductible and get splitbetween the 5 charities. Any little bit isgreatly appreciated by the team! You canalso elect to attend the huge lobsterbake/after party in Connecticut to celebratewith the charities and the kayakers! TheKayak For A Cause X launch is taking placeat 9AM on Saturday, July 24th, 2010 at CrabMeadow Park in Northport, NY.

percent were wearing life jackets that werenot adjusted properly. Forty-three percent ofthe 410 people who drowned were less thanseven feet from shore or safety. Sixty-six percent of the people were less than fiftyfeet from shore or safety. These numbersshould make it clear to everyone how important it is to dress to swim and to weara PFD at all times.

Continuing with the club’s theme of safety,Frank Chillemi will be presenting an informative talk on paddling with a group atour General Meeting this month. He willpoint out the differences of kayaking with abuddy or just a few friends and paddlingwith a large group. One of the things Frank

will discuss is the importance of knowingyour skill level. People new to kayakingshould not be going on a Level 3C paddleonly to realize they can not keep up thepace. And if the conditions are more difficultthan expected, no one should feel embarrassed to bail on a trip. It is better tobe safe than sorry. Conversely, an advancedkayaker should not sign up for a Level 1Atrip. . . and then complain that the pace ofthe paddle is too slow. This program is amust for anyone planning to attend a clubpaddle this year.

So, dust off your boats, unpack your paddles, and get ready to go kayaking.

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Ten people signed up for what possibly couldhave been a very chilly day for being in andon the river. Instead we were rewarded forour efforts with a gorgeous, sunny day in themid fifties. Several new members joined inthis time. Participants included Steve Berner,Ken Brochhagen, Kristen Costa, Ray Clarkson,Geri DeRosa, Frank Durante, Pat Moselle,Bruce Marotta, Pete Stahey and myself.

Unfortunately we had to put the boats in at site 6. That took away at least a third of what we usually paddle and what I consider the prettiest and most fun part ofthe trip. There were too many downed treesand branches after the big nor’easter the previous week. We did attempt to goupstream but decided we were there to pick

up garbage… not trees… and so turnedaround back with the current.

All of us passed smoothly over the spillwayafter which we stopped for a short break forsnacks. Eight wood ducks were spotted (stillcouldn’t get a decent photo!) as well as greatblue herons. A very large snapping turtle wastrying to warm itself in the shallow water.

Oh yes, and we did pick up garbage as well!It was a very conscientious group!

By 1:30 we were picked up by Bill Bohach ofCaleb Smith State Park who came with threetrucks to bring us back to our cars. I had agreat time, as always… and I hope everyoneelse did too.

Thanks a bunch to everyone!

Caleb Smith South Side River Clean upMarch 21, 2010By Elizabeth Marcellus

Caleb Smith South Side River Clean up. March 21, 2010Photo by Elizabeth Marcellus

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Paddling With The ManateesBy Frank Chillemi

Late last fall, as we were planning a winterkayaking vacation in Florida, my wife Roseasked if we could paddle with the Manatees.She had heard wonderful stories of howthese gentle giants of the sea actually enjoyinteracting with kayakers and snorkelers.Finding a suitable location was no trouble atall. There are tour operators who take folksout to locations where Manatees gather. Ourlogic was to simply go to these areas, confident that if they could find them, socould we. This plan brought us to the CrystalRiver area. That logic turned out to be completely accurate. The next step was a tripto the local kayak shop. The good folks atCrystal River Kayak have ample parking, abeautiful, protected put-in site, and all theinformation and assistance we needed.

A record number of Manatees were wintering in the area this year. We found

them within twenty minutes. The largestpopulation was at a small spot called ThreeSisters Springs. It’s a small ‘alcove’ of spacesurrounded by tall trees. The water from the three springs seems to be a few degreeswarmer than the surrounding area, hencethe attraction. We found literally hundredsof them. Many were resting on the shallowbottom, lined up like sleeping bags at ascout camp. The rest were slowing swimmingby, moving among the kayakers and snorkelers.

We just drifted a long viewing all this magicthrough sparklingly clear water. At one pointa huge bull swam around us, then came upto Rose in the front cockpit of our kayak. Hewaited, half an arm’s length away and perhaps two inches below the surface. TheManatee wanted his head scratched, and hestayed there until his wish was fulfilled.

Paddling with the Manatees in FloridaPhoto by Frank Chillemi

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The Frank Answers ColumnDear Frank,

This is my first year as a kayaker. I’ve seen various Ratings assigned to Club Paddles and ShortNotice events. Are these ratings dependable?

Fondly,N.E.

Dear N.E.

Recent improvements to the Long Island Paddlers Rating System notwithstanding, theanswer to your question is no, these “ratings” are not completely dependable. There aretwo important reasons for this. The first is that these “ratings” are not really ratings at all;they’re just rough guidelines. They are based on the usual, or legacy conditions found on thewaters where the Club Paddle or Short Notice event is being planned. Actual conditions arealways a product of not only the “usual” conditions of a planned route, but the tidal conditions and weather at the time of the entire paddle as well. An unexpected stiff windcan, and indeed has, turned ‘Rated’ Category 2 paddles into howling experiences in theproverbial heartbeat.

Most experienced paddlers know and understand this. The problem here is that memberswho are new to our sport, and our club now has many, may not fully appreciate this significant and important difference. A lesser experienced kayaker can quickly become overwhelmed when conditions become challenging. In addition to that, lesser experiencedkayakers will sometimes overestimate their own abilities. That’s the second reason why anysuch system can’t really be depended upon. So, what’s a new paddler to do? The answer isright there on the Club Paddle Listing or Short Notice E-mail. Look for the name of the tripleader! Like it or not, all trip leaders have developed accurate reputations. Not all trip leaders are proud of their reputations, but good or bad, they’ve all earned ‘em! A competent trip leader is going to have a firm understanding of the weather forecast, keen“weather-eye” observations at the put-in site as well as solid knowledge of the route. He orshe is going to have a Plan A, B, or even C & D in mind to deal with the weather and waterconditions as they develop throughout the trip. These are the folks new paddlers shouldpaddle with, and the kind of paddler we all should aspire to become.

Best Wishes, Frank Chillemi

Dear Frank,

Recently my husband bought me a complete set of navigation tools. The kit contains a handheld compass, dividers, a parallel ruler, a fine tip marker and a manual, plus local charts, tidetables and some other cool stuff. I’m going to take the time to learn to use all these things.My question is: should I carry all this stuff with me in my kayak?

Regards, J.N.

Dear J.N.

On a big boat, one with a chart table, all your new gear would be on board, neatly stowedand ready for use. On kayaks, with all the demands on our tiny deck space, not to forget thedemands on our hands, that idea is simply impossible. My primary charting and trip planningis done at home on the dining room table, usually the night before a paddle. All my impor-tant trip information is written down using a waterproof marker to prevent smudging. That

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information, plus my chart, is then packed into a watertight, transparent chart-case for useon my kayak. The hand-held compass is kept in my Personal Flotation Device (PFD). All theother stuff, especially the tools with sharp pointed ends, stay safely at home. For plotting acourse right from the cockpit, you can use an ingenious device called the Small Craft Nav-Aid, but we’re getting ahead of ourselves. Get really comfortable using your current toolsfirst. In most cases, these will prove to be more than enough.

Two more things: If you don’t have one already, a good deck-mounted compass is an impor-tant addition to your gear. As you navigate, you will want to keep an eye on which directionyour boat is pointed; its bearing. In most coastal waters, that entails keeping your eye onyour fixed point in the distance while occasionally checking your compass. This task is somuch faster, safer and easier when all you have to do is momentarily drop your eyesight-linedown to get your reading from the compass on the deck. The alternative is for you to haveto stop paddling to check your hand-held compass. In active wind and current conditions,you’ll quickly see that this is not much of an alternative at all. The second thing is that youwill need a way to measure elapsed time. My personal preference is the wristwatch thatSyndicated Columnist Andy Rooney uses: a simple item costing less than $20. According toRooney, “these watches are very accurate, have big numbers, and you won’t be wrackedwith guilt if you lose the thing!”

Best Wishes, Frank Chillemi

Dear Frank again,

Thanks for getting back to me so quickly with the answer to my question about carrying mynew navigation tools. I’ve already started studying this stuff. Mr. Rooney was right about thewatch. One more question. You suggested I use a deck mounted compass, which sounds likea good idea. What then would I use my new hand-held compass for?

Regards again,J.N.

Dear J.N.

This is a very good question. Your hand-held compass affixed to your Personal FlotationDevice (PFD) has three primary uses. The first is to check the accuracy of your deck-mountedunit. Gear you load into your boat can, and many times does, distort the accuracy of yourdeck compass. Flashlights and GPS units are the notorious culprits, but cook stoves and othermetal objects, even those stowed below deck, can knock a compass off as well. Redistributingstuff to move the offending object as far away from the deck compass as possible is the fix.The second use is when you are taking a bearing on other fixed objects visible on shore. Yes,you can turn your boat towards those fixed points to get your bearing from your deck compass, but that is a very slow process. At times like this, when I’m usually trying to take bearings on up to three objects (church steeples, water towers etc.) my preference is to stoppaddling for a moment, grab the hand compass from my PFD and take all my bearings atonce. The third use is one that, hopefully, you will never have to experience: finding yourway after you have been separated from your kayak against your will.

Best Wishes, Frank Chillemi

If you have any questions for Frank, please contact him at DearFrank@lipaddlers.org

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Kayaking in TurkeyMarch, 2010

By Elizabeth Marcellus

A Dutch friend of mine has an apartment inTurkey and has been asking me to go therewith her for years so I finally decided therewas no time like the present and took aflight to Turkey. Her apartment is inMarmaris. It’s a town many Europeans go to for the warm weather. It’s located on the Mediterranean Sea. I googled ‘kayakingin Turkey’ and found a kayaking outfitterlocated right in Marmaris and emailed them.The company website is www.alternatifoutdoor.com.They were veryhelpful and suggested waiting until I actuallygot to Marmaris to pick a day to go kayakingso we could have the best weather possible.That was a great strategy. Wednesday wasthe day and the water was like glass. Thetemperature was in the 60’s and comfortable.

They picked me up at the apartment. Therewere 3 of them, Vedat (a wilderness guide),and two people who were training to bekayak trip leaders. They provided everythingneeded. Kayak and paddles(obviously) , PFD,wetsuit, water, snacks and lunch. There weremany choices where to put in, but I chose theclosest one so we could spend most of thetime in the water and not in a car.

By 9:30 we headed out after checking thecharts. We would be paddling in MarmarisBay. It’s a relatively sheltered area with manyislands. The water was crystal clear and verydeep. The chart showed areas of 35 metersand deeper. Vedat explained the area isalong a fault line and the pushing of the tec-tonic plates created some incredibly beautifulrock formations. The water is very salty...

Photo by Elizabeth Marcellus

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38 parts per thousand I believe he said. Therocks are (mostly?) limestone and this combination makes the rocks very sharp...not smoothed by the waves at all. On the islands grew many olive trees andinteresting wildflowers that he was able toidentify for me.

We stopped for lunch in a sheltered covewhere Vedat prepared a delicious omeletalong with Turkish tea(chai), fresh bread,local olives and tahin pekmes... the bestthing I’ve ever tasted. It's a paste of tahini,carob syrup and grape molasses that wedipped the bread in. He even broughtpeanuts he had freshly roasted from his garden and fresh local figs. A little Turkishcoffee to finish off the meal and then Vedatwas ready for a swim. He proclaimed it“refreshing” which just meant to me it wasfreezing cold... which it was... but what theheck. It might be my only chance to swim inthe Mediterranean... so fueled with Turkish

coffee and Tahin Pekmes , I sloooowwwlywaded in. Yup... very cold... no wetsuit... (16C)... but... I did last 10 minutes and it was great.

After we all warmed up in the sun we continued on. At one point we rounded anisland and saw nothing but water. Vedatexplained that if we kept going straight wewould be in Egypt... eventually. Instead weheaded to the right (south I think?) and continued around the islands.

Some of the islands had caves in the rocksthat the kayak could go into.

A few more hours of paddling and it wasabout 5 PM at the takeout. An entire day ofpaddling... all for 150 Lire which is about$100 or so. A group would be even less perperson. He explained that they do multi-daykayak/camping/hiking trips along the coast as well.

Sounds tempting, doesn’t it?

Photo by Elizabeth Marcellus

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Son Scott with a Friend in the Galapagos IslandsBy Edie Burian

Our club shirts travel farand wide. Our son Scottand his wife Bethrecently toured theGalapagos Islands byboat after flying fromEcuador. We had giventhem the shirts and theywere well used andadmired by the localwildlife as you can see.Scott is an avid kayaker

who completed the 300 mile EvergladesChallenge, has paddledin Alaska and Hawaiiand paddles on the lakesand rivers of NorthCarolina near his home.Hopefully this picturewill start a contest tosee how far our clubshirts travel around the world.

My second grandchild,Raymond Patrick FlillerIV, born March 5, 2010(one day before my birthday).

Is there a kayak in hisfuture?... you betcha!Thanks,Don Gorycki

I’ve written a new children’s book to sharemy love of kayaking with our next generation of paddlers. Kayak Anna and the Palindrome Creek is a splashing eco-adventure for readers ages 9 to 13. It’s anovel about a girl who cleans up the pollution of her neighborhood creek whilelearning about forgiveness, environmentalactivism and ravenous trolls.

All profits from Kayak Anna are donated to Living Water International to provide safe,clean drinking water for children around theworld.

Kayak Anna is being used by a number ofschools and nature educators and I’m relyingon word of mouth promotion from fellowpaddlers to let more families and schoolsknow about this book.

You can help by:• Buying books for

young readers at KayakAnna.orgor Amazon.com for only $9.99

• Telling your local schools, scouts, and libraries to use this great resource (con-tains a class discussion and activity guide)

• Sharing this info with fellow paddlers

Kayak Anna and the Palindrome Creek By Lina Lukashevich

Thanks for all your help!

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Antimicrobial Hand Soaps By Elizabeth Marcellus

Think antimicrobial hand soaps are a good idea???

Think again. Soaps containing the synthetic antimicro-bial agents TRICLOSAN and TRICLOCARBAN kill aquat-ic life after they go down your drain and into the

local water supply, and have been shown to disruptproper thyroid functioning in humans. Use of triclosanis also associated with the rise of antibiotic-resistantstrains of bacteria. Let's help keep our waterways alive!

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BBBBllllaaaazzzziiiinnnngggg PPPPaaaaddddddddlllleeeessssP.O. Box 115West Sayville, NY 11796

First Class Mail

Tentative 2010 monthly meeting datesAlways check website.

3rd Tuesday of every month 7:30-9:30 PM

January 19 • February 16

March 16 • April 20 • May 18

June 15 • July 20 • August 17

September 21 • October 19

November 16

LOCATION:Brightwaters Public Library

1 South Country Road,Brightwaters, NY 11718

Go to our website fordirections from your location.

Long Island Paddler’s Publication DatesApril 15 • July 15 • October 15 • January 15

Deadlines for submission are one month priorto publication date. All copies submittedmust be typewritten. Members are encour-aged to submit articles, letters to the editorNewsworthy Notes, trip reports or future tripinformation, etc. to editors. Editors reservethe right to editorial privileges. Unless other-wise stated, the views and opinions expressedare those of the authors and do not repre-sent official position statements of LongIsland Paddlers Club.

Submit all newsletter articles, letters and advertising to the editor

news@lipaddlers.org

To learn and see more of what Long Island Paddlers is all about, visit our website www.lipaddlers.org