Theory of Gadgets

Gadgets are little devices that we all come up with to serve a particular function or to do something that we can't buy off of a store shelf. Its improvization on the fly.

A little while ago I bought an Olympus Stylus 850 SW to take pictures while out kayaking. Its the perfect camera for that, light weight and waterproof. On calm days its just as easy to stash it under you deck bungees when not in use but in more challenging conditions it can be intimidating to take pictures. There's a need to grab the camera, hold the paddle and stay upright in wind and waves and all the while try to get your picture.

I got some info from one of Kayak Newfoundland and Labrador's Central Chapter members on how to attach the camera to the paddle. Good idea Colin but I thought there might be a better way.

Here's what I did:
- cut a small piece out of a bicycle inner tube and slip over the paddle shaft
- cut a piece of plastic slightly wider that the camera out of any plastic container
- fold over sharply on one end and wrap around the paddle shaft
- tuck the sharply folded end tight and drill 2 small holes on both ends, secure with small screws
- make a template out of cardstock to get the location of the hole under the camera for mounting to tripod
- transfer to your gizmo
- drill hole and attach camera as if on a tripod.


Here's the camera attached to the paddle shaft. Slightly out of focus but hey, you get the picture.

The bicycle inner tube keeps the gadget from slipping around on the shaft. The plastic has to be a little wider than the camera so the screws on both ends don't interfere with the camera mounting. If you have a 2 piece paddle, slip the wrist strap over the paddle before putting the paddle together.

All the controls are readily at hand so that's convenient. There is a drawback as I recently found out. To take a picture you have to take the paddle out of the water and in very strong wind both paddle blades are open to the wind. A sudden gust while taking a picture to the side and broadside to the wind can knock you over. You'll have to play with your set-up to safely take pictures under those conditions.

The proto type is white, I'll made a final version in black so that it all blends in with the paddle. Hope you make one for yourself too. Finally, a little "theory" that's practical!

Tony :-)

Theory of sugar-plums

The kayaks were nestled all snug in their racks ...

while visions of sugar-plums danced in my head. Please allow a little poetic licence!

Its a week before Christmas and a good time to check your list of kayak related toys for Santa to leave under the tree. Kayaking is not a cheap hobby and Christmas is a good time when gifts can do double duty. Well, you're going to buy the stuff anyway, right? There's always more stuff to buy and gear to replace. A throw bag, paddle leash, tow rope, deck compass and on and on.

With the current economic turmoil it seems a little extravagant to be thinking about expensive toys like this. There's a big up-front cost but when I consider the number of times I've been in my boat this year alone, the cost is less than the cost of going to a movie. Say nothing of the need to be outfitted for safety either for yourself or to help another paddler in trouble.

I have to confess, I'm thinking out loud a little here and on-line, justifying my need to buy a Nordkapp for next years paddling season. I'm 99% certain that I'll place my order after Christmas and while I throw it back and forth in my mind, I'll have visions of sugar-plums dancing in my head.

Tony :-)

Theory of the unscripted swim

Ride'em cowboy Stan









Stan's kayak has after burners?

Jim Price is one of the best kayakers in Newfoundland and Jim says "there are 2 kinds of paddlers: swimmers and those who are going to be swimmers". Before Stan and myself put in today at St. Phillips (again!) I was in the category of "going to be swimmer". Now, I've joined the ranks of the swimmers.

It was blowing at 55 kms/hr with wind gusts of 70. It wasn't ideal but with air temps on December 13 at 15 degrees C, Stan seconded the motion of carpe diem - sieze the day. The wind was very brisk and the gusts threatened to rip the paddle out of my hands.

Then, there was a picture op of Stan. I have my camera attached to the paddle but it means presenting the whole paddle to the wind when taking a picture. I turned broadside to the wind, raised the paddle to snap the picture, a gust of wind caught both paddle blades and over I went. I made one attempt to roll unsuccessfully and bailed. No panic, we've practiced assisted rescues and before long I was back in the boat. I decided not to pump the boat out so I paddled into the beach with the cockpit full of water, 50 kms wind and 1 metre wind waves. A good exercise in balance control.

We hung around for about an hour after and I had to do one roll before calling it a day. I had to reassure myself because I was disappointed that my roll failed just when I needed it.

Anyway, I learned something today - exercise caution taking pictures in challenging conditions and a friend in need is a friend indeed. Thanks Stan!

Tony :-)

Theory of landlubbers

Waves crashing at Laurie's Beach in Paradise, Nfld.

A landlubber is defined as someone who lives and works on land. I don't know the origin of the word but my guess is it would be derived from "land lover".

Technically, by the definition, I'm a landlubber as I live on land. But I'm not a landlubber in the sense I love the land and avoid the sea.

Today we have southwest winds gusting to 100 kms/hr at the coast. I remember an article on kayak paddling techniques (Technical Nuances for Cruising in Wind; Seakayaker Magazine, June 1995) by Nigel Foster wherein he says "The following techniques ... work in strong winds ... up to 65 knots". (100 kms/hr). I don't know what planet he hails from but I'm skeptical. I've been out in some strong wind much less than 100 and found forward progress to be quite a challenge.

In any case, I had to go down to the shore and see for myself what it would be like on the water. Yup, based on what I saw, today I lubbs the land!

Tony :-)

Theory of smiling kayak gods

The pleasure boats are done for the season! (A)











Glacial till NE of Long Pond (B)







Houses perched on Conception Bay (C)

Well, the kayak gods did smile on me today. It didn't look good early this morning as my paddling buddy Stan was tied up with house chores. My better half doesn't like for me to paddle alone but today she had faith. So, I was off for my first solo paddle on the briney sea.

I put in in Topsail in Conception Bay, Newfoundland, and paddled some 5kms southwest to the community of Long Pond. It was blowing only about 15 kms from the WSW, 3 degrees C and small wind waves. Had I gotten in trouble I'd have blown up on the shore all along the way.

Its not an exciting paddle but it was a day out. This part of the shore of Conception Bay is either houses spilling out down to the edge of the sea (picture C) or unoccupied cobble beaches (picture B).

On the way to Long Pond the sun was directly in my eyes but I found the marina at Long Pond. Got out and stretched my legs and found it funny that I was still out on the water but all the pleasure boats were hauled up for the winter (picture A). Isn't it ironic?

The hills backing cobble beaches consist of glacial till (B) that was dumped when the glaciers retreated here some 12,000 years ago. The houses are somewhat newer and look like clumps of habitation dumped unwittingly here too.

While it was liberating to be out alone, I did miss Stan. I hope there'll be other days when the kayaking gods smile on me yet this year. Either way I've no reason to complain if I was able to be out on December 6!!!

Tony :-)

Theory of discretion

Dumping surf at Middle Cove, Nfld.

One of the meanings of discretion is the ability to make responsible decisions.

Earlier this summer, in August, three of us had a practice session here at Middle Cove that I feel now was pivotal in my progression as a kayaker. It was the first time I was in substantial water. The sea wasn't as angry as on the day I took this picture but there were occasional 2 metre waves and a dumping surf. I launched through the surf safely and the three of us just paddled back and forth in the cove. For me, it was just being in the boat and being in the bigger water. After a while I felt comfortable and thought, its no biggie.

There in lies some danger. There's a risk of being overconfident to the point of being cocky. There are people who could get out thru the surf on this day but I'm not there yet. Make a responsible decision, leave the boat on the car and wait till I'm ready. Know my ability and my limits.

Sometimes you want to get out for a paddle but sometimes the gods are against you. When they are, its probably for a reason.

Tony :-)

Theory of hardness

Bucket and float set-up












Bucket and float out for a tow!

The theory of hardness, more accurately, Mohs Scale of Mineral Hardness, is a system which characterizes the scratch resistance of various minerals. Its on a scale of 1 to 10 with talc as 1 and diamond as 10. There's another definition of course where hardness is based on relative difficulty.

Paddling on calm water is easy whereas paddling into a strong wind is more difficult. Taking someone in distress under tow also adds to the degree of difficulty.

Recently I've rigged up a float and a bucket to add to the difficulty of paddling practice. The float keeps the bucket close to the surface and the bucket adds resistance. I find that the addition of resistance allows me to concentrate more on form and is good towing practice.

Practice easy and you end up with talc; add some difficulty and you end up with diamonds. And you'll know you have diamonds when you take the resistance off because the boat just glides effortlessly across the water. I guess its like life, you have to have some difficulty in your life to know how good the "good times" are. That last part was an afterthought, WOW!

Tony :-)