Nissequogue Canoe and Kayak Club March 2003 Newsletter Disclaimer The views expressed in this newsletter are strictly those of their respective authors. Information offered on any topic should not be assumed to be authoritative or complete. On all paddling issues, it is important to base one’s practices on multiple sources of information. Blazing Paddles Newsletter of the Nissequogue Canoe & Kayak Club Visit us on the Web at http://www.lipaddler.org March 2003 Special April meeting Next Meeting March Program Friday, April 4, 2003 Thursday Rob Weltner, March 20, 2002 President, S.P.L.A.S.H. Explorer Olaf Malver Half Hollow Hills Library 7:00 - 9:30 p.m. Ensuring health and (see page 17) beauty, Great South Bay Musings Nor does it do justice to our membership’s reach, which encompasses most of Long Island. Instead, it by Stuart Selkin suggests that we’re locked into a rather small physical locale—where indeed, many of us have never even “What’s in a name? That which we call a rose paddled. And Liz O’Connor assures me that the word by any other name would smell as sweet.” Thus wrote “Nissequogue” means “mud.” William Shakespeare in Romeo and Juliet more than As a club, we’re becoming more actively 400 years ago. involved with environmental concerns. So I suggest Oh Yeah? Then how come Issur Danielovitch that we should have a name that shows just how much Demsky did a name change to Kirk Douglas, Marion territory our membership includes. It will make a big Morrison to John Wayne, Maurice Micklewhite to difference to anyone who reads our letters of concern. Michael Caine, Mary Cathleen Collins to Bo Derek, So I’m suggesting “Long Island Paddlers.” It tells the and Bernard Schwartz to Tony Curtis? And it’s not world exactly what we do and where we do it. It’s just actors. Physicist Marie Sklodowska became easy to spell. It’s only four syllables to NCKC’s nine. Marie Curie, and cosmetics executive Florence And LIPS is a great, easy-to-remember acronym. Nightingale Graham became Elizabeth Arden. Even So think about the issue of name change. First, politicians get in on the name-change act: Remember do we, as a club, think that it’s time for a change? that Nguyen That Thanh became Ho Chi Minh and And second, what should the new name be? Let’s toss Mohammed Abder Rauf Arafat al-Kudwa al-Husseini it around for a while, and then in the next issue, I’ll became Yasser Arafat! include a name-suggestion form. Who knows, maybe So I’m thinking that maybe it’s time for the we can even get Dave Chin to turn it into a contest. Nissequogue Canoe and Kayak Club to think about a By the way, speaking of facelifts, we’ve done facelift. And one way to lift our sagging jowls is with that for Blazing Paddles. Instead of the booklet style, a name change. Just think about what a name change we’ll just publish the pages of copy that any issue has. did for Alan Alda, born Alphonse d'Abruzzo and for That way, I’m not forced into thinking in four-page Illusionist David Copperfield, born David Kotkin. blocks with every issue’s layout. We’ll publish as Nissequogue Canoe and Kayak Club (NCKC) many or as few pages as we have, which will keep just strikes me as being too confining. It doesn’t do printing and mailing costs from soaring out of control. justice to the many waters that most members paddle. The new look will begin with our next issue. -1- Stuart Selkin Receives NCKC President’s Award by Paul Caparatta Each year the NCKC honors one member with Not being one to take the credit for himself, the NCKC President’s Award for Outstanding Stu promptly thanked all those who assisted him and Contribution. The award goes to anyone who has contributed article material to the newsletter and he made a material and significant contribution to the offered a special thanks to his wife, Pam, for serving betterment of the NCKC. as his rudder on the oftentimes choppy seas of literary This year’s award goes to none other than management and negotiation. For those of you who Stu Selkin, who winged his way to fame as the editor missed the meeting, Stu’s acceptance speech was sort of Blazing Paddles. He transformed the newsletter of like those at the Oscars but without the rambling, from a four-page fact sheet into an enjoyable tears and political activist messages. mini-magazine replete with just about everything that Once again, congratulations, Stu, from the the kayaker needs to know about safe paddling and entire club. dining. Other NCKC Award Recipients Awards Chair David Chin honored others. As you can see, the awards range from the ridiculous to the sublime: Award Recipient Polarbear Paddler Award Pam & Stu Selkin Most Colorful Boat & Paddler Pam Selkin Most Prolific; Editor, Blazing Paddles Stu Selkin Most Helpful Member (Newsletter Paul Caparatta Favorite Group Leader John Giuffre Most Days on the Water Mike Bogard Most Talkative Paddlers Kaye Eastman & Helmut Schimpfke Stinkiest Booties Ken Fink Best Large-Group Leader, Club Mom Barbara Fontana Most Dedicated Ed Luke Most Miles Paddled Bob Horan Most Trash Rescued Elizabeth Marcellus Most Total Miles Under Paddle; Elizabeth O’Conner Most Demanding Instructor Safest Paddler Tom Skabry Slowest Boat, yet Biggest Birder Marge Tuthill Most Desired Female Paddler Alexandra Eiler -2- John “Noah” Giuffre’s Ark Trish’s Trivial Kayak Pursuit by Paul Caparatta by Paul Caparatta During the February meeting, NCKC member Do you know when the first kayaks were John Giuffre demonstrated that he can hold his own invented, when kayaking was added to the Olympics against woodworking guru, Norm Abrams. John or whether or not the Inuits could roll their kayaks? related the trials and tribulations of building his own Ask Trish Caputo, who presented kayak trivia at the kayak from a kit offered by Chesapeake Light Craft. February meeting. John's goal was to build a kayak weighing For those of you who don't know her, Trish is approximately 45 pounds without having to spend a tall, willowy and sweet young lady who is always $3000 for it. wearing a smile. Anyway, I was surprised to learn In John's case, his total cost was a bit higher that kayaks go back 4000 years. That's right back than the cost of the kayak kit as he didn't have the there with the pyramids. With 4000 years of many woodworking tools needed to transform trees development, I'm amazed that kayaks are still into more usable things. Therefore, he had to go out evolving. One would think that there's no longer any and buy them. As any woodworker or furniture room for improvement but go read the advertising builder will tell you, you can never own enough hype. clamps and John soon found that out. Collaborating in Trish fired off a few dozen questions and the effort was Vi, who helped John decipher the those who divined the correct answer were rewarded blueprints, served as his third and fourth hand and with a little bag of chocolates. I’m afraid to say that who donated the use of her dining room for the most of us didn't answer any of the questions assembly area. Building a kayak in your dining room correctly. But, Trish surprised us by having enough is one way to get out of entertaining! chocolate goodies for everyone. Unfortunately, none John cautions that in building a kayak, one of us thought to ask Trish just where she scrounged must be especially careful to lay down adequate up such obscure, yet interesting information. amounts of wax paper when working with the epoxy resin coatings as there's a danger of making the kayak So with Trish’s information-scrounging source still a permanent part of the house. This ordinarily not divulged, let’s just reprint her quiz. Here it is: wouldn’t be a problem if you have need of a 16 foot- long coffee table. John also cautions that in building Q. When did the modern interest in canoeing and a kayak kit, make sure you can get the finished kayak kayaking as a recreation and sport begin? out of whatever room you're building it in. John showed pictures of his finished kayak 1845; 1906; or 1971 and I must say it was a work of art. I’d be afraid to scratch or damage it. As he didn’t have any A. The interest was brought about in 1845, by woodworking tools, I’ll assume that John didn’t have John MacGregor, who designed the Rob Roy. any special aptitude for woodworking. Yet, his kayak is museum quality. Best of all, it floats! Q. What was the Rob Roy? Congratulations John and Vi. A raft he built after being stranded on an island during storm that left him shipwrecked; or A canoe MacGregor based off sketchings of Inuit canoes and kayaks; or A kayak he constructed and sold to natives A. In 1845, MacGregor introduced the Rob Roy, a canoe he based on Inuit sketchings. The passion for paddling took off from there and paved way for competition. -3- Q. In 1866, MacGregor got together with other Q. Which native group knew how to roll? canoe and kayak enthusiasts and formed a club much like our own. What was the name of the club? Greenland Inuits; or Alaskan Aleuts Paddling Posse; Canoe Club; or MacGregor’s Gang A.