> havent tried a roll yet this year as the water is still a bit
> nippy. hope it works well.

Pete, this isn't meant to be even a match-worth of personal flame --- hope it doesn't come out that way. But we've lost two "canoeists" in the past week in the Baltimore area and two "kayakers" were almost lost the week before in Pennsylvania because they capsized while paddling without cold weather gear. (And the quotation marks indicate that these were not particularly serious sports enthusiasts, but appear to be uninformed people with little or no understanding of the water.) It's been debated heavily on PaddleWise and other kayaking forums, and, although this list and CLC's tend to concentrate on building boats, maybe it warrants a thought here, as well --- about paddling in marginal seasons. The weather has been unusually warm, but the water is still in the low 40s in this part of the Chesapeake region --- too cold to be out without serious cold water gear --- which would also allow you to practice rolls and other self rescue techniques in controlled situations --- using in-water spotters, assist boats --- without personal danger. (And by "serious" cold water gear, I'm really talking a drysuit with insulation, hood, gloves, etc. for dangerously cold water, as it still is. And all this in 70 degree air! Right. But that's what allows survival.)

I know these builder boards attract experienced paddlers who have become boat builders, but I was very surprised to hear how many first time boat builders there were in the CLC market. (I'd assume the same stats hold with other kit and plan suppliers.) It's very important especially for newer paddlers to understand the marginal paddling conditions of "extended season" paddling --- and this spring in the Mid-Atlantic is as bad as it gets with early, very warm weather. But the Bay and our beautiful backwaters are still cold enough to be life threatening --- and life-taking, as we saw last week --- so please paddle prepared! There's a very sensible axiom that a lot of experienced paddlers and clubs use --- if you're not physically prepared to swim in the water you're paddling, and if you're not equipped to stay functional (not necessarily comfortable) and survive a ten or fifteen minute swim in the water you're paddling, you shouldn't be on the water.

Off the soap-box. Sorry, Pete --- it wasn't aimed at you. Was trying to talk to those two guys in Anne Arundel County, but they can't hear me any more.

Jack Martin