Scraggy Sparrow Crotch

This morning: out around Mark, Scraggy, Sparrow & back around Sand and Crotch Islands. No fog. Sun, plenty of lobster boats & jellyfish. Tasty.



Peter returns to DC for awhile; I'll miss paddling with him. More and more we encounter other paddlers, most of whom wear shorts and lightweight shirts, no sprayskirts. According to the weather buoy in Bar Harbor, the water temperature is just over 53 degrees.

It's a tough thing. I keep having conversations with people who know the water is cold and that they are inadequately prepared for being in the water. I recommend places to buy proper gear, and yet there's a lot of resistance . They say "I don't go very far from the shore," etc, etc. Yeah, all the cliches. Why is it so difficult to spend maybe $150 or so for the most basic cold water gear and quit making excuses? Why do I care?

Here's why.

Here's the NRS website so you can buy some gear.