Bow and Stern - - March 2005

Bow and Stern March 2005

	Volume XXXI No. 1 < < < Go with the Flow > > > \/ \/ \/

NB: With the passage of time, a good number of the links embedded in back issues of the Bow and Stern may fail. If you notice any broken links in particular that merit repairing/replacing (and you know the correct URL to which the link should point), please email the webmaster. Thanks!

ACA has changed the waiver, and we need to ask ACA members to sign the new one, attached, and send it to Rich Larsen, 11 Discovery Road, Essex Junction, Vt. It is an update to what you just signed. There is good news. Once we get a place a mechanism to track the waivers, there will only be a need for 1 to be signed each year - not one each event.

The ACA has been hit with significant increases in insurance rates, and will assess Paddle America Clubs at the rate of $5 per ACA member (plus $100 per club) to make up the costs. Many of us believe ACA should have raised dues rather than pass along the job of collection to the clubs, but they did not. VPC will be assessed approximately $800 - a major part of our income. We cannot cover this from dues, but have to pass the assessment along to members. Members can choose to cease their ACA membership when they get notice for renewal, and that will get rid of the assessment for 2006 - but for 2005 all members were already counted. We need to ask the ACA members to provide this $5 per ACA member to VPC, to recover the assessment.

The following table will hopefully help you determine the total ACA / VPC cost, and how much we need you to send to VPC and to ACA. The 'number of ACA members' is within a dues-paying household. The 'zero ACA members' is for folks who are members just of VPC - that is still allowed - but, if you are not an ACA member, there is a $10 charge per person per event for 'official VPC trips' on-water activities, that is sent to ACA as insurance payment.

# of ACA members	VPC dues	ACA Assessment	ACA dues	Total
0	$8	$0	$0	$8
1	$8	$5	$20	$33
2	$8	$10	$25	$43
3	$8	$15	$25	$48
4	$8	$20	$25	$53

Now, to whom do you send the money? If you are joining ACA as a Paddle America member for the first time, send the entire total to Richard Larsen, and he will enroll you in ACA. If you are already an ACA member and are renewing ACA and VPC, send an amount equal to 'VPC dues + ACA assessment' to Rich as soon as possible, and 'ACA dues' to ACA when you get a billing notice from them. Hope this helps.
Call Rich at 802-878-6828 if questions.

Beaver Meadow Brook: August 30, 2004
Organizer:
Participants: Kayakers (K1): Whitney Phillips, Damon Bungard, Ed Clark, Chris Skalka, Bobby Pfister, Scott Gilbert / Canoers (C1): Alden Bird
Water: Internet Gauge (cfs): 1300 / USGS Gauge Name: New Haven R at Bristol
Character: advanced WW

One last fling before the year begins. The afternoon began with a juicy run down the New Haven with Katie (21 years old on that very day!) and Marshall. I recall: boofing smartly over a large hole in the Playpen, then getting hammered in the hole in Mama Tried. At the take out we met up with the rest of the gang. My two friends headed off to do other things and I stuffed my boat in the van to run Beaver Meadow. Beaver Meadow is a trib of the New Haven that dumps in about a mile up from the normal Ledges put in. I had never run it before. It is virtually Ed Clark's personal creek -- he lives there, discovered it and has led most of the few descents. The water was low, but the river was steep. There were many exciting drops, including a nasty one with a log that we walked. Most of the drops seemed to be about 7 feet tall and contain some variety of hideous piton/pin spot on one dreaded side of the bottom. In fact, we did have one minor shoulder dislocation and also the most serious pin I have witnessed. I heard Chris yell, "Shit! Pin!" and tried to move smoothly into rescue position. All I could see was the bow of a boat sticking up in the air, and the occupant with his head just out of the water. Fortunately we had plenty of power on the banks and were able to pull him out quickly and safely. Fittingly, this new gem was my last Vermont river of the summer, and probably my last for a long time. That night I drove five hours home to Connecticut and a week later I moved to DC. This river marked the end of a long, vagabond summer spent running rivers and meeting people. I once read something like, "As an artist, you become familiar with due process. You can't just write people off or send them to hell." Same with boating. You can't go boating alone, despite what some desperate incarnations of ourselves will say. It's been a great summer, and I hope everyone is careful, paddles fastidiously and scouts and sets safety in a meticulous way. Because you know what they say -- if expert paddlers are laughing at you, you're probably being pretty darn safe . . .

Upper Mad: September 9, 2004
Organizer: Goudi
Participants: Kayakers (K1): Lindsey Johnson Goudi
Water: Internet Gauge (cfs): 1160 / USGS Gauge Name: Moretwon
Character: intermediate WW

Water was realy high, and lots of features were washed out. Below the bridge in Moretown was tight, and flippy, as well as the small falls at the Punchbowl, which was worth scouting. Then the last drop was really fun, (below Butternut) with a nice entry and a great turn into a little hole punch and exit. Great trip.

Hole Brothers: September 18, 2004
Organizer: Cheryl Robinson
Participants: Kayakers (K1): Cheryl Robinson and Randel Sands
Water: Internet Gauge (cfs): 2880
Character: intermediate WW

Well my first VPC official trip was hardly a successful. So the lack of people forced me to cancel it has a VPC trip. Me, Myself and I, were accompanied by Randel Sands, and his partner Lana as a spectator. We headed toward NY state at around 7am. We had to take plenty of Caffeine stops to keep the eyes awake. On the way across we stopped off at High Falls (Chateaugay) a spectacular 120 ft waterfall. Definitely unrunnable in a kayak, but very beautiful to look at. We arrived at Hole Brothers around 1.30 pm (we stopped for lunch beforehand) and were surprised to find that we were the only ones there. There was a perfectly formed wave/ hole that was just begging for us to surf it. We did it in style. I can't even explain how sweet the hole was it. We ripped it up for an hour an half before taking a breather. Our breather was teaching Lana to paddle in the large eddy next to the wave, she did really well for her first time. We went back on Hole brothers and joined two other paddlers who were really good. They were pulling off some great moves. They were really friendly and shouted pointers to Randel and me while surfing enabling us to pull off some excellent flat spins...we really did rock. I had my best play experience yet. We set off back home around 5.15pm again stopping for caffeine and some self refueling at an excellent Italian restaurant called Sergio in Canton (a must stop if your ever passing through). We arrived back in Burlington a little after midnight, Still grinning from ear to ear about our time on Hole Brothers.

A day late, a few hundred cfs short.....well into the lower range of the "low boatable" category. Still a some fun, gnarly drops in there where the river chokes down and steepens, but many boney dues must be paid getting there. Gauge: the entire rt.30 bridge abutment was exposed right down to the riverbed on the downstream side. (you count the blocks down from the bridge to the waterline; 6.5 is typically considered minimum. This was more like 7+)

West River: September 25, 2004
Organizer: Cheryl Robinson
Participants: Kayakers (K1): Dan Beideck, Jim Poulin, Todd H, Cheryl Robinson, Patrick Rogers, Simon Wiles / Canoers (OC1): Ray Ingram
Water: Internet Gauge (cfs): 1500
Character: nov-int WW

The west river!! A true classic run of the Northeast. Standing at the top of the Dam looking down at the first rapid is amazing, watching the snake of boats, rafts and etc (meaning other things people decided to take down the river i.e lilo (did anyone else see that)). The first rapid looked huge and at first I was a little intimidated. I was grateful Jim had run it before and didn't mind showing us the lines and playspots. Simon delighted us all the way down with wave wheels, cartwheels and whatever wheels. He impressed us even more when he did the same on the second run with hand paddles. In one eddy a paddler commented "There must be a fault with that guys boat if he can do that with hand paddles" after watching Simon pull off some flat water cartwheels. Todd, Dan and Jim made use of Jim's knowledge of play spots and surfed numerous waves and holes. Boof rock was avoided by most of the group, but we had two star boofers Simon and Todd.(we won't mention the one swim here). Dumplings seemed to be over hyped in the book and Jim showed us through with a relatively easy line, while Simon opted for the slot chute. On the second run Jim and Todd opted for a harder route on the right side. I opted for the same route and obviously became a little lapse as I thought I made the line only to sidle into the hole and slam into the rock, I didn't want to go over so used my paddled as a support on the rock and slid around it to make a nice recovery. I think we all thoroughly enjoyed the West river, although myself and Simon couldn't convince the rest of the group to paddle a third run on just the lower section. On the lower section we were joined by Ray Ingram, demoing a new espirit canoe, I hand paddled and Simon complained how flat it was. (he was warned it was only grade 2). We took the right channel which proved to be continuous but rocky and very low..whoops a few scraps added to the demo canoe. A huge smile spread across our faces when we hit the last rapid before the take out...not because the run was over, but because we had just come across, probably the best play spot on the whole of the West river. It made Simon happy!! I took out and ran it a couple of times with the hand paddles. It had a couple of nice holes to surf in, both Simon and Ray had a happy time in there. We eventually took off around 5ish...ready for the long drive back to Burlington.

Moose Fest - Lower Moose: October 16, 2004
Organizer: Cheryl Robinson
Participants: Kayakers (K1): Will Bucossi, Luke ??, Cheryl Robinson, Dora Watson
Water: Internet Gauge (ft): 3.1
Character: int-adv WW

So Saturday 16th of October we all meet up at the cottage in Old forge. Four intermediate boaters contemplate running the Middle and Lower Moose. The big hardcore guys listening to out conversation seriously advised at the current levels to skip the middle and just run the lower...we all felt we wouldn't get the warm up required before plunging ourselves down a grade 4 run. We opted for the last 3 miles on the Middle followed by the Lower. We were sooooo glad we didn't run the middle. More flat, flat sucks, I hate flat...if I see any more flat I am taking off and hiking out...where's the take out I am sick of flat...and flat sucks...they were many of the comments heard from our mouths as we run the lower section. I have to say out of the 13miles we run only about 1 mile was worthy of being classed as white water and worthy white water it was. We managed to catch the last few grade three drops on the middle which wetted our appetite for the big drops to come. We remembered the other guys warning us of the first drop and we should scout. We eagerly scouted from the bank, it looked fairly straight forward. The fact you couldn't see all the drops made it difficult. The last being the most difficult, the line was hard right, if you took the left you were sure to be eaten in the hole. Two out of four made the incorrect line and got munched and the hole managed to spit out one swimmer. The other two made the correct line by strangely following someone who they thought was me??? Only to realize it was somebody else in the same boat. The next was rooster tail. We saw people scouting so thought it would be sensible to scout as well...my god it wasn't worth the effort of squeezing ourselves out of our boats feeling the chill of the cold air to realize this drop was super easy with a huge fluffy rooster tail dead centre which was our mark for lining up to run it...no problemos. Have I mentioned the flat bits...low, flat and some places if we didn't quite follow the main current we would find ourselves beached and have to scrape and drag ourselves to the safety of not much deeper water. The next drop was froth hole...a scary diagonal ledge drop with a nasty piton rock to the right. We scouted it carefully and took the advise of other paddlers on what line to take. Will runs the perfect line leaving Luke and Me in the eddy above looking for the perfect line...which I couldn't see. I neared the edge slowly in the hope that someone scouting would direct me...they sort of waved at me...oops I was a bit too close for my liking to the piton rock, but I survived and was quite chuffed I made it over. Luke despite following me made a nice line. So the monster of all holes appeared next, Mix Master. I was way too tired by now to even considering making the necessary line. Dora agreed and we portaged around to watch the guys . Will did it with little effort. I then wished I had done it for all of about two seconds. As we all watched Luke flip in the worst possible place and take a huge hole beating. He flushed rather regrettably as a swimmer. We came upon the last drop Elevator shaft. By this time I was too tired to even get out of my boat to scout it from land. I edged my boat up to the two options of drops and decided one was too nasty to even consider, I paddled to the right and noticed a lovely drop, a nice couple waved at me from their open canoe to take the line, so I did and it was fantastic. I shouted to the others follow, but I noticed Dora had nicely spotted a easy sneak chute which she took. We thought we had finished and prayed for the take out which as per usual was a couple of miles of flat first....I HATE FLAT, FLAT SUCKS. We were advised to take out above the bridge, but the last rapid at the take out bridge looked way to good. It looked the perfect way to end then run. We ploughed down through the ledge drops to finish the run at 4.30pm....definitely a good job we didn't run the middle we would have been taking off in the dark. Personally I wouldn't consider running this again unless the gauge was showing around 3.5ft and above.

Guide to White Nile, Uganda: December 16-31
Organizer: Simon WIles
Participants: Kayakers (K1): Cheryl Robinson, Simon Wiles, Mark & Heather Rainsley, Chas Couchman. Tim & Maria Rex, Nick & Graham / Kayakers (K2): Cheryl Robinson & Paulo Bibi
Water:
Character: advanced WW

Guide to Uganda, White Nile. Flying: we used British airways (from Newark - USA), no hassle or charge for the two kayaks we took. The flights were expensive at $1300, but we booked late. It was sweetened when we received an upgrade from Heathrow to Entebbe then Heathrow to Newark. Transport: we arranged transfers in advance from the airport to accommodation as taxis with racks can be difficult to come by. The cost is around $35 per person. Accomodation: Again we booked in advance and opted to stay at NRE (Nile River Explorers) for five Nights (day 1 section). Then at Hairy Lemon (day 2 section) for Five days then back to NRE for the remainder of our holiday. Both sites are different but offer similar accommodation, Bandas, camping and Dorms. Hairy lemon is a little more expensive but food is included (3 cooked meals a day). Both offer open river view showers. NRE also has a more exclusive resort area that you can stay for $80 per night which provides you with a rather nice river view banda with private bathroom and shower, breakfast and exclusive use of the pool. NRE offer two places to get meals; the bar (which can get quite rowdy) or a restaurant. Both reasonably priced. Hairy Lemon is an island on the Nile and can only be reached by boat, they won't take walk ins so it essential to book in advance. We preferred Hairy Lemon, it is more of a paradise island and has a very relaxed feel to it. Health: Uganda has a very high Malaria rate and you can guarantee someone you know or meet will get it while you are there. Before we went we had to be immunized for Typhoid, Hepatitis A, Meningitis, Polio, Tetanus and Yellow Fever. We also had to take Malaria tablets I opted for Malarone (daily) while Simon opted for Larium (weekly). Neither of us suffered side effects and neither did we suffer any health problems while we were there. It is advisable to wear both ear plugs (highly recommend doc pro plugs) and nose clips to reduce taking on any bacteria from the water. We took lots of suntan lotion factor 30. We did burn despite efforts of applying lots of lotion. The temperature varied between 84f and 94 f. We wore long sleeves and trousers at night to prevent any nasties biting. We took our own mosquito net and used it despite them being provided in the accommodation (they looked very holey and our friends got badly bitten when they used them). Culture: Uganda is a very poor country, but don't compare it to nearby countries such as Sudan or Ethiopia. These people are not starving. The economy is just third world. The people are probably the nicest people you will every meet and they will go out of there way to help you. The children will run to greet you and shout "Jambo Muzungo" which translates as "hello white person". The glow off their smiles when I waved back at them will sit in my heart forever. At the takeout, I often got asked to have my kayak carried for me. I usually got charged around 1000 shillings about 50 cents...and believe me it's worth it after a long days paddle...plus the local people are so appreciative of the money, I even got some local language lessons included one day. They also asked us for our water bottles that we had purchased from the bar. We originally thought this was for the clean water (most homes do not have running water and so they either go to a well or use the river), but it turned out they wanted them for recycling to earn money. The primary language is supposed to be English, but generally they speak various dialects of Lugandan or Swahili. So to the Important Part the RIVER . Despite the Nile being the longest river in the world, the commercial section is only about 36km and the kayak section 50km. The river is split in to three sections: Owens Falls, Day 1, and Day 2. The river is dam release and the water fluctuates during the day, generally lower in the morning getting higher around 3pm. On Holidays and weekends the water generally stays a lot lower. Owens Falls : Grade 2/3 Don't get too excited this section is normally only used as a put in for the commercial rafts or people taking kayak lessons. I was actually the only person in our group to run this section, and it was very uneventful and consists of 3 easy grade 2/3 rapids. I only did it once. Day 1: Grade Various including some 6's This is the section that is rafted by three companies almost every day. This section consists of many channels and I personally never ran this in my Kayak. I did however do it in a Topo Duo with Paulo Bibi, Ugandan's No 1 kayaker and recent winner of the big air competition held there in October. The put in is NRE's campsite, the walk down is steep and treacherous...many people opt to take the daredevil route and go in off the huge but badly designed scary air ramp...I am a chicken and just let the boat go down it, then struggled down the rest of the way. The ramp is definitely a back breaker if not landed correctly. Simon opted for a nice aerial blunt/ face plant every time. We did witness some crazy guy's using beer crates to go off it...wouldn't surprise me if it makes then next young guns productions movie. Near the put in there are two nice play spots one a small hole know as the campsite hole and the other known as the back wave, very similar to push button on the Ottawa. I paddled both of these a lot and really enjoyed them, but to get back to the campsite meant either running a grade 5 known as Brickyard or hiking across the island and doing a ferry across the bottom of Bujagali falls. Scouting Before I proceed to breakdown each rapid, it is worth knowing only the first (Bujagali) and last rapid (Itanda) can actually be scouted from land, the rest, well I don't really want to say close your eyes and hope for the best, but it is quite like that. Because of the sheer size and volume it can prove difficult to see the whole or part of the rapids. On your first run it is worth going down with the locals. Ribcage. Stay close to the right hand bank. Easy class 4, or 3 as the locals call it. Stay away from the undercut tree / island. Unfortunately one of our group didn't. If in doubt portage, on the right, as the rafts do, to lead you straight to: Bujagali Falls (grade 4/5) How hard can it be if the local guys swim it on a large jerry can? Inspect from the right side, and get ready to move to the left of the tongue, there is no point in trying to avoid the hole you're going in, then hold on tight through the run out. The boils can provide some entertaining mystery moves!!! 50/50 Straight forward class 3 wave train. Or so they say....I never seen a grade 3 with waves this big!! Total Gunga Long series of huge breaking waves at grade 5 ferocity. Watch out for the G Spot left of centre, which likes to surf rafts. Long rapid, with some interesting whirlpools at the bottom on the right. Surf City, Take the right most fork after Total Gunga. Nice easy class 3 rapid. Silverback Just below surf city, one of the most fun rapids on the river. A HUGE (GIGANTIC) wavetrain (grade 4 / 5), with 4 waves stacked one after another. Very boily at the sides, so best to just run straight down. If you want a short run, it is possible to arrange a Boda Boda (Moped) (outside the gate at NRE) to pick you up from just below Silverback on river right, five minutes up a path. This avoids all the flat water, and gets most of the good rapids. There are some easy class 2 rapids, and lots of flat water, before: Overtime (grade 5) Usually portaged (on river right), can be run though as long as you hit the line.... Another channel exists further left called the Dead Dutchman. I wonder why??.. Retrospect (grade 3/4) Just below Overtime on the right hand channel. Straightforward run through the centre tongue of a hefty wide hole. Followed by lots more flat water. Bubogo / superhole. (grade 4) Similar to Retrospect, but in a centre right channel. Its another simple tongue through the Hole rapid. Nice surfwave on the lip of the hole. Just after this, head far right, to arrive at superhole, a fun wide playwave. Lots more flatwater...... Itanda / The bad place Pull out on the right when you see the mist rising....the monster awaits!!! There is an eddy right on the lip if you so wish....The rafts carry Itanda (grade 6), which is one of the most impressive just about runnable rapids ever seen. A series of massive offset holes, each with their own name, that you have to thread through. Pencil Sharpener, Cuban, Ashtray, Bad place, the Other place. You can put in halfway down, about level with the Cuban, which gives a much simpler run, or a warmup for the whole thing. Trouble is, if you are taking out here, you'll just have to carry your boat back up the very steep path. If you're lucky you can get a local to carry it for a small amount. Also Hypoxia, Kalaga (grade 6) Two other channels exist offering other gnarly options than just Itanda. Not often run, Hypoxia is supposed to be the most fearsome of the three, with a massive hole waiting to give some serious downtime. Kalagala (on river left) is a waterfall / big hole affair. Day two. (All day two rapids are Grade 4) Can be accessed from either river left or right, as can the day 2 takeout. If staying at and returning to NRE, then you'll start below (or above) Itanda, and take out on river right below Malalu. If staying, or returning to Hairy lemon, you'll probably put in on river left. There are some great views of the river from high up on both sides, and its worth having a good look at some of the biggest rapids around. Total Vengance A short warm up leads you to an island. Take the second left channel. A first short section, allows you to catch an eddy on the left to surf the wave / hole. Or you can run straight (look for the tongue) if you miss the tongue prepare to surf big time, and if your caught unawares it can be difficult to get off upright.. (I flipped big time). The second part of the rapid is just a long wave train. Hair of the Dog Easiest route is the right hand channel, where you run straight down the massive wave train. There is a large broken wave you can surf half way down. After a short while, there s a great small playhole on river left, which is a nice spot to practice loops. Then it's a short paddle across a large pool before: Kula Shaka You probably want to eddy out towards the right hand end of the large pool. From there you can boat scout your way down. A nice wave forms just above the split round an island. Make sure you end up on the right side channel. Run centre down the big wave trains, and watch out for the pour over on river right...but if like me you end up river right..go hard right and you miss the pour over...the best choice is to head left. A fair bit of flatwater follows until: Nile Special Lovely big surging wave on river right. The Nile special is comparative to Big Joe on Lachine, it isn't smooth and it has a lot of bounce. The wave is supposedly at it's best early morning, but personally we felt that it was a little less surgy in the afternoon (around 2pm) and a little easier to surf. Just below here, on the mid stream island is the Hairy lemon campsite. There is then 6km more flat water, but believe me this flat water is worth paddling to get to Malalu, You can either float down by staying in the current...or you can paddle hard!! But don't waste too much energy..you'll want to save it. Malalu is the next rapid of note you'll come across after Nile special. Again there are a number of channels, so make sure you don't miss it. Take the second channel from the left, it starts quite wide, but you'll know you're in the right place when it narrows down. Make sure you catch the eddy on the right, next to the wave, and watch for the boil lines. The best time to be on this wave is anytime after 3pm. The wave is fantastic, I was advised that it would be the perfect training wave, and my first time on it I was surrounded by the likes of Steve Fisher and Rush Sturges. I was begging the water Gods to be on my side, thankfully they were and I strutted my stuff like a true beginner minus the swims!!. The wave is the biggest I have ever surfed, but once you're on it its like being in a comfort blanket, It wants to keep you safe and give you that nice warm fluffy feeling. It also just begs you to keep getting back on and surf it some more, it is very addictive. The problem with this wave is what's behind it. The wave train narrows to form huge boiley eddy lines and is very testing on one's roll and balance. A swim can result in heading down stream along way and mean a fairly difficult paddle back up. When we were there we generally found we had the wave to ourselves. Both these last two rapids have great viewing areas that make for a great picture spot or just to get your breath back!! Shuttles Both NRE and Hairy Lemon can arrange shuttles for you. My advise for the Day 1 section is join the rafts, for $10 you get shuttle, food on and off the river and Cool soda's and beer at the takeout. If you get a bit bored with all the flatwater on the Day 1 section, you can run multiple Silverback runs in one day, or combine with some play on the backwave. You need to arrange a boda boda shuttle for this shorter section, which is a great way to see some countryside. For Day 2 from NRE, I would recommend getting a group of four or more and hire a taxi bus (matatu's) with roof racks, it only costs around $40 for drop off and pick up (NRE can arrange). From Hairy Lemon, they will also order you a taxi to the put in, and boda Bodas for the take out. For just a Malalu paddle you need Hairy Lemon to arrange Boda Boda's. We found after the first night you can arrange with the drive to pick you up the next night...and they are very reliable. Tip if there are two of you but the boats on one bike and both of you hop on the other one.

WB Deerfield/Cold (MA): December 26, 2004
Organizer: Alden Bird
Participants: Kayakers (K1): Doug Piatt / Canoers (C1): Alden Bird
Water: Painted Gauge (ft): Frozen
Character: advanced WW

Life is different when you have a tradition to uphold. So it is with Doug and me. It is our tradition to descend the West Branch the day or two after Christmas. First we ran the Cold River, just over the southern border in the state that, in the words of Bill Clinton "once gave us John Kennedy and now gives us John Kerry." Like winter and kayaking, such connections are perhaps tenuous. Doug wanted to run the remote upper section that flaps around the back of the mountain. We checked it out, driving my minivan through the snow, but found the water too low at the high elevation. Soon we found ourselves skating down the regular run. The best rapid was the quite frozen Cold River Falls. The Cold certainly lived up to its name. We then drove up past the Fife Brook and Dryway sections, past some local ice climbers, to Readsboro. It was getting dark by then and the river was low and starting to get frozen in. We noted a sketchy move to avoid an ice chunk at Low Chair rapid. Unfortunately the famous Tunnel Vision rapid was too frozen, so we decided to start below the tunnel. From there we boogied down and suitably recalled why this river is an old favorite. After jumping the ledge at High Chair and making the tight slalom move at Low Chair, we took out and found ourselves crackling with ice. It took minutes of thawing in the car to unsling my waist throwbag. I am afraid that this might be the final day of Vermont creeking, at least for me, for a while. The locals who man the Readsboro General and looked concerned for my safety are perhaps less afraid.

We clearly need new members of the Executive Committee, to replace folks that have moved away or who are moving away. We also need people to help lead trips, teach or assist with the novice clinic, etc. Also, at the end of 2005, we need to elect new officiers for the following two years. PLEASE CONTACT ONE OF THE MEMBERS OF THE COMMITTEE IF YOU WANT TO HELP.

INCOME AND EXPENSES	YEAR 2002	YEAR 2003	YEAR 2004
DUES	$1,096.00	$835.00	$1,214.00
EVENTS SPONSORSHIP	($200.00)	($100.00)	($450.00)
WEB-SITE	($300.00)	($300.00)	($300.00)
BANK FEES	($26.38)	($32.56)	(52.85)
MEETINGS / MAILINGS	$(1,031.09)	($622.16)	($960.78)
SAFETY GEAR / SESSIONS	($482.56)	$0.00	$5.00
ROLLING SESSIONS	$274.29	$353.50	$94.00
T-SHIRTS	$50.00	$0.00	$0.00
BANNER	$0.00	($159.00)	$0.00
CANOE AND KAYAK SCHOOL	$298.95	$0.00	$288.00
NET ACA COST	($25.00)	($5.00)	$35.00

	GENERAL FUND	SAFETY / EDUCATION	TOTAL
12/31/2001	$773.96	$1,158.63	$1,932.59
12/31/2002	$688.68	$898.12	$1,586.80
12/31/2003	$748.15	$808.43	$1,556.58
12/31/2004	$703.52	$665.43	$1,428.95

Little River: Representatives from the club participated in fourteen meetings with VANR, Army Corp., USGS, Town of Waterbury commissioners, Trout Unlimited and others over the last ten months to promote the development of the Little River and to get some kind of measure of interest with this type of project. On November 10 & 11, 2004 under the supervision of Step by Step Community Environment Solutions, volunteers from Vermont Paddlers Club conducted field work, taking measurements and collecting sediment samples for a geomorphic assessment of the Little River approximately half mile required for weir removal. Volunteers involved on these weekdays were: Andy Meilleur, Fritz Senftleber, Jack Daggit, Ken Roberts, Karen Henry, and Ray Ingram. Thanks for all your efforts.
West River: Our relationship with the directors of New England Flow and our knowledge of the work they're doing on the West River provided us the opportunity to set up the line of communication so Mike Crane of Crane Associates would have an opportunity to present his proposal of the economic assessment that he presented us at our last March banquet. Mike did such a great job on his proposal he secured employment from New England Flow to finish his economic study with the hope of saving releases on the West River for future paddlers. Congratulations Mike and thanks for working so hard on a great cause.

The VPC is looking forward to hosting our annual novice clinic. The date and location of the clinic is not available yet, but we are looking to start signing up students, instructors, and safety boaters/helpers. If anyone would like to volunteer to help us out with this years clinic, please contact James Raboin at 527-8328, or by e-mail at raboins@localnet.com. Tell everyone who may be a potential student to contact James as well, or go on our website, vtpaddlers.net, to sign up for the clinic. We look forward to introducing the exciting sport of whitewater to more Vermonters!

The president's last statement ended with his comments about helping the club advance at a pace demanded by the members and the future growth of our sport. Thanks to all members who volunteered, the club has made some major accomplishments. The club produced three successful clinics last summer: one novice and two advanced whitewater rescue clinics -- more than I can remember the club ever doing. The club increased its amount of pool sessions provided for the paddling community. The club is back on line in river issues, working on conservation directly related to paddling, making investments that we hope will have a positive impact for paddlers of Vermont and their surrounding communities. The in-kind donations funneled through VPC for 2004 almost reached an equivalent of four thousand dollars dedicated to safety, education, and conservation issues. The majority of the donations were services provided, with a small portion from the general fund. We should give thanks to our affiliate, American Canoe Association, and to businesses VPC members operate - Mark Moore of Outdoor Mentors, and Lori Barg of Step by Step. Others were Eric Bishop and participants in the June advanced rescue clinic. I apologize if I missed anyone.

It will be challenging to match these accomplishments in the coming year, but I have confidence in the dedication of the membership, their willingness to make a difference for our communities, and to make the most of opportunities presented. By pooling together, negotiating the obstacles, we'll meet our goals and reach our destination. One of the obstacles the membership needs to negotiate is additional pool sessions. They increase the commitment of club resources and depend on members, their family and friends to participate in the pool sessions for the programs to be successful. Our committed efforts for safety are related to pool sessions and with spring paddling around the corner, I encourage our members to take advantage of pool sessions. Bring your boat of choice, recover that center of balance and get the confidence of hitting that roll the first time to make a more enjoyable whitewater season.

More safety talk! I recommend everyone check his/her equipment for defects, if you find any please correct the problem before you get on the river. Review and practice your safety techniques. Please use good judgment on the rivers. Plan ahead look downstream a lot and communicate both safe routes and hazardous routes that may need to be avoided. Try to notice features that might throw you off line into hazards when attempting harder rapids. Although paddling is an individual skill, good practices include working together. Paddle with a group, and have good communication established. Have a good understanding of each individual's capabilities within the skill level of the group and the required skill level for the trip. Being careful can still be fun.

President	Ray Ingram	802-578-8367
Vice President	Eric Bishop	802-899-1865
Secretary	OPEN
Treasurer	Richard Larson	802-878-6828
Safety/Education Director	James Raboin	802-527-8328
Newsletter Director	OPEN
Activities Director	Eric Rossier (open 5/2005)	802-453-7879
Paddling School	James Raboin	802-527-8328
Conservation Chair	Jack Daggitt	802-253-2524
Webmaster	Tony Shaw	802-879-1655

Date	Event/Trip	Organizer	Expect	Comment
Sat Apr 2	North Branch Lamoille	James Raboin	int-adv WW	Ice off rivers??? Hope for the best.
Sat Apr 2-3	Contoocook/Warner/Others?	Ryan	int-adv WW	Waiting to hear about ice
Sun Apr 3	Upper Lamoille	Michael Fullerton	int WW	Hardwick
Sat Apr 9	Lower Lamoille	Richard Larsen	nov-int WW
Sun Apr 10	North Branch Lamoille	James Raboin	int-adv WW
Sun Apr 10	Huntington	Jamie Dolan	nov WW
Sat Apr 16	White River	Richard Larsen	nov-int WW
Sat Apr 16	Gihon River, Upper and Lower	James Raboin	int-adv WW	Pool drop
Sun Apr 17	Moose River	Michael Fullerton	int WW
Wed Apr 20	Lower Lamoille	Richard Larsen	nov-int WW	After work - 5PM meeting time
Sat Apr 23	Upper Lamoille or Moose (Vt)	Richard Larsen	int WW
Sat Apr 23-24	West River Weekend	Jamaica State Park	int-adv WW	no shuttle
Sun Apr 24	Run of the Charles Canoe and Kayak Race	rotc@charlesriver.org	flatwater	http://www.crwa.org/
Sun Apr 24	New Haven River	Jamie Dolan	int WW	This is NOT the ledges
Wed Apr 27	Lower Lamoille	Richard Larsen	nov-int WW	After work - 5PM meeting time
Sat Apr 30	West Branch Little	Eric Bishop	nov WW
Sun May 1	Ammonusuc	Richard Larsen	int-adv WW
Sun May 1	Leaders Choice	Eric Rossier	nov-int WW
Wed May 4	Lower Lamoille	Julie Prior/Maura Crandall	nov-int WW
Sat May 7	Hudson Gorge	Rod Wentworth	int-adv WW
Sat May 7	Fiddlehead Practice Sign Up day	Ray Ingram	nov-int WW
Sun May 8	Fiddlehead Slalom Race Day	Ray Ingram	nov-int WW
Sun May 8	Wild Branch Lamoille	Eric Bishop	nov WW
Sat May 14	Otter Creek	Dan Beideck	nov-int WW
Sun May 15	Hudson Gorge	Ray Ingram	int-adv WW
Wed May 18	Lower Lamille	Ray Ingram	nov WW	After work, 5 PM meeting time
Sun May 22	Lower Hudson / Schroon	Richard Larsen	int WW
Wed May 25	Lower Lamoille	Ray Ingram	nov WW	After work, 5 PM meeting time
Sat Jun 18	Androscoggin River (Pontook)	Richard Larsen	nov-int WW	Dam release