I did a PowerPoint presentation for the local club, North Sound Sea Kayakers Association, and uploaded it to YouTube. It’s 35 minutes long. No music but narration.
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Outstanding trip.
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Thanks for watching it.
Great TR by the “King of the Ocean.”
Thanks.
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Very nice presentation.
I’m curious though. To what do you attribute all the electronic failures?
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Re: electronic failures…I don’t really know.
I’ve had my Spot device for 10 or 12 years and it has never NOT been a touch inconsistent. Now it seems to be going through lithium batteries more quickly than ever. Not sure why.
I’m using a Garmin 78sc that has never pleased me. I’ve learned that using the map screen is more battery draining than simply using the tracking, speed, course-made-good functions so I seldom use it. I do like to use it to check position now and then but that screen will freeze when batteries are low while the other functions still provide info. I do so much paddling in fog that being able to find out where I am when I think I really need to know is important. Ticks me off when it doesn’t work so I try really hard not to depend on it. It lives on the deck in one of those “waterproof” clear bags. I also have a Garmin 76CSx that I like much more but it spent to many trips unprotected on the deck so it has lost some function.
The cameras were just weird. My Go-Pro has always been an undependable POS so I wasn’t surprised when it checked out. To hell with it anyway. My land camera is a decent Canon that is kept dry and has never been anything but great. Dave’s camera is in a waterproof case and takes great images. Never been a bit of trouble. My waterproof (PFD) camera is a Pentax Optio W60. Had it a long time. It has been reasonably dependable and takes OK images.
Each and every battery was tested prior to the trip and confirmed good. I put a sticker on the bottom of each battery and when it is placed in a unit the sticker goes on the side of the battery so that I can tell good from bad. When I got home I tested all of the “dead” batteries and they indicated the they were low on charge so the units were draining them.
I hadn’t been on a long trip since 2019 and Dave had been longer than that . I suspect that if we had continued to take regular trips the failures would have been stretched over a period of time and not seemed so unusual.
I’ll have to get on a fast connection to view the video, but thanks for posting. Looking forward to seeing it.
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Interesting. I’ve had a love-hate relationship with Garmin for years. The InReach Explorer+ serves its purpose but just barely. Like you, it’s my backup for a compass and chart.
Mostly I use it for tracking but the difference between what the unit says and what the download says is ridiculous. Garmin told me the algorithms are different for the two and to just pick one and stick with that for paddling logs. My first unit failed, I suspect, because the cover for the port isn’t all that water proof and the connection corroded. I no longer take the unit with me if the day involves lots of capsize practice or surfing.
I’m taking off on a 3 month trip around Lake Superior and taking my Canon R6 with me for the first time. The batteries are fussy about charging in-camera; requires a special cord that carries higher levels of juice. Fingers crossed that it doesn’t let me down.
Anyway, thanks for the low-down on your electronics. I guess at the end of the day water sports and electronics will always be a crap shoot.
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Consider using your phone as a backup. I’ve been able to track my trips with an android app just fine, and it recharges from the power bank that I lug with me. https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ilyabogdanovich.geotracker It exports kml, gpx, and kmz.
Couple of tips:
Scroll around in the app and follow your route before you leave so it downloads the maps.
Put your phone in airplane mode in zero bar places or it will burn thru the battery desperately pinging for towers. The GPS itself doesn’t use much power.
@kayakerbee, you should be able to find out if the Canon recharges from a power bank before you leave. Otherwise buy lots of extra batteries. At least your electronics don’t have to deal with salt. Looking forward to your trip report!
Canon tells you to just plug in a usb-c to the battery compartment but neglects to tell you it has to be a usb-c PD cord specifically. Had to read some pro photog sites to find that out. I think they want you to spend $79 each for extra batteries! Love Canon products but they are as bad as BMW for post purchase costs.
You can also run the camera directly from a power bank, useful for astrophotography and maybe also if the camera starts eating batteries as @3meterswell experienced.
I just bought a third party (Neewer brand) battery and usb charger that has been pretty well rated by some photogs who put hard use on their gear. Two batteries plus a charger for $59.
There’s not much there right now but I’ll be publishing updates on the trip at ChickAndAStick.com. Hoping to make a short film about the adventure as well. Perhaps it’s self-indulgent but I think the world needs to see more everyday aging schulbs doing cool things.
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