To the little list of sure things in life add this: Vacations are always too short.

I defied death by driving through Rhode Island during my vacation and mailed in my tax returns in Massachusetts on the 18th while visiting my folks near Boston.

Then toward the end of Easter week, my wife and I headed to Woods Hole, Mass., and Martha’s Vineyard for a couple of vacation days.

It was time to defy death again, return to Rhode Island and help move our daughter into another apartment (this involved hanging from a second story ledge at one point to get a double-bed mattress in through a window – don’t ask).

Before I got into the swing of time away from work, I was headed north on I-95 bound for Bangor and a new workweek.

To be fair, we had a great two nights at Woods Hole and a great day trip to Martha’s Vineyard via the ferry. That Thursday was sunny, bright, and breezy. We opted for the public bus thinking we’d see most of the island for a bargain. Oak Bluff and Edgartown (the Chappaquiddick Ferry) were quaint and primping for the summer season. Our plan to see the other end of the island, Gay Head, was thwarted by an uncooperative bus schedule. Next time I think we’ll rent a car on the island and not be tied to the bus.

My one concession (actually it was my wife’s concession) to my kayak habit was a side trip to Wickford, R.I., to stop by The Kayak Centre. The store’s parent company, Great Rivers Outfitters, has been the exclusive importer of Valley Canoe Products (Valley kayaks) from England (hence the odd spelling for Center) since 1990. For several years, I had my eye on Valley and early last year I purchased one through a private sale. Now you know why I took my detour through Rhode Island.

From the Great River Outfitters Web site comes this little bit of history. GRO was founded by Stan and Ema Chladek in 1972 as a sea kayak company and retailer in the Detroit area. Their lifelong interest in kayaking began more than 40 years ago when they were gold medalists in C2 mixed team paddling at the 1965 ICK Whitewater World Championships in Austria. Stan and Ema are also the original organizers of what has become an annual event, the Great Lakes Sea Kayak Symposium.

Stan Chladek and Frank Goodman, the founder of Valley Sea Kayaks, have been friends and paddling companions for many years and have paddled together on several worldwide expeditions. Goodman is one of the world’s best-known kayak designers and originally began his kayak design career in order to create a sea kayak, fully outfitted for his expeditions.

Stan and Ema retired from Great River Outfitters in 2004 and GRO was sold and relocated to Rhode Island. The GRO retail division is now operated by The Kayak Centre of Rhode Island.

For a few years now I’ve wanted stop by and talk shop. That’s because my colleague Tom Weber’s daughter was a student at the University of Rhode Island (just down the road) and my daughter has been a student at Johnson and Wales University in Providence, just up the road (everything in Rhode Island is a hop, skip, and a jump away).

After an hour or so of talking shop, I sensed that my wife was ready to see more of the state (maybe it was the tugging on my belt loop). We plunked down some cash for a few must-have accessories and headed east toward the Cape.

Next time I think I’ll allot more time for boat trials (make that a day at least) and I’ll take advantage of the shop’s waterfront location to do some product testing. The Valley Q boat has me intrigued (I’d like to see how it stacks up against my Boreal Designs Ellesmere, and then there’s the venerable Nordcapp. You never know, maybe I’ll develop a need to swap boats).

Grim reaper

In keeping with the “sureties in life” theme, I touched base with my friend Al Johnson at the First District Coast Guard headquarters in Boston on Tuesday. Johnson, whose handle is safety officer, has been a partner in planning our local Paddle Smart from the Start safety symposiums in Bangor for six years. He’s the man to go to when it comes to gruesome statistics (he keeps records of deaths on the water and their causes).

Always when we are planning for the annual Paddle Smart Safety Symposium, Johnson’s grim numbers are on our minds. Our goal is to see them decline to zero. I asked him how we were doing so far (in the First District that includes New York to Maine waters).

Historically there is some good news – there is a downward trend. In 1998 there were 65 deaths, in ’99 there were 49. In 2000 the number dropped to 42, but jumped to 55 in 2001. In 2003 the number was 53, then 58 in 2003. In 2004 we were down to 41. All deaths were directly related to cold-water immersion.

This year so far, nine people have died in the Northeast. On Jan. 21, a sailboat capsized off Marshall Point, Port Clyde, and a 45-year-old man died (he was wearing a PFD). The same day a 48-year-old kite surfer off Stratford Point, Conn., died (no PFD). On Feb. 15 a 19-year-old canoeist (no PFD) capsized on the Delaware River in Sparrowbush, N.Y. Two days later a 26-year-old male canoeist (no PFD) capsized at Reef Point, Hull, Mass. On March 10 a 26-year-old male canoeist (no PFD) capsized at Populatic Lake, Norfolk, Mass.

Three people who were in a rowboat died in Narragansett Bay, Kingston, R.I., on March 13 after capsizing. A 21-year-old woman and two males, 20 and 19, drowned. None was wearing a PFD. And on April 12, a 53-year-old male kayaker (no PFD) died after capsizing on Fenton River, Mansfield, Conn.

Aside from the sailor who died off Port Clyde, can you see a pattern? (Think PFD and you’ll be in the right boat.) Can you see why we preach PFDs at Paddle Smart symposiums? As of this morning, there are two more people in this area who own new PFDs, door prizes from last night’s Paddle Smart event. Let’s hope they remember to wear them while on the water.

Seeing clearly

Recently, I received a couple of pairs of sunglasses from Oakley, the company that makes some pretty cool-looking eyewear. The company wanted to let me know about their High Definition Optics, particularly helpful for athletes who need all the edge they can get.

I told the representative that I’d be happy to check them out, but I wouldn’t be the best subject since I wear corrective lenses. They included a pair of goggles, the Shaun White Signature Series in white with persimmon lens.

White’s an accomplished competitive snowboard rider who has earned six X Games gold medals in slopestyle and halfpipe events, and his name is in the books as the youngest to win the U.S. Open Slopestyle Championship.

Since I’ve not had a chance to get on the slopes, I’ve not had that much opportunity to wear them. I’m a little too vain to walk around the neighborhood with these beauties on in broad daylight. But I have stepped out on the back deck and marveled at the world through them – Wow! Sharp, well defined, glare-free!

I have worn the sunglasses (without corrective lenses) and I can report that my eyes, normally sensitive to bright sun, have never been so comfortable. Of course, since I need corrective lenses, the sunglasses don’t help me see any better, but I’ve considered getting contact lenses!

According to Oakley, their patented XYZ Optics(r) maintains visual clarity at all angles of view, even at the edge of raked-back lens contours that maximize peripheral vision and protection. Conventional eyewear bends light rays and distorts vision at the lens periphery, but XYZ Optics(r) maps the full lens contour to the human eye, ensuring razor-sharp vision at all angles.

You need not take their word for the protection and quality. Private Pilot magazine in September 2003 published scores of tests they did on 65 pairs of sunglasses. Their rating scores were based on independent, accredited measurements as conducted by ICS Laboratories Inc., Brunswick, Ohio, to test refractive and prismatic properties of various sunglasses models purchased at retail.

There, the samples were tested on the proper head form for the following ANSI Z87.1 tests: prismatic power, refractive power, prismatic imbalance, astigmatism, and definition. Oakley came out on top.

Not only do their sunglasses protect you from the harmful rays of the sun, you’ve got impact resistance that is great – both lens and frame will withstand high velocity impacts, thus protecting your eyes.

If you’re in the market for sunglasses (they also make regular eyeglass frames), check out www.oakley.com on the Web and see for yourself what’s available. Then find a dealer and try them out. It’s worth a look.

And lest you think a pair of sunglasses is a pair of sunglasses, this is what the Private Pilot article said about whether optics make a difference, “For the average person, they certainly do; for pilots, they’re an imperative. Anyone who drives a car or flies a plane should be aware of how ordinary sunglasses can corrupt their view of the world. What you see isn’t necessarily what you get, and at 200 knots, that’s not a good thing.”

Jeff Strout’scolumn on outdoor recreation is published each Saturday. He can be reached at 990-8202 or by e-mail at jstrout@bangordailynews.net.