Lots of good gouge being passed on this issue. Don't want to repeat stuff, but I'm definitely in the camp of folks who don't want to be personally tethered to <anything>! Paddle-to-boat is good, but having a boat with no paddle --- or spare --- is not good. Better than nothing, but not what you want. Couple of new thoughts. Many of us who paddle with Inuit ("Greenland") paddles also use the short version of that paddle called a "storm paddle" as a spare. It's ideal for a situation in which the Inuit paddle (1) fails, (2) is lost in extraordinary weather, or (3) is too much paddle for a run into very high headwinds. And it fits on the foredeck of most kayaks, making it a lot easier and safer to get to. But it takes practice. Especially in big weather. But that's exactly why the Inuits --- the ones who <made> the "Darwin cut" --- carved them and used them in nasty weather. Dive shops can be good sources of widgets for kayakers. My only leash --- which I rarely use --- is a coiled "telephone cord" cable in a plastic housing with a couple of solid fittings on the ends. I fasten the end with a very solid Velcro strap around the paddle (and, yes, it's strong --- I can hang on it!) and clip the other end into a solid, quick release deck fitting in front of me. But, to add to the other notes --- these things can be really dangerous. Practice everything you'd ever do in a worst case situation with the leash attached --- rolls, braces, re-entries --- and make sure you're comfortable with it before you take it out for extreme paddling. Maybe even think about seeing what it would be like to go over and get tangled in the thing --- only with a spotter standing next to you, and preferably in a pool --- and try to get it released! And the last note: knives. Several folks have said that they'd rely on a knife as a backup for a quick release of a leash. Yeah, they're good things to have --- and, yeah, they <look cool> in a lash tab on the PFD. And some of them --- like the Gerber Shorty --- have blunt points and one-side serated edges. But consider an alternative. I carry a cutting device called (I think) a "Guide Knife"; it's available from several catalogs (and I can probably dig out where if anyone is interested). It closely approximates what we used to call a "shroud cutter" in flying days, and it's the kindergarten (round point scissors) knife of the aviation community. (Yeah, they made pilots use round point scissors at the nav tables, too --- didn't want us to hurt ourselves, I guess.) The "knife" is a J-shaped hook with either a solid, hook shaped blade or (in more contemporary versions) two stainless steel razor sharp blades fastened in a J-shaped plastic hook. Any line up to about 3/8" pulled into these opposed blades is cut in two in a nanosecond. Netting, the same way. Seat belt webbing, history. They're tough, and it's difficult to hurt yourself with it, no matter what you do. (And pilots <tried>, too --- these things were designed to make quick work of parachute shroud lines, should the pilot get wrapped up in the shrouds during a "silk descent".) Down side, they don't <look> very cool --- mine lives in a nylon sheath which is sewn into the flat are on my PFD at the front zipper --- but the part of the handle is hi-viz yellow, so at least <that> part looks cool. Another nice device --- as a backup --- to the quick release on a paddle leash. "Joq" Martin St. Inigoes, MD *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************Received on Tue Mar 24 1998 - 15:53:37 PST
This archive was generated by hypermail 2.4.0 : Thu Aug 21 2025 - 16:29:54 PDT