Have been reading the posts on tethers and tandem boats with some interest so took a few posts down to the random meeting of the Burk's Falls Sculling and Punting Club for discussion and beer. Dr. Inverbon (never shy) spoke right up saying he had been paddling canoes for over forty years and never used a tether. It was his hypothesis that sea kayakers might suffer from a return-to-the-womb syndrome (possibly explaining the need to crawl into a boat instead of kneeling as any self respecting Catholic and paddler would do). That the tether is attached to the boat rather than the paddler might suggest a deep seated insecurity about the mother's love or perhaps a rejection of a mother that did not allow staying up late to watch Letterman. I myself have seen paddlers caught in rough waves and high winds curl into the fetal position and whimper quietly so perhaps there is some support for Dr. Inverbon's theory. Peregrine Klohr, our local mortician, (he doesn't have much to do since people around here live to a ripe old age and young people move away to the big smoke so he has lots of time to paddle) supported Dr. Inverbon saying that he too never used a tether and wondered if kayakers were just manually challenged and unable to hold their paddles. Percy, my next door neighbour and frequent paddling companion, said the thought they (sea kayakers) were gear addicts and that they couldn't resist playing with their GPS's, VHF's etc.. all at the same time and kept dropping things. Lots of laughter at that. To me this was a bit of an insult to my kayaking friends and I explained how complicated a capsize was. First one capsizes and attempts a roll. That fails so you try again. That fails so you bail out holding on to the paddle with one hand and the boat with the other. The GPS you hold in your teeth (the VHF is under the forward deck bungies). You then right the boat and holding on to your paddle with one hand and the boat with the other you reach for your paddle float while you spit the GPS into the cockpit. Realising you can't do this as both hands are already occupied you let go of the boat which begins to be blown away. You grab for the boat and drop the paddle and it starts to get blown away (forgot your tether Eh?). Now you swim to the downwind side so the boat will be blown up against you instead of away. Attach the paddle float while holding on to the boat with your toes (having already removed your Tevas), and begin to crawl back into the boat using your toes and left hand while you use your right hand to free your testicles from the deck bungies. Unfortunately you have tried to enter the boat from the downwind side and the boat recapsizes in the next breaking wave (what are you doing capsizing in non breaking waves?). Now you remember the GPS is no longer in your mouth and holler for help but realise that your friends have also capsized (they were smart and followed the rule that you always paddle with some one more skilled better than their selves but unfortunately you were the one who was more skilled). Now reach for the VHF that has somehow come out from under the deck bungies being careful not to swallow the GPS or let go of the boat with your right hand, the paddle float with your left, pull up your spray skirt that is slipping down around your knees with your right or left or any appendage not being used. Things are deteriorating so you inflate your inflatable PFD with your right hand, hold on to the boat with your left, push the paddle and paddle float back into the bungies with your left foot, and fish the EPIRB out of the cockpit bag with your right foot. Now the PFD makes it impossible to get in over the paddle float because it is so bulky and snags on the deck bungies, your foul weather gear, the hatches, and the steering cables for the rudder. You remove your knife with your left hand, hold on to the boat with your right and cut away the deck bungies and steering cables thus releasing the foul weather gear and your testicles. Unfortunately the paddle float will no longer work. Holding on to the boat with your right hand you deploy your empty bottles of Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc but can't attach them with only one hand so you let go of the boat and it starts to drift away. Grabbing a loose bungie with your left hand you tie it around your neck and then attach the bottles. Unfortunately you tied the bungie too tight and the boat keeps jerking at your neck and you begin to lose consciousness. Removing the bungie with your right hand while treading water with both feet and holding on to the boat with your you right (or left hand) you manage to re- board the boat. Using your left hand to pump out the water you use your right hand to put the knife back in its sheath so it won't cut off your other testicle (your knife is on tether, right?) . Now reinstall the spray skirt with both hands (I know you have one of these tight fitting skirts that won't pop off at the slightest whim) while you paddle floats away while accidentally turning on the EPIRB with your left large toe that you thought you were putting back into your Tevas. Once bailed you throw away the pump (remember you cut off the bungies) and reattach your spray skirt now you reach for your paddle. OOPS, that was your paddle you saw floating away. Lucky you. A passing capsized kayak belonging to a friend no longer attached to his boat and not hollering for help loud enough to obligate you to go to his aid has a spare paddle. Too bad you can't see your friend or you would surely go to his aid but, since you can't, you paddle to the shoreline with a clear conscience where you meet with some kayakers who comment on your ordeal. When asked how they managed in the storm they reply that they noticed the barometer was falling rapidly, the air was getting colder, the dark bank of clouds to the west and felt it might be too dangerous in deteriorating weather to paddle around the exposed point. Bunch of wimps. You then relaunch thinking you might still make it home in time for the hockey game and feeling sorry for those wimps who would rather sit out a storm than go paddling. Being a caring paddler you look around for any of your friends but assume that, because you can't see them, they have gone on ahead and you will meet them at the take out. When I explained this to my fellow club members they apologised for being so hasty in their judgement. Dr. Inverbon, however, is a hard case and suggested that maybe, just maybe, less gear and more smarts were in order. Of course, Dr. Invebon is a radical. Regarding tandem sea kayaks, Here in Ontario where canoeing is more popular that sea kayaking we do a lot of paddling in tandem boats. The typical tripping canoe is only 16' long and, remarkably enough, we manage to carry all our gear and even manage to carry on conversations with wives, children, partners, and significant others. We even have to get out occasionally and carry the gear and boat and oddly enough we do that without too much difficulty. Dr. Inverbon suggests that it is the deck that causes so many problems for tandem sea kayakers. Indeed, it may be (he theorises) that sea kayak decks are sound proof and emit white noise between the paddlers making communication impossible between bow and stern paddler. (I see potential here for some inventor to develop a speaking tube between paddling stations) The storage problem can be traced to the size of most kayak builder's shops. There just isn't enough room to build both a deck an a hull in large enough size to hold a GPS, VHF, refrigerator for ice cream, paddle float, Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc, tethers, assorted wet and dry suits, knives, folding chairs, etc.. So, impoverished builders do the best they can and just make the boats smaller. If paddlers were willing to pay more for their boats builders could buy bigger garages and build bigger boats. On the other hand, maybe a bigger boat wouldn't look as nice on the BMW. Cheers, John Winters Redwing Designs Specialists in Human Powered Watercraft http://home.ican.net/~735769/ *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************
"...Of course, Dr. Inverbon is a radical..." Oh my god - John, you saved my day! Letīs see if Dr. Inverbon is willing to comment further the recent spring fever of kayakers ;-) Lots of equipment talks, necessary of course, but thanks for George and Clyde! Good stories do remind us all what was the original reason for going out... Cheers, Ari Saarto "In the not-so-cold-as-you-might-think Fin-land" Kannaksenkatu 22 / P.O. 92 15141 Lahti - Finland - Europe GSM +358 - 50 - 526 5892 fax. +358 - 3 - 828 2815 e-mail: asaarto_at_lpt.fi *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************
I have a few comments on John's rather humorous rant (particularly as regards his unfavorable comparisons of sea kayakers to canoeists): John Winters wrote: > > ...SNIP... > Dr. Inverbon (never shy) spoke right up saying he had been paddling canoes > for over forty years and never used a tether. It was his hypothesis that > sea kayakers might suffer from a return-to-the-womb syndrome (possibly > explaining the need to crawl into a boat instead of kneeling as any self > respecting Catholic and paddler would do). ... Hmmm. Perhaps the good Doctor has never used a tether while canoeing, but all of the folks that I accompany on canoe trips to northern rivers tether themselves to their boats through the use of thigh straps. Maybe I just happen to hang out with an inferior breed of canoeist. Maybe not. (More on this later.) > Percy, my next door neighbour and frequent paddling companion, said he > thought they (sea kayakers) were gear addicts and that they couldn't resist > playing with their GPS's, VHF's etc.. all at the same time and kept > dropping things. Lots of laughter at that. Again, I must be hanging out with the wrong canoeing crowd. The canoeists that I know are also gadget-crazy. Of course, marine-band VHF is not a popular item among canoeists who paddle on remote inland rivers, but one of my paddling buddies (with whom I have done a number of long trips up north) has his eye on one of those slick new handheld satellite communicators that will allow one to send and receive e-mail from any point on the planet. (It's a low-bandwidth connection using the new Orbcomm satellites--way cool!) I have also known folks to haul HF radios--big mammas with exeptional range. Some even carry handheld avionic transceivers for emergency communication with aircraft. EPIRBs are of no use in the northern interior, but in Canada one can use personal locator beacons that are very similar to EPIRBs. In short, there are tons of slick high-tech gadgets that canoeists can (and do) use. The canoeists that I know are certainly not Luddites. Is any of this stuff really necessary? Of course not!! Does it serve a purpose? You bet!! Once you pile up all of this gear, it becomes immediately apparent that it makes great ballast! Our solo wilderness tripping canoes (complete with full float bags) are essentially self-righting. We have NEVER had a wet exit. No need for lead ballast tubes or Canadian Ballast Rocks(TM). We can stand up, lay on top of our bags and take a nap, or lean the boat way over on it's side to cool off--we just pop right back up! Try that with John's minimalist aproach. Of course you can always use John's rocks for ballast instead of high-tech gear, but just try to use those rocks to radio for help. To be fair, if they are painted white you can use them to spell out "HELP!" in big letters, but where's the fun in that? Oh, and one more point regarding John's comments: "Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc"??!!!??? Apparently my canoeing friends not only have better taste in ballast devices, but better taste in wine as well. In short, the canoeists that I now are no less gadget-oriented than sea kayakers, with one BIG exception. Nearly all canoeists that I know have learned a wide variety of strokes, boat leans, and edging techniques that they use to control their craft, whereas only a relatively small number of sea kayakers learn these skills. Many sea kayakers prefer to rely on supplementary devices (such as rudders). One would think that with two blades per paddle, sea kayakers would be LESS inclined to rely on rudders, but this apparently is not the case (with some exceptions). It seems like it's time again for the rudder/skeg discussion. (Don't blame me--John brought it up! He's just more subtle about it!) Dan Hagen Bellingham, Washington *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************
NOW, here it is: the spring fever of kayakers and all canoeists is coming back - like cats on a hot roof ;-) [Dan wrote: > In short, the canoeists that I now are no less gadget-oriented than sea > kayakers, with one BIG exception. Nearly all canoeists that I know have > learned a wide variety of strokes, boat leans, and edging techniques > that they use to control their craft, whereas only a relatively small > number of sea kayakers learn these skills. Many sea kayakers prefer to > rely on supplementary devices (such as rudders). One would think that > with two blades per paddle, sea kayakers would be LESS inclined to rely > on rudders, but this apparently is not the case (with some exceptions). > It seems like it's time again for the rudder/skeg discussion. (Don't > blame me--John brought it up! He's just more subtle about it!) ] Cheers, Ari Saarto "Beyond the horizon" Finland - Europe GSM +358 - 50 - 526 5892 fax. +358 - 3 - 828 2815 e-mail: asaarto_at_lpt.fi *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************
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