John Winters wrote: > MAJOR SNIP< > Far more dangerous than the lightning is the wind and wind shift that > precedes a storm. > I'll have to agree! This past thursday I was paddling on a New Mexico lake called Santa Rosa. I was on a three day trip up the Pecos river via this lake. Mid afternoon found me just outside the mouth of the river, paddling close along the lea side of a long narrow island. The temperture was in the low 80s and a few clouds were forming. None looked too threating, but there was some verga sp?(rain falling but not reaching the ground). Wind had been light and out of the SSW. Nothing unusual here. I was in an "aleut" folbot. Spray cover under bungee on bow deck. All at once it hit me, a blast of air from the NW! It was VERY strong and sudden. I was within 10 feet of the rocky cliffs of the island and being blown right at them. I turned into the wind and growing waves, knowing I had to put enough distance from the cliffs before the waves got too high, so I could put my spray cover on.(it's a snap on affair and takes a moment or two) The waves were capping and lots of spray coming off them. I had to pace my speed to the waves to keep from taking on water and all the while watching over my shoulder to make sure I wasn't getting blown back into the rocks. About the time I had managed to gain maybe 100' from the rocks(still not far enough to put the skirt on), the wind quit. Five mins. later there wasn't a hint of what had just happened. That was the worse case of wind shear I have ever been caught in on the water. A new found respect was born for me that day! James PS: there had been no sign of wind coming, from where I was, and there had been no thunder heard. Infact, the clouds didn't look bad to me at all. *************************************************************************** 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 Wed May 06 1998 - 10:56:26 PDT
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