Hi All! So I got me a new (used) canoe for Xmas. Just had to try it out, so at the first opportunity I haul it to the nearest likelyhood of finding open water, which happens to be a large reservoir 'bout an hours drive south. When I get to my usual put-in, I'm greeted by an impressive view across the wide expanse of ice covering the entire western part of the resv. Now, I can see that the main body of water to the east is open, and I'm just about to bite the bullet and pay the entry fee to the state park / marina when a couple of duck hunters appear. They tell me that the next cove to the east has open water, and ask me to chase a few birds their way. Being reluctant to share the boat ramp with the big boys, (and mostly being cheap), I toss the canoe over a shoulder and march off thru the mud -n- snow. Paddled east into a bit of a headwind for a couple of miles, hugging the shore and staying in the lee as much as possible. Meanwhile, the breeze has freshened into a fairly steady ~20 MPH wind from the east, so naturally I'm thoroughly enjoying the return trip, so much so that I blow (literally) rite past the little inlet with open water from whence I had departed. I set up to crank around into the lee of the last headland before my (usual) put-in, and THE ICE IS THERE!!! I'm already further from shore than is prudent, so I really get serious about making this turn and THE ICE IS THERE TOO!!! I can see the solid/liquid interface by where the waves quit off in the distance, but up close, and in the partial shelter of the headland, and with the afternoon sun in my eyes I'm having a hard . time . distinguishing . just . . where . . . GRUUNK!!! Now at this point I should mention that my new (used) boat is rather rounder in the hull than my usual steed, and this, coupled with the unfortunate fact that I have lost a tequila-drinking contest with The Lady the night before and so am about 1/2 hung over, has already stressed my equilibrium nearly to the breaking point. Luckily, I have already scrubbed most of my forward momentum, and so the impact is more of a slide than a blow. In fact, my port chine actually comes up onto THE ICE nearly spilling me out to starboard. Thru no fault of my own, I slide back into the water with the canoe still under me. Wide-eyed, I thrust against THE ICE with my paddle, which of course promptly slips and very nearly precipitates me into the water to port. I sit very still while the adrenaline surge subsides and my pulse rate drops back to something less than 200. Once I can see clearly again, I take stock of my predicament. I have inadvertently followed a V shaped lead for about 50ft before running aground (a-ice?), and now find myself surrounded on three sides by THE ICE, with the wind striving to push me back up onto it. Carefully probing with my paddle I find that I am floating in very shallow water with ice directly below me as well as on both sides; perhaps I have flexed the ice sheet coming aground, as it appears to be quite thin, perhaps 1/2 inch. My spare paddle is one of those aluminum shafted things and I have frequently cursed (but never repaired) it's loose grip, and I soon hold it reversed, sans grip, and use the open end to pole myself backward with my port chine bumping and grinding queasily along THE ICE. With a final shove I push away from THE ICE, reverse the paddle (grip? we don' need no stinkin' grip!), and spin that sucker around like a top. Belive me, a brisk headwind with 1 1/2ft waves never felt so good. In no time at all I find myself sitting in the local McD's wolfing a McGrease burger and contemplating mortality. Suppose I'd have gone swimming? The water wasn't particularly warm or anything. I was wearing my PFD, but was dressed for the 50F air temperature (jeans, sweatshirt, gortex shell jacket) with all of my warmer stuff (and two-way radio) in my dry-bag tied in the canoe. Where I grounded was only about 200ft from dirt, but that was 200ft of ice. Nearest approach to shore via water more like 1000ft. Crawl across 200ft of 1/2 inch thick ice, even if I could manage to drag my fat butt up onto it? Not likely! Swim 1000ft in ~40F water? Attempt to empty and re-board an unfamiliar boat already noted to be somewhat tippy? Hmmmm! Best I can figure,someone watches out for the fools in this world! The other thing I decided is that the reason I experienced difficulty determining where liquid met solid was (I think) because the wind was pushing waves up over the ice. Scary! Be careful out there folks! ByeBye! Steve J. *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************
Steve wrote ... > In no time at all I find myself sitting in the local McD's wolfing a > McGrease burger and contemplating mortality. Suppose I'd have gone > swimming? The water wasn't particularly warm or anything. I was wearing my > PFD, but was dressed for the 50F air temperature (jeans, sweatshirt, gortex > shell jacket) with all of my warmer stuff (and two-way radio) in my dry-bag > tied in the canoe. Where I grounded was only about 200ft from dirt, but > that was 200ft of ice. Nearest approach to shore via water more like > 1000ft. Crawl across 200ft of 1/2 inch thick ice, even if I could manage to > drag my fat butt up onto it? Not likely! Swim 1000ft in ~40F water? Attempt > to empty and re-board an unfamiliar boat already noted to be somewhat > tippy? Hmmmm! Best I can figure,someone watches out for the fools in this I don't have superior skill, or a lot of experience. I don't trust my ability to avoid trouble. I don't even trust my luck (what little I might have). So whenever I go out on the water on anything other than boats big enough to have their own life-rafts, I always make sure I am prepared to take a swim, whether I am planning on swimming or not. I guess what I trust is taking reasonable precautions against what might be a worst-case scenario. So, how do you avoid having to use superior skill? Use good judgement. How do you get good judgement? Learn from experience. How do you get experience? >From having poor judgement! I'll beat myself up for making mistakes, but as long as I never make the SAME mistake TWICE, I figure I have still managed to learn something. neal_at_bellhow.com *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************
At 07:41 PM 1/7/99 -0500, Neil Somos wrote: >Steve wrote ... >> Best I can figure,someone watches out for the fools in this world >So, how do you avoid having to use superior skill? >Use good judgement. How do you get good judgement? >Learn from experience. How do you get experience? >From having poor judgement! > >I'll beat myself up for making mistakes, but as long >as I never make the SAME mistake TWICE, I figure I have >still managed to learn something. > Aye, "that which does not kill us makes us stronger" (Conan T. Barbarian{?}), but what a way to learn %^) Steve J *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.gasp-seakayak.net/paddlewise/ ***************************************************************************
If I could add a story to the Be Careful Out There group, in about 1972,3,4, while I was living in Mt. Pleasant, Mich., there was a canoeist named John Oakley who put in on the Chippewa river (100 ft. wide, 10 ft. deep most of the way) one day in January. He rounded a bend and came to a wider spot where the surface had frozen. While running his canoe up the ice and breaking through, the boat flipped and he was thrown into the water out in the middle of the wide space. He was not wearing a PFD or much in the way of protective clothing. Someone happened to discover him in the water and called the rescue folks and his wife. She put her own canoe into the river and got to him in time to hold him up until the rescue team could get to them with a boat large enough to pull him in and get him back to shore. He survived. So, what's so remarkable about this? Oakley is a champion marathon long distance canoe paddler. In 1972 he won at least one leg of the three-part international canoe championship that takes place in NY, Michigan and Quebec. He owned a canoe livery on the river and was familiar with every inch of the water in the area. His skills far exceeded those necessary to safely paddle this river. He survived because his wife was also a champion canoeist and given her level of ability was able to get to him in time and because he was in such terrific physical condition. And because he was lucky. And because he was lucky. And because he was lucky. He made some bad decisions and it almost cost him everything. If this might happen to someone at his level, every one of us is equally if not more susceptible to proving Darwin was right. So do be careful out there. Larry Mills Warm & dry. Purchase, NY *************************************************************************** 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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