Clyde, our official test pilot, wrote: > i keep my head vertical while putting mine on... i am concerned about a >neck injury at a remote location. powder all over my bald head, ears, and >neck help it slip on easier. afterwards, i look like the Pillsbury doughboy. We stretch our neck gaskets (when we remember to do so at all) for a day or two before paddling. I've found that the 1 gallon plastic bottles that antifreeze comes in are the ideal instruments for this. With their tapered tops and handles, it's easy to pull them though the neck gasket and position them so that the wide, cylindrical part of the bottle is inside the gasket. We've also found that the gaskets go on our wrists and heads (two and one each, respectively) much easier after frequent use of 303. Just a very little bit on the gaskets as I get ready to stretch the necks does the trick. As for our legs, well, we got the, er, how shall I say this without overusing the 'b' word?...rubber footcoverings. I don't remember who advised us to get them but thanks for the advice! On a different, but related subject: We were out for a morning paddle on the Hudson, out of Yonkers, two or three weekends ago. We were four paddlers, all mildly north of the average age of the "Who we are" respondents, all in dry suits. As we reached a small beach on the Palisades side of the Hudson, we saw a lone paddler in a small single kayak reach the beach just before us. He turned out to be a very nice young fellow (early to mid 20s, I'd guess), who had been paddling for just one month. Cotton t-shirt, denim shorts, sneakers, no PFD, no spray skirt, water about 50 degrees F., and -- of course -- paddling solo. If you knew me, it'd come as no surprise that I found an opportunity to approach him in a modestly avuncular way, to tell him how dangerously he was living. We talked for awhile about the things he would need and about his need to connect with people who could teach him safety and skills, people he would enjoy. He seemed very receptive, even grateful. Probably humoring me. I found out later that at least two of my three companions had done something of the same. He'd been looking for some peace and quiet on the other side of the river, poor guy. Hope he listened. Guess he made it back that day (we haven't read about him). bye Bob Volin bobvolin_at_bestweb.net ;-> There cannot be a crisis this week; my schedule is already full. *************************************************************************** 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 05 1999 - 20:32:47 PDT
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