> No offense to the good reverend, but as a former ocean lifeguard, I > would not advise a person to kayak two miles offshore alone. > > I love kayaking in the ocean, and of course I have alot of experience > swimming out there as well. It is real easy to be blown further out in > the ocean in windy conditions - or if a stiff current kicks up. I agree > with another poster who said "you don't paddle farther than you are > prepared to swim." I don't think the question is "how far"; it feels to me more like there are zones of comfort to work with in a kayak. You've got bays/lakes, completely protected; you've got near shore within a mile or two with surf and land to look at. And you have offshore. Offshore is a relatively benign environment for a kayak, *IF* you are mentally and equipment wise prepared to spend more than a night or two on the water if something wierd happens. If you are about to launch, and you're going beyond the surf zone, HOW HARD IS IT to put 3-5 gallons of fresh water in the boat with you? Next, MISSING WORK is not a life threatening situation deserving of coast guard rescue. If a current up and snags you, and drags you twenty miles out or even just in the wrong direction up the coast, BIG WUP. Use your radio or cell phone to call in the change of plans to who ever has your float plan and just deal with it. > I wish I had a dollar for every clueless tourist I had to wake up out in > the ocean. These clowns would fall asleep on a raft in the ocean like > they were in a pool! I always wonder what their expression would be like > if I actually let them wake up five miles out at sea! There's a lot of difference between a drunk tourist asleep on a float tube and a kayaker going offshore alone properly equiped. As a comment from the western gulf coast, you have to realize that blue water is almost always at least 10 miles out.... [we also don't have boomers, and the currents are fightable.] Richard Walker Houston, TX http://www.neosoft.com/~rww/kayak_log.html *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List Submissions: paddlewise_at_lists.intelenet.net Subscriptions: paddlewise-request_at_lists.intelenet.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************Received on Sun Jun 27 1999 - 11:02:43 PDT
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