Re: [Paddlewise] how far offshore?

> Maybe my memory is playing tricks on me again. I thought the original
> question of "how far offshore" one could safely paddle came from a person
> who was relatively new to the concept of  paddling in the ocean, including
> the coastline. Do the answers which are coming in to the group address the
> concerns and limitations of such a person? - Bill Hansen

I don't think so.  I think preperation and training for doing the solo offshore 
thing is paramount.  A beginner at ocean paddling is going to need to 
spend a lot of time learning stuff about their kayak first.  I know I spent a 
whole paddling day just with the concept of surf launches and landings,
even though in Texas there are plenty of places where there simply is no 
surf to speak of.  I've spent several trips out specifically to paddle upstream
against strong current; when I find eddylines worth noticing, I'll stop and
spend a half hour or so, crossing into, turning in the current, paddling 
upstream, crossing out of the current back into the eddy, etc; even though
I'd be amazed if I ever saw a current in our gulf waters strong enough to 
have a noticeable "eddy".  I've also collected the appropriate gear, charts, 
radio, gps, strobes, flares, etc, etc, and practiced their use.  All so that 
sometime, probably some reasonably cool day this fall, I can load up my 
kayak on the beach, punch through the surf, paddle 3-4 hours on a 
compass heading, and see, for the first time in my life really, blue water off 
the Texas coast.   I might just sit and have lunch, I might bring my 10wt
flyrod or my Penn snapper rig, I might bring freediving gear, who knows, but 
I will have accomplished one of my driving goals.   Offshore, blue water, 
solo, on muscle power alone.

I think the point of this is that no, a beginning kayaker probably shouldn't 
mess with offshore solo stuff.    But you also have to train yourself in 
challenging conditions.  Paddling across a flat lake with no traffic on a 
weekday is not useful training for going offshore.   But I tell you one thing, 
every offshore kayak fatality I have heard of in our area could have been 
prevented easily simply by having adequate freshwater, and some sort of
leash to keep paddler and boat together.  Whether a paddleleash on a sit
on top, or a strong, tight spray skirt and paddleleash on a conventional
kayak.   Being seperated from ones boat is how most non-hurricane deaths
seem to occur; and that applies to the 28' sportfisher as well as the 
seakayak.


Richard Walker
Houston, TX
http://www.neosoft.com/~rww/kayak_log.html
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