Re: [Paddlewise] My first trip in the Harbor

Maybe you should try a nylon spray skirt for the time being.  They're a
lot easier to get on and off.  And "bonk" or no "bonk," you should be
carrying a pump.  If you're really planning on going out alone (I don't
recommend it, but I understand that, even if there's no one else to go
with, you have to go), you should be practicing self-rescues in some
safe, relatively shallow spot.  Do you have a paddlefloat?  And you might
consider carrying a sling or rope ladder to help you gain a foothold when
re-entering the kayak, especially since you seem to still have some
coordination problems.

Be careful - and have a good time.  They're not mutually exclusive.  And
keep at it - we're all rooting for you!

Joan

On Wed, 01 Dec 1999 13:30:38 -0800 "Tom W..." <gadfly_at_tscnet.com> writes:
> 	Sunday I put my stuff in the truck and took off for the 
> Harbor.  5 minutes 
> into the trip-I remembered that I had forgotten my paddle [I keep 
> the 
> graphite one in my bathroom<g>]  So I turned around and picked it up 
> <g>
> 
> 	It took me a little over 30 minutes to get my stuff 
> together, to get 
> dressed in my drysuit, put my skirt on, etc...
> 
> 	I put out for a trip around Gig Harbor.  Thanks to this 
> list, I did 
> remember to put my watch on the OUTSIDE of my drysuit, and that 
> helped... 
> it also "humbled me" a bit.  About 30 minutes of paddling was about 
> all I 
> could manage.
> 
> 	A positive was that I seemed to be able to paddle in a more 
> straight line 
> however!<G>
> 
> 	After I came back, I thought it a good idea to go wading a 
> little, to see 
> if I really did dress appropriately.  3mm neoprene boots?  Wish I 
> had 
> 7mm's...  I will be more careful to ensure my poly underwear more 
> completely covers ALL of my body, and gloves?  Yea, better get some 
> thicker 
> ones...   My neoprene divers hood-better wear that next time also.
> 
> 	The trip around the Harbor was really, quite a joy...  all 
> the pretty 
> boats moored there...  birds flying about, it was a sunny day, about 
> 50 deg 
> F.  Though I dared not lean the boat too far [because I did not get 
> my 
> skirt on properly] I did manage to lean a little, and that helped my 
> 
> turning somewhat.
> 
> 	There was a lot of "cognition" required on that little 
> trip-boat traffic, 
> balancing, paddling even strokes both sides, lifting my leg while 
> turning...  Guess "cognition" took a hit when I "bonked" 
> ...<g><shrug>  and 
> some of my ability to sense temperature is coming back.
> 
> 	My neck gasket did NOT however, feel very uncomfortable 
> fortunately<g>  I 
> managed to get my boat on and off my truck relatively easily 
> also.  Seakayaks are to me, inherently beautiful, and mine must stay 
> on top 
> of my truck [no room for storage where I live] and it is a constant 
> reminder.
> 
> 	That trip was a challenge, and for a while on the trip home, 
> and on the 
> days since then, I have thought, "this is too much for me now..."  I 
> know 
> that in the pre-bonk days, it was nothing to do it however, and so I 
> have 
> been going over alternatives to "ramp me up..."
> 
> 	There is a lake near by, I am told.  Perhaps I should go 
> there.  I will 
> also start to work with a dumbell.  The skirt issue is one that 
> gives me a 
> real problem, and hopefully I will come up with a way around it.  
> Then 
> there is "doing self-rescues."  I just saw at one of the boating 
> shops a 
> small and inexpensive bilge pump-can't remember the brand or 
> model-but I 
> suspect that even more than before my bonk, that is something I must 
> come 
> up with...
> 
> 	I guess I ramble, but thanks for reading!
> 	
> 		TomW...
> 
> 	
> 
> 	
> <gadfly_at_tscnet.com>
> 
> homepage:
> http://www2.tscnet.com/~gadfly/
>
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