RE: [Paddlewise] Advice needed - dress sense, wellington boots an d small cockpits

> From: Peter Osman [mailto:rebyl_kayak_at_hotmail.com]
> Sent: Tuesday, May 02, 2000 2:18 AM
> 
> November will see me paddling near (but not too near) a bunch 
> of glaciers 
> and icebergs in Tierra del Fuego, 
snip
> Although I've no intention of accidentally tipping into such 
> waters, advice 
> on appropriate clothing in case this should happen would be 
> appreciated, as 
> well as advice on coping with wellington boots when getting 
> in and out of 
> small cockpit kayaks.

  Similar boots are quite popular among kayakers here in SE Alaska.
Popularity does not always mean that they're the best solution though - they
make swimming much more difficult.  The major thing that they have going in
their favor is that they make it easier to keep your feet dry and warm while
entering and exiting the kayak - and the heavy sale makes walking on rocks,
mussels, etc much comfortable.  I tried following local tradition for a
while, but have returned to my tried-and-true wetshoe booties.  I feel that
the trade-off (cold toes vs. possible drowning) is worth while and even
32-33F (0-1C) water warms up quickly enough in my booties.

>Can anyone tell me if 
>wet clothing in cold waters can be adequate when worn with wind protection?

>Or is it necessary to always ensure that clothes are dry by wearing a wet 
>suit or dry suit?
  
  If the waters around Tierra del Fuego are in the 32-50F (0-10C) range I'd
seriously suggest that you might want to consider purchasing a drysuit.
Wind protection over wet Polartec gives you protection from evaporative
cooling action, but the fact remains that the water soaking your clothes
will be COLD - and the primary thing that will warm it up will be your body
heat - meaning your body will have that much less....  I'm not certain of
the daytime temps around Tierra del Fuego in the summer, but air temps in
the 50-60F (10-15C) range combined with seriously cold water (the kind that
usually is around glaciers) call for some serious cold water protection.  A
wetsuit will work, but I find that I can more easily regulate the underlying
insulation layers under a dry suit to accomodate a wider range of
temperatures and conditions. 
  Sounds like it will be a great trip - look forward to hearing about it!

Dave Seng
Juneau, Alaska 
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