[Paddlewise] VHF Radio Use

In a message dated 6/7/00 11:07:34 AM Central Daylight Time, 
dkruger_at_pacifier.com writes:

<< This is the eternal question:  What rescue mechanism, exactly, does the VHF
 enable?  This is worth giving some thought to.  Its range, if you are
 *swimming* is probably not much over 3 miles to another boat;  maybe 10 miles
 max to a Coast Guard repeater on a nearby hilltop.
 
 Where will you use it?  Who will hear you if you send out a Mayday? >>

Dave,

I was thinking of the VHF primarily as providing access to a way home when 
unable to paddle.  I tend to be a shoreline paddler so I think in most 
situations I could get myself and hopefully my kayak to shore.  But once I 
get there I would really like to have an alternative to paddling back out 
into the stuff that dumped me, especially if I am injured or hypothermic.  
Also I envsion the radio as one way of minimizing the "get home at all costs" 
syndrome  If I have a way to talk with someone I am more likely to wait out 
bad weather or call for assistance rather than try to paddle back through 
conditions that are over my head.  In some ways it takes the place of a float 
plan when I am away from home and am not able to leave a plan with a reliabe 
contact.

Your wrote:
<< You can't drown on the beach>>

You can die of exposure on the beach.

I am still planning to dress appropriate for water temps, to check weather 
forecasts, and to avoid areas that have a reputation for dangerous 
situations. (ie, do all the things I would do if I did not have the radio),  
But sometimes the unexpected does happen despite all your planning and I 
thought the VHF radio was a good tool to have in my safety toolbox.
  
Am I seriously overestimating the value of the VHF radio?

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