[Paddlewise] ice

On January 2 Vince Dalrymple wrote:

"Spent last Saturday knuckling my way across a couple hundred yards of sea
>ice
>against 25~30 mph. (locally higher??) head winds.
>Ice of every variety:
>slick "floes" (on which the Anas would spin like a weather vane as it would
>be
>slid backwards by the winds - only purchase to be had being the ice ridges
>between the "floes"),
>slick to crusty textured ice (still ~ 4" thick and impossible to break
>through
>with my "basher" spare paddle),
>softening crusty ice on which the Anas would slowly sink into place if
>stopped
>for a break (had to mix knuckling with separate paddle halves as makeshift
>ice
>axes to achieve forward progress),
>and rind ice (?) where the wave action could be clearly seen throughout 
>(fun
>stuff - always felt safe and stable, even rotated backwards trying to put
>the
>spare halves away or moving through to achieve the open water beyond).
>As working my way out to open water cost me about an hour to hour and a
>half,
>considerable skin off my knuckles under a new pair of NRS Reactor Gloves
>(worked
>flawlessly - no connection to the co., yada, yada), and about 50 % of my
>strength reserves, my much anticipated lee shore paddling in the short,
>fast,
>piled up 3' chop was cut very short, about 20~30 minutes and another 10 % 
>or
>so
>of my strength.  Slid back across the ice to the put in in another 20~30
>minutes
>with 40 % of my strength still intact.  Oh, and none of my regular end of
>paddle
>rolling this trip - being solo, I didn't want my ear sticking to the ice
>with
>nobody around to ask if I was "listening for fish".
>Still though, it was a strangely satisfying "paddle" - or should I call it
>alternative exercise?"

Vince, If I had any regrets about not joining you on Saturday, they vanished 
when I read your story. And I was deterred merely by the weather forecast 
(temperature around the freezing mark, wind 25-35 knots), without 
considering possible ice conditions!

Launching in those conditions strikes me as taking a life-threatening risk, 
especially going out solo. It's a whole lot easier to seal launch off ice 
into open water than to do the reverse. How did you climb back from the 
water onto the ice in your kayak(even if it is an Anas)? Do you think you 
could do it again reliably, say ten times out of ten? Even in a short, 
whitewater boat, with room on the water to build up full speed, I have only 
been able to bring off the move occasionally, when the ice is just so.

In the conditions which you describe, it's easy to find oneself afloat, 
completely surrounded by ice and unable to paddle. I have never been able to 
generate significant thrust with hands and or paddle on the top surface of 
the ice, and if I'm "lucky" enough to find a gap in the ice to start a 
paddle stroke, withdrawing the blade can cause me to pry on the underside of 
the ice, destabilizing the boat. The last resort, I guess, is to wait until 
shifting currents or a change in wind direction breaks up the ice. But 
that's not what I call recreation.

My rule for kayaking in the vicinity of ice is to give it a wide berth if at 
all possible. Ice is way too dangerous a playground for me in a kayak.

I'm glad you made it back with no more damage than scraped knuckles. For 
Pete's sake, stay safe. I can't afford any inventory shrinkage in the 
paddling partner department.

Mike Vandamm




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