Kevin said (lots of snips): << Hey Doug, Thanks for your Pushing the Envelope trip report. It was quite a fun read. I'm glad somebody got to paddle in that blow. >> It was a rushed report, not even given a spelling check - done literally seconds before my ISP shut down. ... << That is quite a story about the first encounter with the reef. I think I can imagine how it went, and I am impressed that you survived without a scratch. Pure dumb luck sure is helpful sometimes, isn't it? :) >> Hull did suffer some damage - two holes about the size of a quarter (that's now called a 25 cent piece in Canada). The holes would have gone clean through had it not been for the extra backup of epoxy saturated interior cloth I added a few years ago. Horse shoes up my arse, buddy. << Solo, in a severe storm, and rock gardening without a helmet! >> Yeah yeah, I know. Guess I would have looked a bit silly with two extra holes in my head. Could have been a true dead head. I do know from past experience, I grow even worse horns when I do don a helmet, so not having one actually held me back. BTW, paddling in rock gardens in high wind and cold waves is a very unusual activity. Not normally recommended. << Now about that reef... you neglected to mention how hard your hull hit the rock. Or did it just ride up and over on a cushion of water? Full broadside, or a quatering blow? Now I know why you make your boat so heavy with extra glass. Also, how high was the drop from the top of the rock to the water below as your kayak was sliding off? >> I didn't really neglect anything, as it wasn't a trip report, but in actuality my log book account. If you want some funny reading... As far as the reef is concerned, a nice layer of kelp and water cushioned most of it. I was hit by combined swell and 7 foot wind waves - a bit unusual for that spot. The drop off the back was about 4 feet. Doesn't sound like much, but that's still over my little helmetless head. << Thanks for investigating what happens when a suck-hole opens up underneath a kayaker. I've always wondered about that, though I doubt I would ever want to get close enough to find out for myself. I like rivers where risk is much easier to manage. I think your journey would rate as SK-VI, and I don't even paddle class V... :) >> I've been hit by countless numbers of these things over 20 years of rock garden paddling with a loaded touring boat on the open coast - and a fairly tippy, non-manouverable one at that. I've always managed to roll back up, avoid getting thrashed into nearby reefs, and generally veer off on a trajectory that leaves my hull intact - if not my sanity. This time I had let my guard down and hadn't taken the time to adequately watch the sets and notice the reef just below the surface. << Are you sure that you didn't leave the helmet behind on purpose to liven up the story? >> Even if I don't plan on wearing it right away (opting for the thicker neo-hood instead), I usually take it along fastened to the back deck if I need it. I'm fully prepared to put the helmet on, even after a bail out, and leave the boat to the water Gods while I seal-land ashore. Hey, if I did loose my boat, I'd have an excuse to order a new lightweight kevlar 'capp from Sissons down-under. Well, come move out to the island some time, and you will find that you don't need anything artificially induced to liven up a trip report/log entry, etc. >> Yes, based on your large body of similar stories, your training is indeed substantial. Few could match it. But "training" is such a deliberate word... tell us the truth. Is any of that training actually better described as "experience"? << Jeesh, ask me something I can answer honestly 8-) I said: > 4) Ultimately, solo rough water paddling is a high risk activity. It > isn't publicly condoned. Kayak surfers, river runners, and even Tsunami > Rangers all have their rating systems, protocols, recognized equipment, > and tacit approval vis a vis appropriate risk taking. Sea and big lake > paddlers engaging risk behavior are frowned upon for the most part. << I don't think this is true. People on this list who voice disagreement simply don't understand that kayaking is ultimately a completely individual sport. In kayaking, there will always come a time when you are responsible for your own neck alone, which I think is unpleasant thought sometimes. Still, it is quite nice to have buddies along to help you out of a jam (sometimes literally). Also, you know the Coast Guard better than I, but their perspective is probably skewed by all the beginners that get themselves into stupid trouble. (This is inherently much easier to do in a sea kayak than a river kayak.) And I don't think Coasties really understand the rough water survivability of an expert kayaker. >> Buddies can also pull you down too. I'd never advocate solo rough water sea kayaking for the masses, but its a bit different from river paddling where you may well need your buddies to pull you out of a hole or log jam. I rate my trips by what I think the chances are of getting back in the boat if I bail. That can change a "Class 4" to a much higher category. I also find the whole aspect of risk and danger a very relative issue. I could well have gone out to Port Renfrew that day and paddled Botanical Beach with its 5 meter swell and 40 knot winds, but to me, that would have been approaching irresponsible. Not that I haven't done it before - but always one way. Also, different days bring different confidences. I was ready to conquer the world that Monday. The following Monday, a week later, I was struggling to lift my coffee mug arm. It takes a certain conspiracy of the right day off work, the right mental attitude, the right confidence in boat skills, the right realization of endurance, and the right environmental marine conditions to all come together. It did just that on that Monday. They are special days - highlights in my life. I said: > Thanks for listening. Be safe please. See you in a week or two. And, if > you haven't gotten out this paddling season yet, get off your duff, turn > off the TV, get your gear organized, and go smell the kelp - from water > level. Just do it. << You forgot to mention "And don't do what I do..." ;) >> That's the sub-text, bro! But hey, the whole point of my trip that day was to take on a newer challenge for _me_. Back-tracking my route against the squalls and ambient wind values and swell and wind waves and headland interactions and flood tide was a personal goal/objective/challenge. A cat-and-mouse game with Mother Nature. Out of one little hole, miss those swats, run for the next hole. Its all cheddar to me. Call it experience, training, whatever. To me it was fun. I could have gone one way only. I carry a kayak cart in the hatch, and could have walked back with kayak in tow on the park trail, then hitched back to the van after ditching the kayak, but that doesn't jive with my kind of independence, nor does "wet-nursing" with other paddlers fit into my economy of adventure. I could also have had my wife drop me off, foe a one way ride. But I'd prefere that she doesn't see some of the stuff I paddle in. Nightmares you know. But I will wear a helmet next time. Doug Lloyd *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
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