Re: [Paddlewise] kayaker presumed dead at MALIBU, Calif.

>Not making excuses for the kayakers but it's possible they may have been
>"surprised" by the winds

Definitely possible--We launched at 10:00 AM yesterday in fierce winds and
were told that the water had been like glass at 0800.



> The only disconcerting thing was that while we were in the harbor,
> one of the group tried a roll---and missed (very unusual for him), He
> then did a wet exit and a re-enter and roll--but while he was in the
> water someone called the Harbor Patrol about a kayaker in the water.
> Their response over the radio was that they knew these guys and they
> were probably practicing. I'm glad they are confident in our abilities
> and skills, but it would have been nice if they had at least called us
> to check. We did call them though and confirm that we were not in any
> trouble.

>This seems an odd reaction if the HP had not been warned there would
>be rescue practicing going on. ?? Especially considering that a kayaker
>had been lost two days before and with the current conditions.  How did
>they know who the caller was referring to?

The only thing that we can guess is that the HP patrol sees us almost every
Sunday- and the best paddler in the group goes out daily to practice. The CG
used to come by and check us out whenever they saw us in water that was a
little bit rougher than normal. Since they've learned that we always wear
PFD's, carry flare guns, flares, and VHF radio's and they've seen us
practicing, they don't normally stop to see who we are. Occasionally, if it
is a little rougher than normal, they will crusie by slowly and look for a
"thumbs up" and then continue on their way.

I still don't understand why they so cavalierly thought we were fine -
unless they realized one of us would have called in an emergency.

We don't usually notify anybody about rescue practices for several reasons.
     1. We have a protected area outside of the harbor but still behind the
breakwater that offers "graduated conditions" Close to the far side of the
harbor jetty, the water is flat. As you move further away from it, the wind
and waves get increasingly larger. The wind is almost always an onshore
wind, so it really is a great place to practice.
     2. We have several rescue/law enforcement agencies operating out of
this same harbor. We have the Ventura County Sheriff Dep't which operates a
boat, the Harbor Patrol, and the Coast Guard has a station there too.



***************************************************************************
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/
***************************************************************************