[Paddlewise] VHF's

Steve said:
Hi all. I'm new to the list and have thus far been lurking in the
shadows trying to take in all of the information provided by the group.

This paddle leash talk brings to mind an incident that occurred in my
neck of the woods, Victoria BC, a year or two back. A solo kayaker was
rescued clinging to some rocks off of Chatham Island (was this you Doug?
:).
<snip>

Steve:
Me? I thought it was you! You were the last one in the Victoria papers
for "kayaking related activity" :-) Of course, I haven't had the
opportunity for awhile, but I usually go for the front page (flesh
eating stuff notwithstanding).

The fellow disappeared when the TV news crew showed up, hiding his face
at first if I remember. I phoned the CG, but they wouldn't give out
contact info. I reported the incident to PW at the time, and also
mentioned the high praise the CG had for the guy. Yes he blew it, but
carrying the VHF saved his buttnick and avoided the dreaded exhaustive
search for the body. I don't believe he was pushing his limits - just
got into some unexpected trouble. There are large eddies out there than
run counter to the expected flood direction. Add strong wind or high
gusts and things can get hairy fast. I know of trained guides who have
gotten into trouble in this general vicinity with clients - and they
were extremely cautious types. Stuff happens. Squalls hit hard and fast
here (as you know young man!). I might add that the wind reports for
nearby Discovery Island don't show the real picture for certain wind
directions, due to the blocking of trees. I tend to put priority on the
Trial Island report that is more exposed, and extrapolate from there.
Also, frequent paddlers in this area and the southern Gulf Islands
should invest in a current atlas that indicates relative current
strengths and direction (or a tide program). It is an invaluable tool.

On my Columbia River Bar trip, I stowed my VHF in a forward day hatch
(knee tube). I would have preferred it on my PFD, but the forces of surf
were just too strong to take a chance on loosing the radio. Even
tethered, I wasn't sure. As it was, I broke lines on my kayak.
Basically, I was in a do-or-die situation (but that was the point). I am
in the market for a smaller submersible VHF that would be the ultimate
in reduced pocket size need, but haven't resolved the wilderness battery
needs. I wish to do the same with my old Motorola cell phone (downsize).
Most of the pockets on new PFDs have room for either size radio, and in
both cases, the pocket seals are much improved over the older PFDs. I
sometimes wonder if they build in redundancy so you are forced to buy
better gear next time.

Hey, I know VHFs aren't cheap, but what's your life worth? Just get one
soon man, and follow-up on ralphs suggestions if they resonate with your
requirements. You get improved reception for weather forecasts with a
VHF too. We were down to one VHF radio on our Storm Island disaster. We
got into trouble, partially because I didn't bring a VHF myself, relying
on my Radio Shack weather radio for forecast info. I could barely make
out the correct forecast, and it proved a contributing part of the
incident. (We were down to a low battery situation with the one VHF, so
didn't want to use it in genera for forecast info). In the end, the VHF
was our only way to get help and coordinate the military Buffalo
aircraft in combination with pistol-fired flares. The VHF was stowed
away in the rear hatch of one of the kayaks. What a production to
retrieve it in a gale/heavy current, pulling out gear and discarding
stuff to the gods of the sea (I think they wanted us). Lesson learned.

Catch you on the water later Steve. Be cool.

Doug



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