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? :). He apparently fell out of his boat while trying to retrieve his paddle. His savior ultimately was a VHF radio with which he was able to contact the CG. This nicely demonstrates not only the benefit of using a paddle leash of some sort but also why it is good to have a VHF aboard. I don't know the details enough to know if he had the radio tethered to the deck of the boat and managed to retrieve it, or if he had the radio on his person? (When he was rescued he was boatless, paddleless, but had his radio with him) This brings me to my question; where do people keep their radios when paddling? I have an older Lotus PFD that doesn't have a pocket large enough for the radio. I'm assuming that it's important to keep the radio on person in the event that you and your boat part ways. Right now my system consists of stuffing the radio in between me and the PFD combined with a short tether to a loop on the PFD. I find this to be uncomfortable at times and I find that I am always repositioning the radio. Any ideas? Steve Davis *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
----- Original Message ----- From: "Davis, Stephen G FOR:EX" <Stephen.Davis_at_gems4.gov.bc.ca> > > This brings me to my question; where do people keep their radios when > paddling? I have an older Lotus PFD that doesn't have a pocket large enough > for the radio. I'm assuming that it's important to keep the radio on person > in the event that you and your boat part ways. Right now my system consists > of stuffing the radio in between me and the PFD combined with a short tether > to a loop on the PFD. I find this to be uncomfortable at times and I find > that I am always repositioning the radio. Any ideas? If you have an older Lotus PFD without a large enough pocket this may mean that your PFD is old enough to warrant replacement. They really are only good for 4 years or so of use before their flotation ability is questionable. Anyway this will give you an excuse to get a new PFD! :-) However, don't despair. You can add a case to carry it on your PFD. It is what I have done with one older PFD that I keep with one boat and transfer my radio to when using that one. If you go into the pages of West Marine or similar marine supply shop, you will find a full neoprene case (zippered) that is meant for a motorboater for protecting his marine handheld in transit. However, it makes the foundation for a good pocket for attaching to your PFD. The neoprene fully enclosed case has a webbing loop on the back meant to put on a pants belt. All you have to do is to get a short webbing strap and cinch it around the shoulder strap of your PFD where you find this most comfortable. To that cinch strap attach the neoprene case. I would also suggest that you put a small D-ring on the cinch strap to provide an attachment point for tethering the wrist cord on your radio. Ideally the zipper would close in a way that when almost closed, the antenna is sticking out the bit of opening. Get the smallest of the cases you can of this kind that will hold your radio (there are generally two sizes). If you find that the neoprene case flops around on you, cut a small hole at the back of the case near the bottom and run a cord through it and around the PFD shoulder strap as well to keep the bottom of the case from flying around. The cases cost around $15. You may also find maybe even better cases in photoshops meant to carry small cameras. Or try an outdoor shop like Mountain Equipment Coop for one of those "pockets" that are meant to be attached to the the shoulder straps of a backpack (meant to hold goodies, a camera, or small binoculars in a handy position). best, ralph diaz-- ----------------------------------------------------------------------- Ralph Diaz . . . Folding Kayaker newsletter PO Box 0754, New York, NY 10024 Tel: 212-724-5069; E-mail: rdiaz_at_ix.netcom.com "Where's your sea kayak?"----"It's in the bag." ----------------------------------------------------------------------- *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
From: "ralph diaz" <rdiaz_at_ix.netcom.com> > If you have an older Lotus PFD without a large enough pocket this may mean > that your PFD is old enough to warrant replacement. They really are only > good for 4 years or so of use before their flotation ability is > questionable. Anyway this will give you an excuse to get a new PFD! :-) Don't throw the old one away! You can now use it in pool sessions without worrying about the effects of chlorine on the PFD. Some techniques are a tad more challenging with a PFD than without (e.g. somersault re-entry and roll) and doing all your pool practice without a PFD isn't a great idea. Mike *************************************************************************** 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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