----- Original Message ----- From: <Rick.Sylvia_at_ferguson.com> > There have been plenty of times that I wanted to take it off, particularly on near 100 degree summer days when I find myself exploring a side creek that's only 2 feet deep and 30 feet wide. But, I keep it on due to the reasons above. I made the promise, and one definition of integrity is what you do when nobody is looking - so I keep it on. < I generally never find a PFD overly warm since most of my paddling tends to be in open areas almost invariably raked by some wind. When up a side creek in very still hot humid air, I take off the PFD for a second, dip it into the water and put it on again soaking wet. It is like taking a cold sponge bath. The cooling effect lasts for quite awhile. The other thing if conditions are unbearably hot is obviously roll. But even if you can't roll well, or at all, you can grab the bow of a friend's boat and tip over until your head and all or most of your upper body are immersed. Some individuals like Scott clearly feel comfortable not wearing a PFD in paddling. I don't have that confidence that without one I can handle anything that may befall me. Especially around here which may be typical of what happens with currents in estuaries mixed with rivers. We have currents at different levels of water depth (it shows on the charts). It is easy to have yourself grabbed by one of the below the surface ones and become disoriented and, in effect, held down by the sideway speed. We had an incident here back around 1990-91 in which this happened to a NYPD Harbor scuba team member. They were helping a European TV crew film a simulated boating accident in which a victim was in the water PFDless. This young scuba cop who was in excellent condition etc. (among the etc. is that he was a 6 year veteran of the force and had participated in medal winning rescues and was from a line of NYPD harbor and land cops). The TV crew was on one boat and nearby was a standby NYPD rescue crew. The young scuba cop pretended to be drowning and went under holding his hand up. After about the second or third of these, he totally disappeared. His buddies gave it a few seconds and dove in to help him some with scuba gear. He had totally disappeared. A massive rescue effort was launched involving dozens of crews and boats. His body was found a day later. The theory is that he had been caught by one of those currents further down or possibly had hit his head on some waterlogged tree trunk or rotted pier post immersed below the surface. I don't know where I stand on having a legal requirement to wear a PFD. But I have no equivocation on the practical aspect of wearing one. It makes sense. Not wearing one doessn't seem to make any practical sense. If PFDs were what they were in pre-WWII days or even in the 1950s and 1960s, then one could make an argument that they are not practical to wear because they are uncomfortable and bulky enough to restrict paddling motions. But that is not the case. They have improved and improved. The 2001 PFD is not what the 1991 one was. 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/ ***************************************************************************Received on Tue Apr 23 2002 - 06:57:01 PDT
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