The following message is list-administrator compliant. :-) Peter said: >snip, snip< >>>Heres the rub - Using the safety equipment single handed in choppy to rough water!!! It seems to be a real challenge (Flares, EPIRB, mirror, telephone, dye, patches). The only equipment I know I can use single handled is my VHF radio which is the only thing tied on the front deck. <<< In extremis, thou shalt find a way! Prayer helps, as Derek H. says, too. As for the VHF, if you must keep it on the deck, do employ a quick release clip/buckle/whatever system for instant removal. If buying a new VHF, spend the bucks and get a small one that fits in your PFD pocket, if possible. And as a Coast Guard officer once told me: "if your emergency signalling equipment is your backup, and you can't hold your backup equipment in choppy seas, just what kind of backup is that anyway?" A rhetorical question, I'm sure. You mention rafting up further in your post. Fair enough. But rafting up usually means you will all end up abeam to the wind and waves. Ever tried a multiple-paddler raft in a big sea (breaking seas, swell, high wind, and strong current-set with turbulent eddies)? I have. The difficulties are just different (in my case, I ended up towing the others into the wind/seas/current, while the other two made emergency communication attempts and volleyed rounds of flares (12-gauge pistol, the only way to go with this type of short-duration attractant - just a smoking brother, with those bandolier-available quick reloads!). A hand held flare, like the kind you see on the side of the road sometimes during an emergency/roadblock situation, is one of the best devices for helping authorities close in on your final location but, try holding one of those in your hand in a poor sea state (just what kind of backup is that...?). Doug Lloyd - Gotta run, wife-unit on prowl, now scowling; on PW probation - again! - it's like living with your own in-house list admin. - well, some of us need that :-) Victoria BC ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~ "Whatever can be said at all can be said clearly and whatever cannot be said clearly should not be said at all." Ludwig Wittgenstein ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~ *************************************************************************** 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 Thu Jan 16 2003 - 18:57:34 PST
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