I am supposed to attend a sea kayak clinic this weekend on the Oregon coast and the weather is just horrible. They have 25 foot surf and 75 mph winds predicted at the headlands. We start on Saturday and the weather is supposed to be a bit better only an 80% chance of rain and reduced wind. We will be practicing rescues, rolling etc at one of our coastal lakes so it will be pretty safe. I am trying to talk myself into doing this clinic because it is exactly the conditions I will need to do a rescue, but.... I am still trying to psych myself up. We may do some surf practice in a bay which is protected by a reef, but there will still be plenty of action. We will also be camping out of our kayak. Sigh... I have a really solid Moss tent, and my drysuit but still I am wavering. -- MZ *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
> I am supposed to attend a sea kayak clinic this weekend on the Oregon > coast > and the weather is just horrible. They have 25 foot surf and 75 mph winds > predicted at the headlands. Mary, I'm not one of the better kayakers on the site, and I have not personally experienced conditions like you describe. But, the encouragement that I can offer is this..... time and time again, I look back after a challenge and think to myself "self, I sure got all worked up for nothin!" So, there are plenty of kayakers on this site who have experience in those conditions, and since there are plenty, it most clearly is not beyond the realm of possibility, and therefore, you have but to make the journey yourself. Relax, listen closely to the instructors, concentrate, and tell us what a wonderful time you had and how self satisfied you feel once you get back!!!!! Rick - Poquoson, VA *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
> I am supposed to attend a sea kayak clinic this weekend on the Oregon coast > and the weather is just horrible. > ... I am still > trying to psych myself up. A couple of years ago the annual instructor training weekend which is hosted by the company I work for was held during a storm on Santa Cruz Island. It was basically three days of torrential downpour! This may be just hunky dory for you Pacific Nor' westerners, but it was a little rough for us Southern California beach kid types. Luckily everybody was pretty well prepared with the proper raingear. We were only able to get out on the water once during a brief break in the wind and the rain. The rest of the time we we're forced to huddle up in camp under a tarp. We were working on the scenario of what would we do if a paddler were seriously injured in the rocks and caves of one of our channel islands. Something that has yet to happen, and hopefully never will. But we try to be prepared just in case. The island rangers were recruited into our program and showed us where they keep their emergency equipment and worked with us on how to use it. At one point we donned our wet suits and took a couple of cervical collars and an evacuation sled down to the beach to practice using this equipment in the water. On the last morning I awoke early (as usual) and walked in the relentlessly pouring rain the quarter mile from the campground to the beach to check on the boats. While I was down there a flash flood washed through the normally dry creek bed that crosses the road, cutting me off from the campground, and cutting the rest of the campers off from the beach we were supposed to be picked up on a little later in the morning! As the rest of the campers awoke to their dilemma we formulated a plan. We tied a rope to each end of a kayak and pulled it back and forth across the river and in this fashion were able to eventually get everybody's equipment across to the beach, where I was. We then tried the same technique to bring a person across, only to find it was too difficult for a person to stay in the boat with the force of the water hitting them broadside (several of the people we were trying to evacuate were not part of our group and had no paddling experience). So we opted to tie the rope off so the people would have something to hang onto while they waded across the four foot deep raging river. It was a bit of a fiasco, but everybody eventually made it across safe and sound, if just a little bit water logged. If I had realized ahead of time just how severe the storm was going to be that weekend I probably would have stayed home. That would have been my loss. The weekend was very educational and enlightening, and once we had all dried out, a whole lot of fun! You just can't buy that kind of experience. Go to your clinic and enjoy. It just may be one of those once in a life time experiences. What's the worst thing that can happen? You'll come away with a really great story to tell! Scott So.Cal. *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
At 3/14/2003 -0500 09:08 AM, KiAyker_at_aol.com wrote: >You just can't buy that kind of experience. Go to >your clinic and enjoy. It just may be one of those once in a life time >experiences. What's the worst thing that can happen? You'll come away with a >really great story to tell! > >Scott >So.Cal. Scott: I don't know who you work for, but they are fortunate to have you on board. What a well written and convincing response to an anxiety that someone (probably all of us, I have more than once in life) has towards a pending situation(s). Paddling or not your advice is priceless! If we aren't willing to risk, we won't be able to grow! Thanks Fred So. Cal. *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
>> We tied a rope to each end of a kayak and pulled it back and forth across the river and in this fashion were able to eventually get everybody's equipment across to the beach, where I was. We then tried the same technique to bring a person across, only to find it was too difficult for a person to stay in the boat with the force of the water hitting them broadside (several of the people we were trying to evacuate were not part of our group and had no paddling experience). So we opted to tie the rope off so the people would have something to hang onto while they waded across the four foot deep raging river. It was a bit of a fiasco, but everybody eventually made it across safe and sound, if just a little bit water logged.<<< Interesting!! This is a situation that would be very unexpected for a sea kayaker, but not uncommon for a whitewater boater. S&R courses we teach in this area include things like crossing open moving water using a paddle (on the upstream side, as part of a tripod) or groups of people (still basically a tripod shape). Also, might have been able to get the kayaks with people across with a zip-line system. Might look those up, maybe keep the techniques in the back of your head... Joe P. *************************************************************************** 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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