Jim posted (snip): >Had an unintentional adventure Saturday off Tybee Island GA....As soon as we got out of the calming effect of the trees we were blasted by 25/30 knot winds. Went out with a friend to paddle over to Little Tybee. A distance of about a mile. It was windy that day but it frequently is in that area...< Jim, Great post! Good observations, good resolution. The situation you describe is typical of the reason we get into a spot of difficulty now and then -- a moment of inattention. I was speaking with a friend this weekend. He's about 55 and his wife perhaps 50. He's a chemist with Ocean Sciences, and she a RN. Bright couple. He's spent most of his adult life between the lab and being at sea. The were up at Quadra Island this fall. They notices a kayak rental place near Open Bay and figured, hey, why not finally try a little kayaking. Their first experience wasn't a good one. Conditions were calm. The rental outfit proprietor said wind was due the next day, so he didn't even bother adjusting the rudder pedals for the couple. The two paddles headed to an small island about a mile away. Tides, they were told, weren't bad. By the time they went around the island and came out on the exposed side, a wind was brewing up. An elderly couple in a sailboat positioned themselves alongside, indicating to the new paddlers that a strong pressure ridge was forming. My friend said they were headed back, and that the rental operator had assured them conditions were suitable for novice paddlers. As the crossing progressed more into the open section, wind waves were starting to break over the decks, soaking the couple. The wind became strong enough that forward momentum took all their strength to maintain. They commented to me that it was sheer adrenalin that helped them complete the crossing. They registered their concerns with the owner who said very little in response. My two friends seemed still very upset about the situation 3 months later. I don't want to be too critical of my friends, especially after telling Nick that paddlers often have a critical eye for other paddlers perceived to be doing dangerous things, while winking at themselves, but this couple really wasn't looking for any "action" when they decided to try some sea kayaking. Nevertheless, I feel they abrogated their personal responsibility by overly trusting the rental operator. I think this happens a lot, but fortunately most new paddlers rent stable-enough kayaks to make it back in. Here's a link to an article I wrote dealing with a unfortunate incident with two couples, where one of the couples died in an offshore wind situation: http://www.seakayakermag.com/02August/baffin01.htm Doug Lloyd (who shaken up more than a bit after being side-swiped by a city bus on his morning bike commute today, being pin-balled between the curb and the side of the bus at 20mph - and you want to talk about being suddenly cognizant of one's mortality! I'll take storm-paddling anyday for a safer activity) Victoria BC *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
<jfarrelly5_at_comcast.net> wrote: >>After about five minutes of no success on her part maintaining her heading or position I finally woke up and clipped a tow line to her bow to help her stay pointed into the wind. I should have taken charge a lot sooner. We started off back home.>> I was party to a very similar situation in the Broken Group (Vancouver Island) a couple years ago. A paddler with undeveloped turning strokes -- she insists she is weak, but I think she just needs to improve her technique -- could not maintain the course needed for our intended landfall. Like Jim, I resisted handing her a tow far too long. The bottom line here is that if an experienced paddler thinks you need a tow -- you need a tow. I'm grateful for the guy who gave my ex (the woman in question) a tow. He saved her bacon that day. -- Dave Kruger Astoria, OR *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
Sounds like a great experience for all. Good thing the support team (SKG) showed up! They no doubt, loved the opportunity to help. I always make the decision to tow, I never 'ask'. I tell the clients this at the safety/ put-in talk. If you wait too long, like has been discussed, you run the risk of trouble. Offshore winds, at whatever velocity, should be looked at with extreme caution. We have the advantage of a nice strong breeze that blows on the Columbia river (upstream or down) that's a hoot to 'train' in. and relatively safe. steve aldercreek.com http://mail2web.com/ . *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
One thing we do when out as a small group is take turns towing each other, even if the weather is fine. This is especially nice when you are in a group with a mix of strong and weak paddlers. It's a great way to let the strong paddlers work as hard as they want without leaving anyone behind. It can also take the "shame" factor out of being towed. Personally, I think towing and being towed is kind of fun, so make a game out of it and when you or someone else really needs a tow it becomes a non-issue. For those of you who are new to towing or don't have your own setup, it is really easy to make your own kit instead of spending the big bucks the pre-made set seem to cost. I had an old whitewater throwbag to which I added a few feet of thick shockcord at the end and then slapped on a cheap used carabiner (my good 'biners stay on the climbing rack ;-). Get yourself a length of 2" webbing (ie seatbelt) and a quick-release plastic thingy. If you're being really frugal (ie you're a real cheap bastard) yank that seatbelt out of the backseat of your car, c'mon, no one uses it. You could get fancy and sew the throwbag to the belt but I just run the webbing through the loop on the bag end of the throwbag. You could also make a nice custom bag or modify an old fanny pack to make something that sits better on the belt but I was feeling lazy and happy with my solution so I haven't improved it. Besides, it adds to that old cobbled together crazed kayaker look. I leave mine under the shock cords behind the cockpit where it can be grabbed quickly and deployed. The length of the rope can be adjusted if you don't have a cam-cleat by typing a loop in the rope and running the webbing through it. For a tandem tow I like about 20ft of rope. -Patrick At 11:59 AM -0500 12/16/03, aldercreek_at_qwest.net wrote: > >I always make the decision to tow, I never 'ask'. I tell the clients this >at the safety/ put-in talk. If you wait too long, like has been discussed, >you run the risk of trouble. *************************************************************************** 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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