Our group of 5 kayaks had just crossed the ship channel on our way back into the marina when we noticed a small coast guard vessel coming towards us. We had watched this ship run back and forth down the ship channel at high speed a couple of times and had wondered what they could be doing. As we were regrouping just off the edge of the channel the Coast Guard ship slowed and pulled up next to us. They wanted to let us know that a military ship was about to leave port and that we should stay 500 yards away from the orange zodiac. That is the zodiac with the machine gun. One of the Guardsmen also suggested that we not "raise our paddles too high". It might look like we were trying to fire something and we could be shot I guess. He added that the Coast Guard were "the nice, polite guys, but the other guys were not nice". After all that work on a nice efficient vertical stroke I guess I am going to have to learn to move the kayak without raising the the blade high ! enough to be visible if I really want to be safe around here. Mark Arnold mjamja_at_earthlink.net *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
Mark, You have got to be kidding me. Sorry, but I can't let this one pass. As a career naval officer, I can tell you that your high vertical stroke is no problem. I can't go into too many details, but please trust me on this, the rules of engagement (ROE) are such that you'd have to do waaay more than just paddle by to even be considered a possible target. It's true that post 9/11 security has been tightened up considerably, but maintain the required stand off as prequested and you'll be in no danger whatsoever. I routinely paddle near Navy bases, and the most that's ever happened is that sometimes the security folks will ask me to steer clear of the area by a slightly greater stand-off than I was observing. Unless you make your paddle look like a surface to air missile or high power rifle (pretty hard to do) you'll be fine. I suspect that the Coasties may have been jerking your chain a bit, polite or not. Happy Paddling, Kevin Original message (excerpts): "Our group of 5 kayaks... had noticed a small coast guard vessel coming towards us... a military ship was about to leave port.. stay 500 yards away from the orange zodiac... with the machine gun... suggested that we not "raise our paddles too high". It might look like we were trying to fire something and we could be shot ... I am going to have to learn to move the kayak without raising the the blade high" *************************************************************************** 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: sluf <kmkenney_at_cccomm.net> > To: Paddlewise <Paddlewise_at_paddlewise.net> > Date: 2/16/2004 8:11:11 > Subject: RE: [Paddlewise] Danger of using high vertical stroke > > Mark, > You have got to be kidding me. Sorry, but I can't let this one pass. > As a career naval officer, I can tell you that your high vertical stroke > is no problem. . . . > I suspect that the Coasties may have been jerking your chain a bit, > polite or not. > Happy Paddling, > Kevin > I was being tongue-in-check about having to change my paddling style. However, the Guardsmen did really make the comment about not raising the paddles and actually repeated it twice during our short conversation. We were on our way away from the channel anyway so it was not a real issue. We did have a brief joking discussion with each other about how we should be holding the paddle and wondered aloud about what he might have really been trying to warn us of doing with the paddles. I did encounter one of the military ships exiting at another time. I stopped what I thought was a pretty good distance off the channel and was waiting for it to pass. The orange zodiac rushed over with the machine gun manned and told me and my paddling partner to move away. They were not particularly friendly, but not unreasonable either. We just moved away and that was it. *************************************************************************** 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 did encounter one of the military ships exiting at another time. I > stopped what I thought was a pretty good distance off the channel and was > waiting for it to pass. The orange zodiac rushed over with the machine > gun manned and told me and my paddling partner to move away. May be, this was because you stopped. Supposedly, preparing to some hostile actions - aiming your rifle or taking your bazooka from under deck. *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
<snip> "- aiming your rifle or taking your bazooka from under deck." So, logically, this begs the question: Bazooka storage....on deck or in the hatch? Maybe a knee tube? I've never found a good drybag that keeps my bazooka dry - and lets me easily operate the controls....maybe we should suggest this to the drybag manufacturers...smaller fringe market but you could probably charge a premium... :o) *************************************************************************** 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've never been in law enforcement, or the military, so take this with a grain... a cup full... of salt. Could the issue possibly be that if the blades where white, then the flashing of the paddle blade may have been mistaken for some sort of "flash" from a weapon being fired? A puff of smoke as a rocket takes flight, perhaps? Rick *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
If it was then they would already be in big trouble as from the range that they could see it, the rocket would hit them in less than a second. The whole thing is quite silly. The USA has the biggest, most advanced, most expensive military in the world and yet we continue to tilt at windmills. sad michael (former Navy ET, USNA class of '83) Rick.Sylvia_at_ferguson.com wrote: > > I've never been in law enforcement, or the military, so take this with a > grain... a cup full... of salt. Could the issue possibly be that if the > blades where white, then the flashing of the paddle blade may have been > mistaken for some sort of "flash" from a weapon being fired? A puff of > smoke as a rocket takes flight, perhaps? > > Rick *************************************************************************** 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 did encounter one of the military ships exiting at another time. -- Where is all this taking place??? *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
> Subject: Re: [Paddlewise] Danger of using high vertical stroke > > > ----- > I did encounter one of the military ships exiting at another time. > > -- Where is all this taking place??? > *************************************************************************** I would like to tell you, but then I would have to shoot you. Security is a must these days. :) *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
OK, tell him and then shoot him. That way the rest of us will know. :) Christopher G. Madden maddencg_at_earthlink.net *************************************************************************** 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 did encounter one of the military ships exiting at another > time. > > -- Where is all this taking place??? > *************************************************************************** > > I would like to tell you, but then I would have to shoot you. Security is > a must these days. :) > *************************************************************************** I ask only becauseI notice a lot of Harbor SEALs lately... JP *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
Couple years ago two buddies on a two-week paddle sojourn down the Columbia-Willamette River system were transiting the Portland, OR, section near the Ross Island Bridge and got black-helicoptered and shunted to shore by the sheriff's dept marine patrol for two hours and told to stay put. Turned out that VP Cheney's motorcade was scheduled to cross the bridge and his protectors wanted a three- or four-hour window of __no__ boat traffic under the bridge. The buddies were eventually forgotten about and they wandered off. This same pair got fingered by the Canadian border guards on a trip north, pulled aside for half an hour, and asked such questions as "Have we ever told you never to come back?" and similar. This was pre-9/11. I think they attract this stuff. He has a beard and is huge. She is small, blonde, and very friendly. -- 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/ ***************************************************************************
[Moderator's Note: Content unaltered. Excessive quoting (including headers/footers/sig lines/extraneous text from previous posts, etc.) have been removed. Please edit quoted material in addition to removing header/trailers when replying to posts.] Hey Dave, Guess you have to come up north of the 49th. to get away from stuff like that. We don't have problems like that around here, though there was one time on a day paddle in the Esquimalt Harbour. There was a nuclear sub at the navy base and the Military Police were out in force in their zodiacs keeping people away. They had guns! Which was a surprise for around here. They told us to just chill and paddle another the direction. This was after 9/11. Other than that, us Canadians are considered lovers not fighters and enjoy other activities more like Sea Kayaking! Eh? Kirby hahahahahhahahaha hehehehehehehehehehe www.CoastalWatersRec.com <http://www.CoastalWatersRec.com> every trip, a new adventure! -----Original Message----- [mailto:owner-paddlewise_at_paddlewise.net]On Behalf Of Dave Kruger Subject: RE: [Paddlewise] Danger of using high vertical stroke Couple years ago two buddies on a two-week paddle sojourn down the Columbia-Willamette River system were transiting the Portland, OR, section near the Ross Island Bridge and got black-helicoptered and shunted to shore by the sheriff's dept marine patrol for two hours and told to stay put. The buddies were eventually forgotten about and they wandered off. This same pair got fingered by the Canadian border guards on a trip north, pulled aside for half an hour, and asked such questions as "Have we ever told you never to come back?" and similar. *************************************************************************** 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 prefer storing up to 2 RPG launchers on the back deck so they remain out of the way while rolling. Too many on the deck and they can raise the center of gravity too high. Additional RPG rounds can be accessed in my day hatch or knee tube. Are you listening Mr. Ashcroft? *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
"African Queen Style" Whole Kayak becomes a very slow "running" Torpedo.. Wow, how realistic! But, oops, that only works with Hollywood Technique and with a marriage on board of the warship! BTW: The original Ship, destroyed by the African Queen, is still running as a ferry -?- I think, now over 80 years old! PS: I carry Rockets on board, of course. Pains Wessex Red Parachute Rockets. You could fire them bazooka-like. But not straight in a line! *************************************************************************** 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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