[Paddlewise] Fatal Accidents Involving Folders

I have  heard of just one civilian deaths via folders Down Under,  but the
military is another story...
The civilian died when he was run over by a ferry at night in Sydney
Harbour.

Statistically you may find a ratio between numbers of folders owned and used
and hardshells owned and used  in accident figures, including fatal
incidents.

Kayak renters down here have hardshell fleets where one may expect to find
the largest number of novices.

Most kayaking injuries in my part of the world occur in surf,  and
invariably involve hardshell paddlers.

Of course the big killer of kayakers anywhere is hypothermia.  Where I
paddle the AIR is often colder than the WATER,  so it can be more
appropriate to stay in the water, and out of the wind in a SURVIVAL
situation; ie, if self rescue cannot be achieved for some reason.

  I know of one case this summer where a local kayaker [ a novice ]
capsized, [ a hardshell ]  and survived eight hours in the water in light
clothes and no PFD  with only mild hypothermia.

Yes folks, there are still people out there who do these things....

Of course, in many parts of the world, the opposite should be followed.
There's plenty of research to show that transfer of heat from the body
occurs MUCH faster in cold water than in air of roughly the same
temperature.

Cheers PeterR
***************************************************************************
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/
***************************************************************************