On 14 Mar 2004 at 22:50, WhiteRabbit wrote: > "Sadly, Shawn Asling, a Nova Scotia kayaker, died last summer when his > boat was trapped under a railway trestle bridge as he was leaving > Porter's Lake for the ocean. A strong current bent the kayak around > the bridge pillar pinning Mr. Aisling in his boat." I paddled that area a couple of years ago. I chose not to try to go through to the ocean. It's quite a narrow gap and a short river (~100m) under the road and rail bridges and then through a bit of a rock garden. Navigating the rock garden requires a tight S-turn (well, easy with a WW kayak, but tight for a sea kayak). The difference in elevation between the saltwater lake and the ocean can be significant at low tide. Because of this difference, the current is quite high and it's mostly in one big drop. It's probably a reversing falls, but I didn't see it at high tide. The reverse might be small, as the difference between high and low tide is around 1m. Even though I have some WW experience, it's a section that I'd portage or line unless the tide was at a level where the current was neutral. BTW, if you paddle through and head to the right, you are at Nova Scotia's world famous surfing beach - Lawrencetown Beach. It ain't California or Hawaii - the best surf in in the winter - brrrr! > I have never heard of a sea kayak wrapping. Is this a freak > accident, or something to really worry about? It's something I'd worry about in any area that has a significant current and obstacles. Sea kayaks don't have a pillar in the cockpit to prevent deck collapse - if it collapses, you can be pinnd. If you've ever had to deal with a canoe stuck on a rock in WW, you'll know what kind of forces you're dealing with. Mike *************************************************************************** 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 Mon Mar 15 2004 - 06:27:53 PST
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