I picked up a copy of "Adventure Kayak Magazine" at Canoecopia this weekend. In the Eastern "Local Currents" it had the following note. "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 have never heard of a sea kayak wrapping. Is this a freak accident, or something to really worry about? - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - I don't give a damn for a man who can spell a word only one way. Mark Twain WhiteRabbit - ICQ#111665477 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -- - - - - - - - *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
> for the ocean. A strong current bent the kayak around the bridge pillar > pinning Mr. Aisling in his boat." > > I have never heard of a sea kayak wrapping. Is this a freak accident, or > something to really worry about? Interesting. Might happen to some inflatable kayaks, though. They are funny - on some ocasion it twisted in rapids so that front paddler flipped upside down, while rear one, the "cap", remained sitting normally upright. *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
Any boat can wrap if the current is strong enough, especially a long skinny one. That's why standard WW practice is to lean on to the obstacle (rock etc) and pivot around without letting the boat touch. I don't have much WW experience, but a lot of ocean rock garden experience where the rule is to lean away from the obstacle when being pushed into it by a wave. It took one very minor (but very scary) pin with my head under water to convince me the rule really is different when the boat is being pushed by current. Actually, it's not obvious, but the overriding rule is really the same in a river or on the ocean - always lean downstream. What material was the boat made of? Steve Brown -----Original Message----- ...... I have never heard of a sea kayak wrapping. Is this a freak accident, or something to really worry about? .... WhiteRabbit - ICQ#111665477 *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
pinning is pinning, current is current. it is quite EZ to pin a SK in current. long, pointy, and very pinnable. We wrapped one around a piling in the river, have pinned 'em up against wing dams and boat houses. of course, you gotta be aware of pinning if you are in current of any type and there is an obstruction. steve Alder Creek Kayak & Canoe N 45: 36.285' 250 NE Tomahawk Isle Dr. W 122: 39.841' Portland, OR 97217 Web: www.aldercreek.com Phone: 503.285.0464 Email: aldercreek_at_qwest.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/ ***************************************************************************
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/ ***************************************************************************
Thanks to all that responded. It has been most enlightening. With 30+ years of paddling I'm quite familiar with pinning of canoes and somewhat familiar with the risk in ww boats. However, relative to sea kayaks it has never come up in pre or post trip safety discussions, or risk assessments. The areas where I paddle in the Midwest generally have minimal risk, but in retrospect, probably significantly greater than I was aware of. While pinning on a single point is possible, I would suspect that bridging between two points would be a far more likely, and dangerous condition with sea kayaks in the waters I paddle. > pinning is pinning, current is current. > > it is quite EZ to pin a SK in current. long, pointy, and very pinnable. We > wrapped one around a piling in the river, have pinned 'em up against wing > dams and boat houses. > > of course, you gotta be aware of pinning if you are in current of any type > and there is an obstruction. > > steve > Alder Creek Kayak & Canoe N 45: 36.285' *************************************************************************** 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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