Re: [Paddlewise] Kayaks and River Entrances and Bars - the condensed version

>   At some inlets, such as Nehalem Bay and Tillamook Bay in Oregon, you
> can stand on the jetty and evaluate the conditions. If you don't get
> blown off the rocks by the wind, or knocked down by a rogue wave, you
> might stand a chance. I prefer an incoming tide, because then your
> remains will be carried up the bay and may be discovered by other,
> more prudent boaters. I like smaller estuaries, because they are easier
> to understand, and searchers have less water to cover. Never do the
> Columbia bar without good life insurance and terminal cancer.
>
> BRC

My modus operandi exactly...stand on the jetty and contemplate risk versus 
reward and your insignificance while you are strategizing. Then just in case 
go do it on the incoming tide so they find your PFD-floated, sea-bloated 
body so all that extra insurance actually pays out to those you left behind 
because perhaps _they_ aren't insignificant. Do remember if you find 
yourself swimming, clichis like "roll or drown" won't seem like just a 
simple web site tag line. Remember, most bar mishap fatalities are due to 
consequences of initial capsizing. This is something a kayak is superbly 
adept at overcoming - if you are up to the task. If not, or risk-averse, 
then stick to smaller estuaries or maybe invest in a seaworthy jet boat. 
Life is terminal anyway; and playing in dangerous waterways is life 
assurance for many rather than the ignoble, slow death by drowning is a sea 
of affective boredom. However, at 51 degrees F., you might want to use 
extreme caution on the Columbia River Bar. Natch. And dead reckoning on a 
massive bar - well, seat-of-the pants navigation is a more aptly worded 
description by those with a heart for dark waters.

Doug Lloyd - who just bought more accident insurance last week, but is 
land-locked due to a badly torn lat muscle and life-sucking GERD - oh the 
horrors...the horrors. :-)    :-( 
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