I browsed a couple of other digests. Most paddlers report no problems swimming in bloated mukluks. So not sure if there is a final consensus on this. Maybe Gordin could do an investigative expose'. :-) I like mine, warm. Rugged. Only stinks when you use them. And dry - until a 16" depth or so for wading into the water as I tenderly avoid rocks scratching my delicate hulls...heh heh. Maybe I just like spending money. Maybe it's really cheap compared to some folks spending countless hours varnishing their big sailboats with $70.00 a-pint varnish. Who knows? I do know bad gear sucks big time. But then I like good gear, and good safety gear. See it stringing behind me after a fictitious collision drawing Scott would be proud of... http://www.westcoastpaddler.com/community/viewtopic.php?p=30013#30013 (near the bottom). Doug L (who's actually downsizing his gear in keeping with corporate North America, but still sticks his mukluk in his mouth after all these years) *************************************************************************** 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 browsed a couple of other digests. Most paddlers report no problems >swimming in bloated mukluks. So not sure if there is a final consensus on >this. Maybe Gordin could do an investigative expose'. :-) I think I was just set up to relate another embarashing moment kayaking. This one happens to involve Mukluks and large surf. About five years ago I was out to Port Renfrew on a surfing trip with a bunch of locals. We'd been out playing in some good size surf. At the time I was paddling a Pygmy Artic Tern. As time went on the surf began to really build until it's safe to say the height of the waves truly exceeded our level of expertise. I'd just completed a great ride, made my turn and saw what looked like a wall of water coming at me. I paddled as hard as I could and climbed that wall almost to the top. Unfortunately as I climbed, the wall kept getting steeper, and my speed was bleeding off fast. I was one paddle stroke short of making it over the top. My kayak started to surf - backwards. I gingerly stuck one blade in for support and as reported by several eye witnesses surfed the wave for over 40 feet. I cannot confirm the validity of their reports as I had my eyes shut for most of the ride which ended in a broach. I instinctively threw in a high brace, just as the curl slammed into me. The weight of the water imploded my spray deck and started to drag the kayak away from me. That was one of the weaknesses of the Tern the cock pit was big enough to accommodate the very largest paddler. Consequently the thigh support for bracing was not the best. With the cockpit flooded and me being half out of the boat I decided to forego the skulling for support, rolled under pushed my but back into the cockpit and snap rolled back up. Timing is everything. Mine was bad. I came right up into the next curl and was immediately slammed back over. Again the boat started to get away. I repeated the above exercise too many times to count. It was taking me too long to re enter and roll up. My friend Bill told me the sets were coming in about every seven seconds and if anything were getting bigger. Finially I gave up trying to roll. My vision had tunnelled down to about four feet. My awareness was so narrowly focused that the obvious was anything but. So instead of swimming into shore I started to swim through the rip coming out of the San Juan river. I was going no were and getting very tired. Those Mukluks weighed about 20 pound each and were cmpletely full of water. Finally Bill, reallizing I was no longer rational raced in snapped a tow line on and pulled me out. Everyone wanted to know why I didn't just swim in after being knocked over. About a week later I was sane enough to understand, "oh yea, I could have let the boat go and swam in behind it." However, and here's the point to this long winded account. I never wear Mukluks in conditions or weather that is threatening, which is to say I no longer own a pair. I've convinced myself it was the bad karma coming from those Chinese political prisoner made Mukluks that caused my distress. Gordin *************************************************************************** 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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