Re: [Paddlewise] Trapped!!!

One of your big Mariner kayaks would classify as a mutha-ship to me. :-)

Glad you told us about the incident too. Gives some veracity to us monomaniacs
who try to tell folks the sky is falling.

Oh yeah, don't forget Rule 47.

Doug Lloyd (still looking for the perfect wind-cheater kayak with some room
for lace-up Mukluks - but not tennis shoes)
  -----


  I bought a Kokatat combination inflatable/foam PFD with CO2 cartridges
because I was thinking about exiting problems but was not wearing it. I
actually picked it up and said to myself, "Nahhh... I won't need this
tonight." The combination PFD gives 23lbs of flotation versus 18 on a normal
PFD and could make the difference when trying to dog paddle up for air.
However, it's only 13lbs without the chambers being filled so you would have
to be careful using it without inflation (although you can inflate it through
a tube too... not so easy if you can't breathe).

  Complacency kills. I've known that for years from rock climbing, sailing,
and flying gliders. But still, one does get complacent in very familiar
surroundings.

  Good lesson to learn.

  And I'm not planning on dying until Doug gets a mutha-ship too. :P

  Craig Jungers
  Moses Lake, WA


  On Sat, Aug 2, 2008 at 5:23 PM, Doug Lloyd <douglloyd_at_shaw.ca> wrote:

    That's funny - I was just at the lake recently practicing egress from
entrapment scenarios, thinking I was a bit over the top with the what ifs.

    My official entrapment backup plan for near mishaps includes dog paddling
the kayak sideways to the dock or beach if necessary. Though I've never had
issues with shoewear, though I've written about those who have. I'll keep your
incident in my records now too. Thanks Craig. But, please don't die - you are
one of my gavotte greybeards. :-)


    Darryl wrote:





        The kind of story that ought to be repeated at five-minute intervals
        for all of us. (Maybe not all, but certainly for me and my friends.)

        Perhaps we could affix a plaque in garish neon colours to our boats
        that reads something like: "Little mistakes can kill ya!" or "There
        are no 'little' mistakes!"




    Craig wrote:


      Little mistakes and complacency. Remember that this all took place
within
      100 feet of my home where I paddle 4 or 5 times a week all summer long.
In
      Puget Sound I would have never considered tennis shoes (or anything
other
      than my paddling shoes). But the mindset was a quick paddle, back in 30
      minutes.

      It's often not the obviously dangerous places that kill you because you
      prepare for those (if you're smart, at least). It's the places that lull
you
      into not even thinking about any danger that you have to be doubly on
your
      toes. For me, entrapment has always been one of the scariest dangers in
      kayaking. I just didn't recognize the signs that, in retrospect, should
have
      been obvious.

      On the plus side, I'm pretty sure I can do a hand roll now. That's
something
      I'm going to practice.  :)


      Craig Jungers
      Moses Lake, WA
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