Re: [Paddlewise] Sea Kayaker - Feb

Personally, I am not all that worried about being run down by  
sailboats going 5 knots. While they are quiet and may sneak up behind  
you, their closing rate is gradual if you are paddling 3 or 4 knots  
yourself. A 1 or 2 knot approach give plenty of time for everyone  
involved to notice a possible collision and take the necessary evasive  
action. Remember that kayaks are quiet and hear most boats coming from  
some distance and it doesn't take a whole lot of paddling to get out  
of the way.

While  the fact that a kayak is not visible through powerful  
binoculars is worrisome from the Search and Rescue perspective, I am  
not worried by it from a collision perspective. Half a mile is quite a  
distance for a kayak to get out of the way. And again, if a captain  
can not see a low lying object that may endanger his vessel in time to  
avoid it, he is traveling at an unsafe speed. I don't accept the  
proposition that the operator of a 30' may have too much to keep track  
of. If the task of keeping track of what is in their path becomes too  
burdensome they should slow down they are already beyond their ability  
to operate safely. If a sailor can not see what is in his path, that  
is not the fault of whoever is in the way, it is purely the  
responsibility of the sailor to make more of an effort to see better.  
There is no color bright enough for a kayaker to be seen through a  
spinnaker, the sailor must maintain sufficient watch to overcome their  
own blind spots. The fact that sails are large and opaque doesn't not  
give the sailor a pass to avoid basic responsibility. If a sailer can  
not do this, it is the sailor who is doing something dangerous, not  
the kayaker.

I don't mean to imply that a large commercial vessel should be able to  
see and avoid a kayak. Large ships are restricted in their ability to  
maneuver and have a reasonable expectation that their course will be  
kept clear. It is completely incumbent on kayakers to keep out of  
their way. But if anyone operating a recreational vessel or small  
fishing boat operating in open water, who can not steer clear of any  
17' long floating object, is in no position to accuse kayakers of  
operating dangerously. Even if there were no kayaks on any body of  
water, the ability to steer around hard-to-see floating obstacles is a  
basic safety requirement. Hard-to-see objects are common on the water  
with other small boats, logs, buoys, and rocks being just a few. If  
the larger boats are operated in a safe manner kayaks will have  
absolutely no problem keeping well out of their way.

BTW, how often do collisions with kayaks occur? I have never heard of  
a vessel actually hitting and killing a sea kayaker.  I'm sure it does/ 
will happen, but it is a rare occurrence.
Nick

On Jan 28, 2009, at 8:09 AM, Mike Euritt wrote:
>
> You are correct in
> your observation, but even in a slow moving sailboat we kayakers are  
> all but
> invisible. I won't even start the discussioin of how much more there  
> is to be
> aware of while captain of a 30'+ boat, but a kayak needs to rise  
> above a lot
> of distraction to be noticed, even at a sailing speed of 5 knots.
>
>

Nick Schade

Guillemot Kayaks
54 South Rd
Groton, CT 06340
USA
Ph/Fx: (860) 659-8847
http://www.guillemot-kayaks.com/
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