Re: [Paddlewise] Dress for water temp, not air temp - ummmmmmmm

On Mon, Mar 16, 2009 at 6:48 AM, Martin, Jack <martin.jack_at_solute.us> wrote:

>
> Do you really know how much time that is?  Have you ever tested your
> gear and your capacity to remain functional in cold water?  On your own
> and 200 meters offshore isn't the best time for acquiring that kind of
> knowledge.
>

I am a proponent of the Dave Kruger system of cold water avoidance. If the
water temperature is below about 80F then I'm not going to go (willingly)
into it. I once went into Puget Sound at Cornet Bay (just inside Deception
Pass) when I leaped off the bow of a friend's boat with the bow line in my
hand just as the skipper put the boat into reverse. Despite total immersion
I was out of the water so quickly that my wallet (in my back pocket) didn't
even get damp. People watching the performance told me that they had
experienced their own epiphany over this event. I understand there remains a
secret druid shrine at Cornet Bay dedicated to "he who scrambles on water".

But on a more serious note, I'm sure that knowing you only have 45 minutes
or so at a certain water temperature is a handy reference but I'm not quite
so sure of its value to you as you float there next to your kayak 200 meters
offshore. Unless, of course, you know you can tow your kayak to shore in
whatever time is available to you. Otherwise a paddler will simply have to
deal with getting back into his/her kayak just as they have, no doubt,
practiced on many occasions.

The key is to not dilly-dally around, to practice enough so that your
re-entry is second nature, and to dress for immersion using equipment that
is available. Otherwise, as Kruger already pointed out, stay home. I have
not always followed this advice but I'm just a slow learner.

In my gear kit I have both pogies and gloves and I know that there are a lot
of paddlers who like pogies (which are essentially mittens that fasten on
the paddle shaft... one simply inserts a hand into them) because you get
good contact with the paddle shaft. But in cold water your hands - which for
me are the very first things to feel the cold - will be trying to get you
back into your boat and not inserted into those warm pogies. Because of this
I have always preferred gloves. But even gloves may not be adequate. I know
I prefer gloves that give me good contact and feeling and these tend to be
made of thinner material. Two weeks ago, paddling in water that froze over
that night, I discovered that my hands got really cold even with my gloves
on. And this was just with incidental immersion in the water; not prolonged.

So, with all due respect to the people who have dedicated themselves to
testing just how long they can remain functional in cold water, I'm going to
trust their results and not spend much time lollygagging about in cold
water. I'm going to wear the clothing that will allow me to wade into the
water and "burp" my drysuit without feeling the cold. If that chills me at
all I'm going to add a layer under the drysuit. I will wear gloves that are
adequate to the conditions and I'll test them by dangling my hands in the
water for a few minutes before I set out on a paddle. If my hands chill from
that then I'm either not going to go or I'm going to get warmer gloves.

I know that about this time of year a lot of us who live in places where it
gets really cold in the winter get antsy to go paddling again. This means we
have to deal with the warming air temperatures of spring combined with the
water temperatures left over from winter. This combination kills a few
paddlers every year and I'd rather not be one of them. So I take it
seriously when I'm contemplating paddling on water that was ice a short
while ago and might be again soon.


Craig Jungers
Moses Lake, WA
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