Hi, Nice follow-up article about the tragic death of the two youngsters: http://www.pressherald.com/news/experts-see-kayak-trips-tragic-end-as-reminder_2010-05-19.html A number of years ago we, the wife and I, ended up in almost freezing sea water of the West Coast in Sweden, and were about as much tyros as these two girls, but we had a few advantages: People heard us, and aided us, just in time, and we had good clothes on, plus thick motorbike gloves and fleece hats on. Our means of communication (a phone) floated away with the boat, so you need to carry such items on your body, or in an easily detachable waterproof bag on the deck, that you can grab when you need it! Having a warm hat on prevents the gasping reflex so many of us have, when we dip our heads in cold water - we didn't know that, so it was just pure chance that we had them on! Thanks again, and well written! Tord S Eriksson ======================= This I wrote the day it happened (the water was officially colder than I wrote then): Hi all, I recently praised the stuff from Chillcheater in the UK, and today it definitely saved my life, and my wife's! While paddling in +5C waters near our home, we somehow turned topsy-turvy and were for a few secs totally immersed in the icecold water. Slowly the Chillcheater dry cag, and dry trousers, filled with water, but it was actually after getting onto a little reef the cold really took hold - it is now a few degrees below freezing, so maybe it was 5-7 degrees then. The kayak drifted downwind while we tried to raise help from the shore - eventually a fishing boat, piloted by a veteran 76 years old, who had scuttled thrice in his 62 years as a fisherman - once he was the sole survivor! He expertly manouvred his boat close to us and we could just step onboard, not much strength left by then. With the aid of a guy in a small open boat we managed to take the folding kayak, that had drifted a half a nautical mile downwind, on tow. Getting the waterfilled boat out of the water proved to be a major problem, so we'll invest in an electric bilge pump as soon as possible! But we eventually got it out, after my wife had pumped a few hundreds of water out of it - I was just too shaky to do much just then. She sat there with her feet immersed in the freezing water, pumping and pumping! Eventually she was too cold to do any more, and with the help of bystanders we got it out. All stuff were eventually retrieved, some more soggy than other - the remote for the car alarm to the car died totally, so we had to get a spare, in the other end of town, which took a lot of time, of course! So, we are still in one piece, totally thanks to Chillcheater in Devon, UK! Yours, Tord ========================= PS Yes, we did later invest in all things we could think of: VHF, GPS, flares, rockets, plus basic emergency equipment, so that we can make a fire, a repair kit, and so on, all packed in a bright yellow, watertight bag, that just needs a tug to release from the deck! No, we haven't ended up in the water again :-)! *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
Tord wrote: > Hi, > > Nice follow-up article about the tragic death of the two youngsters: > > http://www.pressherald.com/news/experts-see-kayak-trips-tragic-end-as-reminder_2010-05-19.html That is a well-done article. The folks quoted in the article are saying all the right things, to wit: > "Assess risks before going out and be prepared for what can and does go > wrong on the water," said Al Johnson, regional safety specialist for the > U.S. Coast Guard. "In the world of paddle sports, one should dress for > immersion." The disconnect occurs at decision time to launch, when someone elects to get on the water unprepared for the conditions. There is no magic bullet which will eliminate these deaths; the best that can be done is to reduce the number. I suspect prominent, clear signage at popular launch spots might be one effective way to capture the attention of folks new to the sport, or ones unaware of the hidden hazards. Locally, the US Power Squadron folks, in conjunction with marine safety officials (OR State Marine Board; Clatsop County Marine Patrol; Stearns and other PFD manufacturers) have set up signs and free life jackets in a box labeled "Protect Your Kid" (or, similar), to reduce the fatality rate due to drowning on the Columbia River, and on local lakes. This is a statewide program, and I suspect in other states as well. Having the specific safety item at the launch site present in vivid form is about as good as you can get, I think. Of course, the two young women who died needed more than just a couple of PFD's; they needed some horse sense and better judgment -- those are more ephemeral and harder to induce through the hard skulls of folks new to serious marine conditions. We won't get them all, but we can get some of them. In the case of the free PFD's for kids, the life jacket manufacturers are major players. I imagine they can be tapped to help with funding for added signage. Paddling clubs could take a proactive stance on this by contacting the local marine safety officials (typically, through the county sheriff) and pushing for signage. If nothing else, we would buy credibility when (not if) restrictions on paddling on hazardous waters are proposed in the state legislature. I hope that last part motivates. -- Dave Kruger Astoria, OR *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
Hi Folks, I know this has been asked here before, but time moves on and new products come out, and I still haven't bought one yet, hence my questions. The time has come to spend some money on a light to carry in my buoyancy vest, and I'm interested in what other paddlers are using. What I need is; LED, WaterPROOF, AA battery powered, small enough to fit in pocket, not so expensive I'll have to sell a kayak. I had looked at headtorches, but most are not as waterproof as I want, so I'm looking more at diving lights. My need was sparked by seeing red and green lights approaching at speed a couple of days ago, when I didn't expect to see another boat. I had enough gear on my buoyancy vest to call in everything short of an air strike, but I didn't have the legally (and common sense) required "white light to show in time to prevent collision". Thoughts? On another note, I've just been out for a play, a really filthy day with no danger of any other craft being out :-) A grunt up into the wind, then turn and surf home, being mugged by a couple of 40kt + gusts. http://www.lpc.co.nz/RP.jasc?Page=LPCWeatherNetApp&Node=N168P0 Sat on a low brace and surfed sideways in the spray, laughing about the poor suckers at work. Cheers JKA John Kirk-Anderson Banks Peninsula New Zealand *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
On Sun, Jun 6, 2010 at 9:29 PM, John Kirk-Anderson <jka_at_netaccess.co.nz>wrote: > > What I need is; LED, WaterPROOF, AA battery powered, small enough to fit in > pocket, not so expensive I'll have to sell a kayak. > Most of us feel that the RPG we carry to ward off jet ski attacks will work in a pinch for almost any attack by a powered vessel. :) > > I had looked at headtorches, but most are not as waterproof as I want, so > I'm looking more at diving lights. > > Is a diving light overkill for this application? More importantly, will a diving light - that is, a light made to be used underwater by divers - work at all? In the "old days" some diver's lights needed to be kept under water for cooling purposes. You probably don't need your light to be waterPROOF but just water resistant (unless you plan to use it for diving. For a deck light on my kayak I look for water resistant first, then size, then brightness. After those are determined (usually by comparing the units) I might go for battery commonality (no specialty batteries... stick with "D", "AA" or "AAA"), number of LEDs, availability of color filters, etc. Water Resistance: Like our cameras, the deck light only need to survive a couple of minutes in water only a few feet deep. Size: Depending upon where we live, some of us paddle with gloves and some never have a need to paddle with gloves. If you paddle with gloves you should buy a product that can be turned on and off easily with gloves and can be held securely. A lanyard attachment is almost always available for these lights. I've noticed some lights with specialty batteries that have interesting physical characteristics but, in general, I like a standard flashlight or electric torch size with a switch that's well protected from the elements. Brightness. Well, here's the rub. LED flashlight manufacturers, for some reason, would prefer you base your buying decision on their specifications; which are cleverly designed to not be comparable with any other LED manufacturers' specs. They may say "5 bright LEDs" which would be nice if all LEDs were the same output; which they aren't. Or they might only indicate "takes 2 AA batteries" which is meaningless all by itself. Or give you some number for "effective range". What you really want is "lumens" or, failing that, watts (which can still be problematic). If you cannot get a spec on an LED light in lumens or watts go on to the next light unless you can test that unit. In the USA the Campmor catalog offers a large assortment of LED lights most of which are rated in both lumens and watts. This makes it handy for comparison. You do want a light that the operator on the other vessel can see but you don't want one that blinds him/her for ten minutes after you flash it. How much brightness is enough? For our purposes anything over about 30 lumens should be sufficient. We are not necessarily trying to light up a sea wall here. In watts... somewhere around 2 to 4. Filter? I lose filters unless I glue or silicone them into place which pretty much renders that light useful only for something that requires that filter. I have a smaller LED light which I carry in my PFD that has a permanent red filter. I prefer to use this for reading charts or notes, checking the compass, etc. I also prefer to use this to check the GPS at night instead of using the built-in light of the GPS. For one thing the backlight of some GPS units is white (bad for night vision) and for another it draws down the GPS' internal battery which you might need for navigation as the trip continues. I use a smaller (less than 10 lumen) LED light for this because even a red light can blind you if it's too bright. Batteries. We've talked about avoiding "specialty" batteries that you can only get from the manufacturer or some specialty stores handling that device. Most of the time you want Lithium batteries because they have a good shelf life and they also provide more output (voltage). The downside to Lithium is that they do not fade down to nothing.... they die suddenly. If a light is offered in 3-AAA battery configuration is will likely be brighter than one offered in 2-AA configuration; all other things being equal. In general more batteries equals more voltage equals more brightness (but not necessarily more light over a longer period of time). I'm sure others on the list will have even better suggestions. > > A grunt up into the wind, then turn and surf home > Isn't that just the greatest thing some times? I showed this to 9-year-old Hailey last month. We hid under the freeway bridge while the wind howled up the lake pushing waves through the bridge. I showed her how I like to paddle a couple of yards into the wind and then turn, catch the waves as they start to feel the bottom and then ride them through the bridge. She could not get her boat to turn into the wind... so she backpaddled and then surfed them forwards. Smart kid!!! Craig Jungers Moses Lake, WA www.nwkayaking.net *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
> LED, WaterPROOF, AA battery powered, small enough to fit in > pocket, not so expensive I'll have to sell a kayak John I like wearing a LED headlamp when kayaking at night - even if only round my neck. There is little chance of losing it OB, I always know where it is, I can pull it up to my forehead and then easily 'aim' it while retaining full paddle 'dexterity'. Once I had convinced myself that I could achieve sufficient brightness - for the desired visibility, I retired the hand-held torch. The LED world advances almost daily, so there is always a 'new & better' just round the corner. What Craig was saying about 2 or 3 AA cells (more cells = brighter light) is true for the inexpensive end of the market. Better lights contain a very efficient DC:DC converter to regulate the current (for constant brightness) and optimise the power from a draining set of cells. So, such circuitry allows any number of cells (even 1) to give a specified & constant brightness - you just trade weight for duration. Christchurch is home to a very competent Adventure-Racing light supplier - but their products run to many 100s of $US - which is probably overkill for what you want. Fun to look at state-of-the-art though: http://www.nightlightning.co.nz There is also a delightfully mad bugger in the UK - known as Troutie - who keeps inventing incredible lights that rival car high-beams. These are mostly aimed at the (mountain) biking community, but one found its way into NZ last year for use by the madman who kite-surfed/boarded (whatever they call it) from Auckland to Russell in the annual overnight sailing race (that distance took me 6 days to kayak). So Troutie's lights can certainly be made waterproof enough for us to kayak with. Interview with the Trout here: http://www.bikeradar.com/news/article/interview-bike-light-maker-chris-hadaw ay--25238 OK, neither of those is really what you asked for. So, some real suggestions - in order of rising $ and capabilities: Silva Ranger - 75gm, 34 lumen, 20hrs, IPX7 (1m for 30mins), 1AA http://www.silva.se/en/Products/Mobile-Lighting/Ranger (About 70 $NZ in NZ - probably not called Silva in the USA) Fenix HL20 - 50gms, 4-105 lumen, 1.8-56 hrs, IPX8 (2m for 30mins), 1AA http://www.fenixlight.com/viewnproduct.asp?id=64 (About 40 $US - probably have to airmail it into NZ) Fenix HP10 - 120gms, 7-225 lumen, 2.5-210 hrs, IPX8 (2m for 30mins), 4AA http://www.fenixlight.com/viewnproduct.asp?id=49 (About 70 $US - 110 $NZ on TradeMe) Have fun & remember that in 3 months this will all be ancient history ;-) Best Regards Paul Hayward, New Zealand *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
> So, some real suggestions - in order of rising $ and capabilities: > > Silva Ranger - 75gm, 34 lumen, 20hrs, IPX7 (1m for 30mins), 1AA > http://www.silva.se/en/Products/Mobile-Lighting/Ranger > (About 70 $NZ in NZ - probably not called Silva in the USA) > Thanks Paul, I like the look of the Silva, I'll find one to fondle. Anyone out in Paddlewise-land have any experience, the web is light (groan!) on reviews. Craig, you suggested that I didn't need a waterproof light and that a water resistant unit would be sufficient. I'm an ex-infantryman and the test of any equipment was to make it "Grunt Proof", so I really, really do need it to be robust. Made of titanium and with no switches, or ways of actually getting into it, would be a good start. I even broke a Claymore Mine in half once, but that's another story! On the matter of Jetski destruction, I must admit that I'm a little disappointed by the muted response from what is a predominantly US audience.I would have expected that by now there would be many posts on calibres, projectiles, sighting systems etc. :-) I must just read the wrong magazines! Cheers JKA John Kirk-Anderson Banks Peninsula New Zealand *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
On Tue, Jun 8, 2010 at 2:58 PM, John Kirk-Anderson <jka_at_netaccess.co.nz>wrote: > > > > On the matter of Jetski destruction, I must admit that I'm a little > disappointed by the muted response from what is a predominantly US > audience.I would have expected that by now there would be many posts on > calibres, projectiles, sighting systems etc. :-) > > I think they've all gone to FaceBook. Craig Jungers Moses Lake, WA www.nwkwyaking.net *************************************************************************** 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 followed your advice Paul, as usual, and bought a Silva Ranger. It arrived today so I'll have a play and report back. Cheers JKA John Kirk-Anderson Banks Peninsula New Zealand > So, some real suggestions - in order of rising $ and capabilities: > > Silva Ranger - 75gm, 34 lumen, 20hrs, IPX7 (1m for 30mins), 1AA > http://www.silva.se/en/Products/Mobile-Lighting/Ranger > (About 70 $NZ in NZ - probably not called Silva in the USA) *************************************************************************** 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/ ***************************************************************************
On Mon 14 June, JKA said > I followed your advice Paul ...and bought a Silva Ranger Thanks John - hope you enjoy it. In responding to your question last week, it caused me to bring my own knowledge of the LED headlamp scene up-to-date. I had done a lot of research 6 months ago and I was pleased to see (last week) that the Fenix HP-10 had recently been re-released (after the manufacturer had withdrawn it for about 6 months). I also discovered that it was available locally, which was a bonus. Got one on Saturday and it exceeds expectations. Just exemplifies how some areas of technology do gallop along. It has 4 brightness levels and the lowest is comparable to the max output of my 8 year-old LED light. That old light got a lot of attention when new - my paddling buddies said it could be seen from a great distance and was a distinctive 'cold' white. I realised it was a getting bit 'beyond it' last year, when I paddled late into the night - going round D'Urville Island - and nearly tripped over a small island. At the time, the three of us were paddling a course towards a distant light, a Nav beacon at French Pass that we had identified as dusk fell (using deck compass & chart). We had the tide with us, no wind, some starshine, a moon due at mid-night and two GPSs with spare batteries - so we felt very happy that we were paddling within our capabilities. We had our headlamps on our heads - in case of need, but it was very unlikely that any other vessel would came along. It's not a busy area even by day. We were enjoying the company of a dolphin who was lazily zooming around just beneath us - trailing phosphorescence. The bugger had scared us rigid by appearing just behind us with a loud exhalation... We then became aware of gentle noises of a beach and birdsong. We all switched on our headlamps and picked out a small islet (size of half a tennis court) with a few trees and some roosting birds. I still don't know why they were awake so long after dusk. As we had initially expected to be coming past the area in daylight (the following day - after camping for the night), I had expected this islet to be very obvious and I had carelessly written a note on my chart right on top of it. Thus obscured, it was able to sneak up on us. Anyway, mine was the only headlamp that couldn't 'throw' far enough to see the island - and from then on I was looking for a replacement light. The new HP-10 will throw a good beam twice the length of a football field and weighs 20 grams less than my old headlamp (which will now be retired to the car - replacing a truly prehistoric Petzl). For those interested, the French Pass / D'Urville Island area is a stunning paddle and (IMO) even more varied and scenic than the rest of the Marlborough Sounds. http://www.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=french+pass,+new+ zealand&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=French+Pass,+Marlborough,+New+Zealand&ll=-40.88989 9,173.897438&spn=0.211007,0.373878&t=h&z=12 Best Regards Paul Hayward, Auckland, New Zealand *************************************************************************** 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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