Re: [Paddlewise] cold water boating training

Chuckster,

Any video of paddling in the Pacific Northwest is in fact, year round cold
water boating. I remember a couple of pals who I ran the White Salmon in south
central WA in August hot air temps of 90-95+ F. I wore my drysuit. The guys
who wore their *boaters shorts* and shorty dry tops froze their asses off when
they swam. The White Salmon is fed by glacial springs from lava tubes under
mount Adams. The water is all of 40F.

I still get involved in novice boater education once in a while and your
tri-fold about cold water survival will be in the next Washington Kayak Club
newbie series of WW clinics.I'm not a coach, but I like to keep up with the
new boaters enough to make new boaters old boaters. In my opinion Chuck, you
make a difference. What you do not know is how many people your mania* has
influenced and how many people those folks have influenced.

Cheers,

Rob G

* I know, I'm so PC. However, your issue is survival for kayakers in cold
water and you have done a great job of disseminating the facts and realities
of all kinds of kayaking, whitewater or salt water. I give you more credit
than you give yourself.

-----Original Message-----
From: skimmer <skimmer_at_enter.net>
To: nyckayaker_at_rockandwater.net; paddlewise_at_paddlewise.net
Sent: Fri, Jan 21, 2011 6:42 pm
Subject: [Paddlewise] cold water boating training


Hi All,

I have put this off for a long time, having a great reluctance to attack
this problem in a manner that might have some chance of changing minds in
the world of the numerous boating agencies that provide expertise to the
general public. To this point, I seem to have totally failed to have any
impact of any kind on these regulators. The message put out to the public is
"on cold water, wear a pfd!"  They refuse to discuss the cold water gear
that we all use as a matter of routine. Our message of adequate cold water
gear for cold water boating does not reach the vast majority of ordinary
boaters.

Without going into details here, do any of you have videos of paddlers
working on rescues in cold water-as for example in the "TEST YOUR GEAR" part
of cold water workshops that may be run by your clubs or peer groups? Do you
know of any U-TUBE or other on-line sites that present such demonstrations?

I will appreciate any information you may have on this subject.
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