Hypothermia? Sure, If You Survive That Long…
Published May 6, 2011 | 
I am slowing down / As the years go by
I am sinking
So I trick myself / Like everybody else
- the cure
Safety officials and paddling coaches spend a lot of time going on and on about hypothermia this time of year. You know that bit right? It’s where cold water sucks the heat from your body until you start making bad decisions, then become incapacitated and finally you drown. According to a fancy little chart we have available right here, in water between 40-50f, without the proper clothing, you have about 5 minutes before you start losing dexterity and just 1-3 hours to survive. Scary. Still though, that’s plenty of time to swim to the beach, right? Continue reading
Shake Down
Published May 4, 2011 | 
What a piece of work is man! How noble in
Reason! how infinite in faculties! in form and moving
how express and admirable! In action how like an Angel!
in apprehension how like a god!
While you may be tempted to look at your reflection in water and consider how angelic you are, sooner or later your toggle rope will break and all that wing-flappery will come crashing right back down to earth. As coaches, we tell folks all the time that they need to regularly check out the condition of their gear. Toggle ropes come up most often. Well… (see above). Yeah, but that wasn’t the worst of it. In addition to the broken toggle rope, the strap on my paddle-float tore in half and I lost a clip on my contact-tow. This all happened in the comfort and safety of home. I simply hadn’t done a serious spring inspection yet and figured I’d get by for a day. Bad choice. How like a god!! You can usually get by with these little inconveniences in a tiny lake without as much pause, however you can also see what sort of hell you could be in for if you take your weather worn gear out into more serious conditions. So.. for today.. If you’ve not done it yet. Check your gear. Rope, fabrics, rubber gaskets, and all that other stuff that goes from wet to dry regularly simply do not last all that long.
BTW.. that is ICE!
Great Students, New Boats, Harsh Winds
Published May 2, 2011 | 
If you’ve got the hutzpa to take a sea kayaking class in Wisconsin in April, you’re probably going to do OK. That’s been my experience every spring when I head down to Rutabaga to teach that first sea kayak course each year. It’s almost always cold and certainly wet. This time it was ridiculously windy as well. I can’t say this is my favorite time of year to teach. We find ourselves working around a lot of interference & distraction that we wouldn’t be facing once the season warms up and the weather settles down. On the upside though, the students that do show up this time of year are particularly keen to “just go for it”. Continue reading
Contaminated Iodine Prep Pads
Published April 29, 2011 | 
On March 18th of this year the FDA posted a recall of Iodine Prep Pads made by Wisconsin company, H&P Industries, due to possible contamination. Anyone showing adverse effects are encouraged to fill out a form. Assuming of course, that the adverse effects don’t prevent you from filling out the form! I became aware of the recall a couple of days back when I received new iodine prep pads from GearPods. I have to say, they are always on top of updates and fixes related to their products. I give them credit for that. Continue reading
Beer Buzz?
Published April 25, 2011 | 
The problem with ultra low-calorie beer is that it tastes like something akin to beer flavored mineral water. Add a lemon or lime and it’s not so bad! The trick with beer (or any alcohol) and boating is to leave the bottle closed until after you’re off the water. When it comes to kayaking, I’ll admit that a couple of times I’ve done it the other way round. That was enough to teach me what a stupid idea that was. Even a very slight buzz is enough to make you a sloppy, inefficient paddler. Not to mention inattentive and slow. I’m sorry, you need your reaction time on the water every bit as much as you need it on the road. It seems like someone is always giving speeches about how drinking and boating don’t mix. I’m not going to preach, I’m just going to say there’s no point. It’s no fun anyway. Save the beer the end of the day. Hopefully you don’t have to settle for low-cal!
Fun & Safety
Published April 9, 2011 | 
Seasons don’t fear the reaper / Nor do the wind, the sun or the rain..we can be like they are
Come on baby…don’t fear the reaper / Baby take my hand…don’t fear the reaper / We’ll be able to fly…don’t fear the reaper
Baby I’m your man… – BOC
Not only do I finally (And I mean FINALLY!) get to get out on my little local lake again, but I can get started on a great opportunity to promote paddling & paddling safety as well. As most of you know my local state park is just 3 miles from my home. Devil’s Lake State Park truly an amazing place by any standard, part of the national Ice Age Trail and the most popular state park in Wisconsin. Over a century ago caring and forward thinking people fought off continued privatization and development this natural wonder, and exactly 100 years ago Devil’s Lake State Park was officially opened. To celebrate the Friends of Devil’s Lake State Park are holding a “100 club” event where hikers, bikers and runners can earn a cool badge for doing 100 miles on the trails. Paddling was.. well, left out. I’ve got that one covered though! Continue reading
Preventable
Published June 11, 2010 | 
As I write this 16 year old Abby Sunderland is floating somewhere in the Indian ocean on a sailboat without a mast. Apparently she’s fine out there and will need to hold out another 24 hours or so for rescue. Here in Wisconsin, 9 year old Sofia Khan of Chicago was not so lucky. The search for her on Lake Michigan was suspended and reclassified as a recovery yesterday. Abby was in the middle of the ocean, alone, and taking on terrible risks. Sofia was with her family enjoying a day at the beach. Continue reading
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