Tiny Boats, Big Sea
Published July 14, 2011 | 
Pictured Rocks National Lake Shore on Lake Superior is an amazing place to paddle. In fact, you can see a couple of paddlers in the picture I took today from above Miner’s Castle near Munising, MI. It’s great to see people out enjoying the view and taking part in the sport of sea kayaking… but let’s take a closer look … Continue reading
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
Ice Out
Published April 6, 2005 | Insert an insightful lyric from “Consolation in E Major” here.
On April 3rd the water was solid. By the afternoon of the 4th leads had opened up to the middle of the lake. Yesterday the 5th, the lake was clear of everything but drift. Gryphon and I spent a couple hours walking along the shore and watching the loons diving for long forays under the water and then coming back to the surface a good distance from where they went under. Last year we had an ice island floating on the center of the lake for days on end. Today, I have to try to get my work done by 4 pm so I can get the boats loaded and be out on the water by 5. It’s great to think of getting out on the water in terms of minutes again. Joy! Rapture!
Everyone wants to get out and paddle this time of year. If you are a water person it’s only natural. But again it’s time to review the effects of hypothermia. Something very obvious to us year-round folks but often is forgotten on a 70 degree spring day in Wisconsin. Don’t forget that water is cold! I’d like to see everyone have a nice swim in the gear they plan to go paddling in before they go out. If after spending about 10 minutes in the water in your gear and you still feel like paddling, then jump in your boat. No one “plans” on falling out. I’m always amazed when some one says to me something like, “well, I’m not planning on getting in the water.” Yikes! I’m not planning on ever getting in a car accident either so let’s skip the seat belt and airbags. . . .
Sorry, just nagging again. 
For review, see the Hypothermia Table and Symptoms of Hypothermia in the Handout section of the site. Even though I think I know this stuff I still review it myself.
cheers!
Oysters
Published February 28, 2005 |
I wrote and re-wrote this post looking ways to not to bring you down. It’s certainly not my intent. I want to give you a good answer to your question. But in the end I have to give you the correct answer and not necessarily the answer you want. Forgive me for this, but a beginner just should NOT be on the water this time of year. There really is no flexibility. This is what I would tell my own family members. The only exception would be if you took a drive to Lake Columbia in Portage, WI. This lake is heated by a power plant and is very warm. Even here you will learn very quickly what wet skin feels like in cold air. Never paddle in water you are not willing to swim in. The point is “beginner” and cold water just don’t mix. It’s just too risky and who wants to kill themselves over a hobby anyway??
Experienced sea kayakers will go out this time of year but we wear a drysuit that will actually keep water off us. Then we wear wicking clothing under the drysuit. Then we also back up this with a bunch of emergency gear. We plan for the worse and hope we never need it. Anything less than a drysuit is too much risk. I know guys go out fishing all the time in row boats and motorboats without dry gear. But note too that most hypothermia deaths among kayakers are new or inexperienced kayakers. They just should not have been out there. I have read various accident reports already this year where inexperienced kayakers have needlessly died due to poor choices. It’s very sad but good people die every year and they just don’t understand the risks they take.
So please, for now, put your kayaks in the living room and sit in the cockpits and watch TV for the time being. (I did that with my first boat) In fact why not get a copy of “This Is The Sea” or other kayaking videos to get the feel for it. Then take a lesson either from Rutabaga, myself or other certified instructor. Give yourself an extra safety margin while you learn, then after you have more experience you can decide if you want to invest in dry gear and explore the winter wonderland by water.
All the best!
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