Sea Kayak Trips Bulletin Board

Re: TR: Flathead Lake "Safe but Sorry"

Posted By: Shawn Baker
Date: Tuesday, 21 September 1999, at 7:57 p.m.

In Response To: Re: TR: Flathead Lake "Safe but Sorry" (lee)

> hi Shawn, enjoyable read,

Thanks-- someday the full Bigfork-to-Somers-to-Bigfork TR will appear here too!

> can't answer your questions directly , except maybe to ask:

> Have you practiced rolls and self-rescues in 55degree water,in the outfit
> you were wearing? And would that experience translate well after 12 miles
> of paddling with 4 to go? I don't think neoprene shorts,flares or other
> stuff makes one safer. I like to think of safety as being based on a
> foundation of judgement and skills, then environment, then equipment in
> descending order of importance.

Yes, I've done the rolls and self-rescues in 55* water (actually never have done self-rescue practice in warm water!) and in the outfit I was wearing. You raise a great point about being able to perform as well past the midpoint of the trip. I don't know if I could--I'll have to find out for sure next time--I'll go out 10 or 12 miles and try to roll when I'm back at the dock. If that's a "go" then I know I'm probably okay out to 16 or so miles.

I guess the judgement kept me safe. Skills are there, environment was good, but not all the proper equipment for backup.

> The thing that gets me is when I did stuff knowing that it was stupid,
> even though I had the skills and had the equipment.

Like my full first year of paddling...I guess I'm alive to tell the tale of how _not_ to do it!

> ps. it's getting cooler here, I'm looking for a rubbery polartec type of
> beanie that I lost last spring,folded up it fits in a pfd pocket,won't

Sorry, haven't seen it! ;)

> blow off, and probably would do as much or more than neoprene shorts to
> retain heat. I was surprised to find out that one of those storm whistles
> blown really hard can make your ears ring, but a paddler 100yds away may
> not hear it, now my whistle on a string has a small airhorn on it.

I've heard those airhorns don't work when wet--the moisture freezes when the freon comes shooting out--might check to make sure.

Thanks for your input, Shawn

Messages In This Thread

TR: Flathead Lake "Safe but Sorry"
Shawn Baker -- Monday, 20 September 1999, at 12:49 p.m.

Re: TR: Flathead Lake "Safe but Sorry"
Robert Woodard -- Monday, 20 September 1999, at 6:37 p.m.

Re: TR: Flathead Lake "Safe but Sorry"
Shawn Baker -- Tuesday, 21 September 1999, at 9:51 a.m.

Re: temp. charts
lee -- Tuesday, 21 September 1999, at 3:44 p.m.

Re: TR: Flathead Lake "Safe but Sorry"
lee -- Tuesday, 21 September 1999, at 3:34 p.m.

Re: TR: Flathead Lake "Safe but Sorry"
Shawn Baker -- Tuesday, 21 September 1999, at 7:57 p.m.

Re: airhorn
lee -- Monday, 27 September 1999, at 10:33 a.m.

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