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Safely caching by KAYAK during the winter.

Posted: Sat Jan 09, 2016 6:21 pm
by thewoodenradio
Kayak caching, though exciting and satisfying, can be hazardous. Stay safe!

In COLD months (that includes cool months) be sure to prepare for cold water, The following is Cold Weather Guidelines by Chesapeake Kaking Adventures. (CKA)

"The kayaking community has tried over the years to come up with some cookie cutter rules that tell you at what point you need to wear what and some of them are pretty good generalizations but there are few if any of them that are true 100% of the time. There are many variables to consider but one reasonably good rule is that you need cold water attire when the water temps drop below 60 degrees. When water temps in the area hit 60 degrees or below, cold water attire will be required on all CKA paddles.

There are two things that happen prior to hypothermia setting in that kill people long before they ever have a chance to become hypothermic. The first is cold water shock and the second is cold water incapacitation. Cold water shock is instant and cold water incapacitation takes as little as two minutes.

The best thing that I've been able to find to make sense of it all is a video from the U.S. Coast Guard's "Cold Water Bootcamp" featuring Dr. Popsicle. Dr. Popsicle says Coast Guard statistics indicate that 40% of boating accidents that occur in water below a seemingly warm 59 degrees are fatal. Falling out of your kayak is a boating accident. The odds get worse as the water gets colder.

When you're paddling always dress for the water temperature, not the air temperature. Always wear a PFD especially in cold water, even if you're an Olympic class swimmer. That cold water attire that I'm asking you to wear just might buy you the extra couple of minutes it takes to save your life."

Me: I'd like another Kayak FTF, but I 'll wait till late April or May before I tackle a kayak cache - or any other kayaking. Until I invest in a Wetsuit.

Stay warm, stay dry, stay alive - long enough to log your cache.

Re: Safely caching by KAYAK during the winter.

Posted: Sun Jan 10, 2016 8:51 am
by Sue-Cat
:smt023

A good reminder. I'm sure many cachers don't realize how quickly debilitating cold water is on muscles.

I've seen a group of kayakers dressed for winter kayaking on the James River, VA... it looked substantial and I believe dry-suits are what's needed for safety in cold water temps, rather than wet-suits.

Ice safety Re: Safely caching by KAYAK during the winter.

Posted: Wed Jan 13, 2016 11:45 pm
by thewoodenradio
Here is a link to surviving on Icy Waters. It's not often that it's cold enough in the Mid-Atlantic states for lakes, rivers or the Bay to freeze solid, but we often get some ponds or lakes iced over. Most of the time lately it has been only an inch or two, and we don't venture out more than a foot or two before thin ice chaces us back to shore. But if the wather is cold enough for long enough the ice does get thick enough to support us. I've cross country skied and showshoed on Deep Creek Lake and have noticed some thin places in the ice, and stayed well clear of them.

However a cache on an island in a pond or lake may be tempting but unwise. The temptation may be too strong to keep dedicated cachers from attempting the find. Read the following link before taking the "Plunge" It focuses on Kayaking and Canoeing but surviving a plunge into ice filled water applies to everyone no matter how they get into that situation.

And here's the link: http://www.paddling.net/guidelines/show ... l?show=920

As I said in my first post here, Stay Alive, Stay Dry, Stay Warm at least till you can get home and log the find :)

Re: Safely caching by KAYAK during the winter.

Posted: Tue Jan 19, 2016 5:38 pm
by nighthawk700
Brrrrrr!!!! I think I'll just wait until mid to late Spring. But still, an interesting read, thanks!