Safely caching by KAYAK during the winter.
Posted: Sat Jan 09, 2016 6:21 pm
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.
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.