Are You Ready For Winter Boating? Find out at New York Kayak Company, Saturday, 10/18/2014

Proxigean Paddle - January 2010, possibly still my coldest paddle ever! 

Well goodness gracious, it's felt like summer again for the last couple of days here in NYC, but the flaming maple tree I see outside of my window every morning says, "Nope, it's still Fall", and (groan) that means winter is right around the corner.

Does that mean the NYC paddling season is coming to an end, though? Nope, no way, no how. A lot of people do hang up their sprayskirts (or move indoors to the various pool sessions) for the winter, but it is absolutely possible to keep going through the entire winter if you have the right gear, skills, and knowledge. Interested, but not sure? This is a great time to find out as outfitters will frequently hold cold-water workshops this time of year.

The first of those that I've heard about this season, as announced on the NYCKayaker moderated email list,  is coming up this Saturday at New York Kayak Company, located on the south side of Pier 40, which is right at the Hudson River end of Houston Street. This one's got an unusual spin as Randy's Kokatat rep is also the area's GoPro rep, so it's going to be a combination winter paddling and GoPro for SUP and kayak workshop. The fun starts at 11 am. Bring your own booties if you want to go swimming. The workshop is free but Randy would appreciate RSVP's at 212-924-1327.

Here's Randy's full announcement: 

When: Saturday, October 18th at 11 AM

Where: New York Kayak Co. at Pier 40

What: Tom Harsh represents Kokatat and Go Pro. This Saturday he will be coming to New York Kayak Co. to discuss how to dress for off season paddling. As days grow shorter and temps fall, Kokatat makes it easy to manage challenges to safety, comfort and performance. Tom Will also be presenting an Introduction to Go Pro for SUP and Kayak.

Join us to see and feel the apparel, and hear what Tom has to say about dressing for maximum enjoyment of your off season paddling opportunities. Topics will include strategies for avoiding hypothermia, proper layering, and material selection. We will examine the differences between various wet and dry items and how to select the garments that best suit both your off season paddling goals and budget.

Have you ever worn a dry suit? This is your chance to not only try one on, but people who BRING THEIR OWN IMMERSION FOOTWEAR and sign a waiver can see what its like to go for a short swim in a dry suit - it’s really fun! Additionally, attendees will receive10% off all Kokatat items - even our over-stock dry suits, jackets and PFDs here at the shop that are already on sale! We are overstocked in size small for both men and women - so if that’s your size, now is the time to get a dry suit! In addition to dry suits made for kayaking, we have lighter paddling suits specially made for SUP and surf ski paddling, and a few made specially for kayak fishing.

This is also a great opportunity to learn how to use a Go Pro. We can combine the demos so you can take a camera into the water.

Apparel discussion will begin promptly at 11, and Go Pro will start at 12. Please spread the word and call the number below to reserve your spot today. Hope you can join us!

Randall Henriksen 
New York Kayak Co. 
Pier 40, Hudson River Park

www.nykayak.com

Winter Paddling is Fun. Penguin Hats Optional.

Cold Water Kills - But First It Makes You Into A Total Silly Geek!

Or at least it made ME into one. I mean seriously, everybody else looks pretty good, but what a doofus I was!

But there's nothing wrong with being a little goofy the first time you try something, and dang it was fun!

The lady beside me is actually a co-worker - the Bears meet at the NY Aquarium's Education Hall and she came running up and said "I work with you but you don't recognize me because we're not at work!", which cracked me up because IT'S SO TRUE - I'm sometimes shocked at how hard I have to work to place someone when I meet them outside of places where I expect to meet them. She turns out to be a veteran Polar Bear, and one of the brave people who volunteer at the famous annual New Year's Day plunge at Coney Island - that's how this troupe gives back, they organize that whole thing.

Boy, some of the Polar Bear women had cute suits. If I'd planned this better I might have gotten a replacement for this Tyr I've had forever, but as I rhymed yesterday, this was a swim on a whim.

The guy who tell me to scream was one of a number of people who were giving me suggestions - I got there a full hour early and so obviously full of nerves and everyone I talked to was really nice about hints on how to do this and have fun. This guy said "If you want to scream, just scream!". There was absolutely no competitiveness - I was told go in as much or as little as I wanted to, just being there and enjoying it was the main thing. Great stuff.

Here was my writeup on YouTube:

Pardon the HEINOUS camera work, this was my first cold-water swim without a drysuit EVER - with all the whooping and hollering, I figured I would hit "record" and see what I got, but my attention was far from entirely on the camera! 

This was a fun personal experiment, I've participated in so many cold-water safety talks but never really tried actually dunking myself in water under fifty. It was actually a lot of fun, but the 10 part of the 1-10-1 rule (1 minute to get your breathing under control, 10 minutes of meaningful activity, 1 hour until you are probably not going to make it) definitely held true for me. The shaking was more the inherited shake that I have that gets exacerbated by stress or excitement (oddly enough, the cold shake actually set in the worst later on, after I was out of the water), and my hands didn't stop working because they just weren't really in the water much, but just after the 2nd traditional circle-up, which happens at 10 minutes, I suddenly began to feel lightheaded, which my friend Capri (aka the Polar Bear Princess, she's one of the most dedicated of the Bears) said is the sign that you need to get out immediately. Here, that just meant walking out of the water and bundling up, no problem - if I'd been away from shore trying to get back into my boat, I suspect that the point at which the spins set in would be the moment it would start to be very tricky to coordinate my efforts. 


Here with the Bears, though, it was all good fun! Glad they let me come play, what a great group.

Spring Boating safety: An idea for what to do when you find the unprepared preparing to launch

Looks like we've got another glorious spring weekend coming up here in the Northeast, one which will doubtless bring out the unwary boaters in droves.

I always feel like a bit of an idiot when I post my annual spring safety rant (see prior post) because I think most of the small group of people who read this blog already know what they're doing, but I always do it anyways just because you never know how people are going to stumble across this important information and I think that the more places it's lying around on the internet, the more likely it is to be found. So I make this one of the places every year. Just in hopes.

But this week I'm sharing something with much less hesitation.

What do you do when you go to your favorite launch site on a lovely soft spring day and find somebody getting ready to launch, wearing shorts and a t-shirt, with their lifejacket chucked in the bottom of their boat?

I've never actually run into that situation myself. I'm usually launching from Sebago, the club is committed to teaching members about boating safety, including cold-water boating, and so you very rarely see somebody setting out improperly dressed. But if I ever did, I think that I would try something that worked well for my friend Bob H. a few years back. He told me the story at the terrific Long Island Paddlesports Symposium that Elizabeth O'Connor used to run every March up until she moved to CT.  

 He'd gone for a paddle right before coming to the event (he turned up in full cold-water gear in fact) and as he returned to the beach two women had driven up with a canoe on their roof, wearing jeans and sweatshirts. He approached them and, as he told me when I asked him to refresh me memory of the story earlier this week, "I suggested that they place their hands in the water and note how long they could hold it until pain and/or lack of function ensued. I guess the sight of me in (dry)suit and hood underscored the point."

They left without even taking the canoe off the roof - a very good outcome.  

Although friends have laughed when I tell them this, I'm actually terribly uncomfortable with approaching strangers with safety suggestions. I would do it because as an educated boater and a kayak instructor, I feel like have an obligation to do so (plus I would feel absolutely horrible if I said nothing and then read about them in the paper the next day), but I really feel awkward when I do. This seems like a really nice non-confrontational way for even a shy person to get people to understand how cold the water still is right now and hopefully rethink their plans. 
A good idea and I thought I'd share it.

Cold Water Workshop, Saturday March 8th 2014 at the Small Boat Shop

Sorry for the short notice, just found out this week myself. This Saturday, March 8th, from 10:30 am to 3 pm,  the Small Boat Shop will be holding their annual Cold Water Safety Workshop at their shop in the Rex Marina, 144 Water Street, Norwalk, CT. Free, no reservations required!

If you're looking forward to Spring boating, and you're not already familiar with the significant hazards posed by cold water (including understanding that the sneaky thing about Spring boating is that the water stays dangerously cold LONG after the air has gotten invitingly warm), this would be an excellent workshop to attend.

We'll hopefully start seeing some warmer temperatures soon but the water got VERY cold this year and it will stay that way for a while. Spring is a fine time to be on the water if you take the proper precautions - a workshop like this is a great way to learn what you need to know.

The workshop will be broken into 2 sections; the "classroom portion" will be in the morning; they generally have represesentatives from the Coast Guard Auxiliary Norwalk and the Connecticut DEP boating division (Mark Chanski, who's participated in the excellent Cold Water Boot Camp video series and has some great first-hand stories), and TQ's going up to do a clothing talk.

After the morning discussions and videos, there's a short lunch break, then it's time for anyone who wants to to suit up and jump in the icy icy Norwalk River. This is why the SBS's workshop is my particular favorite - there are several shops in the tri-state area who do workshops in the Fall to get people ready for the winter, and they all do a good job, but this one's the only one where you put on the cold water gear and test it out in the conditions it's designed for. It is quite an experience!

This was the iciest I've been to so far, 2011. Photo by Ric Klinger, more from that day at the end. Great fun, but have to say it was nice to have hot showers and a warm shop just yards away!

We've participated in several of these (TQ lots more than me) and I always enjoy them. I can't make it this time due to a prior commitment to bloggers, photographers, and beer, but I did want to at least spread the word.

For more info on the Small Boat Shop, visit thesmallboatshop.com - just note that the Cold Water Workshop info there is old, left over from their originally planned date of February 15th, which had to be rescheduled due to one of the winter's numerous snowstorms.

The rest of Ric's pics from 2011. 

Cold-Water Workshop - This Saturday, 4/2/2011, Calf Pasture Beach, Norwalk, CT

Special Notice Tri-State Paddlers: Thinking about breaking out your boat right about now and not sure you know what you need to know for safe Spring Paddling? Please think about joining members of the USCG Auxiliary Norwalk, Flotilla 72, the Mayor of Norwalk, and others (see agenda below for all participants) at Calf Pasture Beach in CT this Saturday, 4/2/2011, for a fun and educational day.

Calf Pasture Beach on Google Maps

News Release Paddlesport Safety Workshop

Norwalk Mayor Richard A. Moccia is scheduled to join members of the USCG Auxiliary and paddlesport experts in a free safety workshop.

When: April 2, 2011: 10:00 AM – 3:00 PM

Where: USCG Auxiliary Base in Calf Pasture Beach Park, Norwalk

The American Canoe Association (ACA) and the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary have a Memorandum of Agreement to promote safety among those who use kayaks, canoes and other paddlecraft. The agreement establishes cooperative efforts, such as this workshop, to broaden outreach and education to the paddlesports community.

Paddlesports boating is one of the fastest growing recreation activities in the United States. In 2008 the Outdoor Industry Association reported that approximately 17.8 million people participated in paddlesports getting out on the water nearly 50,000 times daily. The explosive growth has triggered a disturbing increase in paddlesports injuries and fatalities. Often, with little investment inexperienced individuals are on the water without adequate paddlesport safety equipment or training.

The American Canoe Association and the Coast Guard Auxiliary are committed to reversing this trend. With input from the ACA a new Auxiliary Paddlesports America Course is now available nationwide complementing traditional safety courses that have been offered by ACA for decades. This classroom based training provides paddlers basic knowledge needed to safely operate their vessels including: knowing the paddlecraft, trip planning, safe operation, legal requirements, and paddling emergencies. The American Canoe Association and the Coast Guard Auxiliary will also reach out to paddlers through the paddlecraft vessel safety check program. Experts will talk with paddlers as they examine safety gear and provide personalized paddlesports safety guidance.

“The City of Norwalk is proud to continue our partnership with the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary as we continually strive to improve the boating safety experience for the recreational paddler.”- Norwalk Mayor Richard A. Moccia. “With this cooperative effort we will reach out to the growing population of paddlers providing needed training to keep them safe on the water” - Arthur Gottlieb Flotilla Commander of the USCG Auxiliary – Norwalk.

Agenda: Preliminary Agenda Paddlesports Workshop April 2, 2011 10:00 AM – 3:00 PM USCG Auxiliary Base in Calf Pasture Beach Park – Norwalk, CT
10:00 Welcome and Introductions - Arthur Gottlieb, Flotilla Commander USCG Auxiliary – Norwalk
10:10 Physiology of Cold Water Immersion by Captain Rande Wilson, USCG Licensed Master
10:30 Cold Water Boot Camp and Life Jackets by Captain Mark Chanski, Boating Safety Specialist, CT DEP (invited)
11:15 Questions and Answers, Break
11:30 Dress to Swim Demonstration by Tom Klinger, Public Education Specialist, The Small Boat Shop
12:00 Mayor Richard A. Moccia Dry Suit Fitting by Tom Klinger and Gaeton Andretta, The Small Boat Shop
12:30 Paddlers conduct kayak in water demonstrations (Chris Murphy, Tom Klinger and Bonnie Aldinger of The Small Boat Shop; Captain Mark Chanski, CT DEP).
1:00 Break
1:30 Paddlesports Program Overview by Ric Klinger, ADSO-Paddlesports, USCG Auxiliary District 1, SR
1:45 Paddlesports Safety Equipment by Windy Farnsworth, Vice Flotilla Commander, USCG Auxiliary - Norwalk
2:00 Vessel Safety Checks by Robert Talley, FSO-Vessel Examination, USCG Auxiliary Norwalk
2:30 Questions and Answers; Break

Sponsors:
CT Department of Environmental Protection, Boating Division
City of Norwalk
Town of Wilton
USCG Auxiliary District 1,
SR USCG Auxiliary Norwalk, Flotilla 72
The Small Boat Shop, Norwalk, CT
Captain Rande Wilson

Note - The Small Boat Shop is going to provide dry suits for paddlers to do in water demonstrations. Dry suits will be provided for those who wish to try them. Founded in 1880, the American Canoe Association (ACA) is a national nonprofit organization serving the broader paddling public by providing education related to the aspects of paddling, stewardship support to help protect paddling environments; and sanctioning of programs and events to promote paddlesport competition and recreation. For more information about the American Canoe Association visit http://www.americancanoe.org

The United States Coast Guard Auxiliary is the uniformed volunteer component of the United States Coast Guard created by an Act of Congress in 1939. The Auxiliary, America’s Volunteer Guardians, supports the Coast Guard in nearly all of the service’s missions. For more information about the Coast Guard Auxiliary visit http://www.cgaux.org

Spring Sermon Time Again!

Hmmm...warm days, cold water...must be about time for my annual Spring Boating Sermon, right?

Right!

This year's starts close to home (not my club, but definitely my stompin' grounds) and for once, I'm happy to report that there's a happy ending.

Stay tuned.

Small Boat Shop - Cold Water Workshop 2011 - this time, with lots of ice! (all photos by Ric Klinger of the SBS)

I forgot my camera, but here are some great shots of the annual Cold Water Boating workshop run by the The Small Boat Shop in Norwalk, CT, taken by Ric Klinger of the shop.

I always enjoy participating in this event, and this year was even cooler than usual - need proof? just look at all that ice! They always run this in the depth of winter because they want people to feel for themselves what the gear does & does not do for you - having ice to swim in just made it even better.

I hope to find time to do a bit more of a review, but I'm absolutely pooped after a beautiful but tiring paddle around the Norwalk Islands, need shower and sleep - but look what was on the front page of the Norwalk Sunday Hour today (I think you get one look before they want you to register, but if you want to read the whole article, it is free to do so).

Nice to see the cold-water message get some very good visibility in the press.

Why I'm Such A Fan of the NY State Lifejacket Law -

Because every spring in the Northeast, like clockwork, the beauty of these first nice weekends ALWAYS end up being marred with stories like this.

In NYS, boaters in pleasure craft less than 21 feet in length are still required to wear their lifejackets while out on the water. That holds true until May 1st. You can't say for sure that things would've ended differently, but the Delaware & Raritan Canal is a pretty placid body of water & I really think it's safe to say that if that young man had been wearing his lifejacket, he would've gone home with nothing worse than a funny story to tell at work today.

Story via the Hudson River Watertrail Association's NYCKayaker.

Upcoming Events - Thursday, Friday & Saturday

Event #1 - Thursday: Yikes! Sorry this is again a bit on the last-minute side but on Thursday, 3/18, my friends at the Yonkers Paddling & Rowing Rolling Club are pleased to offer an evening with famous expedition paddler Jon Turk, who will be speaking about his newest book, The Raven's Gift.

Beczak Environmental Center, Yonkers NY at 6 pm.

Sponsored by the Hudson River Watertrail Association, Yonkers Paddling and Rowing Club and the Beczak Environmental Center.

A $5 donation at the door, light refreshments will be served.
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Event #2 - Friday, 3/19: I ran into an old acquaintance who works at the South Street Seaport museum last night at the mapping meeting & she mentioned that they have a pretty interesting program on Friday. It's part of their Free Friday series -- always free, always fun!

South Street Seaport Museum’s Free Friday
Friday March 19, 2010
5-8 pm 12 Fulton Street

MEET THE WORKING WATERFRONT

Enormous numbers of both people and goods move across our harbor waters every day, yet the professionals who accomplish this often work behind the scenes. Meet port professionals, maritime engineers and other New York waterfront workers in person to hear their stories and enjoy a reception in their honor. Presentations at 6:30pm, ongoing reception between 5 and 8pm. Admission is free, but RSVP’s are appreciated to ensure adequate seating, 212-748-8786 or reservations@southstseaport.org
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Event #3 - Last but not least, on Satuday the 20th, there will be a cold water workshop at New York Kayak Company. Seriously - if you are in the NYC area, and you are looking at our fabulous forecast & thinking it might be very neat to throw on some jeans & a t-shirt, pull the canoe out of the garage & go out for a paddle -

GO TO THIS INSTEAD. Ok? Please? Seriously, this is the very worst time of year for a nice day on the water to turn into a tragedy - people feel that balmy 60 degree air & just don't realize that the water is still dangerously, wintery cold until something goes wrong & they end up in it - at which point, if you aren't dressed right, it's probably too late. I'm sailing on Saturday, I'll be in a drysuit & hood. I don't plan to fall in, but I'll have a lot more fun if I'm dressed so I don't have to worry as much if I do.

Here's the blurb from NYCKayaker:

Dressing for Cold Water Paddling Clinic & Demo Saturday at New York Kayak Co. on Saturday, March 20.
15% Off on Kokatat March 20 through March 28 .

Join us on Saturday, March 20th at 11AM for a free Cold Water Paddling Clinic. Tom Harsh, the Kokatat Factory Representative, will be discussing how build a paddle-sport wardrobe that enhances your comfort and safety in a broad range of conditions, with special emphasis on paddling in cold water. Randy Henriksen will talk about cold water risk management for paddle-sports. There will be dry suits to try on - you can even water test a suit under supervision (please bring immersion foot ware and a towel if you're going in for a cold water test.) No charge for the event, but let us know if you're coming so we know what suits to have ready.

Also, to help you get the season started early, all Kokatat paddle-sport apparel is on sale both online and in the store for 15% off March 20 - 28. This is a sale that will not be repeated in 2010, so please come in or order online during our event to get our best prices of the year!

Small Boat Shop Cold Water Workshop - 1/31/2009

Seeing the Coast Guard off - this was an excellent addition to the cold water workshop, they came & talked about both the gear they use in cold water (quite similar to kayaking gear, really) and the work they do, and what recreational boaters can do to make their work easier. Good stuff.
Please note there's ice in that water. I rolled every month of the off-season last year, but it was a bizarrely warm winter & the water never got that cold. This is the coldest water...

to which I have voluntarily subjected myself.

Would you believe it was actually a lot of fun? Informative too, this week is falling apart workwise but I'm hoping to get at least one more post out of it.

A bunch more pictures from the day over on my Flickr page! Pictures variously by me, Jean & TQ - thanks guys!

Paddlers Survive Repeated Duckings in Icy Norwalk Harbor!

Ha, and how is THAT for an attention-getting title? Not to worry, though, it was all completely intentional - if you missed it, there's a full explanation down a few posts!

Yep, we did the full demo, rolling, assisted rescues & self rescues, and then a bunch of people jumped in & went for a swim, and it was all good educational fun!

Turns out that not having enough space for sea kayaks to manuever was not going to be an issue. There are bubblers and then there are bubblers - Rex Marina's bubblers do some serious agitation of the water. The shop has them run those for a few days before the workshop, they clear the whole slip area - plus the area wasn't quite as locked up as I'd thought it would be. It's more like the Hudson, where the ice comes & goes.

Pictures & more of a writeup tonight - just wanted to confirm that we did do the demo & actually had a great time. Beautiful day - cold, yeah, but that just helps make the point!

Cold Water Workshop at the Small Boat Shop, 1/31/09

From Cold Water Workshop at the SBS, February 2008

.

This year, they might have to cut a hole in the ice for the swim!

This is a fun & informative event & if you live anywhere around the South Norwalk, CT area & are looking forward to pulling your dusty boat out of the winter mothballs as soon as the air starts warming up, this would be a great thing to attend. Early Spring (see "Hope", post before last, it's coming!) always seems to be the worst time for small-boat tragedies - the air starts warming up & people just can't wait to get on the water, but they don't realize how hazardous the water can still be.

Workshops like these are a very good way to learn what you need to know (and wear) for cold-water paddling. It's a 2-part approach. In the morning, Chuck Sutherland (webmaster of my favorite off-season boating safety site, link at end of post) gives a talk about hypothermia, and the local Kokatat rep does a show & tell of all the various cold-weather clothing & talks about how the various pieces work together to help a person with the right skills for off-season boating stay safe & comfortable in water temperatures from "ooh, refreshing!" right on down to freezing. Then there's a lunch break, then anyone who wants to can get suited up & go swimming. It's all pretty interesting, but I think the swimming is the fun part!

TQ & I even did some rolling & rescues last year & unless it's too hard to cut a hole big enough to manuever in, I think we'll probably be trying it out in the ice this year. BRRRR. That will be interesting! I'm actually a little nervous, but it's a great opportunity to practice & see what it's like to work in water that cold (this will be the coldest water I've ever been in).

Whatever we are able to do, I will definitely be taking pictures!

Visit TheSmallBoatShop.com for more information.

Want to learn more about cold water boating, but can't make the workshop? Check out Chuck's site - well worth a visit!

Cold Water Workshops & Other Events Coming Up -

From Cold Water Workshop at the Small Boat Shop

Working late tonight getting ready to go on vacation (Deception Pass! Saturday & Sunday! And hangin' with my old friends, the Chicken Family! Can't WAIT!) but just thought I'd post a notice I'd put up on Sebago's email list on the Sebago blog & Frogma. Fall is upon us, it's cold-water workshop time!
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I'm passing these on because I think that these formal workshops that you'll start seeing at the local outfitters starting around now are the absolute best way to learn about cold-water paddling safety. It's tons of fun going out all winter, and it can be done safely, but you need to know the risks, and have the right skills and the right gear to mitigate those. Go to a workshop run by a reputable paddlesport dealer & you can walk out with 2 out of 3 (don't forget that the 3rd, the skills, are equally necessary)!
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EVENT #1 - NY Kayak, 10/11/08I start this with Randy's email to New York Kayak:
We're offering our free Cold Water Immersion Clinic at 10AM onSaturday, October 11. Dr. Lili Banan from Bellevue ER will talk about the physiology of cold water immersion and treatment for hypothermia,Tom Harsh from Kokatat will talk about kayak apparel and cold water immersion wear, and I'll do a short talk on risk management for off season paddling. Tom will have all of the Kokatat Dry Suits and Paddle Suits to try on and water-test after the talk!
Hope to see you!
Randy
New York Kayak Co.40 N. River Piers (Pier 40)W. Houston & West St.New York, NY 10014212-924-1327 800-529-2599http://www.nykayak.com
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EVENT #2: Sunday, October 12th at Empire Kayaks in Island Park:11:00am.. Join us for this free clinic and learn how to dress properly to safely extend your paddling season. There will be drysuits to try on and demo in thewater. Big discounts on drysuits purchased the day of clinic. Call to reserve:
516 889 8300
www.empirekayaks.com
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EVENT #3: Saturday, November 8th, Chuck Sutherland will be leading a cold waterworkshop at the Annsville Creek Paddlesports Center.
Full details here. And here's AKT's BCU Expert Center link - I'ma big fan of going, listening, asking questions; then trying the gear but reading's good too:
AKT's BCU Expert Center
And of course Chuck maintains one of my favorite cold-water boating safety sites:
www.enter.net/~skimmer/coldwater.html
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And of course how can I leave out The Small Boat Shop's. It's not even scheduled yet but this one's particularly fun because they hold in in FEBRUARY. Fall ismore the usual time of year for these, because they are aimed at getting peopleready for off-season paddling - but the problem with trying out cold-water gear in October & even November is that the water just isn't that cold yet. I specifically went to the Small Boat Shop's last year because I wanted to try swimming in full winter gear in very cold water & see how that felt. It wasn't the coldest it's ever been for them - there was no actual ice - but it was 39 degrees and although the situation was completely controlled (warm shop & hot beverages steps away), it was interesting feeling that level of coldness pressing in all around. Gives a real sense of the inevitability of what would tohappen if you were to end up in that water without a way to get out, even with all the gear - that's just buying you time, but in the end, if you can't get back in your boat in a certain amount of time, you are in a kind of trouble thatyou are going to need more and more outside assistance to get back out of.

Nice to get that first-hand understanding and then jump out and run back into a nice warm shop!

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So that was the Yahoo group post. BTW I'll also add that if you're up in the Cold Springs area, another one of my favorite outfitters, Hudson Valley Outfitters, is offering 20% off Kokatat cold-water. Even if you can't make a workshop, a reputable paddlesports dealer will steer you right.
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A couple more local events that I'm sort of sorry I can't make (psyched though I am about Deception Pass):

Sunday, October 12th: If you happen to wander over to the Hudson, you may notice about a zillion kayakers out there - they'll all be out there for the Riverkeeper's Waterfest. Sounds like a fun day on the water. Weather looks good!

Oct 12 Sunday
Times of sun and clouds. Highs in the low 70s and lows in the upper 50s
E WINDS 5 TO 10 KT...BECOMING SW IN THE AFTERNOON...THEN BECOMING W AFTER MIDNIGHT. WAVES 1 FT OR LESS.

And then of course of Sunday October 19th, all the big names in kayak racing descend upon the isle of Manhattan for the 3rd annual Mayor's Cup kayak race. (at least in the current form, 4th annual if you count the one I was involved in back in 2001 - that was not a race, though). Actually would've been a fun time to be in town; Oscar Chalupsky's giving a racing forward stroke clinic on Thursday the 16th at Manhattan Kayak, I've never met him personally but he sounds like someone who'd really be a lot of fun to take a class from. There was also a brief rumour about Freya doing something but life sort of happened, in the unfortunate way it sometimes does, to the person who was originally seeming to organize & I haven't heard much more.

Oh yeah, as long as I'm rattling on...on out in November, Marcus Demuth has organized the NY Premiere of This Is The Sea IV - again, that will be at Pier 66.

OK...that's all folks!

BTW, next real post may be from Seattle. Much to get done before TQ & I leave for the airport. Can't wait can't wait can't wait!

Swimming in Connecticut

As planned, I did make it up to Connecticut for the Small Boat Shop's cold water workshop. The water was indeed cold - 39 degrees, I think that's the coldest I've swum in. They have had years where there were swimming in a hole in the ice. None of that this year, but even without the fun of actually swimming in ice, it was great - the information that was reviewed in the morning session (dry land, indoor presentations) was useful, and I was just SO happy to have the chance to roll, do a couple of rescues, and then just have a bit of a swim in the full winter gear in colder water than I would usually be spending much time in. It's unfortunate the Paerdegat is too filthy to do this in, it's lots of fun plus it tells you SO much about how much the gear protects you & how long you might plausibly have - but it works so much better with a warm shop, hot showers & hot drinks just steps away. Sebago, there's a pretty good paddle from clean water back to the stove in the clubhouse. I was fine for as long as I was in - but boy, even with a couple of layers of insulation & the drysuit, you can still feel that cold pressing against your body. Actually right at the end, I tested out the famous "Heat Escape Lessening Position" where you tuck your knees up to your chest - the difference in body surface that was actually feeling that cold pressure outside the suit & the layers was almost dramatically obvious.

Would be fun to try the huddle, too, if you were doing this with a bunch of good friends. As it was, I a) didn't think of it until just now, and b) would've felt funny suggesting that a bunch of total strangers give it a try!

This was so much fun - but it was good to know that if it started feeling less than fun, I could be out & warm very quickly. Excellent experience.

More pictures from the day in my Picasa Google site (now updated since Google went and wrecked all the Picasa links, argh). Silliest photo, just so you know, is right near the end.

Tomorrow and Tomorrow

Or more specifically, Sunday, March 11th & Monday, March 12th. Local interest mostly -

Sunday, that's my fun day (she said, promptly aging herself quite nicely)...

Me and some of my Sebago Sebago friends are attending & participating in the 2nd Annual <Long Island Paddlesports Safety Symposium . Should be fun - along with participating in a rolling demo I'll be talking about paddle-picking for beginners at 1:30, and then I'll be sticking around to hear the next presentation in that room, because it is actually the guy who runs my FAVORITE cold-water paddling info site, Chuck Sutherland, Ph.D - missed him at the The Small Boat Shop back in January, so I'm looking forward to listening to his presentation. Never hurts to have a brush-up. BTW, it's March, this is the time when we always hear about somebody taking a boat out on a warm day & not coming back because the water is still cold enough to incapacitate a person very fast if they fall in, so this is a GREAT time to come hear a real expert talk about the dangers of cold shock & hypothermia, how to avoid, and what to do if you suddenly find yourself or a friend showing signs of the "umbles" - the uncharacteristic mumbles, grumbles & fumbles that can signify that a person is sliding into hypothermia & something must be done FAST. Anyways, oops, up on my hobbyhorse again. Pool demos too, and prizes, and lots of valuable information, all free (the poster adds "Please bring a donation of non-perishable food for THE MINISTRIES Paddle Out Hunger campaign").

Monday, back to meetings - this is the one I've sort of been drumming up - the invitation is addressed to a certain group bu the public is welcome to attend, and in fact I think Julie & the task force members would feel good about the show of support that people turning out to listen in indicates. Meeting will be at 6 pm, in the Community Board 1 office at 49-50 Chambers St. Security checkpoint in the lobby, bring photo ID & leave your favorite Swiss Army knife at home!:

Dear Waterfront Committee members and Pier 26 Task Force participants:

On Monday, March 12, we will hold the final Pier 26 Task Force meeting. Due to the need to address Pier 26 issues at the full Community Board meeting on March 20, it will be a joint meeting with the Waterfront Committee (the regularly scheduled Waterfront Committee will still be held on March 26).

Attached are the two reports from the Pier 26 Task Force meetings. (Bonnie's note: click here to read estuarium comments and here to read boathouse comments.)

The two attachments to these documents will be available at the Monday meeting for your files. In this reports, the issues covered in the meetings is documented. In brief, they say:
1) the estuarium should be built, even in temporary or scaled down form, as soon as possible, and the report goes on to describe the qualities and features that the Task Force felt were important in its design, programming and management.
2) the boathouse report reviews the Trust's plans and rejects them as not suitable for their intended purpose. Also, a substantial restaurant appears in the boathouse plans. This restaurant was not reviewed by the Task Force, since its stated purpose was to deal with the boathouse and estuarium problems; however, the community may want to weigh in on this as well.

Please note: Currently, there are no plans and no money for the estuarium, and plans but no money for the boathouse.

I hope to see you on Monday. A resolution is anticipated to be voted on at this meeting, to be based upon the work of the Task Force and the discussion at the meeting.

Julie Nadel


OK, PSA all done, I have this odd thought that I might throw some stuff in a bag & go paddling. Outside. What a novel idea!

Cold Water Workshop in South Norwalk

2/2 note - I'm floating this to the top because this actually is important for more than winter paddlers. The beginning of February may seem like a weird time to have a cold-water workshop (Randy's timing, back at the beginning of winter, might seem to make more sense) but it's February, and that means that Spring is right around the corner - and that's probably the worst time of year for sad accidents involving boaters who were tempted out by one of those softly lamblike days in late March or early April, without realizing that the water is still very much in lion mode. Every year, sure as the daffodils bloom, experienced boaters hear the reports of boating deaths, and shake their heads over it, because it's so easy to figure out what happened. And it's so sad, because it's so avoidable - all it takes is a little education. Seriously, if you haven't attended one of these, and you're planning on getting your boat out as soon as the air gets warm - I'd really recommend checking with your friendly local kayak club or outfitter to see if there's a similar presentation in your area. Or at LEAST check out the cold-water paddling page over on my useful-info links. Because in the Spring, what you don't know can hurt you very badly.

Quick heading-out-the-door-from-work post, primarily of interest to Connecticut paddlers, especially those who might have spent a season or two as seasonal paddlers & have been reading about my quiet adventures with TQ in the Norwalk Islands, and are thinking that winter paddling sounds nice - well, it's definitely more complicated than summer paddling - but it can be absolutely marvelous, if you're dressed right, know the risks, and know how to prepare.

You can learn a lot about cold water paddling this coming Saturday, February 3rd, at the in South Norwalk. The workshop begins at 10:30, and ends with a tryout!

Here's the details from their website:

The Small Boat Shop's COLD WATER clinic will be February 3rd at 10:30 am. The store offers the free clinics to help frost biters ensure their safety on the water.

Speakers will explain the risks and dangers of cold water shock and hypothermia.

They will review and discuss the pros and cons of cold water accessory gear, dry suits and wet suits. Participants may don all clothing and go jump in the river (Norwalk River)...all for free!

The Small Boat Shop Cold Water Clinics have become a favorite and standard for area winter paddlers and boaters and are well worth your attendance. Dry suits are discounted.

Driving directions & more information can be found at www.thesmallboatshop.com.

Might even see you there - drysuit tryouts could make for some fun picture! 2/2 update #2 - nope, not going, the idea of attending was based on possibly of getting out for a paddle after the workshop to kill some time 'til TQ got finished at work; I would've been going solo, though, and tomorrow's forecast for S. Norwalk isn't what I would want it to be for a solo paddle. A small craft advisory PLUS subfreezing temperatures puts conditions a bit beyond that which I consider acceptable for paddling by myself. Either one of those by itself might be OK - both, together? I like my paddling to be fun, and that could turn very un-fun way, way, WAY too easily.