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Coldwater workshop 11/20 Saturday, Lanesville


Bolonsky Adam

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Anyone who's done it will tell you that paddling in winter can be a fabulous experience. So.....

We'll meet at the NSPN clubhouse at Liz Neumeier's in Lanesville on Saturday, 11/20 to first see and discuss how coldwater paddlers dress for a day on the water in winter, then get into the water at Lanes Cove to test gear.

AGENDA:

1. (Indoors) An NSPN member will show and discuss how to dress for a day on the water in winter (drysuits, undergarments, gloves, boots, hood, etc.)

2. (Indoors) A second NSPN member will give a presentation on what's contained in and how to create an immersion kit which gets deployed when a paddler dumps in coldwater and needs rewarming on an island or on shore.

3. (Indoors) A third NSPN member will give a talk on hypothermia protocols which are a lot more involved than simply stuffing someone into a car with the heater on.

After that we leave the indoor meeting place to head to protected waters to test gear: gaskets and seals and drysuits and how well they hold up under immersion. Then those who want to can take their first coldwater trip, which will be unofficial yet "lead" by some of NSPN's cold water paddlers.

After that we head back to the indoor meeting place for warm food and soup.

If you plan to attend, EXPRESS YOUR INTEREST HERE. And let's hope those enrolled in NSPN's culinary arts programs pitch in with chili or soup or whatever!

NOTE: This day on-water and -in is not designed to be as intensive nor as experiential as NSPN's last year, with its full exposure to cold water and mild hypothermia symptoms.

Rather, this is meant as a low-key day for paddlers who are interested in winter paddling to test and look at winter gear in controlled conditions, to ask questions, and to get a look and feel for winter water in a controlled setting.

LOCATION: Lanesville, MA (Gloucester) and Lanes Cove (also Gloucester). We'll meet at Liz's at 10:00 a.m., be in-water by around 12:00, and should be eating hot food by 3:00 or so.

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I'll be there.

Reads like the start of a song! Wonder what the title was?

I heard that the man in black might attend?

Do you think he is giving out autographs?

I heard that he has been seen resently with Jay Low!!!

Walter

Impex Serenity

Sunburst/Ivory

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Anyone is welcome to attend and observe, if you do not have gear you want to "test."

For those who have not been to my house before, send me an email and I will send you directions. (I don't want to post them here for obvious reasons.) eneumeier@earthlink.net

I am about 1 mile from Lanes Cove - directions to there are under Gloucester on the put-in page. http://www.nspn.org/play-put-ins.html

DO NOT PARK AT THE BOOKSTORE ON LANGSFORD ST. (Rt. 127) because it will be open. There should be enough room on my street or the next one over. Car pool if you can.

Liz N.

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I would like to attend the inside portion and possibly the on water part too. It sounds like a great opportunity to learn from others who have been there, done that. I haven’t paddled in the cold weather before. What would be considered the minimum equipment needed to go on the water during that time of year? Is a wetsuit sufficient or is a dry suit needed?

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Hi Fred,

bring whatever gear you have.

It's tough to say whether a wetsuit would be sufficient. A bunch of us swam off Duxbury Beach this past Saturday and the water was like toast. But once we got out of the water and into the air: chill time, and I ended up with my own classic pre-hypo response: intense drowsiness and so I took a big ol' nap out at Gurnet Lighthouse out of the wind, in the sun.

So bring your wetsuit. If nothing else, you will find out whether the idea of getting into the water with just a wetsuit in late November seems intimidating or not. And I'd assume that if you were to dump during the on-water excursion, someone will be around to fish you out. But no guarantees there, which essentially closes the loop: we're responsible for ourselves, this is not an official club event, and everything we do on-water or in is a matter of personal choice.

But at a minimum, if you plan to get into the water bring a neoprene hood, neoprene gloves, booties.

Also there will be lots of drysuits there to look at. So come along!

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I'm also interested in coming. In an effort to carpool (and save parking), i'm up for it, and live right on the way for anyone coming from the mainland. I'm just off 128, < 1 mile from exit 14. My car can fit another boat if yours can't.

Looking forward to it! Though I'll need directions to your house, Liz. Thanks for hosting this!

Alan

CD Andromeda - red on white

Dagger Id 6.9 - blue/black

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Still room? At the very least, I am interested in the indoor. I would also like the outdoor, but am not sure I will have adequate gear (thus my interest in the indoor portion). Just out of curiousity, if I wanted to do the outdoor, would there be enough gear to that I might be able to try some out on the water? I am not terribly worried about being very cold. I find the Atlantic toasty compared to my frigid homewaters of the Pacific. However, I am not interested in providing any sort of hands-on hypothermia experience. Any suggestions as to minumum of 1) what I need to bring, 2)what brand is good of that thing or things, and 3)where I can buy it. Thanks,

Maria McDowell

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I am not terribly worried about being very cold. I find the Atlantic toasty compared to my frigid homewaters of the Pacific.

That's an interesting perspective. Last winter the "toasty" waters off the Massachusetts coast got as cold as 29F even south of Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket. And that was several meters deep, as deep as a living kayaker will ever go.

Not that the absolute temperature mattered, since the surface was completely frozen all the way out to Nantucket and nobody could go anyplace anyway.

Must be terribly cold where you come from.

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Hi Maria,

if you plan to get into the water, at a mimimum bring a full-length farmer-john wetsuit, synthetic long-johns and synthetic long sleeve shirt, dryjacket, synthetic socks, neoprene booties, closefitting hat of some sort of synthetic or better yet a neoprene hood.

Other than that the list only gets longer. Just bring what you have. There will be plenty of gear to look over. A dry change of clothes and something to eat to share is tops on the list anyhow.

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