spuglisi

A few of us are planning on paddling on the Merrimack River on Sun 12/28. Leaving from the boat ramp at the Salisbury beach state campground at 10 am then paddling upriver. Hopefully to Deer Island at the chain bridge. As of Friday afternoon there was quite a bit of ice collected around the rte 1 bridge so we'll have to remain flexible but from rte one to the mouth of the river things looked pretty much wide open. There's always a good chance of seeing seals, this time of year, in the area of the put-in and also a good chance of spotting osprey and bald eagles. Air temps should be mild but water temps will be in the 40deg F range. Predicted high tide at the put-in is 11:30am. If we make it as far as Deer island it will be a 10-12 NM round trip (if we get turned back at rte 1 the distance will be cut in half) with a favorable tide in both directions. Anyone with proper equipment is welcome to join us ( 5-7 mm full wetsuit or drysuit and of course, a pfd). Also bring extra dry clothes and something to munch on when we take a break. You can post interest or questions here, send me an e-mail at spuglisi155 at yahoo dot com or call my cell 978-973-6806 Sal

I'm interested

I guess that last statement was what I was trying to say. The gasp reflex is clearly important but I thought that the information that was presented, was presented well and that seeing the effects of immersion in video form makes a distinct impression

I'm not positive Peter, But I think PFD's that will keep an unconscious person's head out of the water utilize a relatively bulky collar that sacrifices a good deal of mobility.

The gasp reflex can be deadly and that is, indeed, not a minor point...but neither is it a universal reaction. All of the physiological reactions discussed in the video ARE universal and every one of those volunteers would have died very quickly in that water without, at minimum, a PFD. Let's remember that none of the volunteers gasped, while submerged, and filled their lungs with water. (to be very clear...I'm not saying it doesn't happen but it isn't universal). This was not a cold water kayaking video nor was it a comprehensive survival guide. It was a 10 minute video clip that demonstrated what happens when someone not dressed for immersion winds up in cold water and the huge benefit that a PFD can provide.

Safety is never gauranteed on the water. I think that the, very valid, point of the video was that if you're not wearing a pfd you're very likely to drown before hypothermia sets in.

All the information that I've seen does indicate that gasping is typically a short term problem (a minute or less) but I thought that the video also made it clear that coordination and muscle control would indeed be an escalating problem in cold water. As far as being able to stay upright...wouldn't the PFD be a valuable resource in that respect?

I'll be cleaning up storm mess tomorrow and won't be making it out to paddle.

I'm hoping to be there too.

True enough! That poor gentle sea creature. Has anyone notified Greenpeace?

Thank you....the suspense was killing me.

understandably so...it should, in fact, be "precipitation" and it was in reponse to Heidi's comment about this continuing until "the spray shorts out the computer" When in doubt, in my case, always assume I've misspelled.

One would possibly presume that you're positively panicky at the paucity of products to proffer, from your previous primary passion.

By handcrafted pieces...do you mean personally produced products? Please pontificate properly my keyboard remains properly protected from percipitation.

Put down the thesaurus...and step away from the keyboard....This preposterous, pontificating is proof positive, people have been partaking of pre-party provisions. When will this madness stop?

Hmm. When I read Adam's post I imagined he suspected that a recreational powerboater made the comment.

Beckman?? Or Brinkman?? in any case the best deal on those CR123 batteries (that can be pretty pricey at the local drugstore) is at batteryjunction.com they also have some cool flashlights and headlamps.

Psssssst!! Karen, didn't we learn that low blood sugar can impair judgement? That's what I'd be claiming happened. Sorry to see your boat destroyed but I'm glad you wern't hurt.

Was the boat trapped under that railing in the first photo? Or is it just the angle of the shot that makes it look like it was?

Close?? I thought we had it solved.

How about this...the boat is on the floating dock and the stern was tied off to the piling and the tide lifted the dock.

The photos are enough to make a grown man cry...Here's my guess. The kayak was on the dock with the stern hanging off and a boat pulled up to the dock crunching the kayak against the piling. In any case Karen, I hope you got a new boat out of the whole mess.

I think it's IPX8 and it is a level better than the IPX7 rating of the IC M34 that I own also. I picked the M34 because it does float. I've been happy with it, though it would be nice if it was a little smaller (and yes it would be nice if it were a bright easy to find color). Aside from not floating the M72 has better features than the M34.

Thanks Jon, That was helpful.