HELLO ALL.
I attended Cold Water Workshop by Kayak Academy.
I wanted share some of the tips I discovered today and from last year.
We were in the cold 38degree water floating ( no boat)for long time. I got out of water after 45 minutes, not because I was too cold, I was the last one to get out
. I could go a lot longer if I was not bored.
At last year's event, I found out that my cold spots are my back( from compressed insulating layers.) and back of the neck which was not covered with neo cap. And I had to do crunch to keep my neck off the water and it was tiring. I figured out cold hand is very bad, but I can make fist in the palm of the gloves to keep them warm.
This year, I wore just like I wear to go paddling in cold water in winter, one polyplo base, 2 layers of Smart wool shirts, full cover hood ( called Balcrava or something like that), and extra shirt wrapped on my waist.
With the extra layer on my lower back was nice. Maybe I wear a lot, but I can cool off with hood off and getting my hair wet.
And here is something new I tried this time. I rotated my neoprene spray skirt so the big area of the skirt goes against my back where my cold spot was. This makes big diffrerence! I was laying on a thick piece of neoprene and I was actually "warm" in 38 degree water.
For the assisted rescue, for me and for my partner, plain old side by side rescue ( without empting the water) and pumping out afterward was the quickest and safest te get her out of the cold water.
People say we are crazy to do that in freezing water, but we were glad we figured something ( bad or good things) out before it really happens.
Have a safe happy paddling!!
I attended Cold Water Workshop by Kayak Academy.
I wanted share some of the tips I discovered today and from last year.
We were in the cold 38degree water floating ( no boat)for long time. I got out of water after 45 minutes, not because I was too cold, I was the last one to get out
. I could go a lot longer if I was not bored.At last year's event, I found out that my cold spots are my back( from compressed insulating layers.) and back of the neck which was not covered with neo cap. And I had to do crunch to keep my neck off the water and it was tiring. I figured out cold hand is very bad, but I can make fist in the palm of the gloves to keep them warm.
This year, I wore just like I wear to go paddling in cold water in winter, one polyplo base, 2 layers of Smart wool shirts, full cover hood ( called Balcrava or something like that), and extra shirt wrapped on my waist.
With the extra layer on my lower back was nice. Maybe I wear a lot, but I can cool off with hood off and getting my hair wet.
And here is something new I tried this time. I rotated my neoprene spray skirt so the big area of the skirt goes against my back where my cold spot was. This makes big diffrerence! I was laying on a thick piece of neoprene and I was actually "warm" in 38 degree water.
For the assisted rescue, for me and for my partner, plain old side by side rescue ( without empting the water) and pumping out afterward was the quickest and safest te get her out of the cold water.
People say we are crazy to do that in freezing water, but we were glad we figured something ( bad or good things) out before it really happens.
Have a safe happy paddling!!