January 8, 2000

Cold Water Workshop

Water Temp 42 f

I had heard it all before, but I wanted to learn a few things about gear, specifically cold water protection for my hands. Unfortunately, this remains the mystery to me even after the workshop. Some were there paddling with bare hands and not having any problems, while others, like me, were cold.

The morning started with a cold water lecture by Chuck Sutherland. Chuck mixed the funny with the serious and made for a pleasant and informative talk on the aspects of hypothermia and cold shock. Next came Jenny Plummer and her models showing off the various types of cold water gear. And last, but not least, Brian Blankinship and his discussion of risk management.

After Brian's talk we broke for lunch. Joan, Amigh, and one other lady chatted a bit about various topics and then Joan and I had to go get suited up. We had volunteered to be spotters in the cold water, which knocked $8 off the price of admission. Once dressed in our dry suits we joined about 6 or 7 others in the water to float around like logs in the 43-degree water. The water was a bit warm for this time of the year, but still cold enough that I could tell no one else had solved the hand equation either.

After we had gotten our fill of floating around, Brian opted to demonstrate various rolls in the cold water. He then tried to perform a paddle float reentry 3 times without success. In the short time Brian had been in the water, his hands were unable to unsnap the strap on his paddle float, and he had to use his teeth to undo it. Finally he gave in to an assisted rescue.

The fire department in their zodiac and an ambulance was on hand in case we needed them.

Joan and I went up and got our boats to spot the others as they got in their kayaks. Some tried rolls, others re-entries, but most chose to stay out of the water and on the dock. Team Titanic was there and practiced their paddle float re-entry on their double bag boat. Despite the cold water they had improved a lot since this past summer.

The one person not in a dry suit, was wearing (I think) a wet suit with paddling jacket and pants. When he first went in the water he was breathing hard from the cold shock. After about 10 minutes he went to get in his boat, cold, but still functioning. Near the end Chuck Sutherland spent some time going over Greenland style bracing with me, which was a special treat.

Soon it was over and everyone packed up to head home. Chuck and I had another conversation in the parking lot concerning his invitation for me to write for Atlantic Coastal Kayaker magazine. I'll need to make a trip back to Baltimore to document the launch location and spend a little more time in the port for some background information in the next month or two. This should be fun.