: G,Day Robert,

: I've just read your account , and would suggest after that episode ,you now
: only have 4 of your 9 lives left. So be carefull !!

last time I checked, I still had 6.

: Thanks for the timley saftey reminder, and although in my case its Sea
: Kayaking only, I'm sure we can all do with an annual refresher course to
: keep us from getting too cockey.

It's cockiness that has been killing our more experienced brothers and sisters.

: By the way, as I mentioned I'm into Sea Kayaking only ,no whitewater as we
: dont have any handy.

I've never done WW myself but I am thinking of taking it up to help me with my ocean paddling.

: So what is the recommended position if you do get seperated from your kayak
: in rapids ?

: Floating with legs pointed downstream sounds like a great way to get legs
: caught under rocks etc ?

That is ideal for reasons mentioned later on in this thread. That said, my left leg did wrap around a rock and the force from the impact bent my left knee too far back. Took a month of rest to be able to run again but I am running beyond marathon distances easily enough these days - that is, when I get up the urge to run so far.

The complication I ran into once I got my feet in front of me was that my eye glasses haad been removed from my nose while I was fighting the whirlpool. I couldn't see the rock that my leg hit. Had I been able to see it, I could have kicked myself away from it. Instead, I had to swim again, but that time with a bad knee, although I didn't know it would be wrecked until I was long out of the water.

I hope 2008 bring you good waters with little wind and many interesting things to see.

Robert N Pruden