: Hey, Robert, with your cold water gear, I'd recommend you go
: somewhere safe (close to shore, waist deep water, on-shore
: breeze,) and go test your immersion. Go out, get in the water,
: and flail around alot, and see how well the dry top to dry pant
: junction will be. Then, while you're at it, test your self
: rescue a few times. You'll be better able to handle the
: situation should it come up on your trip, and if you get wet and
: cold, you'll have a dry warm place to go afterwards.

That's a darned good idea, Brian. I am heading over to Amisk Lake this weekend with Linda to do some paddling. I will use that time to see just how tight my outfit is. The dry pants are not specifically mated to the dry top. When I found the pants in my gear, I was surprised because I couldn't remember when I bought them but they are made quite well. I believe I bought them impulsively because they were being sold at a clearout price: something like $100 off the reg price. The dry top is a Kokatat make, no zipper at the nape of the neck but it has a comfortable double neck seal. All I need to do is make certain that I trim the wrist and neck gaskets properly. I am worried about overheating while on the Bay. That northern sun can beat down hot even if the air is colder...with no neck vent, I could get a little uncomfortable.

: I decided to try this after reading someone's article in Sea
: Kayaker Magazine. I had thought that a farmer john wetsuit, dry
: top and neo sprayskirt would be adequate for my paddling. So I
: went out and tested, and found that after maybe 10 minutes,
: water started to infiltrate up into the dry top, especially
: swimming around. So, for my purposes, yes, it was adequate, and
: I could do a pretty quick self rescue and not have to worry, but
: if I had to spend time floating for some reason, I'd be wet and
: cold fairly quickly.

Yep, being cold while immersed in the Atlantic/Arctic waters of the Bay is a huge concern for me. For this reason, I simply will not take any chances with the weather: I'd rather be pinned to shore, return home later than expected and live to tell about it. I have done a ton of reading about the Bay area, lots of historical books, so I am well aware of what I will be getting into. I can tolerate a small amount of leakage if I tip but that leakage will be a problem if I am in the water for too long. I remember when I ran over that rapid years ago: that water was fresh off the glacier...I was in it for 15-minutes barefoot (whirlpool tore my deck shoes off) and came out feeling warm except for some minor tingling in my feet. My body does have the ability to put out huge amounts of heat in cold weather, more so than most people, all those years of playing hockey, lacrosse and long distance running gave me fantastic circulation. If I do have a problem, I will have to depend on this fact while I sort out a decent solution.

: Noting your plan to put nylon webbing on the aft deck for paddle
: float rescues, I'd recommend some fastex quick release buckles.
: It will make the system adjustable, and easy to recover the
: paddle when you're done. You've probably thought of this
: already... I just had another idea... I wonder if it would make
: sense to connect the two ends of the strap together with some
: thinner bungie cord? This way, there would be plenty of slack to
: insert the paddle, but when you clip the fastex buckles, a
: paddle would be very secure. Then, when you unclip the paddle,
: the bungie would keep the ends close together so that you could
: re-clip them more easily, and keep less junk flapping around on
: the deck. Hah, I've probably over-thought this...

No, no...your thinking is a good idea. I was gonna just screw in two webbing straps and leave them loose enough to accept my wing paddle blades. With your idea, using the clips (which I have lots of), the set-up becomes adjustable so that I can use my other paddle as well. The idea of using a thin bungie is good too because it will make it easier to clip the buckle to together. Remember, if I tip, then water conditions are not pleasant, so keeping the clip sections close together almost seems vital. I have lots of thin bungies so I will try to set it up as you have described.

: Here's something else I just over-thought: If you are a person who
: needs a stirrup strap to get back in the boat, you know, about 6
: feet of nylon webbing to put around the cockpit coaming, end
: hanging down into the water for a foot to step up on... I've
: seen it be sort of messy to store somewhere, and put around the
: coaming, before you can get in the boat. (I could swim up onto
: my boat in the same amount of time it takes to deploy a stirrup
: strap.) So, what about a slightly more permanent mount for the
: stirrup, something like a loop attached to the deck just in
: front of and behind the cockpit, that would allow the strap to
: pull through to either side, but make it easier to catch on the
: cockpit coaming? And then maybe a small nylon bag just aft of
: the coaming to one side, attached to the deck, with a velcro
: closure, that the strap could lie in? Then, in the water, pull
: the strap out of the bag, pull to the side you're on, have the
: strap lay against the opposite side of the coaming, and then
: reenter. Yeah, I thought so... Too complicated maybe. But, I
: guess if you need a stirrup, and you're taking a rough water
: trip...

No stirrup...I have practiced the self-rescue cowboy style and can do it just fine. Getting back into a stablized kayak in rough water is no problem for me: I am comfortable with that.

: Well, have a good trip!

Thanks, Brian. I bought a new memory card for my camera (haven't drowned this camera yet) so now I can take 3500 high quality pictures. I will be sure to post a good selection of images once I get back home.

Robert N Pruden