Sevy kayak fun
Jun. 13th, 2010 08:14 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
andygatesThings we learn on a 15km sea paddle:
The boat is definitely good to F4 (dinghy sailors zipping around, whitecaps). Turn into big waves and punch through: it's solid: the "pointer" part of the design Just Works. Mind you, when eye-level is 2' off the water, 2-3' rollers look big, and the freaky big ones look -- well, like a scale model of a battleship in the North Atlantic. Whee!
The water gets chunky around headlands, doesn't it?
When blown up properly hard, it edges pretty well - for a barge. I had it out on the Esplanade alongside a pair of 'proper' sea kayaks, and they're so skinny! Still, apart from worrying that my bum looked big (hyooge!) alongside these half-boat-half-greyhound beasties, the Sevy still behaves itself. Top credit to Kayarchy for the excellent how-tos.
Surfing is fun in a kayak.
Over F2, the spraydeck is mandatory. It also goes around one's chest, not waist, or it's a rock-pool. I had weed and a baby crab in my lap at one stage before remembering this nugget of nous. Then they were swept overboard.
Trust in movement. You are going somewhere. When you're 500m out from the shore, it crawls by deceptively slowly.
On which note, headwinds suck. And the Exe estuary is a windy place. Get lots of paddling done during the summer highs. Again with the "blow me, it's actually a boat" thing - the Exe estuary is classic "numpty in rubber ring rescued by local fishermen" territory.
4 hours really is enough, thanks, in that sort of water. Yay for winter pulling lifts. Do people wear gloves when paddling? Also: I love my Puma running cap. All the sun protection I could ask for without looking like John Hammond.
All of the kayak's nylon top needs generous waterproofing. On flat water the odd splash is de nada; in lumpy water, every wave is going over the bow and it percolates through and slowly fills up. Still floats, mind, even hilariously full. I shall be deploying a bucket of Fabsil before the next lumpy expedition (unless you boaties have a better recommendation?).
Not many photos, because after the Aqua Dalek the wind picked up and it was all toil. You know how you can coast a bike on smooth straight roads and snap away, but offroad if you so much as look around, you're on your arse? That.
Oh, and there's a nudist beach at the far end of Budleigh Beach. That was a surprise. :)
The boat is definitely good to F4 (dinghy sailors zipping around, whitecaps). Turn into big waves and punch through: it's solid: the "pointer" part of the design Just Works. Mind you, when eye-level is 2' off the water, 2-3' rollers look big, and the freaky big ones look -- well, like a scale model of a battleship in the North Atlantic. Whee!
The water gets chunky around headlands, doesn't it?
When blown up properly hard, it edges pretty well - for a barge. I had it out on the Esplanade alongside a pair of 'proper' sea kayaks, and they're so skinny! Still, apart from worrying that my bum looked big (hyooge!) alongside these half-boat-half-greyhound beasties, the Sevy still behaves itself. Top credit to Kayarchy for the excellent how-tos.
Surfing is fun in a kayak.
Over F2, the spraydeck is mandatory. It also goes around one's chest, not waist, or it's a rock-pool. I had weed and a baby crab in my lap at one stage before remembering this nugget of nous. Then they were swept overboard.
Trust in movement. You are going somewhere. When you're 500m out from the shore, it crawls by deceptively slowly.
On which note, headwinds suck. And the Exe estuary is a windy place. Get lots of paddling done during the summer highs. Again with the "blow me, it's actually a boat" thing - the Exe estuary is classic "numpty in rubber ring rescued by local fishermen" territory.
4 hours really is enough, thanks, in that sort of water. Yay for winter pulling lifts. Do people wear gloves when paddling? Also: I love my Puma running cap. All the sun protection I could ask for without looking like John Hammond.
All of the kayak's nylon top needs generous waterproofing. On flat water the odd splash is de nada; in lumpy water, every wave is going over the bow and it percolates through and slowly fills up. Still floats, mind, even hilariously full. I shall be deploying a bucket of Fabsil before the next lumpy expedition (unless you boaties have a better recommendation?).
Not many photos, because after the Aqua Dalek the wind picked up and it was all toil. You know how you can coast a bike on smooth straight roads and snap away, but offroad if you so much as look around, you're on your arse? That.
Oh, and there's a nudist beach at the far end of Budleigh Beach. That was a surprise. :)
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no subject
Date: 2010-06-14 08:37 am (UTC)What sort of safety gear do sea kayakers generally take - Handheld VHF radio with DSC might be the sort of thing they go for?
no subject
Date: 2010-06-14 09:13 am (UTC)Lots of toys are available to aid self- or group-rescue: paddle floats, spare paddles, inflatable buoyancy cells for rigid yaks, and so on.
VHF is an obvious thing to get for bigger expeditions - if you're going out of sight of land / people, or in really chunky conditions (or long enough out that conditions could change) or touring down a coast where there are busy harbours where you need to say hello and/or leave trailnotes (the oldschool kind: "Hello Coastguard, it's Munky, leaving Exmouth for Torquay, will check in when I arrive, thank you."). Plus it's polite! And a quick search surprises me with entry prices, so if I get more expeditious, I might well get one (and the cert). Kayarchy on VHF for kayakers.
no subject
Date: 2010-06-14 05:10 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-06-14 06:21 pm (UTC)Your comment got me looking at tales of Peril and Woe ("we left the Alaska beach in a friendly f4, but before long it had got to 8 and there were 10ft waves pointing us directly at Argmagrollies Head. Argmagrollies is Snohomish for "bleached bones of kayakers" so after I capsized twice, we called for help").
no subject
Date: 2010-06-14 09:40 pm (UTC)If you're interested, I can see what gear my folks have knocking about. Don't think it'll extend to a VHF (they have a handheld one but still use it), but maybe some charts, almanacs, floatation devices, navigation tools.
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Date: 2010-06-15 03:32 am (UTC)OTOH, toys are good. :)