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Keeping Your Edge

Now that you are over the shock of me actually posting something to my blog, ok so you aren’t over it yet . . . one thing that you’d better get over pretty soon is warm weather paddling, the warm weather and water is gone, and it won't return for several months (at least here in the upper Midwest)!!!

A few months ago at one of our early morning rendezvous for coffee (aka "2 fellas at Bella’s") Silbs spoke of the longer periods of darkness, and how he is needing to find a routine to occupy his time before the sun comes up (I guess some people do have that problem, but I’m not there yet ;)). He mentioned doing some yoga, some palates, reading the paper, and writing his blog. Ok, so that takes him to about 0630 (1.5 hours), so what to do with the other 1.5 hours? — That is the question, at least for him. And, of course there’s the rest of the day, before darkness sets in again, for taking those brisk hour long walks (sorry Ansel these are brisk walks, not stop and sniff, and whatever else it is that you do).

Fast forward to a couple of weeks ago, and again after one of our 2 fellas at Bella’s meetin’s, Silbs went and joined a local fitness (aka athletic) club, something that I had been subtly encouraging since we (Oz, my spouse for those of you that don’t know) did last winter.

So, what the hell am I talking about? The battle of the bulge? Not really, though that might be a result of decreasing activity, even without increasing the caloric intake, and something that Silbs seemed to become increasingly obsessed with. In the August issue of Atlantic Coastal Kayaker magazine, Wayne Horodowich wrote about losing one’s edge; and, about knowing where the “edge” is (and respecting it). (If you want to read more about these topics from Wayne, go to his web site (www.useakayak.org) and click on the “Reflections” button on the left. Some really good thoughts/information/”reflections” there.)

Wayne speaks of a “Yakism” – “We are either training or un-training.” This reminded me of something that I read in the BCU Coaches’ Handbook regarding the “regression principle”. “When an athlete stops training they will lose any gains they have made relatively rapidly . . . ceasing training, dependent upon the period and degree of detraining (ranging from normal active life, but no training to complete bed rest), will result in a loss of fitness gains made through previous training.”

As we moved through fall, many paddlers cut back on their paddling activities—thus entering into a period of “un-training”. For some, the boats were stored away, well before Thanksgiving, only to be returned to the water in April or May (that’s nearly 6 months!). Now we’ve moved to winter, and even those who paddled frequently during the fall are finding themselves “locked-out” off the water by the cold, or hard water (ice).

Those gains made this year from paddling may have looked good when the paddling began to become less frequent, or not at all, but how will they be next spring? How are you going to maintain the flexibility that you developed in the last six months? And what about the skills themselves? Skills are dynamic, that is they are constantly changing—for the better and not so. The other thing about skills, if you don’t use them, you will begin to lose them (the “un-training”). (I studied Chinese language for two years, but having not used it in 30+ years, I’ve been un-trained, guess I should have studied Spanish . . . but I digress.)

The time to plan for the “off-season” has pasted by, but it’s not too late! Do as Silbs has done, start with some yoga and palates. Add in some strength training and some cardio, and mix well. Get into a routine—you’ll feel better physically and mentally, and keep a log of your workouts and observe the improvement.

Additionally, educate yourself; books, DVDs, magazines, blogs, websites, coffee klatches. How about some pool sessions or a winter break down south? Join a fitness club. And, of course, you could extend the paddling season by getting, depending on where you live a wetsuit—or a drysuit!

Minimize the “un-training”, keep your edge!

Sounds like a good New Year's Resolution !!!

Some references for fitness related sources:

http://www.paddling.net/guidelines/showCategory.html?category=26

Book: Fit to Paddle, Rocky Snyder

DVD: Yoga for Paddlers

First time in a kayak, or the 1000th, don’t let it be your last . . .

As many of you have heard, a Waukegan Illinois man apparently drown off of Waukegan on Sunday, October 28, 2007. It has been reported that this was his first time out, having just purchased the kayak the week before. Walter Doroba was last seen around 3:30 p.m. on Sunday afternoon by another (power) boater. Some time later (around 5:00 p.m.) the same boater saw Walter’s overturned kayak along with a “life jacket” (PFD) floating in the water and notified authorities.

The weather was nice on Sunday, with the air temperature at Chicago’s O’Hara airport reporting a high of 56° F at 1454, with SW winds at 13, gusting to 16 mph. The water temperature on Lake Michigan, in these parts is running in the low 50’s. Waves were forecasted to be in the 1 to 2 foot range on Sunday.

For the prepared and experienced open water kayaker the conditions were benign to say the least. However, for the unprepared and inexperienced, the conditions were deadly!

When submerged in water, we lose heat 25 to 35 times faster than when not in the water. With water temperatures in the 50 to 60 degree range, it is estimated that a person becomes exhausted, or unconsciousness in 1 to 2 hours, with an expected survival time of 1 to 6 hours. In 40 to 50 degree water the exhaustion or unconsciousness comes in 0.5 to 1 hour, and the expected survival time drops to 1 to 3 hours. (There are a lot of variables, but these times are for someone not in “protective” clothing, i.e., wetsuit, drysuit, etc.)

Ironically, the December issue of Sea Kayaker Magazine arrived last week, and contains the story of the death of an experienced (20+ years) kayaker, in circumstances not too terribly different than Doroba’s.

We know the most about the death of Len Goodman, thanks to the article in Sea Kayaker Magazine. Len, 76 years of age, was the president of the California Kayak Friends (CKF), which is an organization of approximately 200 members in southern California. Len is described in the article as being a “conservative paddler” who often “preached” safety. Running late to a group paddle, Len called one of the group’s members and told him not to wait for him, that he would divert from the planned paddle and do a solo one instead.

The weather was warm and sunny, the winds calm in the early morning, but the Santa Ana winds picked up around 9:00 a.m. and brought strong offshore winds in the 20 to 30 kts range, with gusts of 35 to 40 kts. At some point, Len capsized. His only means of recovery was a paddle float reentry as he didn’t have a roll, nor did he have a reentry and roll. His overturned kayak was found about 3.5 miles offshore, with the paddle float inflated on the paddle, and the paddle attached to the kayak. The vessel finding Len’s kayak radioed the Coast Guard and enroute to the scene they found Len floating in the water about 2.5 miles from shore. CPR was performed as the Coast Guard rushed to shore to hand Len over to the EMTs waiting to transport to the hospital. Upon arrival at the hospital Len’s core temperature was 80°F. Continuing CPR, the hospital staff began rewarming him and after 2 hours his core temperature was recorded at 88°F, but still no cardiac activity. The official cause of death was drowning, and the time was listed as being between 9:00 a.m. and 1:00 p.m.

Although the group that Len paddled with practiced rescues and rolls frequently, Len usually didn’t participate because he chilled easily. Len had taken a class three years earlier that involved a lot of rescue work. At the conclusion of that class, the instructor counseled Len on not paddling alone or in rough conditions until he improved his self rescue abilities. Additionally, Len was advised to get a properly fitting wetsuit (his was too loose and allowed the flushing of water between the suit and the skin). (When I sold wetsuits, people would always complain that they were too tight and wanted the next size – or 2 sizes larger. I’d tell them that if they didn’t feel it, it wouldn’t do them much good.)



Len’s VHF radio had stopped working quite some time ago, and he had not replaced it yet.

Lot’s of lessons to be learned from both of these tragic events.

While Len had lots of experience kayaking, and Walter had little to none (I don’t know if he had ever been in a kayak, or had formal instruction before, just that this was a new kayak), Len didn’t have, and Walter apparently didn’t either, the necessary recovery skills to paddle alone on open water.

Reliable, in good working order, signaling devices are necessary when things do go wrong. There is a high probability that both Len and Walter would have been successfully rescued if they had a VHF radio available to call for assistance. Not to mention flares, smoke, and other signaling devices. I NEVER go on open water without my VHF radio. Regardless of where I’m paddling, I always have my flares (6 of them) with me, along with a strobe (secured to the shoulder of my PFD), signaling mirror and whistle (granted the whistle isn’t much good unless someone is really close by, but it is louder than I can yell). The VHF radio, flares, mirror and whistle are all on my PFD. And, I usually carry my cell phone in a waterproof container in my day hatch, not that I think it will be all that effective while actually in the water.

I always wear my PFD and have it properly secured/tightened. Walter’s was found with his kayak, either he wasn’t wearing it, or he slipped out of it because it was not properly secured, something many people do in favor of a more “relaxed comfortable fit.” I recall one paddler telling me that he once thought he was going to slide right out of his PFD before he could get the straps tightened after capsizing in rather heavy conditions. Again, I NEVER paddle without my PFD on, and I consider myself to be a decent swimmer.

Lastly, I always dress for immersion. I ignore the “rules” that I’ve heard some say, e.g., “if the air + water temperatures are greater than 120 degrees, you’ll be ok without protective clothing.” Think about that, how often do we have 50 degree water and 70 degree air temperatures? Would you want to take a swim without a wetsuit? Personally, I wouldn’t want to without a drysuit!

While I could go on, let me just say Practice, Practice, Practice!!!

Just as I'm posting this, I've received a posting from CASKA (Chicago Area Sea Kayak Association) that is on point, and merits passing on. Take a look at Safety Center and pass it on!

May Peace Be With You

As many of you have heard Australian adventurer Andrew McAuley has been reported as “missing” during his 1600 km (approximately 1000 miles) solo crossing from Tasmania to Milford Sound New Zealand, something never accomplished before. Andrew’s kayak was found 80 km (50 miles) from his goal. There has been no sighting of Andrew at this time. Given the calculated time in water and the water temperature of 15 degrees C (59 degrees F), the situation does not look good.

For those who don’t know, Andrew launched on January 11th from Tasmania on a 1600 km crossing to Milford Sound. Andrew was on schedule to arrive in New Zealand on Sunday morning (February 11th). Last Friday, someone reported receiving a distress signal from a VHF radio, it was thought to be from Andrew. A SAR (search and rescue) event was begun.

During his crossing, Andrew had faced 10-meter (33 feet) swells, 40kt (46 mph) winds, and multiple capsizes. Needless to say, those are conditions that few could even begin to endure, at all--much less in a sea kayak. But, Andrew is an adventurer in the true sense. What makes him special to many of us is that he is a sea kayaking adventurer. For details on Andrew’s accomplishments, check out his web site. The other thing that has made Andrew’s latest adventure so much in the “here and now” for so many of us is the Internet. Andrew’s crossing has been followed by many of us on the event’s site as well as at the site of Derrick Mayoleth, Kayak Quixotica.

While the “official” search may be drawing to a close, I’m sure that there will remain an ongoing search for Andrew.

Between the tears of sadness and those of compassion--something that I experience whenever I learn of someone lost at sea, I have been thinking a lot about Andrew and his family. There's a special connection between those of us who have spent time at sea, be it in the seat of our sea kayak, or on the decks of the larger ships at sea--I am privileged to have done both. And, but for the grace of God, . . .

As always happens, some are already beginning to question Andrew’s decisions, and I’m sure others will follow. It is not for us to judge whether Andrew undertook a journey "without the proper precautions and equipment." I'm certain that Andrew knew the risks involved and made decisions that were based on his comfort level. On any trip you have to decide what to take, and what to leave behind. His decision to not take an immersion suit was his decision based on his comfort level with his other equipment, his skills, and the challenge at-hand.

How many points of protection does a mountaineer place . . . just one more? Where does it end?

Andrew took on a challenge, that's what adventurers do. He had previously started out in early December, only to return when he wasn't satisfied with the protection he had from the cold. He made some adjustments and departed again, a month later.

I salute Andrew McAuley, and will hold Vicki and Finlay in my thoughts during this most difficult of times.

I also want to pay tribute to a friend, a colleague, a paddling partner, a fellow blogger, an Irish whisky drinking partner, and a blooming adventurer himself—Derrick Mayoleth. When Derrick received the breaking news of Andrew possibly being in distress, he stayed with the events as they unfolded a half-a-world away. Derrick kept the rest of us up-to-speed through his blog. While many of us were sleeping, Derrick was collecting information and posting it so we (from around the world I might add!) could have the latest information. It truly is amazing what this Internet thing can do! Great job Derrick—-what’s your favorite coffee (or Irish whisky)? The trucks will be pulling up with deliveries soon!

Another blog about this event that I found of particular interest was that of a kayaking mentor of mine, Sam Crowley. Sam is in the midst of preparing for his kayaking adventure this summer when he will circumnavigate Ireland. Sam provides a personal perspective that is worth reading.

And, one more link for you to look at is the New South Wales Sea Kayak Club’s tribute to a member, Andrew McAuley.

Wishing you safe journeys, near and far!

May Peace Be With You!

Baby, It's Cold Outside

Yes it is cold outside, and taking a “page” from Derrick, just this once, I’m reminded of lyrics to a classic song by the same title—Baby, It’s Cold Outside.

Now many of you may have never heard this classic, which won the Academy Award for Best Original Song at the 1950 Oscars--the film was released in 1949 same year as my birth! And, taking a bit from Silbs. . .but I digress ;)

Show tunes for $50—In what movie was Baby, It’s Cold Outside performed that earned it the Oscar for Best Original Song?

Show tunes for $100—How many times was Baby It’s Cold Outside performed in the film?

Show tunes for $200—Who sang Baby, It’s Cold Outside in the film from which it won the Oscar in 1950 for Best Original Song (hint: it was sung as a duet, by two different sets of actors)?

Now, some of you may be amazed that I know all of this, and to be honest with you, most of it I didn’t know until the magic of Google (which MS Word still underlines in red!) a few minutes ago. I do, however, remember listening to the song many times as a youngster, singing along with the old scratchy recording that my mother had of Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Jordan (no they didn’t sing it in the movie)—now me singing, there’s a scary thought, even in my pre-teen years (but, I again digress)!

So, Derrick thinks there’s another Ice Age coming, Silbs has grown very wary of winter, and Milwaukee, and I’m still saying that if I were to win the lottery (either a real big one or two small ones) I’m outta here—going south to Tybee Island Georgia, or some other more kayak friendly place. I do think that after this year, I’m going to need to plan a mid-winter break to go to a warmer place and paddle for four or five days. Perhaps I’ll be able to get a teaching gig somewhere south for a week. Hell, the way I’ve felt the last couple of days at the office, I’d leave in a minute if the financials worked out anywhere close. Let’s see if there are any job listings in a year-round kayaking friendly climate for a sea kayak instructor, who also happens to be an EMT, as well as a Wilderness EMT, and an American Heart Association CPR/ECC instructor—should be able to put something I’d think.

The picture above was taken a couple of years ago on a winter day's paddle on Lake Michigan north of Bradford Beach—even as cold as it’s been I don’t know that we have the ice bergs out there yet. . .maybe in a couple more weeks we will.

Until next time, stay warm!


Oh, you want to check your answers to the Show Tunes Jeopardy quiz, ok . . .

Baby It’s Cold Outside was performed twice in Neptune’s Daughter, by Ricardo Montalbán and Esther Williams, and by Red Skelton and Betty Garrett.

Practice Safe Sun!

For many years my biggest fear has been “the big C” -- cancer. Having lost my mother and father, as well as my aunt, to cancer, I think it is an understandable fear.

I’ve paying close attention to my body, looking for tell-a-tale signs. In those places where I haven’t been able to inspect myself, I’ve done what my doctor recommend and had “the procedure” (colonoscopy). But, I always kinda figured that my largest risk would be from skin cancer. For three summers in my late teens I was a lifeguard at a state park beach in my “home” state of Indiana—lots of sun exposure. If that wasn’t enough, I did some work on neighbors’ farms; worked one summer as a hod carrier for a masonry contractor; Then there were the tours of duty in the navy that took me to far away places--places that I'd love to return to with my sea kayak; and, for the last 16 years I’ve been an avid sea kayaker. So, there’s been a lot of sun exposure in my life.

How appropriate that in the current (February) edition of Sea Kayaker there’s an article on avoiding heat injuries, which also discusses sun exposure. While the author of the article includes sun exposure in his discussion of “heat” injuries, it’s actually the exposure to the radiation from the sun’s ultraviolet rays that causes the damage to our skin. The author does give a good description of UV radiation and its effect on our skin, but he leaves the impression that it’s only a summer time issue. My mentioning of this point, is that our skin is exposed to this radiation year-round, not just in the warm weather months, though it is more intense in the summer months.

In these later years I’ve been pretty diligent about applying the sunscreen, and wearing a hat! I’ve been applying a daily dose of skin moisturizer containing SPF 15 sunscreen on my face, neck, ears, and head—if it is above the shoulders it gets Lubriderm moisturizer with SPF 15 sunscreen—365 days a year! However, all of this couldn’t undo the damage previously done.

About 2 months ago I felt a spot on my head—it had a dry scaly feel to it. Then a few days latter, I noticed another spot in the same area—a bit of a bump that was a different color than I was used to. Hmmmmm. . . . time to do some research (on the web of course), and make an appointment with my primary care physical. He then referred me to a dermatologist. The dermatologist did a full body inspection and came back to my head. Discussing with me his findings, he gave me the option of treatment now for the “pre-cancerous” spots, or wait until my next appointment. Why wait? So, with a device that looked more like a blowtorch than a medical instrument, he began to apply liquid nitrogen to several spots on my head. Other than the noise, and a brief “ice cream headache”, nothing to it. The photo above is one day post-treatment. It’s now two weeks post treatment, and four weeks until my follow-up appointment. The treated areas are still red, but have healed nicely. And, I’m continuing my visual exams—monthly is what my doctor recommended, but I keep a more frequent watch than that. And, I will continue to use the SPF 15, and reapply every 2 to 3 hours when in the sun as the chemicals breakdown and the protection weakens.

Yes, I practice safe sun and I hope you do as well!

A New Year!!!

I ended the year by having coffee with Silbs, while we watched the rain and wind through the windows of the coffee shop (Sven's). In the afternoon we (my wife, Oz, and I) drove in dense fog to Manitowoc for our traditional New Year's dinner with more great friends--something we've been doing for 25+ years. So, it was a day spent with close friends, PERFECT!!!

To start 2007 we took a drive up the lake front from Manitowoc to Two Rivers--I have to get my daily fix of Lake Michigan. The sun shinned brightly and the water looked inviting, but I know it's cold (it was 34 degrees F on Friday when Silbs, Greg and I paddled). We spotted four people in sea kayaks on one of the rivers as we drove across the bridge. Returning to our friends’ house, we had a wonderful brunch, and nice conversation, before returning to Milwaukee where we joined a sea kayaker's party in progress--more great friends!

Now we are back to our home, returning to the routine. I return to work tomorrow after being off for 10 days, all of which I have been feeling less than my usual 100 plus percent while fighting off some sort of respiratory and sinus infection.

The evening news is the same ol' stuff . . . I don't need to tell you of the doom and gloom (day one and already 2 murders here in Milwaukee and now over 3000 dead in the war in Iraq!).

And, "what will happen?" (Will he retire or not? -- "he" being Brett Favre.) For many, too many, this is the only thing they care about! I guess it is a diversion for them, but there are sooooo many more important things to be concerned about.

All-in-all, 2006 was a good year for me—lots of personal accomplishments: lost 28 pounds, started working as an EMT, became a Wilderness EMT, and while I logged fewer days on the water in my kayak, I feel that I’m a better paddler (probably has to do with the weight loss and the daily stretching exercises).

Now I look forward to 2007. . .while I have my sights set on a couple of personal accomplishments (losing another 2 to 5 pounds, assessing to become a ACA Open Water Sea Kayak Instructor Trainer, begin working on becoming a BCU Coach 3, and adding more strength and cardio training to my stretching and flexibility workouts. But, the one thing I really want is PEACE!!! Not only in the global sense and the wars that our country are involved in, but also on the local neighborhood level. Many neighborhoods, mine included, are “war zones” complete with terrorists. Too bad we don’t go about the task of ridding our neighborhoods of these terrorists with the same vigor we use in the “war on terrorism”. These neighborhood terrorists are more of a threat to me personally than the others. I’ll continue to be vigilant, and do what I can, but it would be nice to have the assistance of the “authorities”!!!

And, by way of a New Year’s resolution—I resolve to blog on a more regular basis, so stay tuned!

Hoping that all have a great 2007!