Csail
N/A
For coastal water kayaking (say no more than 2 miles offshore) what safety equipment would you take?
Kayaking
- Thread starter Csail
- Start date
colvic987
Well-Known Member
a big rib, sorry but not my cup of tea, in a kayak up to 2 miles out, rather have a little more freeboard..
safety equipment maybe, Especially singlehanded, but would depend on trip, is it just a couple of miles or hours around the coast which is quite populated, or around a rugged isolated island, it would maybe make a difference on what i carried, other kayaks in the group so you can maybe not have to take all of the items below but have between the group.but maybe everyone has a set of flares each..
lifejacket or bouyancy aid...
h/h vhf
flares
gps
chart + compass
personal epirb
a couple of items off the top of my head..
safety equipment maybe, Especially singlehanded, but would depend on trip, is it just a couple of miles or hours around the coast which is quite populated, or around a rugged isolated island, it would maybe make a difference on what i carried, other kayaks in the group so you can maybe not have to take all of the items below but have between the group.but maybe everyone has a set of flares each..
lifejacket or bouyancy aid...
h/h vhf
flares
gps
chart + compass
personal epirb
a couple of items off the top of my head..
gregandginas
Well-Known Member
How many of you are in the group, and what's the skill level? What type of boats are you paddling? What sort of coastal waters?
I'd happily solo through big overfalls in a well thought out sea kayak with a decent foot/hand pump as the fore and aft hatches should provide positive buoyancy as I would back myself to handle anything the sea could throw at me - I'd happily go 5+ miles off shore with no more than a compass, a chart, spare (split) paddles on the back deck and a set of flares... plus maybe a decent whistle, torch and small mirror for attracting attention.
If I were leading a party of modestly capable paddlers out (say) to the Farne Islands in ordinary river-running kayaks I'd be looking at adding additional floatation (even if it's just air-filled containers) and a towline that works off the back deck rather than from around my waist... but I'd mostly focus (as we always used to for such trips) on ensuring everyone was fit enough to keep with the group and on having enough experienced paddlers to keep everyone together in the event of folk getting seasick /falling in.
If someone's got a license to operate it, you could warrant a hand-held (or even fixed) VHF... and if you wanted to spend money you could add a GPS / hand held chartplotter, or even SART and such like... but if you're competent, have taken the time to find out about the local conditions and use your noddle, that should all be overkill, really - you should be able to cope with just about anything from your own resources.
I'd happily solo through big overfalls in a well thought out sea kayak with a decent foot/hand pump as the fore and aft hatches should provide positive buoyancy as I would back myself to handle anything the sea could throw at me - I'd happily go 5+ miles off shore with no more than a compass, a chart, spare (split) paddles on the back deck and a set of flares... plus maybe a decent whistle, torch and small mirror for attracting attention.
If I were leading a party of modestly capable paddlers out (say) to the Farne Islands in ordinary river-running kayaks I'd be looking at adding additional floatation (even if it's just air-filled containers) and a towline that works off the back deck rather than from around my waist... but I'd mostly focus (as we always used to for such trips) on ensuring everyone was fit enough to keep with the group and on having enough experienced paddlers to keep everyone together in the event of folk getting seasick /falling in.
If someone's got a license to operate it, you could warrant a hand-held (or even fixed) VHF... and if you wanted to spend money you could add a GPS / hand held chartplotter, or even SART and such like... but if you're competent, have taken the time to find out about the local conditions and use your noddle, that should all be overkill, really - you should be able to cope with just about anything from your own resources.
electrosys
Well-Known Member
A safety boat (and no, I'm not being flippant) on the other end of a waterproof radio.
An offshore wind can soon turn 2 miles into 10.
BTW - Cockelshell Heroes on TV (Ch 5) at 3.30 p.m. today - they lost their first kayak due to lumpy water at the mouth of an estuary, if memory serves.
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gregandginas
Well-Known Member
I'd rather not kayak than operate with a safety boat: part of any adventure is the commitment involved...and if you can get on the blower and call up a rescue party because things are going wrong you're not doing anything more adventurous than the kiddies at the theme park. In fact, the main reason to contact anyone ashore is to make it damn clear to the coastguard that you know what you are doing, understand the winds / tides / conditions and would only be calling for help in the extreme circumstances of (say) someone having a heart attack.
We've paddled in Force 7-8 (off-shore winds).... and in breaking waves (onshore winds) that were quite capable of picking a kayak up and carrying it all the way to the cliffs. Neither situation was problematic.... but observers on dry land are prone to call the coastguard just because they see folk in small craft in big seas... and it's only fair that the coastguard knows to ignore such calls unless there's a distress signal witnessed.
Getting back to the 2 miles becoming 10 miles: there's no excuse for any kayaking day-trip party to be caught unawares by wind and tide as both are pretty predictable over the timescale involved. If you're out rock-hopping in plastic play boats you should be playing far too close to the shore to get the wind overpowering you... and windage (assuming your passage plan is sane: not fighting wind AND tide) shouldn't be a problem for a party in proper sea kayaks (in which fit paddlers should sustain 5 knotts for hour after hour with ease).
Put it this way - I'm a damn sight more apprehensive about larking around at sea in our 22' Pandora. It's not as inherantly buoyant on account of being attached to this big keel thing. Catches the wind more. If it's flipped end over end in a breaking wave I can't just right it and keep paddling. If I lose my rigging overboard I can't just flip around and to grab a spare off the back deck and be going immediately.
boatbuilder
Well-Known Member
There is a training film on tv at the moment.
"Cockleshell heroes"
"Cockleshell heroes"
mikemonty
Well-Known Member
Well said, I own a few sea kayaks too (A Nordkapp amongst them) It ticks me off when someone with no real understanding of the craft or their emminent seaworthiness (or to put it another way - are ignorant) decides to expound on "why you wouldn't catch them out in one of those things".
The subject also resonates with the recent thread on when to call the coastguard.
To the OP - I'm not going to hit you with the usual forum c r a p about how well trained are you etc. - that's your responsibility.
Bare minimum equipment - buoyancy aid, compass, split spare paddle, flares and repair tape.
Nice to haves - GPS, shorty wetsuit, towline/throwline
Luxuries - VHF and a thermos of soup.
DinghyMan
Well-Known Member
I solo sea kayak and take;
VHF
Flares
Spare split paddle
Paddle float
GPS
Chart
Mobile 'phone in drybag
head torch & strobe
Towline in a waist belt & throwline
Helmet
Pump
I tow a 10m line with a floating dog ball behind me so if I part company with the kayak then I have an additional way of getting back to it as it dissapears
I normally kayak in a drysuit and always wear a buoyancy aid but occasionally in a semi-dry wetsuit if we get a really hot day.
Also take waterproofs, hat, goggles, food & lots to drink, etc in a shaped deck bag.
VHF
Flares
Spare split paddle
Paddle float
GPS
Chart
Mobile 'phone in drybag
head torch & strobe
Towline in a waist belt & throwline
Helmet
Pump
I tow a 10m line with a floating dog ball behind me so if I part company with the kayak then I have an additional way of getting back to it as it dissapears
I normally kayak in a drysuit and always wear a buoyancy aid but occasionally in a semi-dry wetsuit if we get a really hot day.
Also take waterproofs, hat, goggles, food & lots to drink, etc in a shaped deck bag.
ColdFusion
Well-Known Member
I kayak solo more often than not (one of these) and haven't been more than maybe 1/2 a mile from shore in a F4. I always take/wear the following:
Buoyancy aid
Fully charged mobile phone in waterproof bag
Hat
Waterproofs
Sunglasses
Water
Something quick/high energy to eat such as chocolate, nuts, bananas, etc
The paddle is secured to the kayak with a lanyard. The tides are noted and I usually start monitoring the weather a couple of days in advance.
I won't be nannied into buddy-boating unless I want to kayak in company and I accept the risks of paddling solo.
Buoyancy aid
Fully charged mobile phone in waterproof bag
Hat
Waterproofs
Sunglasses
Water
Something quick/high energy to eat such as chocolate, nuts, bananas, etc
The paddle is secured to the kayak with a lanyard. The tides are noted and I usually start monitoring the weather a couple of days in advance.
I won't be nannied into buddy-boating unless I want to kayak in company and I accept the risks of paddling solo.
