Anyone ever paddle in the rain?

Most beautiful moment
My most beautiful moment paddling occured on a nearby lake in the summer. On the way back to the boat launch we go caught in a rain. All the boats were gone and we were all alone floating on this body of water which was so still and straight and dotted by raindrops that it almost looked like an asphalt parking lot in the rain. Very surreal.

Awful in the winter!
I’d rather paddle in the snow, you stand a better chance of staying warm in a snowstorm.



In the rain you get soaked and at 33 degrees and wet the evaporative cooling from the wind makes you clothing very cold.



Paddling in the rain in the summer is just plain fun. We often get a shower in the hottest part of the day just when we need it.

I love paddling in our FL thunderstorms.
…IF I’m surrounded by tall trees in a creek or narrow river. It lets you know you’re alive by knowing how close you can be to death. Of course I refuse to do it in an aluminum canoe (mine is fiberglass) or use an aluminum pole (mine is wood) when a T-sorm may be a possibility for the day or evening paddle. I’ll take chances but I have no death wish.

I’ve been in rain so heavy I couldn’t bail out the canoe fast enough. Then again at the time I had to use two discarded beer cans due to a child losing my bailer. I was glad the storms were coming in bands. If it were constant we wouldn’t have made it back.

Made our day!
One August day, 4 of us started out on our 19 mile circumnavigation of Fishers Island. It would have been very hot had it not been for the morning fog. About halfway around, you could feel the heat coming on as the fog was burning off. Out of nowhere, the rains came. It rained pretty hard and it felt great! Lasted about an hour. It warmed up quite a bit when the skies finally cleared. Which goes to show that you don’t need the sun to have a beautiful day.

heck yes!
In the summer it’s the best way to avoid the crowds. The only other people out are the diehard fishermen.



In a kayak with a neoprene skirt, drytop, and brimmed rain hat, I can be warm and dry in the rain.

Being on a lake
Watching the rain line coming towards you, then being surrounded by nothing but raindrops, lovely !!



Then again I can remember preparing to paddle after a Thunder Storm had passed & being assured by the local TV channel that the storm centre was now 50 miles away and no more were predicted when suddenly “BANG” a lightning strike onto the lake about 1/2 mile away.

Paddling in the rain
I love the rain when I’m in my kayak and I can “batten down the hatches”. I much prefer better conditions if canoeing and setting up camp in rainy conditions is not ideal.

There is no bad weather
only inappropriate clothing!

please
If people would post to this less, it would sink faster.









That said, I went for the nicest paddle in the rain Saturday. Didn’t seem to matter as I was swimming more than I was in the boat. :wink:

On occasion
I haven’t started a trip in anything more than a light drizzle, but I’ve been caught in a heavy downpour on more than one occasion. As long as the wind isn’t crazy or lightning isn’t crashing nearby, I view rain as a refreshing change. It’s just nature.



That being said, since my choice craft is a canoe, one has to be mindful how much water that big ol’ hole in the top can collect. Getting stuck in a hard downpour the day you forgot your bailer can really suck.



Phreon


Heck no
That would be wet. I only paddle when its 74.6 degrees, less than 80% humidity, steady barometer, under a partly cloudy sky, downstream, with a tail wind of 4-8 mph.

But that’s boring, of course. So then I go home and watch the shopping channel for a bit of stimulation.

I’ve been looking for a new canoe that will make my paddling experience more exciting.

Believe that and I have a bridge you might be interested in purchasing.

I had a question I have been back to the winners web many times only tgo get a message that says to be patient wile you are updating info for the contest ? how long is it going to take

Funny how these resurface after years in the archive. I love Redmond’s comment:
“There is no bad weather
only inappropriate clothing!”

@ drifter1 said:
I had a question I have been back to the winners web many times only tgo get a message that says to be patient wile you are updating info for the contest ? how long is it going to take

?? Resurrect an 8 year old topic with a question that has nothing to do with it…
TAKE YOUR MEDS!

not a fan of paddling in the rain, it makes it hard to see the eddies. Snow otoh, had some of my best paddles in the snow. There, back to the top muhahahaha…see ya’ll next year…maybe.

That person had better not go paddling in SE AK.

I don’t mind paddling in drizzle. After all, a wetsuit or drysuit is immersion wear. However, in or near the Rockies, rain from late spring to early fall often means an electrical storm. Frequently accompanied by high-speed gusts, violent downbursts, hail, and LIGHTNING. Nooooo thanks!

In winter, precip is usually snow, but it is sort of a moot point then. The water either freezes or administrative closures (thanks, zebra mussels) mean no paddling.

“Anyone ever paddle in the rain?”
Sure, last Saturday.

Yup! Bestest paddlin’ time fer me… rain an’ snow.

No snow here but living in the Thunderstorm Capital of North America, I love the rain but not the lightning that usually comes with it.

I love that ominous photo.
My voyageur or C4 race team has never cancelled a scheduled training day due to rain. Here in the Adirondacks you had better plan on it on any given day. Canoe races are never cancelled due to rain, whether forecast or real. It often rains, particularly on multi-day races.