I'd like to get rational input about making a 14 mile lake crossing. The water temp is probably about 60f and the conditions will likely be calm. I can probably get cell reception in the middle but I'm not counting on it. I've never fallen out of my boat and can roll easily. I have a paddle float and pump. I have practiced reentry-and-roll and will have a spare paddle. I've paddle 14 miles on the shoreline in rough conditions (whitecaps) and have paddle 16 miles easily on a calm day.
Other than the usual crap about being irresponsible for taking such a huge risk, neglecting my family, etc..., is there any rational reason not to just go for it? What I mean to ask is, has anyone ever heard of someone in good health with good skills in calm conditions in a sea kayak ever just failed to succeed at such a short trip in mostly calm conditions? Is there any real chance of this being a problem?
This is not one of those "if you have to ask then you should not do it" things. I'm going to do it and I'm completely capable. I'm just curious about the feedback this question will get.
BTW, I rock climbing and the forums always have very interesting (meaning dumb) debates about the stupidity of climbing free solo (alone and no rope). The argument is that the chance of failure may be low but the consequence of failure is death. Kayaking does not present the same problem since there is no way for the rock to break causing a deadly fall.
Comments?
Dave
[edit for typos]
Crazy to paddle solo?
Check the weather for lightning or strong winds. If no threats, go for it. Also make sure people know when you’re doing it, and check in now & then.
GPS with you to make sure you’re on course… Common sense things and you’ll probably be fine.
not at all
what would be crazy is to not do it.
If you got the self rescue stuff down I guess I wouldn’t have even bothered to ask - it seems just fine to me.
Doesn’t sound like a problem to me
14 miles on a lake? Doesn’t sound uncommonly risky to me. Lots of seakayakers make open water passages longer than that all the time. Just leave a float plan with someone reliable who is staying on shore that day.
cell phone?
on (or in) the water? possiably 14 miles or more from a tower?
what good is that?
think about getting a marine radio. You could at least contact then. All ships monitor and will relay.
Best Wishes
Roy
If you have to ask…
chances
I don’t think paddling solo is crazy. Sometimes it’s just the only way to get out, and sometimes it’s done deliberately to enhance the challenge and the reward.
I am a little concerned with your flippant attitude about such a long crossing though. You ask whether anyone has ever failed a crossing for no reason in calm conditions. And you also say “Kayaking does not present the same problem [of death] since there is no way for the rock to break causing a deadly fall.”
What your post seems to miss is that people don’t die while kayaking because everything goes right. People die (and they do die, on trips less ambitious than yours) because they run into problems they hadn’t anticipated or prepared for. Weather can change in the time it takes to make a 14 mile crossing. You could hurt yourself. 7 miles from shore you may find the open water conditions are more than you’re accustomed to handling. All or none of these might be issues you run into on a crossing like this.
For me, part of the fun of any adventure is thinking of potential problems and preparing for them. Everyone’s got their own opinions on what are acceptable risks, so you have to consider the potential problems you could encounter, and decide whether you want to be prepared for them, or whether they’re remote enough that you’re comfortable just figuring (probably rightly) that they won’t happen.
Paddle halfway across & return
With that intermediate step, you’ll gain a better idea of what it’s like out in the middle…on that day. Then decide whether/when to do the full crossing.
I don’t think such a solo trip is crazy, but then again I’m fond of solo paddles.
Leave a float plan!
Solo
I usually solo, (canoe) most of my trips are overnight or longer.
I solo because I can stop when I want, do the speed that I want, eat what /where I want, make camp when I get ready and I see more wildlife because there is less noise. I realize that any mistakes that are made are mine alone and I do go prepared for an emergency.
Just be prepared, is the main thing.
Oh yes enjoy the paddle.
Radio?
You didn’t mention a VHF radio - hopefully you have one. Just curious, why are you doing it - because it’s there?
bring more water than you think you will need - good luck.
Ditto
I agree, you really need to take a waterproof VHF radio.
I assume you have a good reason to
paddle straight across the lake. Some goal. I find paddling out in the open like that kind of boring, compared to running fairly near the shore.
Company?
I see from other posts that you are talking about Lake Tahoe, and that you were looking for a companion, and either changed your mind or could not find a companion. So it does not sound like the solo aspect is a must.
One thing you might consider would be hiring a companion. If you are looking for instruction and experience on long crossings, you could hardly do better then see if Sean Morley (River and Ocean Kayaking in SF Bay Area) might be available. He does coaching and gets to Tahoe now and then and is surprisingly affordable. It would be worth it for sure. Sean has paddled around Great Britain solo, and more recently broke the record (solo and tandem) around Vancouver Island. Otherwise, perhaps somebody else could be hired - even a motor boat - to accompany you.
You might also consider a Spot Meter. Some friends of mine paddled all the way around Lake Tahoe in a 24 hour period this spring and we tracked them online with the Spot Meter - so it works great there.
A couple questions to ask yourself are what are the worst conditions you have paddled solo at Tahoe, and what are the worst conditions in which you have done a combat roll, as opposed to practice, and what are the worst conditions that you might face. That lake can get scary fast when the wind comes up suddenly.
Flippant?
“I am a little concerned with your flippant attitude…”
If I were flippant, I would not have posted and asked. I would assume I am capable and just done it.
In rock climbing, I use a rope. Some people chose to climb alone without a rope many thousands of feet off the ground. In that situation, a rock breaking in your hand can mean certain death. There is no ability that can predict or deal with that problem.
In kayaking 14 miles across Lake Tahoe, I would have to have a heart attack or get hit by a boat to have certain death. In all other situations that I can forsee, I would have to take action and could, if my experience and ability were sufficient, deal with the problem.
I posted because I wanted to hear rational reasons to not do this or to hear about things to worry about that are easily overlooked by someone who has not been on such a trip before.
Dave
Conditions
"A couple questions to ask yourself are what are the worst conditions you have paddled solo at Tahoe, and what are the worst conditions in which you have done a combat roll, as opposed to practice, and what are the worst conditions that you might face. That lake can get scary fast when the wind comes up suddenly."
I have gone out when there was a small craft warning and had a good time paddling a few miles in it. Last Sunday, I paddled 7 miles south into a heavy headwind and whitecaps and then paddled back 7 miles. Paddling downwind was much less fun.
The winds are often predictable enough to known how things will be in four hours and there are hour-by-hour forecasts available.
Dave
Yep. Because it’s there.
I have no idea if it will be great or suck. There’s only one way to find out what it’s like.
Plus, if I wanted to paddle from L.A. to Catalina or something much more adventurous than crossing a big lake, I’d need to have made a few lesser trips to build up to it. This is a lesser trip.
That and the shoreline of Lake Tahoe is getting pretty boring to me these days. I paddle three or four days a week here and this will actually be a big change of scenery.
Dave
I didn’t really have to ask.
and you could be the innocent bystander
in a drive by shooting
“The argument is that the chance of failure may be low but the consequence of failure is death. Kayaking does not present the same problem since there is no way for the rock to break causing a deadly fall.”
Things do happen.
The very small lake that a lot of us paddle solo on was the scene of a drowning last Summer when a fellow paddler w/o PFD likely had a heart attack.
This was a pretty hard lake to miss a swim in, but the unexpected occurred.
Do I think this fellow paddler was incredibly stupid and shouldn’t have been w/o PFD? A group of other paddlers?
Same thing could have happened in ATL traffic and he’d have taken out 5 or 6 cars on his way to a spectacular finish.
Sounds to me like you’ve got your skills, have done your research and are in a pretty controlled environment.
I do the same stuff myself and figure if I’ve covered my bases, the risk is worth the solitude.
Besides, there are no sharks in the lake!
Go Solo
Who cares wether its crazy or not. With the proper preparations, doing it is much better than thinking about doing it.
If it helps, last year I paddled a 10’ kayak across 13 miles of open Chesapeake Bay. I’m 70 and have cancer. I realize this doesn’t attest to my sanity, but it sure was fun.
Not yet
I think your ready for this trip if everything goes fine, but not if things start to go wrong.
Your longest trip to-day is only 16 miles. How far can you go?
If your out on the lake and the wind comes up you could end up traveling considerably farther than the straight line distance.
How do you intend to navigate? Dead reckoning? Compass? GPS?
What will you do if your in the middle any you “have to go”?
Don’t count on phone reception, or your phone working when it’s wet.