Peeing is easy…
Rational response
Make a list of what might happen to you and what you would be able to do about it. Make a reasonable estimate of how likely those things are. For example, suppose because of weather, boat wake, or whatever you need to do a deep water brace and you dislocate your shoulder. I know people this has happened to. Would you be prepared? Or do you think this is so improbable that you will take the risk without preparation? No one else can make those decisions for you but the exercise is worth doing and might save your life. Personally I do the three-at-sea thing if it is at all possible. Plus long crossings are just boring. I would not consider it worth it to take very much risk for something I didn’t like to do.
Pee bottle (nm)
I paddle alone all the time
what a psycho
Seriously, it sounds like you’re tuned into the weather conditions and your abilities. Tahoe is not like the great lakes where something often develops very quickly. Prepare for a longer paddle than the shortest route, by all means get a marine radio and get out and practice and you should be good.
Will VHF work???
Posters and the OP continue to talk about the vital importance of having a Marine VHF radio for this trip. But is anyone listening to VHF on Lake Tahoe? I wouldn’t think so. I’d guess that a VHF would offer false confidence at the outset, and no salvation in an emergency.
If you are not 100% confident that you can deal with every possible eventuality without outside help, then I’d suggest taking emergency signals with you. I’d at least bring flares, but a satellite beacon (PLB or SPOT) would offer a more certain, though perhaps slower, response.
60 degrees is indeed cold water. I’d suggest wearing a wetsuit for a solo trip in that water.
I think suggestions to do rolls and rescues in rough conditions when you’re tired are a good idea. I’d perhaps also add doing a longer trip first, since a headwind or seas could slow your progress, and make maintaining your projected speed of 4 mph difficult.
Waterproof communication
I’m sure Tahoe boaters are not that ignorant of VHF usage, plus there are probably boating officials, police, Sea Tow, fishermen,ferries etc. that monitor VHF. The point is that cell phones fry easily with the slightest splash of water.
no pee = not enough drinking
Just go in the boat, or into sponge or bottle, aim over the side, climb out of cockpit to straddle rear deck, go for a swim. Many ways to go.
Lake Tahoe Temperatures
Wow. I just took a look at the UC Davis buoy temperature readings and the lake is closer to 67 near the surface during the day than th 60 that I expected.
The SPOT transmitter is a great idea and they can be rented.
I have a wetsuit too. It’s Tahoe so I ought to have a drysuit but I’d rather ski in the spring.
Rowing solo
Dave, no it is not a crazy idea to go long distance solo, just remember a couple of basics and you’ll be alright. I have done this many times and always apply the 12 principles of modern warfare. People prefer different things and they approach things differently. Plan & execute by sorting out all your gear (test & plan), check the weather and go for it. Always have a contingency plan, all the what if’s (capsize, weather problems, navigation, supplies, communications, spares, timings and mobility). In short, be geared for a capsize and I have a much better suggestion for you wrt paddle floats (they do not work well on the open ocean).
Solo kayaking
Dave, I made some calculations and your 14 mile leg will take you 4hours and 36 minutes to complete at an average speed of 3 Knots. You will definitely have a couple of rest points marked out on your navigational plan so let’s make it 5 to 5 1/2 hours rowing max. (1,852NM x 14 miles = 26km)and(time = distance divided by speed multiplied by a constant of 60 = 280). If you encounter wind you can do a running fix and use a GPS as a backup. If I were you I would start at sunrise and have somebody meet me at a predetermined point with an alternative rondezvous point. On the open water with a kayak you have an effective range of 5 NM minimum with a hand held radio (preferably VHF).
Sea Sickness?
I’m getting better with it, but after about continuous 3.5-4 hours in water with some swells I start to get slightly nausetic. Give it a little more time without a break on dry land, and I feel worse. I think I’ve added at least an hour to my previous “puke” time.
I’ve gotten sea sick on similarly sized trips on inland waters with some wind chop and boat wakes. Pretty much what you’ll get. And that can be a problem. Gets much worse if you have to spend time looking down to read a chart or what not.
Can paddle all day with short breaks on land, but more than 4 hours continuously is somewhat of a problem for me due to the motion sickness. Make sure you know your limit there.
What you feel or not will be very individual, but for me (besides emptying my belly overboard and feeling low), I begin to have harder time keeping balance and begin to feel chills. If the conditions are nice and you know you are close to your destination - no problem most likely, just slow down and you’lll get there. But if you have to fight the weather for several more hours - may be tough and dangerous.
sea sickness - keep looking at horizon!
I never thought I was subject to sea-sickness at all until a two bad attacks while kayaking. Both times were after spending 15 minutes looking at chart and eating and peeing in a moderate swell. Ever since, I try to keep looking at horizon most of the time, even while doing those things, and have never had it again. I think having a reasonably full belly also helps (counter-intuitive!). Being sea-sick when alone was miserable, but being sea-sick when with a friend was even worse, since you also feel bad for holding things up. And in a group, I’ll bet it’s even worse, since you’d probably be getting all kinds of unhelpful advice.
curious
I am curious rector. With the mtns. being so high all around the lake do you ever actually get out of sight of land?
In sight of land?
The lake is really only 10 to 11 miles across. Even with mere hills on all sides, you could still see plenty of land from the midpoint 5 miles from shore. In fact, from 5 miles out, you can actually see trees on the ridges.
The trip is 14 miles because of the diagonal I would take so that I could put in and get out easily without shlepping my kayak through the woods.
Dave
3 MPH seems a little slow
I paddled 16 miles last year in exactly 4 hours. There was little wind. That included a snack and a roll to get wet at the halfway point. I was planning for 4 hours with a 1/2 hour grace period for the 14 mile crossing.
I actually think that cell reception would be better than VHF reception in the middle but a SPOT GPS device would be best with someone on shore to monitor it. I’d also want to know who was listening to VHF and where they are located. There might not be anyone listening anywhere near the start or middle of my route.
Dave
Good point about taking longer to die
That is a good point and I need to keep it in mind. If I ended up separated from my boat with no signalling device, I would be really screwed 5 or 6 miles from shore in 60f water. It’s slower but yes, just as serious, as falling off a rock without a rope.
In my mind, having the kayak and PFD is like having a rope and I’ll adjust that thinking a little.
Thanks.
Dave
VHF on Lake Tahoe
The Coast Guard is active on Lake Tahoe. I think it is because it is on the border of 2 states. See this link http://www.boattahoe.com/emsprintversion.htm
not sure
I’m curious about this issue. I figured that recreational inland boaters don’t use VHF, and that police didn’t either.
It’s pretty much an assumption though. Does anyone know for sure? Is there any rescue agency listening to VHF all the time on a lake like Tahoe? Are a significant number of recreational boaters driving around with 16 turned up all the time? If you get benighted in conditions too windy for you to handle, and call for help on a VHF, will anyone here that? If that’s my emergency communication tool, I’d want to be sure that there’s going to be someone listening. If not, I’d get a satellite beacon of some sort.
What depth?
– Last Updated: Jul-28-10 9:08 PM EST –
I saw that buoy data too, but also saw a dive center reporting that the current temps are 54-67. It's possible that the buoy data is right at the surface, and during a calm day, that might be 10 degrees warmer than the water 2 feet down. And 2-4 feet down is what counts if you're swimming. Anyways, sounds like you're going to wear a wetsuit anyways, so you're set with that issue IMO.