Who here uses a boat tether while Kayaking. I think I may add one to my safety gear list. I have thought of using one but near really took the next step.
Checkout this link.
I know a guy who was killed in a high performance boat years ago. He had a wife a three kids. Lawyers sued the trailer company that brought boat to the water. They paid 100 grand for part of the settlement that was two million. What does the trailer have to do with anything? That’s how it works in court sadly.
@castoff said:
Who here uses a boat tether while Kayaking. I think I may add one to my safety gear list. I have thought of using one but near really took the next step.
Checkout this link.
Not me. I dont find entanglment risks to be worth their slim rewards. I sometimes carry a padle leash but I dont use it in potential capsize conditions. If you’re not a roller then maybe the entanglement risk is negligible. You’ll die from other causes. 
Yes that is what I thought too. Did you read the link and look at the boat lease? The guy had a good roll, but was separated from his boat. The leash is short and stout, he makes a good case for it. Surfers use a leash, and apparently so do some surf ski racers. Of course I doubt they have a roll. I would not use one on a WW kayak.
Thinking about it does anyone recall a case of entanglement causing a fatality. However being seperated from the boat is not a good thing far from shore. I am curious about this not advocating it. I do intend to make one and give it a test. I certainly would not use it in the surf. There you would want separation from the boat.
Well, no doubt the NCCWS is doing a good thing. I’m just of the mindset that you can’t save everyone, and resent the amount of resources that are expended while doing so. This is compounded by the lack of interest many have in proactive learning and thinking for themselves. I don’t expect a solution to this in my lifetime.
There is a saying that goes… You can fix ignorant, but there isn’t a cure for stupid. There probably is no complete solution to this, but the CG and first responders seem to feel the resources are justified. Minimizing the need to use the resource like contact info on the boat is a good step in the right direction of course. So is educating ourselves about safety, you are right about that.
The crux of the problem is how little many people really know about the danger of cold water. They think if they can swim and wear a PFD they are safe. I thought the NCCWS bit about " Cold water is a predator - fast, powerful. deadly, and a well camouflaged trap." is very true,
Here it seems is what causes so many fatalities…“A Well Camouflaged Trap”!
Training and certification…NHTSA) 2016 data shows 37,461 people were killed in 34,436 motor vehicle crashes, an average of 102 per day.[1]
All trained and certified operators. More exposure of course but all human error of some kind. We will loose some either way.
Sept 23 2010… roughest day I ever paddled on Lac Superior. These conditions did not come up in a flash, and I had sheltered launch/land. I have paddled where conditions were close and did come up quickly.
The max speed on my GPS gives a clue to how hard those NE waves push.
That reflecting wave getting the crest ripped off is 15-18’
The Lac can become a beast.
Hey Rookie, you are right, the Pictured Rocks safety summary is a good one. I like the clear statement that canoes do not belong on Lake Superior.
Hey castoff, it sure seems like a leash could be a lifesaver for kayakers that paddle offshore.
I was taught that if the air temp plus water temp is below 100 then the conditions are dangerous but based on this tragedy the rule of thumb isn’t conservative enough.
I think the Apostle Island NPS web site sums it up in the words of Julian Nelson, professional fisherman………https://www.nps.gov/apis/planyourvisit/safety.htm
_****SAFETY IS YOUR RESPONSIBILITY
Apostle Islands National Lakeshore encompasses more than 500 square miles of Lake Superior. After a lifetime of living and working around the lake, commercial fisherman Julian Nelson described it this way…”The lake is the boss. No matter how big you are or what kind of a boat you’ve got, the lake is still the boss. Mother Nature dictates a lot of things.” Visitors must be aware of the risks and hazards associated with the lake and island environments. Response times to areas on Lake Superior can be far greater than for similar distances on the mainland. The National Park Service will make reasonable efforts to respond in emergency situations, but the lake IS the boss. So be careful out there, because maybe we can save you, and maybe we can’t.
****_
@TomL said:
Hey Rookie, you are right, the Pictured Rocks safety summary is a good one. I like the clear statement that canoes do not belong on Lake Superior.
the Apostle Island Safety section says the same thing. …….“Paddling
Canoes should not be used for travel between the islands.”
@Overstreet said:
@TomL said:
Hey Rookie, you are right, the Pictured Rocks safety summary is a good one. I like the clear statement that canoes do not belong on Lake Superior.the Apostle Island Safety section says the same thing. …….“Paddling
Canoes should not be used for travel between the islands.”
While the fisherman’s statement is to the point, I still think that NPS safety section is seriously lacking. Here’s the entire text for paddlers:
“Paddling
Canoes should not be used for travel between the islands. Calm days may make canoe use possible along the mainland or island shorelines . Sea kayaks have become very popular for travel among the islands, but may be difficult for other boaters to see. Brightly colored kayaks clustered in a group offer greater visibility. Allow plenty of time to accomplish your intended route. Beginners should not try to cover more than ten miles in a day. Inform a friend or relative of your travel plans. Kayakers should use wet suits or dry suits when paddling in the Apostles and carry a PFD for each person on board. Paddlers should also pack such items as: a marine radio and cell phone, a first aid kit, extra paddle, sunscreen, insect repellent, compass, nautical charts, 50 feet of line, waterproof matches, dry storage containers, and provisions for at least one extra day.”
Compare those few sentences to the NPS Pictured Rocks site which has an entire section labeled “kayaking” filled with good resources (including links to marine forecast), warnings about inappropriate kayaks, and mentions “cold water kills” several times. https://www.nps.gov/piro/planyourvisit/kayaking.htm
Worth noting is the wimpy mention of PFDs above to this statement at the PR site:
"PFDs are required by law for each person. They should be worn at all times and not stowed away. Life jackets work while on. It is very difficult to put on a life jacket once in the water. 75% of canoe/kayak fatalities were not wearing life jackets. Don’t be a statistic! "
Same lake and same dangers but a big difference in warning about those dangers. Why, given the Apostles are a favorite destination for paddlers?
As my old drill sargent used to say, “You can buy 'em books and all they do is eat the covers off.”
It goes way beyond the park service Rookie, most of the kayak community and especially the commercial sector which is where most people get their “education” from can share in the blame for it. Overstreet’s 2nd photo above is great; these should not be used on Lake Superior. Few have the guts to stand up and say it. If I said it to a group of 10 rec kayakers I’d have my head chewed off 10 different ways. So what do the local outfitters say?
https://www.detroitnews.com/story/news/local/michigan/2018/09/02/four-lake-superior-kayak-deaths-spur-safety-plea/37698577/
Gail Green, director of Living Adventure, an outfitter near Bayfield, Wisconsin, that specializes in kayak tours of the Apostle Islands, said open-top kayaks like one the family used are good for calm, sunny days close to the shore, but can fill with water and capsize in rough conditions.
I disagree. They have no business on Lake Superior unless in expert hands. In my very unpopular opinion people who can’t roll or have never practiced self and assisted rescues in rough, cold water also have no business on Lake Superior. You can tell I wouldn’t make a very good kayak salesman, but that’s the reality as i see it.
Autopsy shows deaths by hypothermia and/or drowning. No surprises there. The article parrots the notion
of the previous article about dangerously innappropriate boats for the lake
Also some new information
_
_Brennan said Mews told him after she was rescued that she had attempted without success to call 911 right after the tandem kayak they were paddling from Madeline Island to Michigan Island capsized.
“She also called the Coast Guard, but the service wouldn’t go through. She called 911 again and she through it went through, but there was nobody there,” he said.
Brennan said the Gogebic County Sheriff’s Department in Michigan said they received two phone calls that were broken.
“The message said something about two kids kayaking, and then it went dead,” he said.
Brennan said when Gogebic County dispatch officials pinged the call to determine where it came from; the electronic response indicated that it came from Madeline Island.
Officers then checked the area indicated by the ping signal, and then checked the water near the area.
"But there was nobody at that address and nobody in the water that they could see.__
Any info on whether a PLB would have worked any better? Or is the signal issue so broad in that area that it would have been as flaky? Text lag is real. Where I go in Maine it can take a few minutes or 3 hours…
It’s important to remember, These are the majority of people that are considered kayakers today. They have a few kids, can’t afford sea kayaks for everyone, live where a sit on top works just fine. {and they are relatively inexpensive} Small inland lakes. No coast guard on those lakes so no need for a marine radio. usually just play so no need to buy wet suits since they generally augment swimming with some kayaking. Every now and then they go to the north and bring what they have to just have fun. Definitely no perceived need in their lives for a PLB Just a typical family with lots of places they need to spend money raising 3 kids. But still want to go and do some stuff as inexpensive as possible.
BTW Cell phones are close to worthless in the Apostles…if you don’t have a marine radio, you virtually have nothing and no way to check the weather