Don’t get me wrong. Dominant hand is a theory that many adhered to for a long time. I am sure you have/will find it in the literature.
My comment is not that the term is incorrect. Just that it is an an approach to how to paddle that in 2020 should be relegated to the dinosaurs.
I could also poke around and find old videos on how to do rescues with steps that prudence and experience have altered. There is a reason that people are telling you to find some in person instruction even if you have to drive for it. My husband and I did. When you don’t know anything yet, you also don’t know if you are seeing an ancient or a more current approach to solving a problem.
The videos etc on this site are pretty good. You need to spend a lot of time there.
I only ment my stronger hand. I tried to renter the kayak on the starboard/right side but my left arm is not working correctly (auto accident). It isnt as strong as my right side. I work on strengthening it but I dont trust it. So I wasnt meaning to be a dinosaur just trying to figure out how to say something.
When I paddle I have to be careful as I have a tendency to turn the kayak so I think about my stroke alot
I am so pleased you are receptive to advice from us old timers. Some of what we know came from instruction and some from mistakes we made out of “we did not know better”; we would like to save you from making the same mistakes.
Some mistakes can be fatal and some can be just mere inconveniences( like me forgetting the bug spray on a mosquito laden trip). You will also learn alot from yourself as you are finding out.
Please continue to share what you are learning as knowledge gained needs to be passed on.
There are a lot of opinions about paddle leashes. My personal opinion is that if you like to roll frequently, play in surf, or are engaged in white water, then it may not be a good idea.
I sea kayak on the ocean, Chesapeake Bay, and lower Potomac locally as well as explore creeks and rivers. I have also traveled extensively to kayak. I use a rubber coiled cord paddle leash that is about two feet long when coiled. It is attached to a forward deck bungee with a snap clip and to the paddle with a Velcro strap. The leash can be easily cut with a knife if need be. The short length and the ability to stretch make entanglement unlikely.
My thought is that if I couldn’t roll up and had to wet exit, as long as I could hang onto the boat or the paddle, I would still have both. Of course you want to hold onto both. If I need to work with both hands, such as helping with an assisted rescue or anything else, I can just toss the paddle over the side and not worry about it or have it in the way.
My general interest is exploring where speed and distance is important. I’m not really interested in playing a serious waves and surf where a violent capsize is more likely.
So I consider it a personal choice that should be informed by where and how you paddle. For me, I consider the possibility of losing the paddle or having the boat blow away to outweigh the risk of becoming entangled in a leash. However, I have many friends, some much more skilled than I am that are dead set against paddle leashes. From my personal experience over the years I have seen a number of boats blow away and paddles lost, but have never witnessed an entanglement. I do believe that it happens though.
In order to go out there, and come back in one piece, you have to have a certain level of competence. You cannot learn everything by making mistakes, because some mistakes can cost you your life or the life of someone else. It is not funny. It is deadly serious.
today I got the last of my emergency equipment. I will go out this weekend and paddle around Moses lake and may venture out to Galveston west side and back again. I will let you all know what happens
Glad that you got the gear. But you haven’t practiced w it yet, do l have that right?
Be aware that any gear you have not practiced with before needing it is about as useful as your car keys on the water. They have the potential to do something useful for you but it is not going to be anything that will help when you are swimming.
A lot of new kayakers get seduced by how user friendly kayaks are. Especially ones tuned to more beginning paddlers like yourself. You go out, you get from point A to point B with a lousy stroke and minimal wobbles and think you have kayaking licked.
You don’t, at least for bigger journeys or water. You have just found out that kayaks are generally kinder to newbies in terms of balance and stroke quality than canoes.
Also.you mentioned a weak left side that needs strengthening. That has to happen in smaller increments or you will promptly take yourself out of the boat by overdoing it. Even though you are younger than me, the body still has some demands about how to recover from injuries. All at once does not work for anyone.
I don’t know what the wind is forecast to be for your area this wknd. But it sounds like you are planning a route without checking it. You can’t skip that step, it is how newspaper stories happen. And the maritime forecast can be different from the land forecast.
Check NOAA marine forecasts for your area, Google NOAA Galveston and then click down to Marine. Then decide your route. You want to come home with the wind at your back, not fighting into it.
In fact l just looked. Marine forecast for the Galveston area, separate for Malaga Bay (sp?), are running roughly 10 to 15 south and southwest Saturday and Sunday. Moderate chop. Looking around this appears to be a common summer pattern. Winds over water almost always ramp up late morning thru mid afternoon, so early afternoon is when you see the higher end of the range.
I took the Kayak out yesterday on Moses Lake. In 3 hours I was back on land, I was so tired. I crossed the lake to a north side sandy / wooded beach, but not in a straight line, then down to and into the 20th street area, again not in a straight line then back to my friends boat house. I was like rubber by the time I got in and I had trouble bringing my boat home on the trolley. Its like 5 blocks but took me 2 hours. It was so hot… Celia I understand more now. It will be at least a few weeks before I can go out the gate to Galveston.
I think I need to work on upper body strength and more. While out I did put my compass onto the boat, not that I needed it but I found it was hard to maintain a heading. For the next few weeks I will have my friend bring me and the kayak to the lake maybe a slow tow.
On the plus side I have most of the food and equipment for a 4 week trip, not that I can take one lol
Glad you found out in a safe way, You don’t want to make those discoveries out in the bay with wind blowing you further out from shore.
Odds are the wind was actually blowing at a diagonal to you, and until you get your basic paddling stroke down that will likely cause a wobbly trajectory. Eventually you kind of automatically adjust as you paddle but that takes time to learn as a habit.
Suggest you check the historical weather info for that day, see what wind speed and direction you were paddling in.
@Celia
I dont know if I should go out today or stay home. I am going to try stretching and go out in the late afteroon I think. It stays light here till about 8:30p so will go out around 5.
This is a pretty long thread over a long span of time. I haven’t (won’t) go back to the beginning. Has suggested that you acquire something like a Garmin In-Reach when you eventually head out for long journeys offshore? If I were paddling alone on a journey like that it would be a piece of equipment that would be securely attached to me.
The sun and heat are seriously debilitating along the northern Gulf this time of year. Most serious paddlers I know stay off the water between 10am - 4pm. If we are out during those hours, it is only for about an hour (2 at most) of in water rescue practice of some sort with shade if possible (i.e. in a river).
@kayakhank
Could you suggest some kind of schedule of exercise and padding for me? Yesterday when I came in after being out 3 hours, I felt like I was not dying but totally hurting. I had no doubt I would make it home less then a mile away, (2.5 hours to get home after a 1hour rest on friends dock) but it was hard going
Remember, you can’t “cram” for a marathon…building your core and upper body endurance and strength will take you six months to a year. Proper technique will be critical to how efficiently you use that endurance and strength. Do some research on youtube, and if you can, find a good local coach to evaluate your stroke.