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I would expect GPS units in a wrist-watch or arm-band configuration
would be less prone to "injury" while kayaking than deck-mounted
units.  A cell phone or two with GPS should be sufficient electronic
equipment for most sea kayakers, I would think.

Fred

On Oct 31, 2009, at 9:15 AM, Apache Runner wrote:

>
>
> Frank makes a good  point about unnecessarily exposing oneself to
> risk and thereby endangering possible searcher-and-rescuers.
> There is this notion of risk homeostasis.   Mountain climbers are
> often accused of this.   It goes something like this:  "I got away
> with X last time, therefore I can get away with it next time."
> And then, they get nailed by putting themselves in some precarious
> situation.  The flip side of the coin is someone who analyzes a
> past outing for errors and corrects them.   I'm keenly aware of the
> issues of putting SAR'ers in jeopardy.
>
> I was in close proximity to a sea kayaking tragedy.   On Columbus
> Day weekend, 2003 (or 2004, I forget), I was kayaking in the fog
> off of Cape Cod.   The cheapy compass I was using got jammed with
> sea water, but I did have the good sense to wear a wetsuit - the
> water temperature was 55 degrees F.   Two girls went out in sea
> kayaks at exactly the same time as I was out, and they were maybe a
> half mile from me.   I used the wind and waves as a natural compass
> and hand-railed my way along the coast to get back home.   They got
> lost in the fog, and there was a two day search and rescue.   Two
> days later, they found the body of one of the girls.   The other
> was never found.
>
> By next spring, I had a brand new kayak and when I was paddling, I
> was about as tricked out as you could imagine.   Three compasses, a
> nautical chart, a VHF transceiver, a GPS unit, flare gun, combat
> knife (the kind SEALs use), you name it.
>
> Over time, I got more experience and learned that it actually is
> important to unclutter the deck of the kayak - having lost a lot of
> gear to waves, and also the junk gets in the way of rescues.    As
> mentioned, I experienced two GPS failures in conditions where I
> could've used them the most.
>
> My main kit now consists of a deck mounted compass, a hiker's
> compass in my PFD, a chart if in unfamiliar waters, a flare gun and
> flares, water, back-up food and protable VHF transceiver.   For
> longer trips, there's the usual camping gear, and I probably throw
> a GPS in a dry bag, but mainly as an afterthought.  In the fog,
> I'll bring a portable fog-horn.
>
> I've participated in six or seven rescues over the past five years,
> including 3 cases of helping motor-boaters who were lost in the fog
> and even had GPS'es.  Of course, they also had a few cases of beer.
>
> The main gripe about GPS'es for me is in the vein of the Charlie
> Brown comic story about Lucy and the Football.   Lucy convinces
> Charlie Brown, against all experience, to once again charge and try
> to kick the football, and she yanks it away as usual.   Last year,
> I found myself again shelling out $200 for a spiffy GPS unit.  Now
> my third -  thinking to myself "you're throwing away money...".
>
> This fall I'd given my students an exercise to walk from the chapel
> of the college to a tall building about a mile away and try to
> estimate the height of the steeple using the distance walked and
> the angular height.   I wanted to check the accuracy of my dead
> reckoning and brought out the $200 GPS unit to the college yard,
> and lo-and-behold - no signal.    Lucy pulled the football away again.
>
> There is a definite sympathy to the issue of exposing would be
> rescuers to unnecessary danger by taking imprudent risks, but my
> own experience is that the GPS receivers end up being costly
> unneeded baggage.   This is not a Luddite statement, I will
> certainly carry a VHF any time I'm out on a kayak, but my
> experience is that these tend to be more reliable and a much more
> valuable piece of equipment than a GPS unit in terms of safety.
>
>
>
> >


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