Websites for Wind and Water Temperature

Here are a couple of tremendously useful websites for planning your kayaking trip. When deciding whether you should do your trip, you need to consider the wind conditions, and what they are likely to do. If the wind is below 10 mph, then it should be a good day paddling. But if the pressure (barometer) is decreasing, then a storm might be coming in, so look carefully at the forecast. Wind conditions are usually calmest very early in the morning, with wind speed increasing throughout the day. Once you've decided it is time to go out, you now need to decide how to dress. Dress for the water temperature. This can be tricky to figure out, but I found a website with a great marine forecast. If you have your own resources, perhaps better or also useful, please share them in the comments. While you are out on the water, you can monitor weather conditions on the VHF weather band.

Winds
iWindsurf.com is a website for windsurfers, but they maintain wind meters in many locations and offer free memberships. You can monitor the real time wind speed of your destination before you go. Any weather website will give you the winds for the nearest city or town to your put in, but iWindsurf measures the wind at the water, so it is much more useful. Always check the barometer and if it is dropping, then a storm may be coming in.

Water Temperature
I found water temperatures hard to find until I found the Weather Underground. Search for a large city near your put in if the small town closest isn't available. Look for the marine forecast link. This will tell you the water temperature if available. If you can't find the water temp for your exact area, look for some readings around your area, and guesstimate. The idea is to be prepared to perform a self rescue in water of that temperature. The amount of time a person can survive in cold water depends on a number of factors, so don't trust any published tables (one of which I link to in an earlier post). It depends on your body fat, how accustomed you are to cold water, how you react to shock, your mental state of mind, your swimming ability, and many other factors. I personally wear a farmer john wetsuit whenever the water is below 60, even in hot weather. You can peel it down to your waist if you want, then put your PFD back on. But this means you'll have to perform your self rescue with a cold upper body. Only zip the wetsuit back up if you can do so safely. Consider that if you capsized, the conditions that caused you to flip might make it unsafe for you to take off your PFD to zip your wetsuit back up. I always paddle with my wetsuit zipped up, and with my PFD on snugly.

Incredible Kayak Videos

YouTube is a wonderful thing! Just go there and search for whatever topic you want, and you'll probably find a useful instructional video that someone has provided for free. This is especially true for sea kayaking. Here are some YouTube videos that I recommend, and find very useful:

Eskimo Roll: Everyone asks me, do you know how to do an eskimo roll? And, no, folks, we are not talking about sushi. This is a technique to right yourself if you capsize, without getting out of the kayak. It is the quickest and best way to recover from capsizing. It only applies to sit-inside kayaks, and works a lot better if you've got your spray skirt on. There are many YouTube videos that feature the eskimo roll, but the one I've linked to above shows it at such slow speed, and from the perfect angle that it really takes all the mystery out of the technique. Be sure to practice the move under controlled conditions with a buddy.

Surf Launch: Most of my put-ins have been on boat ramps and docks, but I've recently started doing surf launches, and this video will prepare you for the fun and challenge of a surf launch.

Kayak Sailing: I have a friend who tells me to bring an umbrella in the kayak, so when the wind is going my way, I can open the umbrella and ride the wind. That's one way to do it. This video shows a kayaker using a special sail designed to go with the kayak. The advantage of the sail is your hands are free to paddle and steer. The umbrella is the poor man's way to go, or maybe a kite?

Scoop Rescue: This is a great technique for helping another person get back in to their kayak. It can be used with someone who is injured, has hypothermia, is exhausted, or if they are perhaps a complete novice.

• Also, see the Hand of God rescue, which is very similar.

Kayak Surfing: This is a great video. The instructor watches others kayaking in the surf, and he stops the motion to tell you what they good be doing better. But it also shows you how much fun sea kayak surfing can be!

Seeing Wildlife:

• This is a great video of seeing whales and dolphins feeding.
  
• Imaging seeing these orcas right next to your kayak.
  
• Hopefully, you will never have a killer whale land on your kayak, but if this does happen to you, I hope you watched the first video of this blog entry, and you know how to do an eskimo roll (so that you don't have to get out of your kayak and dangle your feet in the water).

How to Find Places to Paddle

There are many ways to find good places to paddle. I personally like to explore my area on my own, but you can also get great advice from books and other resources.

On your own: The way I go about it is to go to Google maps and click on the satellite view. Just enter in the name of your town, and click, "Search Maps". This will give you a satellite view of your town. From here, you can locate water ways near you that look interesting. If you double click on the map, Google will center and zoom in. You can click and drag the map around in the window, and I use this to follow rivers and plan my route. I zoom in close enough so that I can see where the boat ramps are. Once you've found a boat ramp, you can figure out how to get there by road, then plan your paddling route from there.

Books: You can always go to the library to look for books on kayaking. Many books will cover techniques, but other books will cover kayaking trips. They will tell you where to put in and what route to take. Of course, this will depend on where you live, so it will be hard for me to recommend specific books for you. So, try this kayak trips, and look for books about trips in your area.

Other Resources: This means searching the web. I prefer Google for my searches. Just type in, "kayak trips" and the name of your town. Other good search terms are, "boat ramps", or "put-ins". I also like to search for "no motor" to find waterways that don't allow motorboats. I'll try to find specific resources for these, and as I find them I'll add them to my blog.

Happy Paddling!

Recommended Books: How to Sea Kayak

When you are not sea kayaking, you can read about sea kayaking! I recommend the following books to get in the know. You can paddle for years with just the basics, but there are techniques that you may need in certain situations that will begin to benefit you as soon as you learn them. For example, the sculling draw stroke will allow you to move your kayak sideways across the water. This can be very useful for siding up to the dock or another kayaker. More importantly, you should learn early on techniques for re-entering a kayak in the event of an emergency. There are several alternatives to learn. No one plans to capsize, but when you do, you need to know what to do. Most people underestimate the time it would take them to get back in to the kayak, so it is best to learn the techniques, then practice them under good conditions with a buddy who can help you if you get into trouble. So, these books will not only provide you enjoyable reading, but will also prepare you for emergencies.

These books focus on how to sea kayak, other recommendations will focus on trips, locations, and stories about adventures.









Disclosure: I am an affiliate with various retailers on the internet, so I may make a commission on the purchase of certain items that I recommend.

Planning A Paddle

There are several factors that contribute to whether or not you will enjoy your paddling experience. There is no need to learn them by trial and error the way many people do. If you have access to the internet, you can check conditions before you decide whether the trip is on.

Tides - It is critical to know how the tide will impact your trip. There are up to two high tides, and two low tides every day. When the tide is going out, the current will take you out. This is called the ebb. On the way in, this is called the flood. In between tides, the water is still, and this is called slack tide. The impacts of tides are very localized, so you can get very strong currents. These can either work for you or against you depending on your planning, or lack of planning. For beginners, it is best to go out and in again during the slack tide. For experts going out on longer paddles, you'll want to take advantage of the tides to take you further on your way out, and bring you back in. Use the internet to find tide tables for your area. I recommend saltwatertides.com. The closer you can get to your exact put-in spot, the better. (More about tides)

Temperature - Dress for the water temperature, not the air temperature. It is important to know how long you can survive (click here then scroll down for the table) in the water before hypothermia sets in. If the water is below 50 degrees F, then you will want to be sure to wear a wetsuit. Make sure you have practiced re-rentry before you go out in water that is too cold for you to survive in for more than an hour.

Wind - Very much like the tide, the wind can either work for you or against you, and it is more unpredictable than the tides. Wind patterns often repeat a daily pattern, so your best bet is to be observant of how the wind pattern varies from day to day. Usually, we prefer to kayak when there is minimal wind, which I would define as 10 MPH or less. Above 10 MPH you will be fighting the wind in one direction or the other. For fun, you might carry an umbrella or a kite to take advantage of the wind when it is blowing your way.

Sunset - Always be aware of how much daylight you have, and be prepared to be out after dark if you're pushing it. That means having the appropriate signaling gear (lights and a whistle) on board. Also, make sure you have enough warm clothing in case you are out after the sun goes down and it gets colder, and the wind picks up.

Boat Traffic - If you're paddling in an area where scheduled boat traffic can be taken into account, then be sure to know those schedules. Where I often put in on the Napa River, we have ferry service that is easily predictable. You don't want to cross the path of the ferry if you know it is going to coming by. Always stay out of the way of boat traffic.

Kayaking Equipment

You know you'll need a kayak, but there's a lot of other stuff you'll need. I'll list it all here. (everything is required unless it says it's optional)

1. Sea Kayak - There are lots of options and considerations. The more expensive you go, the lighter, and the easier it will be to cut through the water. But you don't need to spend a fortune either. Check out Craigslist for used kayaks for sale. You can get a deal. Some considerations though; How much will you kayak? What kind of transport do you have? Inflatables have poor performance, but can stow in a trunk and may suit someone who just wants to try it. For serious, frequent kayakers, folding high performance models are available. Another consideration is rudder vs. skeg. There is a difference of opinion here. Some feel that a rudder (controlled with foot pedals) is inefficient and indicates the the paddler doesn't know how to use the paddle properly. I use a skeg, and steer just with paddling. The skeg (retractable for landings) keeps the tail in line when blown by the wind, and is a must. Without it, my kayak doesn't track straight lines that well. Sea kayaks are designed for straight line travel, not like a white water short kayak. When you try on a kayak, you want to adjust the toe pegs so that your pushing your thighs up inside the rests in your cockpit. You should have lower back support for comfort. You use your hips to rock the kayak for stability, and to assist with turns. You can always try a number of kayaks by trying friends' boats, and trying them out at your local store.
   
   
   
2. Paddle - Almost as obvious as the kayak. The kayaker's paddle is a shaft with a blade on either end. I bought one with three locking positions of the blades relative to each other. You set the position so that when one blade is going into the water, the other is moving forward at a feathered angle; meaning it is cutting through the wind, not flat against it. My paddle also comes apart in the middle which makes it great for stashing in the trunk of my Honda Civic. They make paddles that are carbon fiber, and the weight will make a difference, but it is a question of how much you want to spend. The $100 paddles that I have are reasonably light. Don't even think of a wooden one; just too heavy, though it will look good on the wall.
   
   
   
3. Personal Flotation Device (PFD) or Life Vest. I recommend you get one with reflectors on it, and lots of pockets. I spent money here because I wanted to emphasize safety, but it doesn't hurt to wear one that looks flashy too.
   
   


4. Spray Skirt (optional but highly recommended) - This goes on like a pair of coveralls with suspenders. The skirt seals around the hole of the cockpit, and it keeps spray out of the cockpit. I used to paddle without one, but I found that the skirt cuts down on the wind resistance, and make my kayak faster. I opted for a used one. A nice feature to look for in a spray skirt is a front that bows, to prevent water from pooling. Note the loop at the front of the skirt. If you capsize, and need to get out of the kayak, this loop needs to be on the outside of the skirt, so that you can pull it to peel off the skirt. An incorrectly attached spray skirt, with the loop on the inside, will be a lot harder to remove in an emergency.
   
   


5. Paddle Leash (optional, but highly recommended) - Your paddle will float, but if you are ever in trouble, for instance if you capsize (tip over), you will have to choose between swimming after your paddle or holding onto your kayak. You should choose your kayak, but if the paddle has a leash, you won't have to choose, and you won't find yourself up the proverbial creek without a paddle. Often when a kayaker requires rescue, it is because they have lost their paddle. So, this is $7 or less worth of common sense.
   
   

   But if you want to spend more you can on the cool coiling leash, which will keep the leash out of the water when you paddle:
   
   
   
   

6. Booties (optional) - You'll want some kind of close-fitting foot-wear. Feet get wet for beach landings, but not for dock put ins and take outs.
   
   
   


7. Wetsuit (depends on water temperature) - A kayaker adage is, dress for the water temperature, not the air temperature. Nobody plans to capsize. When you do, you want to have the best protection against the cold that you can have. I use a farmer john sleeveless suit when the water is cold. Remember that a kayaker is all about the arms and a wet suit with sleeves will limit your motion, and perhaps cause discomfort and chaffing. I am an experienced swimmer and have a lot of confidence getting back in my kayak when swamped. Most people underestimate the difficulty of getting back in, so practice it in a safe place with paddling companions to help you if you get exhausted.
   
   
   


8. Pump and Sponge (optional, but highly recommended) - When you capsize, your kayak cockpit (this is not an issue for sit-on-tops) takes on water. The pump goes on the webbing on deck (not in a hard to get into hold), and pumps water out of the cockpit fast. The sponge is even more optional, and gets out the last gallon or so by soaking and wringing.
   
   


9. Dry Bag (optional) - If you take things with you that you want to keep dry, like a wallet or a change of clothes, a towel, a phone, etc. then you will need a dry bag to keep it dry. You roll up the end that opens and fasten it shut. I keep a camera and phone in my life vest pockets inside sandwich Ziploc bags. If the dry bag is in the cockpit with you, make sure it is attached to the kayak so you don't lose it if you take a spill. Same goes for everything you want to hold onto.
   
   


10. Signaling Devices (optional) - Imagine you're out for a paddle and a sail boat just turns about and is heading right for you. You'll want to get out of his path, but it is also nice to have a whistle or a horn to make yourself known. For bigger ships, just stay out of their way, they can't turn fast enough to do you any good. If you lose your paddle or otherwise require rescue there are optical signaling options. There are some pretty good strobes that can be seen for miles, laser beacons, flares are expensive and short lived, but you can fire them when you hear an airplane or boat near. These are all for that one time when something has gone wrong, so good to have.
    
    
    


11. Bow and Aft Lights (required for night paddles) - Full moon paddles are wonderful stuff. Paddling to a restaurant on or near a dock is also a novelty evening for the adventurous. Sunrise paddles are inspirational miracles. If you're on the water and it is dark, you have to have a white light in front, and a red light in back. I also recommend a hand held light for getting attention if you need to, and the previously mentioned whistle.
    
    


12. Other Stuff- Of course, there's a lot of stuff you need that is not specific to kayaking. You need sun protection (sunblock, glasses, etc.), water, food, and all that jazz.
    

Disclosure: I am an affiliate with various retailers on the internet, so I may make a commission on the purchase of certain items that I recommend.