Another March Paddle (already)

The weather forecast for the last few days have been off to say the least. The forecast for Friday had been for highs in the upper 40's. Despite the fact that that it was only in the upper 20's Pat and I went paddling. The forecast for today was only in the 20's. But, that changed and it started to warm up by noon. So,with that in mind we decided to go out again. Chuck wasn'table to join us at 2:30 whne we planned to head out, but we let him know our plans so he could try to meet up with us at some point. The wind started out a little over 10 miles per hour and actually went down somewhat through the afternoon. The temperature was around 50 or a bit above and the water was as "warm" as 37 in some of the shallower areas.

At 2:30 we met at the causeway and decided to head downstream this time. There did not appear to be much flow, but the slight wind was at our face on the way down. A few others were out on the water fishing and a lot of people we walking along the casueway and on the island. Amazing what 50 degree weather will do. We spent about an hour going downstream and finally decided to turn around after going about 2.25 miles, figuring a 4.5 mile paddle would be enough. When we were about a mile from the dock on our way backe we saw another kayak heading towards us. It was Chuck. We met and the three of us went back to the dock.

Cold weather paddling is normally defined as paddling when the water is 50 degrees or colder. All of the paddling we have done for the past several months sure meets that definition. When asked by people about paddling in the cold weather and on cold water I always tell them that the water is only really cold if you fall in. That is the reason for being selective when choosing a day to go out and why I use my Spectrum instead of the Tempest. The Tempest is faster and somewhat easier to paddle, but it can feel a bit tippy and I don't need to get in a hurry this time of year. The Spectrum is simply a more stable boat. Proper clothing for cold water paddling is a real important thing to remember. There are a lit of different ideas about hat to wear and can go all the way to the extreme of wearing a dry suit. I don't have one and am not sure if I would need one. Layering is important. A poly base layer, fleece top, and paddle jacket along with splash pants. Neoprene boots, stocking cap, and neoprene gloves with liners finish the lineup. The only part of me that got cold when the tempreatures were in the upper 20's was my hands. Perhaps pogies or other heavier gloves would be better in those conditions. With the temperature in the 50's no part ofme was cold today. In fact, if anything I was warmer than necessary. But, that beats the alternative.

Here are some pictures from today. As usual, they are of Pat and Chuck. Anyone wanting to see a picture of me would need to go to Pat's web site.