Testing My Drysuit

The picture above is from last Sunday, a delightful still day with a temperature of about 33F. We launched at high tide, and stayed quite warm, enjoying the illusion of the reflected snowflakes falling up in the river. This photo is near the finish, I'd just gathered some trash.  You can quite easily spot how far the water has fallen.  What a pretty day that was!


After the paddle I decided it was well past time to test the drysuit, so I waded in.

It was easy to bob along, held up by the lifejacket and air trapped in the suit.  My hands are up attempting to keep the inside of my gloves dry. It was bearable, and I had no trouble swimming, but it was not warm. Optimistically, I’d worn water shoes in, so that my waterproof boots would be dry for paddles later in the week (hah!) My feet got quite cold quite quickly. But the good news is, when I got out, I warmed right up, except the cramped feet. So if I rolled or needed a T-Rescue I’d be all set. However, I would be in trouble if I was in the water too long, reinforcing our conservative winter paddling routine.

It was a useful exercise, and it makes me love my boots all the more. Next step, trying some actually rescues (In a pool or warmer water.)
Not right away, this is how the water looked on Thursday.

And forget trying to paddle between the ice. See how straight the tine red buoy was there? This is the angle it got to when the ice passed near it.

A blurry still from a film we're attempting to edit

The video below shows ice piling up on the shore, ice is a hazard at any squeeze point.

Despite the ice, I'm still optimistic.  It's supposed to warm up this weekend, one good tide cycle and all that ice could be melted or off in the ocean!

Updates: Excuses, Buoy, Castle Rock, Blog

As the sun goes down, ice crystals begin to grow on the surface of the river

Excuses: “It’s too hot”… “It’s uncomfortable”… “I’m not paddling anywhere dangerous”…. “I’ll stay close to shore.” It’s not a pretty thing when excuses that I've heard from those who don’t want to wear lifejackets play back from inside my head. It’s all about the drysuit. I’ve thought about buying a drysuit since I saw the “I Shouldn’t be Alive” episode about two kayakers crossing Rosario Strait, (which I was a little embarrassed to see was first shown in 2005. ) It was obvious that a drysuit well outperforms a wetsuit in cold water. I’ve actually had a drysuit for a couple of years. But I’ve never worn it. The story in the August Sea Kayaker about Randy Morgart falling into a river on a warm, calm, winter day reminded me how weak my excuses really were, particularly by late November. Plus this year I’ve had all the good examples of folks wearing drysuits showing up in blogs. So, those of you wondering if being a good example has any pay off, I’ll confirm yes, you’ve done your good deed for the year.

It's a misty day, so it must be above freezing

I’ve cut some rings off the neck of my drysuit, but nothing at the wrists, even though the gasket it a little tight, especially on my left wrist. I figure the neck can just be snug as opposed to tight, since I plan to keep my head well above water, but that excuse doesn’t apply to the wrists. I’ve gotten larger boots to accommodate the feet. And it’s been pretty comfortable. I hope to stick to my good intentions come spring, with its warm air and cold water.

Buoys: This is a picture of a buoy on the Penobscot taken Saturday.

It’s depressingly not a different buoy than it was this summer. I now suspect that the buoys are not changed out annually. Eventually I will get the final answer.  And look - by Dec 4 they were in place.

Castle Rock: I’ve discovered that Castle Rock can be viewed from the Orrington Picnic Area, which is about one mile south of Center Road along route 15. I suspect that the picnic area is closed for the winter, and Castle Rock does lose something when viewed from over a quarter mile away, but it is there.

Castle Rock as viewed from Orrington

Also, Friday as we paddled by I spotted a raccoon slinking away on the ledge. As I sat in my boat regretting that missed photo opportunity, a second raccoon followed behind it, then a third! Just like clowns from a clown car they kept appearing from this nothing little indent, until at last there was only this final raccoon, head down hanging out on the ledge.

Not much of the snoozing raccoon shows

Blog: Paddling less means more time working on other projects, including the blog. I’ve redone some of the pages, and added some links to the right. One, which appears as just a tiny link is to Paddling Planet. That’s a fun site which accumulates sea kayaking blogs from around the world. Gnarlydog, and A Whole Bunch of Ings posts appear there; and it’s a handy way to track them. The other links to the Outdoor Blogger Network , a site working to accumulate links to outdoor themed blogs. Many of the blogs there are currently fishing and hunting blogs, but there are categories for ecological, paddling, nature photography, hiking and more. That’s another fun place to spend some time. I often look through the photography blogs, and I enjoy Belfast Bushcraft, whose efforts at bushcraft remind me that you don’t have to be an expert to have fun and create something useful. And I can’t help but hope that lots more paddlers show up there.

Daily Paddles:

Mark takes a moment to free his release strap of ice

Daily paddles are fewer. We’re approaching our temperature limits, it gets harder to keep the hands and feet warm, and without nimble fingers, I’m not interested in paddling. In addition, ice is showing up on the Penobscot, and though it looks attractive in small clusters, it is decidedly less so in major sheets.

Mark has lifted some newly formed ice

And finally, my work hours are increasing. January through February I expect to work six days a week, and though I love my job, that does eat into the available daylight. So, every paddle may be our last, and those paddles we do take will be close to shore (and with a drysuit).