Kayak tips for women

[lovelygamer]

Hi! I know many of you here are pretty active. Are there any kayakers? I am going this Saturday with my b/f and I haven't been before. I know he will "teach" me but are there any first hand tips you can give for a new lady trying this out? This is one of his main hobbies and it appeals to me so I want to try to make it something I can do with him.

When I was younger, I had a pretty severe of water I couldn't see through.:eek::eek: I've improved on it greatly, but I won't say I'll be out there with zero fear.

I've been in a canoe with one other person once, and it didn't go well due to my fear and our lack of paddling skill. That was easily a decade ago.

[Irulan]

Flatwater/lake or whitewater?
Hard kayak or inflatable?

[lovelygamer]

flat, pond/creek style water and a hard boat-likely composite. I'll have my own boat because he owns a single seat sea kayak.

[emily_in_nc]

Make sure you have a PFD onboard, and since you are a little nervous about the water, wear it. Take binoculars if you have them. Take a water bottle or Camelbak along, and a snack. Wear sunscreen and bugspray (or at least take the latter in case you need it). Don't try to do too much your first time out because you will likely be sore afterwards.

I always used an old pair of bike or weight lifting gloves as I found that I got rubbed places on the inside of my thumbs after paddling for awhile.

Other than that, it's really quite easy and fun and not hard to pick up at all, on flat water at least. Just go with an open mind and enjoy! :D

[solobiker]

If there is an optoin of wearing a spray skirt I would not use it if it is your first time. It may make you feel to confined. Also, if there is a dock near by when you are sitting the boat and in the water rock your hips back and forth to "feel" the rock of the boat before you go out inot "open water". ( While you are rocking your hips hold onto the dock with one hand or have your BF help to stabilize you) Depending upon the type it should have pretty good inital stability.
As for a paddle go with a standard nonfeathered paddle...meaning no angle. If it has an angle you would have to bend your wrist ( Left or Right) depending upon which side is feathered and there are also lots of diiferent degrees of angle.

Kayaking believe it or not does not come primarily from the arms..but from the trunk with rotation.

Most of all Have fun!!!!!!!!

[Irulan]

Um, how about WEAR the PDF? Especially for a newbie!!!!!!:eek::eek::eek:

I'll be frank. I put PFD for water and helmet for biking in the same category of mandatory safety equipment. Especially for beginners.Especially small craft.

You wouldn't tell a new biker to make sure you have a helmet along and wear it only if you are nervous, would you? Of course not. You wouldn't tell a beginner to bungee the helmet to the bike, would you?

Calm water, you swamp the boat, you get a little cold and tired, not wearing a pfd? Sudden weather change, all of a sudden calm water is not calm, boat swamps, no pfd? Things happen fast in the water and a PFD does you no good if you aren't wearing it. The decision to not wear one should only be made by experienced boaters who are confidently aware of the consequences. I think to not wear it, or to only keep it handy is absolutely TERRIBLE advice to give a beginner.

[solobiker]

Of course wear a PFD...That is pretty much assumed esspecially where I am from/grew up it was mandatory by the coast guard.:)

[7rider]

Hi! I know many of you here are pretty active. Are there any kayakers? I am going this Saturday with my b/f and I haven't been before. I know he will "teach" me but are there any first hand tips you can give for a new lady trying this out? This is one of his main hobbies and it appeals to me so I want to try to make it something I can do with him.


There are quite a few of us Maryland TE'ers who are flat water kayakers. :D
I have 2 kayaks - and 2 canoes. Some day perhaps we'll actually put the bikes aside and use the boats!

Check out this site for some intro articles and "how-to's" for kayaking. Tips, tricks, all that stuff...
http://www.paddling.net/guidelines/

If you are a confident swimmer and you're in protected waters, it's okay to leave the PFD on the boat. If you're not a confident swimmer or if you are in exposed water (chop, current), wear it. If you don't have a place to bungey it to the boat's deck, or you're unsure what to do with it otherwise: wear it. Chances are good, he won't take you anywhere where you're likely to get more than your feet and hands wet - unless you choose otherwise. Your PFD in MD is supposed to have a whistle on it.

Spray skirts are great for keeping biting flies off your legs - but they can be hot. And you can't scratch any itchy bits.

I found that TEVA sandals hurt my heels in the boat. I do better with full-cover water shoes. Mine are super-cheapies I thing I got from Target. They're also like 12 years old.

A hat is important. Full brim - ball cap - anything to keep the sun off your face and neck.

Bring water with a good sealing lid, as it will probably do a fair bit of rolling around between your legs. A Camelbak just gets in the way of the seat - which can be notoriously uncomfortable. The makers all say they've done this and that to make their seats oh-so-comfortable. They lie.

Wear crappy old bike gloves to protect against chafing and rubbing or blisters from the paddle.

Have fun. I can't wait to get out to paddle!

[Kiwi Stoker]

Wear something on your bottom half that you don't mind getting wet (ungainly falls getting out of kayak quite likely) and maybe a change of bottoms half for afterwards.

[lovelygamer]

Thank you!! I did not think of all of these things. He did send me to the paddling website and I watched a video about getting in and out of your boat.

I can swim decently, and will be wearing a pfd. If you live in Maryland and can't swim-for shame! Most people I know from our state were born with gills.:D

I am looking forward to the challenge and something new. Appreciate the feedback.

[OakLeaf]

Wear your cycling gloves or pick up a pair of neoprene paddle grips. Paddles will blister your thumbs pretty good if you don't have calluses there.

If you have a choice of boat you'll be renting, ask the people to talk to you about fit. My boat is too big for me and it just makes it not very much fun, so I don't paddle near as much as DH would like.

I'm with Irulan on the PFD. We paddle only in very flat shallow water, and I feel okay about my swimming ability, but you just never know. It's why water sports are the most dangerous sports there are. You could hit your head, or sprain a limb, and in the water there's no sitting on the ground for a couple of minutes to collect yourself.

Have fun!

[Brandi]

Ok this may sound funny. But don't drink a lot. Then you have to get in and out of the boat. We kayak a lot and that is my biggest problem! Hahah. Just enjoy it. Once you get used to the balance and stuff it is like riding a bike. Oh And sunscreen sunscreen sunscreen! Oh and a camera in a plastic bag.Have fun though I love kayaking out in the ocean here where we live.

[Irulan]

if you are not in a spray skirt, don't forget to sunscreen your feet!

We make up what we call a take out bag with a complete change of dry clothes and shoes for when you are off the river. It feels so much better to get dry pants on, a clean shirt, dry underwear and dry shoes.

I disagree with "don't drink much because it's a pain to get out of the boat to pee". Sure it is, but so is dehydration, over exposure to the sun, and potentially heatstroke. OK, so heat stroke is probably a far reach for an hour or two on the water but ..headaches and dehydration are not. Really, don't drink much water when spending time out in in the sun? It's a nuisance to get off your bike to pee ( and to find a discrete place to do it instead of just jumping into the water) too but I don't ever see the advice on this board to not drink very much when riding a bike...I'm really having trouble with the laissez-faire attitude towards water safety in some of these posts. Water depth is irrelevant IMO, people down in bathtubs. And heat as an excuse to not wear a life vest? I spent three weeks in 117 degree heat on the Grand Canyon, and plenty of it is flatwater, and I work my PFD all day long on the water.

[emily_in_nc]

I think to not wear it, or to only keep it handy is absolutely TERRIBLE advice to give a beginner.

Where I'm from, the kayaking we did was extremely tame -- flat creeks and rivers with negligible current, and only about 2' deep (had to do lots of portages where it was even shallower). It was also hot as hades, which PFDs made worse. I'd say only about 10% of paddlers we saw wore PFDs -- a bit different from bike helmet use, which appeared to be about 90% in our area. We carried our PFDs under those paddling conditions but didn't wear them. We did wear them on the rare times we took the kayaks to deeper water or faster moving creeks.

I didn't suggest that she shouldn't wear it as you imply...I said that she should carry one and that she should wear it since she was nervous.

Maybe I should have said that she MUST wear one. I just don't like to dictate to people what they MUST do.

[GLC1968]

if you are not in a spray skirt, don't forget to sunscreen your feet!


And if you are wearing shorts - on your thighs. OMG, the burn I got on my top/inner thighs the first time I went kayaking was bad. I hadn't worn sunscreen on my lower body because I thought I'd have a skirt. My legs were FRIED.

I agree very much with the recommendation to try rocking your boat a bit while still near a dock (or another boat or something you can hold on to). It really helps to get a feel for how tippy it really is. And relax (if possible). Being totally tense makes it harder to control the boat.

Oh one more thing - if you are renting, make sure the place sets you up correctly in the boat with (here is the key) both foot rests at equal distances. One of the girls on our trip had her foot rests slightly unequal and she had a very hard time controlling the boat. She kept always leaning to one side and turning even when she didn't want to!

And have a blast!!

[OakLeaf]

Well, I would agree to drink water and deal with peeing, but it's NOT an easy thing getting out of your boat to pee in the water. Not even remotely comparable to getting off your bike to pee in a cornfield! I wouldn't even attempt getting out of my boat in the water unless there was another kayaker whose boat I could use to brace mine while I get back in. And I don't recommend anyone trying it unless they've at least had a little training in rescues. You will have your BF with you, but do both of you know how to get you back into your boat once you've gotten out (or even how to get out in the water, without capsizing)?

Pee in your pants if you need to. You'll be washing your boat out and changing your shorts at the end of your paddle anyway...

[withm]

where are you going to be paddling? I'm always looking for new paddling spots. I'll be at Assateague somewhere on Sunday.

[tulip]

If you like it and decide to continue kayaking, you might consider taking some lessons and learning how to do rescues and proper stroke technique. Ive taken great lessons with Potomac Paddlesports, and I would bet that there are at least a few outfits on the eastern shore. Look for BCU or ACA designation for a start, and ask around.

[lovelygamer]

We went to Snow Hill and paddled. I did surprisingly well. I'm much calmer now than when I was younger. It took me about 30 minutes to get the paddling and steering down but after that, I was fairly golden.

What a beautiful and peaceful sport!:D I am going to do it a couple of more times before I invest in equipment. If I stick to it, I'll let those nearby know!

PS. Withh, enjoy going out tomorrow!

[emily_in_nc]

Glad you enjoyed your first paddle, lovelygamer!

The place you paddled looks a lot like our paddling grounds in North Carolina. I miss it a lot. We used to pick blackberries along the banks from our boats around the 4th of July and did some great birding. It was always interesting to see what was around the next bend. It was a peaceful, zen experience.

[7rider]

Great job! Glad you had a good time.
Looks like a nice location.
Technique can take a while. That's okay. It comes soon enough.
I can't wait to get our boats out. Just too many other things on the calendar.

[itself]

We go on "lakes", well here in Arizona they are man made. We have a Wilderness System tandem and just love it.

So much fun to pack a lunch and go out for the day!

[lovelygamer]

So, were looking at buying a kayak for me. We figure the rental charges will add up fast. Leaning towards a Perception Impulse 10 right now. The one I went in last weekend was a 12.5.

I'm wondering about weight limits. This one lists 275. I'm 215 now, so I guess I would need to watch the cargo I put on with me-generally this wouldn't amount to much anyway?

Sure, I might lose weight in the future because I refuse to let myself be higher than I am now but I am just thinking about all of this in my mind. I am a HUGE safety nut (used to be a paid professional).

[Cataboo]

Wear your pfd - carry a whistle on it (coast guard requirement), don't use a sprayskirt till you've practiced a wet exit. IF you're paddling in DC waters, you are required to have a boater's safety certificate.

Consider joining the Chesapeake Paddler's Association or hitting up their beginner series (membership is not required to paddle with them, but it is only $10 a year) Next spring, I'd recommend you look into going to Sk102 & SK102, the first is a classroom based instruction on kayaking, what to buy, what to wear, etc. The latter is water based instruction for a weekend (strokes, rescues, etc. - $35 for dinner, camping, and about 9 hours of instruction by volunteers, many of whom are professional kayaking coaches)).

Here's the beginner series (which if any of the rest of you who aren't beginners want to join, it's more of a leisurely paddle series)
http://www.cpakayaker.com/news/192/15/CPA-Schedules-Beginner-Paddles-For-the-Year/d,announcement_detail/

When you're signing up, mention to them that you are a beginner and have never wet exited - they will come early to teach you how to do those things.

Brian & Jenn B are doing a paddle at Fountainhead on June 30th. Both of them are cyclists, and Brian happens to be a professionally certified kayaking coach who has been volunteering for CPA for years.

You might also want to hit one of the "piracies" which are weekly evening paddles at various locations around the area - again, someone there would be happy to help you with strokes & wet exits. There's 4 locations in Maryland (Riley's Lock on the Potomac, Pier 7 in Annapolis, Baltimore & the Eastern Shore (Paula who runs the eastern shore piracy is a professional coach & excellent with beginners).

As for what boat to buy... What's your long term goal? If you want to put in a lot of mileage or get serious about kayaking, you may outgrow the boat you're looking at fairly quickly. If you just want to putter about & watch boats, you'll be fine. But maybe look at something longer - the perception carolinas or the wilderness systems tsunamis... Buying used off craigslist makes a lot of sense when you're just beginning.

Btw - Tulip - CPA has started a Richmond area piracy that paddles on the James every Wednesday night. The pirate queen, Mary Larson, has a couple spare boats & is willing to bring one for other people... My friend Julie's also got a spare boat she could bring if you wanted to head out with them.

[Cataboo]

Ziplock bags over you camera is a recipe for getting your camera fried.

For those of you that are saying don't wear your pfd and just have it on your boat - next time you go out on the water. Capsize.

Your hat will be going in one direction, your glasses will be falling off, your water bottle will be coming out of your boat, and any cameras in ziplock bags will be toast.

Then tell me how long it takes you to get your PFD off your boat, put it on securely & tightly, and whether you still have a boat or a paddle afterwards.

Then consider that if you are accidentally capsizing in "flat water" or so, generally speaking either conditions and wind have picked up or a boat has thrown up a huge wake - and realize that if you accidentally capsize, you are going to be freaked out, panicked, and your boat & paddle will be drifting away unless you keep a hold of them... So at least multiply your time above by 1.5 because of the freakout factor. It is absolutely amazing how panicked people can get when they capsize in a kayak - even when they're wearing a life vest & they know how to swim & they're only in 4 feet of water. Which is another reason to practice wet exits.

As for life jackets being hot... it's a water sport. get wet, splash yourself. Invest in a nice low profile life vest. I use a kokatat sea02, which has an all mesh back. NOt much in the front, it's a hybrid life jacket with about 10 lbs of built in floatation which is more than enough to keep me floating, but also has a co2 tank attached to it that will inflate the vest to 22 lbs of floatation if I pull a toggle - it's also got a tube I can blow air into it to fill it up.

As for peeing - I agree, drink a lot of water, don't dehydrate yourself. Jump out of the boat if you have to pee & don't have a choice of getting out. Carry a paddle float, pump, & stirrup & know how to get back into your boat and be able to self rescue.

As for seats - I've got no problems sitting all day long in any of my kayaks. Wilderness systems have extremely nice seats in the tempest or tsunaumi, they're like barca loungers.

Camelbaks - I put one behind my seat. People also get little backpacks that piggyback onto the back of their pfd & hold a hydration bladder. You can also stick a camelbak on your front deck.

[Irulan]

Good stuff, Cataboo!

[tulip]

...

Btw - Tulip - CPA has started a Richmond area piracy that paddles on the James every Wednesday night. The pirate queen, Mary Larson, has a couple spare boats & is willing to bring one for other people... My friend Julie's also got a spare boat she could bring if you wanted to head out with them.

Fantastic news! I wonder if they are going from Rocketts, which is right by my house. Thanks so much, Cataboo. I will email you to get Mary Larson's and Julie's info. Still no boat, but I have saved up for it. Thinking fall sales would be a good time.

[jazzalbart]

I would suggest you to do kayaking in flat water and if you are new to kayaking then you should try with inflatable boat. It is easy to paddle and much comfortable and stable in deep water.

[lovelygamer]

Wet exit absolutely terrifies me, especially in the pocomoke river-the deepest in the world for it's width (besides the nile). I absolutely know I'll freak out if I ever end up getting dumped out. I was VERY careful my first time out. I can swim though and I do wear my pfd- so I won't end up dead. My other half says he's only seen one boat flip in his six years of paddling and his friend was being a jerk and TRYING to cause drama, so it was no surprise. I'll see what's more local for education.

One of my friends gifted me a guided kayak tour which I'm hoping to take soon. I did go look at boats and gear twice so far. I haven't had a chance to get back out and paddle, but hopefully later this month. The heat has been too intense. Were looking at a perception for a starting boat, perhaps a 10 foot. They run about $400 new.

I plan to stick to flat water, safe kayaking. I'm happy looking at birds as I slowly roll along near the banks. I like small tributaries. There is an evening guided tour at Assateauge that interests me.

[tulip]

I get that the idea of a wet exit is scary. It was for me, too. I would suggest taking a safety course and learning to wet exit and a few rescue techniques. Practice them in a controlled environment so that you are comfortable with how to do it. Then go back every year for a refresher course. Kayaking, like cycling, has risks and being prepared is alot more fun than being caught off guard.

There's wonderful paddling in your area. Enjoy it!

[Kubla]

I get that the idea of a wet exit is scary. It was for me, too. I would suggest taking a safety course and learning to wet exit and a few rescue techniques. Practice them in a controlled environment so that you are comfortable with how to do it. Then go back every year for a refresher course. Kayaking, like cycling, has risks and being prepared is alot more fun than being caught off guard.

There's wonderful paddling in your area. Enjoy it!

Sound advice from Tulip (as always!) When I took kayak lessons with a small group of women, nobody *wanted* to be the first to flip their boat on purpose to practice a wet exit. Yours truly finally bit the bullet-if only to get through it. I don't like being underwater, and get disoriented when I'm upside down (hated tumbling in school) so I had a few personal concerns. In addition, I was quite overweight at the time and struggled to get back in the boat- but eventually managed it.

Frankly I still would prefer not to, but once you've done it a couple times, it helps you gain a little confidence. You will know what to expect instead of having that nagging fear of the unknown.

[sashadieken]

Well, how was it? I want to hear all about it as I will be going for my first time later this week. Always one to put the cart before the horse, I've been anticipating that I'll love it and should buy one!

[surgtech1956]

I'm in the market for a new kayak. DGF has a 14 ft Necky Looksha with a rudder, the one I have is a Old Town Guide 10 ft - from a big box store, I haven't had it that many years, buy I hate the thing its like a tank and doesn't track well. I found a Necky Manitou 14 ft with a skeg, thats clearanced price. I always research things too much, way too much, that I then become confused after reading all the reviews, etc.... I do know I want a sit in kayak.

[Kubla]

I have a Manitou (no skeg) and have been very happy with the handling. Like bikes, one could go crazy researching kayaks and hunting them down for a test paddle.'

[sashadieken]

I just got a Point 65 Martini. It detaches into two pieces so it can fit in the back of a car. Only takes a second to do and undo the straps. Forward and rear dry hatches, foot pedal rudder control, and very stable. Love it :) I ordered it from iMarineUSA, free shipping and it arrived in 3 days!

If you want you can add a middle section for a tandem, or however many middle sections you want.

[Pax]

Had a new kayaking experience a few days ago in the Keys... Paddling along in a boat channel near the mangroves, we encountered several HUGE manatees. We stopped paddling and sat there with them for the longest time, they were so cool! When we started to paddle off, they followed us for about a half mile. :D

[badger]

I went on a kayak for the first time last Saturday myself. I, too, have had a nearly life-long fear but for me it's with watercraft. I had a scarring experience when I was 6 on a deep-water fishing boat and since then had a healthy hatred for all things that floated on water.

I'm a whole lot better than I used to be, so I was surprised that I actually wanted to go in a kayak. We stayed at a resort that was nestled in a sheltered cove and they had kayaks for the guests. The scenery was breathtaking, and it was awesome to see a seal bobbing not 4 feet away checking us out. I really enjoyed it and would love to do it again.

[ClockworkOrange]

We had a Sevylor inflatable canoe for about 6 years but did not use it much, too much hassle but managed to sell it on ebay without much financial loss!

Six weeks ago we decided to buy 2 x one-man sit-on kayaks, OMG absolutely brilliant.

We bought the Emotion Temptation, for us they are faultless.

Despite being a bit of an old biddy, I can manage to help lift them on top of our car.

Next I want to experiment with falling out and seeing if I could turn the kayak right way up again and then see how much of a fool of myself I might make by trying to climb back on!!! Mind you, for this I will want full sun and a very hot day.

http://i1081.photobucket.com/albums/j353/1Clockwork1/Capture-5.jpg

http://i1081.photobucket.com/albums/j353/1Clockwork1/028-1.jpg

PS Best of all I discovered today that paddling a kayak helps diminish batwings! :-)

[ny biker]

<big bump>

I've been wanting to try flat water kayaking for a while, like a few years now. The other day I got an email from REI about local events. Usually I just delete those emails but this time I read it, clicked some links... long story short I've registered for a beginning kayak class. It's still a few weeks away. So here I am looking for advice on what to expect, what to wear, etc. No surprise, there's some great info here and in related threads.

I've gone canoeing before with family, on lakes. Never tried kayaking though. Should be fun!

[Eden]

<big bump>

I've been wanting to try flat water kayaking for a while, like a few years now. The other day I got an email from REI about local events. Usually I just delete those emails but this time I read it, clicked some links... long story short I've registered for a beginning kayak class. It's still a few weeks away. So here I am looking for advice on what to expect, what to wear, etc. No surprise, there's some great info here and in related threads.

I've gone canoeing before with family, on lakes. Never tried kayaking though. Should be fun!


It should be great fun- I took the self rescue class up here and it was a good experience. A beginning class probably won't get into falling out and reentry - so I wouldn't worry about getting wet intentionally. They'll most likely teach you how to get in and out either from shore or from a dock, depending on where the class is, how to paddle forwards, backwards and turn and talk about what you'll need to buy if you decide to take up paddling.

The gear list they provide on the class page is pretty comprehensive. Since it's been in the 90's where you are at, I wouldn't worry about getting too cold unless the class is late enough to run after sunset. Regular old shorts and a tee should be just fine. The things I would stress are sun protection - it actually gets quite hot out on the water and there's lots of sun reflected off of the surface. You'll absolutely want a hat with a good brim, sunglasses and sunscreen - and don't neglect places that you might not normally think about - like the underside of your chin. Unless you launch from a dock, footwear that can get wet is a must too- it can be quite uncomfortable to walk around on rocky or mucky lake shores in bare feet. If you have your own flotation jacket you probably want to bring it - they definitely will have them, but they may not be the most comfortable or best fitting models.

The only other advice I have to offer that they don't cover is make sure anything you don't want to lose is in a zippered pocket, tethered to you in some manner or can float on it's own- just in case - and of course if it can't get wet put it in a plastic zipper bag.

[ny biker]

Thanks Eden. I went to an in-store intro class at REI last week, which gave a good overview of different types of boats as well as related gear. Even if I love it, it won't be practical for me to buy a kayak anytime soon, but I could see investing in a good paddle and life jacket. Anyway after the class I bought a dry bag and zip-top bag for my phone. I also ordered a couple of long-sleeved swim shirts from LL Bean. Last summer I spent a lot of time looking for a new swimsuit that didn't look tragic on me, and found a tankini, a flippy little swim skirt and a pair of swim shorts. If at least one of the new swim shirts fits me, I'll have good options for hot or warm weather. I already have a pair of water shoes and a good lightweight baseball cap with a good visor. I'll dig out an old pair of cycling gloves for my hands.

Two things still to figure out -- I usually wear contact lenses. I don't expect to end up in the water during the intro class, but would like to be prepared just in case. (I am not the most coordinated person, and might end up moving the wrong way or otherwise doing something dumb that gets me soaked.:eek:) So I'm thinking of investing in a pair of tinted swim goggles. Otherwise I would wear my prescription sunglasses with Croakies to keep them from falling off.

The other thing I'm wondering is about drinks. I have plenty of water bottles, but am wondering if I need a bottle that could attach to the boat... if there is such a thing.

[Pax]

Swim goggles would get pretty uncomfortable after a bit, I paddle with my prescription sunglasses and croakies, work just fine even when I've had an oops.

Everything is attached when I paddle, unless it floats. A nalgene bottle floats nicely, my metal kanteen not so much, so it gets a carabiner in the loop and attached with a small piece of paracord.

[Eden]

I wear my prescription sunglasses with a strap that has some little floaties on the string so that even if they come off of my face I won't lose them. I usually just take a regular water bottle and stick it in my lap. The cycling gloves are an excellent idea - I often forget them and it's easy to get blisters from the paddle. I'm thinking I should get some un-padded ones someday, but bike gloves work fine. Oh- and buy a whistle - I believe it's required equipment when boating, they are cheap and you stick it in your mouth, so it's nice to have your own. Make sure you get a marine/outdoors one rather than a coach's whistle - some kinds won't work when wet.

I've only been unintentionally dumped into the water once... it was from a big boat wake that hit me just right to dump me over. On calm water it's easier to keep balanced than you think it will be.

[ny biker]

So, the class was today. It was fun! We were on a lake in a state park, very flat with no waves or boat wakes to worry about. We practiced different types of strokes to go forward, backward and sideways, plus turns. We discussed what to do if you tip over but didn't actually practice it. The weather was pretty perfect, in the high 70s with enough clouds to keep the sun from being uncomfortable.

I am now looking into doing an outing or two before the cold weather sets in, so I can practice what I've learned. REI has a kayaking tour scheduled in a few weeks on a river that I'm very familiar with on land -- I do lots of cycling on both sides of it in the area where the tour will be held, including many visits to parks and wildlife sanctuaries on the shores. The skill level is beginner, but I would need to be able to paddle 8 miles. Would I be crazy to sign up for it?

The description says:

Explore a local wetland ecosystem by kayak
Practice kayaking skills over a longer distance
Get up close to migrating birds in their habitat.

I am thinking maybe this means there will be breaks and we will be going slowly at times.

Today's class was about 2.5-3 hours on the water. We paddled across the lake, practiced the different strokes, then circled around the lake on our way back to the launch. My arms did feel tired near the end. (I think I was using my arms too much and my core not enough -- something I need to work on.)

p.s. I was very glad to have had the advice of you ladies here before the class. It definitely helped me make sure I had the right gear. Thanks again!!

[ny biker]

Question: what to wear for flat-water kayaking in the fall, with air temps in the 60s-70s, maybe in the 50s? I do not plan to do any paddling in really cold conditions, but would like to try a few outings in Sept-Oct.

I have lots of winter bike gear. I was thinking (hoping) that tights (without a chamois) would be good. I have several, from unlined to somewhat lined and heavy AmFibs. Also I have some capris, including a wool pair.

For above the waist I have plenty of wool and fleece. For jackets I have a windbreaker (water resistant) as well as a Gore windstopper jacket.

For hands, do I need neoprene full finger gloves? And what about my feet? Wool socks inside my water shoes? My biggest problem with colder temps is ice-cold feet.

I am on a tight budget so am trying not to buy new gear unless it's really necessary.

Thanks!