Malcolm approaching Cape BroyleLast night Malcolm was the presenter at Kayak Newfoundland and Labrador Club's talk on outfitting your kayak. These talks and presentations are part of the club's winter activities for members when most have put away their kayaks.
It seemed like a simple enough topic but, as usual, there's always something to learn from the experience of others. Malcolm had quite a pile of safety gear on display and spoke on each item. Some of the items he discussed were his flare storage system, communications equipment comprised of VHF radio, SPOT unit and EPIRB and two tow systems.
All of this was well thought out and strategically placed on or in the kayak. For example, the VHF radio and SPOT are kept on the foredeck. The EPIRB is the final fallback and is kept in his PFD. Its kept in the PFD in case he gets separated from his boat and therefore the VHF and SPOT.
The flares (handheld and parachute) are stowed under the deck. A smoke canister is kept in the dayhatch due to its size.
I'm glad I went. I regret to say by attending I discovered I still have a pile of stuff I could buy. For example, I thought I was all set with my VHF only to realize it has no backup in case it fails. Oh well, in a survival situation these purchases may pay off; you won't want to discover then money in the bank is of little use.
And never forget common sense...some "Gear sl*ts" use kit it in lieu of!
ReplyDeleteYour right...money is bugger all out there... Ithink thats why I like it!
Your CDF Locker is what we used to call "common sense" in Navel Reserves. Which was the polite way of saying your Common Dog F@ck Locker!!
ReplyDeleteCommon sense is a misnomer because common sense is not all that common!
ReplyDeleteTony :-)