The Chicago Kayak Club adheres to strict standards of
safety. The following kayak safety guidelines were written by the
Chicago Kayak Club, in conjunction with the U.S. Coast Guard, the
Evanston Fire Department, and the Chicago Marine Police. This
information is for the use of Club Members. Feel free to take what you
will from it.
Still under construction!!!!
Sea Kayaking Safety Topics
Common Sense
Cold Water Immersion
Proper Clothing
Proper Equipment
Proper Instruction
Signaling Devices
Watercraft- other (includes right of way)
Weather/Marine Forecast
Common Sense
The single most important defense against potential problems is lots
of common sense. Before heading out, a kayaker should consider, some of
the following?
Who am I and what are my abilities
What conditions to I expect to encounter?
What conditions could I encounter?
Do I have the appropriate gear/boat etc. for both my abilities and the
conditions that can arrise?
Cold Water Immersion/Hypothermia
Facts
1. The body loses heat at a rate of 25 times faster than air
2. Air and water temperatures can vary greatly. Great danger in the
Northern climates in spring and early summer when air temps can be in
the 80's but water temps may hover in the 40's or even colder.
3. Hypothermia is by far the greatest risk to sea kayakers.
4. Sweat or rain can also cause hypothermia
Safety Standards - Recommendations
1. Dress for Immersion. How would you dress if you were going to
spend some time in the water?
2. Research water temps for the water in addition to air temps/
3. Prepare for Hypothermia by knowing causes and taking precautions to avoid it. Also learn to recognize the symptoms and learn how to treat it. Different stages of hypothermia require different treatments. Knowledge is power - read The Stages of Hypothermia and Their Treatments
4. Dress properly in gear that is waterproof but breathable. Wear layers. Land or raft up to add or subtract clothing. Do not remove PFD while on the water!
5. Bring a waterproof bag that contains an dry set of clothing, a space blanket, and signaling devices so you can make contact if you need to.
6. Realize that is some areas, or at certain times of the year, no help may be close or available. Kayakers should be self sufficient and prepared for a variety of weather and wave conditions. Realize that these can change suddenly, no matter what the forecast shows. Things can change quickly on the water.
Proper Clothing
This is in no way intended to replace instruction. This is an aid to
our members who have already had a sea kayaking class.
So what to wear? You want to be comfortable while kayaking, but
you also want to be safe should something unexpected, like a capsize,
occur.
The best plan is - Expect to get wet!
Who is our target audience of this information?
This information is intended for our club members to utilize for club
outings. Since we kayak mainly in the general Chicago area, that
means at least half the year both water and air temps are cold. For
three to 4 months, we have warm air temps, and water temps that can be
either warm or cool. That causes a lot of confusion over what to wear.
Be aware that Lake MI does not really warm up until July or August, then starts to cool down again in Mid September. There are usually only a few months that kayakers don't wear a wet suit on Lake MI. Some kayakers always wear one. Many new to kayaking will come to the beach in late May or early June and air temps are in the 80's. Well the water may be in the 40's. that is brutally cold. Also be aware, that the water right at the beach is shallow and warmer than where the water is deeper, and that is where we are kayaking, in the colder, deeper water.
On the other hand, the Skokie Lagoons in late June or
July or August can be warmer than bathwater. you don't want to overdress
either. Your best option is to attend a few paddles, bring a variety of
layers and you will always have something appropriate to wear. You will
also observe other members and what they are wearing. Ask them if
they are happy with their gear. Does it keep them warm/cool? Was
it expensive? Where did they get it? This can help you with future
purchasing decisions.
If you are not part of our club, or live where
conditions are different, please realize that this advice may or may not
be appropriate for you.
You can spend a lot of money on clothing, but you can also minimize impact to your wallet if you are on a budget. The first piece of kayak specific clothing people purchase is a wet suit. A kayaker wet suit is different than one you would find at a dive shop. The neoprene is thinner, and frequently, wetsuits are sold as a Farmer Jane or Farmer John Style (which is a one piece, tank top style top with long pants) This allows your legs to stay warm, as well as your core, with freedom of movement for arms and shoulders when kayaking. Typical thickness on a kayaker wetsuit is 2-3 mm. A dive wetsuit can be 5 mm or thicker. This thickness will limit your range of movement and make it very hard to kayak efficiently, so be sure you purchase the correct type.
Many club members really love a product called HydroSkin.
This is a very thin layer of neoprene that is combined with Lycra.
It does not provide as much warmth as a wet suit, but does give you much
more than regular clothing. Unlike wetsuits, they flex much more, and
are sold as top and bottom separates, allowing for a better fit than the
one piece wetsuit. Beware of buying these items on E-bay. Find a local
retailer and try these on. Many of the shops that offer our club
discounts feature these products.
What do you wear under your wet suit? Most kayakers wear a
synthetic base under their wet suit. This may be polypro, capaline, or
smartwool products. They are the old long underwear that you wore as a
kid, but are non cotton. This is essential that you do not wear cotton
when water or air temps are cool. This means no jeans, don't wear cotton
socks/underwear.
Any clothing you wear while kayaking should be well fitted, not loose and certainly not restrictive.
Clothing to wear kayaking.
So what should you wear kayaking? Where you live, what time of the year it is, and who you are, all should be taken into account when deciding what to wear for your trip. Since we are in the northern climate, this will apply to us and our local area here.
Things you can ask yourself
What are the air temps?
What are the water temps?
How close will I be from land when I am out? (that you can access legally)
What is the weather forecast? ( Rain, wind, max and min temps to expect)
Why type of boat will you be in?
Will you encounter waves?
Will you be alone or with a group?
How quickly can you do a t- rescue or self rescue?
The list goes on and on.
Conditions you can encounter
When we teach a class here at the lagoons, students can encounter spring temps of 45-50 degrees air temps, and about 50 degrees for water temps. We can encounter no wind, or lots of wind. It can even snow or hail at times, unexpectedly. It can rain cats and dogs, or it can drizzle lightly all day. We can have sunny days.
In the summer even in June, we can find cooler air temps, sometimes in the 50s with wind and rain, or we can find 80 air temps and 75 degree water with lots of sun. Or any combination of those, or thunderstorms. In mid to late summer, we can encounter air temps in the 100s, bright sun, no wind or a thunderstorm that will come thru and drop the temps 20 degrees within minutes. Or it can just stay stifling hot all day long. Fall is similar to spring the weather is all over the place and changes from day to day.
So how to you plan to dress for any or all of these conditions?
You can see that the possibilities are endless for hot and cold, windy and not. The best piece of gear is always you brain use common sense. When kayaking you should be covered appropriately to protect from UV rays, scrapes and scuffs, warmth (or coolness on the blazing hot days). Your feet should have good water shoes or neoprene booties or socks for protection, your hat should be covered for warmth or sun protection. The types of materials of your clothing and the amount of layers will depend on the temperatures, wind, sun or lack of it and how your body handles temperature changes. Some people are always hot, some are always cold, know yourself and plan accordingly.
For classes, we provide wetsuits, so as a member, this should be one of your first purchases. Also adding neoprene booties or socks can really be nice as well as some gloves, a hat and so forth.
What do you wear under your wetsuit? A light or mid-weight later of synthetic (non cotton) clothing works best. You can use wool or silk too, spend a lot or a little. Bringing some extra clothing with you is good too, since the lagoons are frequently cooler by about 10 degrees than downtown Chicago.
If it is hot out and you chose to wear a bathing suit you have no protection from the sun, and no protection from scrapes and cuts. It is a common site to see folks who wear bathing suits end up cut and bleeding after prolonged rescue practice. The constant wet on your skin makes it very soft and prone to tearing. Protect your skin and wear some clothing that will cover you. Wear sunblock too and a good hat!
Lake Michigan Paddling
What to know
The water is colder than the lagoons, sometimes substantially. The wind is usually brisker and air temps can be much cooler. You may walk out of your house in a shirt and shorts feeling comfortable, and arrive at the Lake and shiver, it is so cold. If you dont have proper clothing, as a club member you are not able to participate. The more critical lesson in this is that it is not safe to be out in open waters not properly dressed.
You may be very comfortable and stable at the lagoons, but not necessarily so at the Lake. We frequently see new paddlers who capsize, sometime repeatedly, and sometimes, they get sea sick. Either case, they end up in the water for extended amounts of time, and these are the people who are least likely to be dressed for longer exposure to cold waters.
What not to Wear
Cotton, jeans, sweatshirts, tank tops, bathing suits are among the worst offenders.
We will be taking some photos over the next few weeks of members who have volunteered to participate in a project to help new members know what to wear. They will bring a variety of outfits and we will photograph various scenarios, so you can visually see what this looks like, in addition to reading thru all of this. This info and pictures will be posted on the club web site, and can be used as a reference for all of our members to help them decide what is best for them. We will post specific brands and the places where you can purchase them, along with prices. If you have lots of kayak related clothing and would like to participate in this project, send me an e-mail to chicgaokayak@comcast.net
Proper Equipment
Knowing your equipment, including its features, how to use them,
and their limitations is crucial. Below we will discuss club specific
issues, so again, if you are not a club member, this may not apply to
you.
For our purposes, the kayak of choice is a sea kayak. While we do go on calm waters and small lakes and rivers about half the time, that means we are in open water on Lake Michigan. In addition to learning rescues in class, we frequently will practice on club outings.
A sea kayak that has properly sealed bulkheads is required for any open water paddles. All of our club kayaks are sea kayaks with fore and aft bulkheads. If you own your own kayak, and it does not have dual bulkheads, you may participate in any calm water paddles, but will either need to use a club boat for open water paddles, or just opt out on any open water trips.
Rudders or skegs can be a big help on open water where high winds or tides and currents are present. Rudders and skegs can also be a hinderance. Remember as with most things, there are always pros and cons to everything, so you must weigh them both and make your own decisions.
Rudders
These are large metal plates, usually that rest on the rear of the boat
until they are deployed. They are designed to help you manuever
when the wind or tide/current wants to point your kayak a different
direction than you would like it to go. There is usually a cable
or rope that runs from the rudder to the cockpit, so that you can pull
on it one way to engage the rudder, and another to retract the kayak
rudder. Once the rudder is engaged, you can control its direction
by pushing on your foot pegs. There is a wire cable attached to each
peg, that runs thru your boat, thru the aft bulkhead, and to one side of
the rudder mechanism. Pushing forward with one foot, will shift
the rudder, and turn the boat.
Pros
Allows you to counteract winds and currents
Signaling Devices
Watercraft- other (includes right of way)
Weather/Marine Forecast
If you have any questions or suggestions, please contact us.
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