Should I ?

[Joe ( Cold Spring on Hudson )]

..... Go sailing ?

The Salisbury Sailing Skiff is available I just need to load her up.

Sunny
45°F ( A little BRISK for a first sail )
Feels Like
39°F :eek:

Updated Apr 13 10:00 a.m. ET

Wind:
From NE at 14 mph ( :eek: a little BREEZY for a first shake down sail )
gusting to 19 mph :eek: :eek: :eek:

Pressure:
30.01*in.
Dew Point:
22°F
Visibility:
10.0 miles

Then of course there is loading the boat on the trailer which I used the wheels for Dove's trailer so I would have to jack it up change the wheels and put the boat on the trailer.

Hmmm I got a few work details to take care of today, but it sure is nice to START thinking about it.

[Bruce Hooke]

I'd just think about it...windy weather, small boats and very cold water are not such a good mix...

[Joe ( Cold Spring on Hudson )]

Agreed Bruce, I do have some foul weather gear but I dont feel like swimming in the Hudson today ;) First sail of the season should be on a fair wind day.

I was up for it till I saw the wind data. Up on the mountain here I am somewhat sheltered from the NE wind so what is a gentle breeze up here down at the river is a totally different story. :eek:

[imported_Dutch]

its all about joe, so only joe can decide ;)

[Joe ( Cold Spring on Hudson )]

Dutch we gonna play nice ? ;)

[imported_Dutch]

actually joe, i dont play with guys ;)

[Joe ( Cold Spring on Hudson )]

Mmmmmmffffffffftttrrrrrrr {stifling really good comeback }

Whew OK I will be good ;)

[WWheeler]

A dangerous time of year for boating. Note the most common cause of death in cold water is not due to hypothermia, but "swimming failure" (77% of deaths apparently), which affects even good swimmers. Strictly speaking, you may have 1-2 hours in 55F. water, but this sets in much quicker.


Short-term immersion or swimming failure ^

Death at this stage, between three and thirty minutes after immersion, appears to affect those who try to swim. It is also known that even good swimmers may be unable to swim for more than a few minutes in very cold water. "A good swimmer aged 20 recently disappeared within 5 minutes while he was trying to swim 50 yards from an overturned dinghy in calm water of a reservoir at 10ºC-11ºC." (Reference 36). The cause was thought to be due to the respiratory and cardiovascular responses already started in the initial immersion. An alternative theory was that the cold water contact with the nose and mouth induced the "diving response". This causes breathing to stop (apnea), a slowing of the heart rate (bradycardia) and even cardiac arrest (asystole).
See http://www.tc.gc.ca/MarineSafety/Tp/Tp13822/chapter-1.htm#1.

[Leon m]

How about Kayaking...good day for that.

[TomF]

Would have thought that the North Atlantic off Nova Scotia or Newfoundland never gets much warmer than that ... and there are lots of folks who've sailed small open boats out there.

Go sailing .... but wear whatever warm stuff you've got, and perhaps drag a line with a float attached, to give yourself something to grab onto if the worst does happen. Don't attach it to a weak little cleat ... perhaps to a thwart?

t

[Joe ( Cold Spring on Hudson )]

Didn't got tied up with work never even made it down to the barn :( ahhh but the thought was there. ;)

[Bruce Hooke]

Originally posted by TomF:
Would have thought that the North Atlantic off Nova Scotia or Newfoundland never gets much warmer than that ... and there are lots of folks who've sailed small open boats out there.True, and yes it can be done safely (relatively speaking). There are three caveats I would note:

1. People whose summer sailing waters are quite cold are likely to be better versed in the cautious approach called for under such conditions than is someone whose summer sailing waters are warmer.

2. The reported wind conditions are fairly breezy for small boat sailing.

3. If you do go out on cold water, don't just wear warm clothes, wear warm clothes that will still be warm if you get wet.

[P.I. Stazzer-Newt]

Treat as a race.
see Racing rules web page (pdf) (http://www.sailing.org/RRS2005/Intro1-7.pdf)

Fundamental rule 4.

[Domesticated_Mr. Know It All]

It's calling me too Joe. ;)
It's too dang cold. :eek:
Be patient. smile.gif

[Mrleft8]

water in the sound is 41 f..... no thanks....

[Bruce Hooke]

I should maybe note that despite my stated caution I was out canoeing last weekend and I'm sure the river I was on was not particularly warm! :D Then again I'm also damn fool enough to wade into water that still has ice on it to get the right angle for a photograph...

[seafox]

I wonder about the warm cloths things

last time I went cold watering was a duck hunting trip just before it turned cold air temp was 50ish but the water colder. didn't have a dog so I would stip to shorts and tee shirt and go wading ( week day and thought I was alone out there) I found I could go pretty good for 40 or 50 yeards before the cold got into the mussels and they slowed way down the conditions were 18 to 24 inches of water over 18 to 24 inches of mud. as long as you kept moving you did ok but go to slow and you start to sink.
I picture trying to swim in to many cloths sinking and trying to breath water

oh forgot your susposed to be wearing a life jackit...

[Bruce Taylor]

Took another unintentional swim in the rapids, yesterday...the boat just kind of filled up on the way down. We kept pretty warm, though, thanks to the miracle of neoprene.

[Joe ( Cold Spring on Hudson )]

Not today either way to busy with work :eek:

[Ron Williamson]

I'm hoping for a warm Saturday so that I can paddle with the kids.The water isn't too fast or deep,just too cold.
Neoprene is the ticket.
R

[Bruce Hooke]

Originally posted by seafox:
I wonder about the warm cloths things

last time I went cold watering was a duck hunting trip just before it turned cold air temp was 50ish but the water colder. didn't have a dog so I would stip to shorts and tee shirt and go wading ( week day and thought I was alone out there) I found I could go pretty good for 40 or 50 yeards before the cold got into the mussels and they slowed way down the conditions were 18 to 24 inches of water over 18 to 24 inches of mud. as long as you kept moving you did ok but go to slow and you start to sink.
I picture trying to swim in to many cloths sinking and trying to breath water

oh forgot your susposed to be wearing a life jackit...I find that as long as my feet have something on them my legs can stand near freezing water for quite a while without really cooling me down that much. When your upper body is wet and you can't get out of the water quickly and get to some shelter is when the problems happen. I remember doing some canoe rescue practice in a lake in Maine in early June last year. The air was reasonably warm but the water was still cold (but nowhere near as cold as some water I have waded in). After 10-15 minutes in the water (without a wet suit) I realized that I was getting colder fast and that I needed to get out and warm up...

[TomF]

Obviously, caution has got to be the rule. After all, a canoeist died last week on the St. John river, thanks to hypothermia.

There's a reason why folks wear survival suits, when they think they're likely to end up in the icy drink for a long time. I'd be inclined to at least purchase (and wear) a wetsuit, were I to really want to do lots of cold-climate open boat sailing.

t.