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Feature
Is a PFD a Life Jacket?
By Christopher Cunningham
Editor
One of our readers recently directed our attention to a video program called Cold Water Boot Camp, produced by the National Water Safety Congress. A link to the program showed up on the web site of the National Association of Boating Law Administrators. Cold Water Boot Camp has its own web site with lots of additional video footage. In the program, eight volunteers, dressed in sweat shirts and pants, jump from a support boat into 45°F water. The host points out all the usual factors of cold-water immersion: cold shock, the gasp reflex, swimming failure and hypothermia. That’s all to the good. Boaters need to be educated about hypothermia and videos make it quite clear that cold water is mentally and physically debilitating. The stated point of Cold Water Boot Camp is to teach boaters “how to survive an accidental cold water immersion,” yet the only recommendation it makes is for boaters to wear their life jackets. The program consistently uses the term “life jacket.” PFD, or personal flotation device, is more accurate because a functioning PFD will keep you afloat, but it won’t necessarily save your life.
Click here to read more.
Sea Kayaker Store
Sea Kayaker Magazine –
February 2009
- Australia Ahead, Freya Hoffmeister and Her Solo Circumnavigation.
- Navigation, Rules of the Road
- DVD Review: Rough Water Handling
- Kayak Reviews: 20T by Delta Kayaks
Titan VI by Atlantis Kayaks
- From Sitka to Hoonah, Paddling Alaska’s Southeast Coast
- And more
February has two great holidays to celebrate - Valentine's Day and Presidents Day!
Treat you, a friend or family member to these items and more from the Sea Kayaker magazine store!
NEW PRODUCT
Sterling Silver Sport Jewelry by Whirling Girl |
"Whirling Girl jewelry is designed to row/paddle/dive/surf/run/bike/swim/skate/ski with you. Wear what you love."
We're featuring these select pieces that we think you'll love. |
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Shipping and handling included to addresses in US and Canada,
$7US will be added for all other locations. |
| Sea Kayaker Magazine Baseball Caps |
| Available in black, stone or putty, ONLY $12.99 |
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| Kayak Theme Note cards |
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Watercolor cards by Betsy McPhaden inspired by the Pacific Northwest
$6.95 |
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Block print cards by Shawna Franklin inspired by her home and paddling waters in the San Juan Islands, WA
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And remember to subscribe to Sea Kayaker magazine and get the gift of an issue every other month.
Please visit the Sea Kayaker magazine Online store for these items and more!
More Info
2009 Reader Survey – Have You Participated Yet?
Following is a link to our bi-annual Reader Survey. We appreciate you taking a few minutes to complete this survey, it helps us know our readers better.
To thank you for your time, you’ll be entered in a drawing to win a Necky Chatham. (Winner chooses the length of Chatham, color is determined by Necky Kayaks.)
Click here to take 2009 Reader Survey.
Tips for Better Kayaking and Camping
Last in, first out. Items that should be loaded last and remain easily accessible are first-aid kit, lunch, tarp, and a change of clothes. If you come ashore in the rain, set up the tarp, change your clothes, bandage your blisters, and have something to eat. Now you can do the rest of the unloading and set up your camp.
-From Sea Kayaker's Savvy Paddler by Doug Alderson,
Ragged Mountain Press, 2001. Used with permission.
From the Advertising Department
Is Sea Kayaker Just a Consumer Publication?
By Paul Riek
Advertising and Promotions Manager
This afternoon we finished putting the April ’09 issue of Sea Kayaker to bed. In the few minutes I had of post print-deadline relaxation—which of course, left me under the gun for the e-newsletter deadline—I was having a discussion with a co-worker about addressing the paddlesports trade associations in this edition.
All right, I’ll be honest: I was pitching my boss on a controversial topic and he pointed out that Sea Kayaker is a consumer publication, so what interest do consumers have in industry topics? Well, I’d have to agree with him, but it does open up a much broader question: What type of publication is Sea Kayaker? Our next issue will mark our 25th anniversary and I think it’s a good time to consider the question.
Click here to read more.
Sea Kayaker magazine, independently owned and operated since 1984
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