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courses and what works at sea. Sea kayaking demands good judgement and seamanship.” Absolutely!


The paddler on your front cover will discover that a spray skirt is a very useful thing to have on the ocean. Unfortunately, it looks as if he'll learn that lesson the hard way.


Pamela Stagg Toronto


Long answer: To me the gist of John Dowd’s article was; “sea kayaking demands good judgment and seaman- ship”. Good judgment must surely mean choosing when it is necessary to wear a spray skirt accord- ing to the prevailing paddling conditions. Or does that come under the heading of, “educational institutions teaching what they can measure”, like a list: PFD-check, whistle-check, paddle-check, bilge pump-check, paddle float-check, ability to evaluate conditions and critical decision mak- ing—nope!


I understand that Pamela could have mistaken that paddler on the cover for a man (although Wendy wasn't impressed). However I would ques- tion Pamela’s powers of observation regarding Wendy’s lack of spray skirt on the ocean if she didn't notice: the fact that there are no barnacles on the rocks at water level indicating that this is not salt water; the appearance of 2 to 3 inch waves around the kayak and out past the rocks into the horizon a possible indicator of water con- ditions; and the clear blue sky possibly, but not conclusively, indicating fine weather. Although having said that, Pamela, being a very observant person she could have also read the photo cap- tion on the inside cover which indicates that the photo was taken in the St. Lawrence River near Rockport, Ontario. As far as I am aware the tidal affect from the Atlantic hasn't reached the lower Great Lakes.


My short answer: Yes, the paddler did have a spray skirt in the cockpit and removed it because of the warm con- ditions. Paddling around the protected bays and islands of the St. Lawrence Islands National Park you may encounter many days of calm water con- ditions and some great paddling. However, the weather is changeable and being at the end of Lake Ontario high wind conditions are fairly com- mon. Another thing to be aware of is the lake freighters that navigate the waterway. Although they are huge vessels they move deceptively quickly and very silently. This area is great for both day and extended trips. You get the advan- tage of the scenery of the Canadian Shield and great B&Bs and restaurants, history and theatres and great paddling in one package. It's great to see that your readers are so observant and safety conscious.


Cheers Rick Matthews


Designed to Perform


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Photos: Guillaume Paquin, Jean-Sébastien Massicotte


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